Transcendent Music Presents: What We Learned From Experts to Improve Our Business Plans

Transcendent Music Presents: What We Learned From Experts to Improve Our Business Plans

http://www.growthink.com/team/dave-lavinsky 

In the previously posted blog, we took a look at the profiles and entrepreneurial theories of two experts in business plan development and business startups.  The two experts were Dave Lavinsky and Tim Berry.   Dave Lavinsky’s philosophy is based on a very fundamental rule:  give customers what they really want.  After reading about him and his business plan theory, I started to question how I could improve my own business plan.  The act of giving the customer what they really want requires you to first know what the customer really wants.  It is hard for me as a startup to accurately gauge what the customer really wants.  I have found this to be one of the great risks of starting a business.  I believe that you can have an idea about what you think your customers want but never really know with absolute certainty.  Due to this reality, I have accepted Lavinsky’s theory partially.  Most startups do not have the capital to conduct the market research or financial forecasting that may be required to more accurately determine what your customers want prior to launching your business.  This may be the reason why many startups fail in the early stages of their life.  However, I also am of the thought that customers do not always know exactly what they want prior to it being presented to them.  It takes a balance of both what the customers want and what you envision that the customers will want.  My argument is supported by the likes of Mark Cuban, Steve Jobs and Henry Ford.  It was Ford who said, “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.”  The suggestions of Dave Lavinsky did not contribute to a particular part of my business plan but it impacted the plan in its entirety.  Lavinsky indirectly led me to have more confidence in my business idea.  As soon as my doors open, ensuring customer satisfaction will be a top priority of my business.

http://www.richardduffy.com/right-time-for-business-planning-guest-post-from-tim-berry

The second expert we profiled was Tim Berry.  Berry is a CEO and another prominent expert in business planning and business plan development.  My research on Tim Berry taught me the real reason for a business plan, as he sees it.  Berry’s philosophy say that the role of business plan is not to sway investors but to actually plan in detail how your business will operate successfully.  In practice, this may not change much of the content of your business plan, but it will help you focus on planning how you will operate after the business becomes a reality.  This theory helps put in perspective why you are composing your business plan.  Tim Berry’s business planning philosophy is something that I implemented in the way I completed my financial statements.  It also enabled me to keep my operations section simple.  Though it may be appealing to speak of elaborate operating systems and business methods in the operations section, for my personal benefit and business planning the simplicity of the operations section reflects the simplicity of how we plan to do business.  By taking Tim Berry’s advice I was able to make composing my business plan personal, therefore making it make sense for me.  By implementing Berry’s philosophy, my business plan will be able to act as a guideline for any employee of my business to be able to read and understand fully what we do and how we do it. 

There are two sections of a business plan that I think investors are particular interested in.  These sections are the financials and the management section.  Every investor wants to know how the company is going to make money.  From there they are interested in how much money the business is capable of generating and how much of that will be allocated to pay back investors.  Investors want to know if they will receive a return on their investment, and if so, when and how much.  The management section is important to investors because these are the individuals who will be steering the company either to success or to failure.  These individuals need to display competence and have a vision for the direction of the company.  Investors want to know that their investment is being managed by personnel capable of getting them their return. 

Transcendent Music Movement Presents: Experts Views on the Value of Business Plans

Transcendent Music Movement Presents: Experts Views on the Value of Business Plans

Dave Lavinsky is the president and co-founder of Growthink.  He is a businessman with immense entrepreneurial experience.  His experience has made him an expert in composing business plans.  Another business plan expert is Tim Berry.  Berry is founder and chairman of Palo Alto Software and has other leadership roles in various companies.  He is an author, a business plan consultant and is a well known resource in the field of business planning and business plan review.  Both of these gentlemen have strong opinions and sound advice when it comes to constructing a good business plan.  The Transcendent Music Movement is pleased to present Dave Lavinsky and Tim Berry in our analysis of expert views on the value of business plans.

