Entrepreneurship + Music = Insanity. Pt 1.

When I read stories about great American entrepreneurs like Jeff Bezos, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Howard Schultz and even Thomas Edison I often imagine them alone. In my mind's eye I always see them in a space of contemplation with no one else around, eyes open but staring inwardly at something far more real than what they see outwardly.

To say the journey into entrepreneurship is a journey that changes you is a vast understatement. No one who enters its dark doors ever returns unchanged. In fact, the journey is so intense people often return dramatically transformed; for better or for worse. The journey tests your mettle, your closest relationships and business savvy. But even more disturbing - it tests your self belief.

I have been a part of start-ups and early stage companies for nearly 16 years and I have often played a vital or transformative role in those companies. Starting a company is something I'm not only comfortable with but is also something I truly enjoy! However, starting a company is much different than maintaining one and even different still from growing one.

I remember reading about how John D. Rockefeller, "saw where the oil industry was going and how he would play a part". When Rockefeller entered the oil industry there were already 200 oil companies in the U.S. alone! Not only did he optimize and consolidate the industry, he became America's first billionaire in the process.

My critics and mentors are right on several points: "the music business is tough", "there's already tons of competition", "aspiring musicians don't have a lot of money", etc. But they are wrong on some other points such as "you can't create a billion dollar company in this space" or jointly, "the market is too small". To which I say, "O, full of scorpions is my mind..!" Now, melodramatic Shakespearean monologue aside, push back is good and it is part of the reason why I have mentors in the first place. Nonetheless, I am compelled by what I see.

I see "where the industry is going and how we can play a (big) part". I see how we can help optimize and consolidate an industry primed for disruption and I see how we can do so in a organic, viral way using the power of the Internet. I see many of the competitors avoiding the main pain because it's "too hard to address".

Well we at Jammber intend to attack that pain head on.

But beyond the current state of the industry I see the future state should we become successful. I see an explosion of local music around the world, I see millions of music artists supplementing their income doing what they love and a diversification of content. I see indepent aritst dominating the Grammy's and VMAs. (It may surprise you to know that 50% of Grammy's were won by independent music artists in 2014).

So, yeah...maybe I'm crazy but at least I'm in good company. And I better understand why I see those great entrepreneurs alone. Obviously you can't build such great visions alone. But there are many, many times when you may have to believe in them alone. An idea is a fragile thing and as a entrepreneur you must be compelled to bring the invisible things you see into the realm of the visible. Sure... check the gauges, make sure you have fuel, bring along a rock star team, test the critiques against the data; empirical or otherwise. But beyond all of it: know what you know. Insanity is often disguised as genius in it's early stages.