Entrepreneurs in Music — and Don’t Forget about Mozart!

The personality trait that makes for success? For me it was the fact that I was the guy you called when something needed to be done and nobody else was willing to stay up all night or cancel plans in order to complete a project. In the early years, I was simply not willing to say no to a job – I am a bit more selective today, but there are certain clients who I will always make time for. Is it a good personality trait? It is certainly not for everyone, but it is what helped me to establish a fair reputation.
It is quite possible that many people think that we do this for fun. I never thought working was overly thrilling. Scoring the gig was fun. Getting paid was awesome. The part that takes place in between is rather a lot of… well, work. No complaints, mind you – I look at this as more of a lifestyle than “simply” an occupation.
Perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind is that few people start off knowing exactly how something is going to play out. You start out doing what you can because you saw a need or an opportunity and you tried to do something. Then you take on more until “suddenly” you are an expert. I am glad I had the opportunity to learn along the way, but seeing samples of my work from when I was just starting out really makes me realize how much my skills have improved. You just stick with it and do your best to do your best.