As a musician, it can sometimes feel like you’re stuck in the mud when you’re in the thick of it. Whether you are creating, promoting, or somewhere in between, the biggest thing we advocate for our members is making sure they are planning towards their version of success.
What is your version of success?
To do this, you need to know what the end goal is. Start with the end goal, define it so well that you know exactly what are, and what aren’t your hallmarks of success. The more detail the better! Don’t be shy to think big.
Don’t forget to think about the metrics you could include to back up this success. A good example is playing one show a month or 100,000 Spotify streams. Whatever your version of success is write it down and take notes with lots of numbers inbetween.
What is your starting point?
Now it’s time to take stock of where you are at now and what that means for you. Anything you have that is in line with your current vision is important. Where are you now? Who do you have around you? What are you missing? Who do you need? Again, the detail is the key with this and make sure you write this down too.
Now your starting point becomes point A and your measure and vision of success become point B. Everything between points A and B is the current unknown and the path you are about to write.
Let’s Plan Backwards!
To get to Point B you’re going to need to create a few things like your team, find investment, the right songs, the right collaborations and more. Start listing these things out and who or what you will need at a different level. No doubt if you are looking for the right publisher to get to your next level you might not be able to get the dream publisher straight off the bat. However, what you can do is say to get that publisher what will you need and that becomes a step in the chain before securing the dream publisher.
Keep going asking yourself; “what will I need to get to X?” and sure enough you will start working backwards to get to some reachable, manageable and actionable steps you can take tomorrow.
I hope that this planning backwards can give some clarity and lower anxiety around what is next for you as a musician. If you would like help with this sign up to HyperTribe and we will get you in the driving seat of your career and plan out your next steps.
