You want big money? Seriously. Do you want to make big money as a DJ? You need big gear! So buy buy buy! Ok, I gotta be honest with you; that sounded like the worst sales pitch ever, but it's also the worst advice ever.. Kinda. Buying gear nonstop is a bad idea, especially without a business plan. However, gear really can be a big key to making more money. Sure, everyone's case is different, so I'll tell you my story and hopefully you can apply these principles to your business. When 4SchoolsOnly first started, we barely had any gear compared to now. Three 10' sticks of truss, some ADJ Pocket Scans, the ADJ Color Pod 250s and we had a badass show. We added two 5x7 video screens and we had a whole new market. Sure, there were other companies in Florida hitting schools with similar gear, but we h... [read more]

The “unknowns” at the events are terrifying. From a microphone suddenly failing, to the one drunk interrupting guest at an event, these unexpected situations can cause a nightmare for even the most seasoned professional DJ. But the question is, what can you do as a DJ to better prepare for these unknown circumstances and what can you do to turn each circumstance into a powerful and positive situation or what I call a “tool?” In this next part of my series, I will discuss the three steps in taking a problem, any problem and turning it into a valuable tool that will enhance your event. Before we get into the steps of this process, it is imperative that you understand a critical component of this discus- sion, NONE of the circumstances that surprise you are genuine surprises. That’s right, your m... [read more]

This issue hits popular subject from a bunch of angles: How much is too much? Be over-prepared or lean and mean? We look at how to scale your offerings and your productions to the right spot for you and your clients. Enjoy, Ryan Burger Publisher - Mobile Beat In this Issue   The Element of Surprise - Todd Mitchem Over the Top! - Arnoldo Offermann How to Avoid Overkill - Trevor West Multifaceted Music Man: Curtis Whipple - Michael Cordeiro Managing Cyber Security Risks - Mark Battersby Size Matters: To Scale Up or Pare Down? - Stu Chisholm Networking: All About Giving - Matt Martindale On-the-Spot Networking Skills... [read more]

Are you easy? We always talk about how easy we want to make things for prospects and customers. But do you ever look at how easy you make things for your own team? How easy is it for your team to handle the day to day things that shouldn’t require you or the help from someone else? If your team was asked about the way you do business, would they rave about how easy it is or grumble about how damn difficult you make it? A growing company is always going to incur some new red tape as it matures, that’s part of business growth. However, making things time consuming because you think it is “stream- lining,” might not be the best bet. A... [read more]

DJs are always on the lookout for new ways to raise the average dollar amount of their event contracts, while providing services that enhance their clients’ overall experiences. Along with uplighting, photo booths and other services, another great add-on is gobo projection, which has become a lucrative up-sell item, especially for wedding receptions, over the last ten years. However, one aspect of providing this service may keep some DJs from diving in: The toughest part of doing gobo projection has been simply getting the gobo properly designed. Well, this is really not an obstacle, with the debut of the latest Gobo Creator from StageSpot o... [read more]

I find it sad that the heyday of music video (creatively and in popularity) happened LONG before it was relatively easy and practical to manipulate or even simply MIX music videos, as DJs do with music. Now that it IS possible, it's now RARE that music videos seem to generate the kind of excitement they once did. COMPUTERS HAVE CHANGED EVERYTHING The major software packages today for DJs using music video are: Serato, Virtual DJ, and Mix Emergency (which piggybacks off Serato). Each have their pluses and minuses. My advice: Find a combination of controls, computer, and software that you're most comfortable with. Get something good, learn to u... [read more]

It has been quite a while since the previous installment of my blog and mag series about the total overhaul of my DJ business, Stu & His Crew. One of the reasons I’ve put off any more writing is because things slowed down to such a crawl, there wasn’t anything new to report! I had completely upgraded my playback systems, using HP Omen laptops and the (then) brand new Numark NV. I had completely refurbished my old 1996 Ford box truck, restoring its looks and operation to like new condition. I’ve overhauled my business plan, redone my logo (keeping only my name, albeit changing over to an LLC) and have been taking some steps to improve... [read more]

We’ve all had the experience of someone coming up to us at an event to request that we play a particular genre of music. The person might ask for some dance music, some country music, or some rock and roll. Of course, the problem is that these categories are too broad to fully understand exactly what music the guest actually wants. If someone asks for some rock and roll, does he want a Beatles’ tune, early Madonna, or a Tupac song? All these artists have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, so any of them might be considered rock and roll artists. Of course, most DJs would not categorize all three of these artists as rock and roll. Only... [read more]

It’s hotter than the third level of hell here in North Carolina, but we are already thinking about holiday parties. Why? Because clients are beginning to realize that they need to book them now to get the best venues and vendors for their upcoming corporate events and other celebrations. Let’s break this article down into two parts. First, marketing to get these shows, and secondly, what you need to know to make them a success once you actually get there. PART 1: SECURING YOUR HOLIDAY GIGS Before I get too far ahead of myself, let me mention this. In January of this year, as soon as I felt like everyone had recovered from Christmas and Ne... [read more]

Remember how “The Jetsons” had that automated kitchen? Well, that's going to be you with social media from now on! What if I told you you could do all your social media posting in just one day out of the month and spend the other 29 days not worrying about it? You just need the right tools. Please step into the Jetson's social media kitchen with me now... #1 AUTOMATE YOUR POSTS Yep! Just schedule your social media posts the same way you can with blog posts or calendar reminders. Check out, for example, one of the most popular and established social media automation platforms, Hoot Suite, to see what's up. In a nutshell, you connect your T... [read more]