This week we’re covering specifically what I should have done differently from a bad review I received in the past about an employee. I should have listened before I spoke. I got one side of the story and did my own research and went off half cocked on the client when I should have just calmly invited them into the office to have a conversation about things in a peaceful way after both parties had calmed down. My team member had her side, the bride and groom had their side of the story, and the truth of it all lied somewhere in the middle. I didn’t give an option for the real truth to come out, and it became a ... [read more]

Looking back I was cocky and arrogant...which was probably why Lee gave me the time of day (because that's exactly how he is :) )  We chatted that day on the phone and arranged a meeting for when I came to the UP in about a month for some other job interviews. We met, became fast friends and Lee was my agent for the first several years of Taylored Entertainment's existence while I got my feet underneath me in the area.  There are quiet leaders and there are leaders who are a bit more noticeable. Lee is, in regards to this industry, a quiet leader. But what about those who write/speak/blog/create content for the DJ indust... [read more]

How To Handle A Bad Review People say the best teacher is experience. This is true, and especially true for dealing with a bad review. I think if you’ve been in business for any length of time you’re bound to have one or two. It’s not about getting one although there’s something to be said for the level of preparation one can take to avoid a bad review. It’s about how you respond to it both publicly and privately. I’ve had a bad review of an employee before and I wouldn’t say that I handled it in the best way possible. Now hindsight is always 20/20, and I certainly would have handled it differently.... [read more]

Last week we explored fixing your process in a bit deeper way. We’ll wrap up this series this week with some final thoughts. Thinking about your process is the same thing I stated in “Creative Consultations” back in 2011. Sit where your client sits. See what they see. Just recently I was asked by a fellow deejay to look at his process in regards to the sales cycle, email campaigns and things. I didn’t have to examine his process too in depth and was able to pick out two or three things from just that quick glance over of ways he could improve. I emailed him and said here's what I'd recommend. Shorten up your words. Don... [read more]

MOBILE BEAT #199 - OCTOBER 2018 What's In Your Toolbox? So, my nightmare is over... OK, that may be an overly dramatic way of saying that this issue is out AFTER Halloween due to difficult circumstances for this one-man magazine production team. It's no reflection on my great freelance writers, who work very hard to hit the deadlines I give them and do their best to make my job of editing a lot easier than it could be. If only I had a personal clone or two in MY toolbox... In this issue, some of those writers answer the cover question, with either actual physical implements or tools of the more metaphorical kind. I'm sure that, despite its tardi... [read more]

Purpose has a couple of different meanings. Purpose is a reason something exists or is done. Another meaning for purpose is to achieve a desired result, your aim or your goal. For me it goes a little bit deeper than that. Think about your purpose…or another word for purpose and that is calling. What’s your calling? What’s your purpose? Do you yourself have a mission statement? Do you have a purpose statement? Go deeper. I would encourage you to write out your own purpose statement. How do you do that? Take stock in why you get up every day. That’s one way to create your purpose statement. What motivates you? What do you love ... [read more]

We continue with the 3rd installment of Tips To Grow On. I would go to school during the day....run sales routes two days a week for WGUY-FM and then fill in overnights and take up weekend part time on air shifts for WWFX-FM.  After graduation the hard work as a college student paid off in landing a FULL TIME 6p-12a night shift on 105.7 WHMX Hot Mix 106 making the grand total of $200.00 per week salary in 1994.  I'll never forget my take home pay from that job for as long as I live. $143.57 per week. My roommate at the time had a extremely small DJ system and we would go out and play local events and called ourselves Wild Aces Product... [read more]

We continue with tips to grow on from last week.  So there I sat...18 years old...living the wild, reckless, care-free life that most 1st year college students do and my dream was beginning to burst.  We were also required to take a shift on the local campus radio station 89.3 FM WHSN and that is where I was first bitten with the radio bug. Radio is one of those things that gets in your blood and again being now 19 and loving the "fame" that it was bringing me I was all about it.  I knew a couple of other DJs in my class who did bars and mixed on turntables but never really got to try turntables until a year or so later. Tip: �... [read more]

Last week’s article we dug deeper in regards to how music can move people emotionally and how that can be used for maximum impact at your events.  Now let’s get into a little nitty gritty for application. For example, when you're transitioning out of dinner and into dancing, play a beat. Use sing along songs that aren't necessarily danceable, but they're definitely moving the party forward in the night. If you have a younger demographic couple you might be dropping some early 2000s like Maria Maria or Hey Soul Sister or something similar. Play songs that are g... [read more]

In 1993 I attending New England School of Broadcasting (now New England School of Communications) and at the time the school was in transition, going from a one year certificate upon completion school to a 2 year Associates Degree of Science in Broadcasting.  My class was the "pilot" program for that school into the Associates Degree. Our president George Wildey always told me that I was blessed because I didn't have the "Maine accent" which meant that I could work anywhere I wished and not be pigeonholed to Maine or other New England states for work.   Tip:  Don't be afraid to be the guinea pig on an idea.  You never know where it ... [read more]