Dave Lavinsky

http://www.growthink.com/team/dave-lavinsky

Dave Lavinsky attended the University of Virginia, where he earned his bachelors degree.  He also received an MBA from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management.  In addition to founding Growthink, he started Emerge Juice & Nutrition Systems and Shoutmouth.  After his personal entrepreneurial success, Lavinsky started Growthink to guide entrepreneurs through starting, growing and even closing businesses successfully.  Through Growthink, he and his team have come up with what they call “The 5 Attribute of Successful Business Plans.”  Of the five attributes, creating value is one of the most important.  Lavinsky says that, successful companies offer customers products and services that they really want.  This is the cornerstone for any successful business.  In the embedded link above, Lavinsky goes over each of the five attributes in further detail.

http://www.richardduffy.com/right-time-for-business-planning-guest-post-from-tim-berry

Tim Berry

Tim Berry is a phenomenon in the field of business plans.  He has received accolades and is looked to for business plan advice from some of the most prominent names in business.  He has earned several degrees and is responsible for forming multiple companies.  Palo Alto Software, bplans.com and Borland International are all companies that exist due to his entrepreneurial success.  His knowledge and personal success have also earned him a key role in judging several high-stake business plan competitions.  He has many products and tools to help support entrepreneurs with the critical action of planning and composing a proper business plan.  Many of these products are expensive, but he has a great blog entitled Planning Startups Stories that offers valuable insight.  The blog includes various testimonials and highlights different segments of entrepreneurship.  In an article published on the U.S. Small Business Administration’s website written by Berry, he talks about what he considers to be the importance of a business plan.  In this, he makes the point that the real reason for a business plan is to guide a business to be successful and to operate better.  This is the true purpose, as opposed to the school of thought that believes business plans are to convince investors and bankers to loan you money.  Berry believes strongly that the focus should be on actually planning for the business so that it will fulfill its purpose.  The business plan should be for the business itself, not for anyone else, according to his theory.

Dave Lavinsky and Tim Berry have a wealth of experience and knowledge as it pertains to business planning and entrepreneurship.  They each have proven methods and approaches.  In the entrepreneurial efforts of this company and other endeavors, we will take heed to their credible and sound advice.  

The Transcendent Music Movement Presents: Esperanza Spalding

http://soulyotrosalimentosdelalma.blogspot.com/2010/11/entrevista-esperanza-spalding.html

The Transcendent Music Movement Presents: Esperanza Spalding

Unique, musically clever, inventive and other synonymous terms have been used throughout the existence of this blog.  The terms have been used to describe the various artists that we have showcased.  As we continue our search for transcendent musical artists we have discovered yet another spectacular talent.  The Transcendent Music Movement is pleased to present musician, vocalist, composer and bandleader Esperanza Spalding.

Early Life

            There is a lot to be said about Spalding’s life prior to her professional career.  She was born in Portland, Oregon in a single-family home.  She was raised by her mother and experienced many hardships that spawned from an economic deprived upbringing.  Many lessons were learned from her humble beginning and much gratitude for her mother’s hard work was the result.  Her childhood quite possibly contributed to her atypical education experience, which is something that solicits much surprise.  Spalding left high school at the age of 16 with a GED.  She attended college at Portland State University and then Berklee College of Music.  At Berklee she had great success, graduated in three years and became a member of the faculty at the age of 20 as an instructor.  Her musical talents began to pave a path for her that she probably never imagined. 

The Music

            After viewing an episode of Mr. Rodger’s Neighborhood an interest in music was sparked in four-year-old Spalding.  Spalding is quoted saying, “it was definitely the thing that hipped me to the whole idea of music as a creative pursuit.”  As a young child she became a member of the Chamber Music Society of Organ.  This was a community orchestra that she became a member of after teaching herself to play the violin.  Later she was exposed to the bass, the instrument that she fell in love with and soon mastered.  Esperanza Spalding found herself performing with various bands playing music from classical to hip-hop.  She travelled and performed with well-established artists furthering her name on the professional circuit.  In 2008 she released her first solo recorded album titled Esperanza.  The album had tremendous success and from there she only moved on to higher heights.

