The April 2011 issue of Inc. Magazine has an article on Rob Kalin, the founder and CEO of Etsy, the self-proclaimed “place to buy and sell all things handmade, vintage, and supplies.” The article describes workshops Rob has led for the sellers to help them build their businesses. Rob says:
“”There’s this really interesting shift that happens when you’re running an Etsy business, where you have to change your approach from ‘I make clothing’ to ‘I’m making a living making a business that makes clothing””
I couldn’t have said it better myself.
The Choice
Before the sellers get to that point though, they have a choice. Just like you.
- Hobby: You can play your music for fun. No, really. There is NOTHING wrong with enjoying music and the creation of music for music’s sake. No one says that just because you’re talented you have to pursue a career in music and become a star (well…actually EVERYONE says that). There are many good reasons to play music as a hobby and as a hobby only.
- Extra cash: You can also play your music for fun and earn money too. You’ll have fun doing what you love, you’ll have money to buy great equipment and maybe some left over to use as you wish!
- Career: You can choose to build a career playing music. If this is you’re choice, you:
Have to Change Your Approach
In my upcoming book, I introduce the concept of being CEO of You, Inc. It is not a clever way to discuss business concepts, it is a critical step in the direction of “making a living making a business that makes” music.
CEOs (Chief Executive Officers) think about businesses differently than employees. While employees think about “what do I do next,” CEOs think about, “where do we want to be in 5, 10 or 20 years and how do I make sure that happens?”
If you want to play music and eat next week, think like an employee. If you want to enjoy a 50 to 60 year career doing what you love and enjoying the fruit of your labor, think like a CEO.
So what are doing that shows you’re making a business that makes music?