Accolades

http://deepbrownkinks.blogspot.com/2011/08/frolove-esperanza-spalding.html

            Spalding’s first album earned her “the best selling album by a new jazz artist internationally in 2008.  Other accolades ensued.  She also was invited, as a guess to perform on multiple well know television shows.  This exposure and the success of her first album positioned her perfectly for the release of her second album. Spalding’s second album, Chamber Music Society, earned her a host of awards to include a Grammy.  She earned the award for Best New Artist over artist including Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga.  Amidst touring all over the world she recently completed a new album.  The album was released in March of 2012.  This album is spectacular and it reveals her growth and musical progression.  The TRANSCENDENT MUSIC MOVEMENT endorses this truly TRANSCENDENT artist and recommend her album Radio Music Society to all of our readers.

Transcendent Music Movement Presents: The Digital Landscape in the Music Industry

Transcendent Music Movement Presents: The Digital Landscape in the Music Industry

Digital production, marketing and distribution all seem to be on their way to eclipsing traditional methods.  New technology and new relatively inexpensive tools are making these efforts more prevalent and available for artists’ use.  Artists are utilizing computer software with simplistic functionality to produce their own music.  They are using marketing tools such as Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Youtube and other social and personal websites to market their creative content.  Finally, digital distribution is impacting the music industry as a result of consumers increasingly choosing to purchase download their audio files digitally.  All of these tools have been impacted by the digital landscape in the music industry and we will take a look at each of them.

http://www.homemusicproduction.com/home-studio-setup/bitten-by-the-apple/

Production

Digital production of music has led to an increase in the amount of new music being produced.  Music has become so much easier and more inexpensive to create.  This has become the case predominantly due to the increasing capacity of computers and their software.  D.J., artist. and producer Moby said in an interview that, “Many artists choose to compose and record at home, opting to pay a few hundred dollars for solid recording software rather than employ the costly services of a professional studio.”  This truth is exactly the trend that has shifted the music industry.  It is because of the new technologically advanced digital production tools now available.

Marketing
Marketing music in today’s digital age is a new trend also.  The Internet has become a new frontier for marketing efforts in virtually every industry.  The music industry has not been exempted.  Digitally marketing music allows promoters to use a new marketing channel to reach their customers.  The company Digital Music Marketing works to market and promote music online and on mobile devices.  They work to make music accessible online that leads to online music distribution.

Distribution

iTunes, Amazon, Myspace, , Rhapsody and many other online retailors of digital music have become house hold names for consumers to purchase music.  These retailors have catered to the desires of consumers to access digital formats of music.  IODA is the independent online distribution alliance.  They provide independent artists the tools needed to distribute their digital music content through online and mobile retailors.  Their service also acts as an analytics tool in that it gathers detailed information about those who purchase your work from the respective digital music retailors. 

Digital production, marketing and distribution of music are all essential parts of the music industry.  They represent an industry shift to the desires of clients.  They also represent the music industry adapting to new technological advances.  These things are great for the creative arts, both from a consumer perspective and an artist’s perspective.  These digital and technological advances are sure to continue to transcend the music industry, as we know it today. 

The Transcendent Music Movement Presents: The Black Keys

http://www.last.fm/music/The+Black+Keys/+images/58154643

The Transcendent Music Movement Presents: The Black Keys

One summer day as I was watching television, a commercial came on and completely grabbed my attention.  It was not the car that being advertised, but it was the music on the commercial that really captivated me.  The song was Tighten Up by The Black Keys.  After further review, I realized that I had discovered a gem. The Transcendent Music Movement presents The Black Keys.

The Black Keys are one of the most electrifying musical groups gracing stages across the world and making records in today’s popular music culture.  Their combination of blues, soul and psychedelic rock, as last.fm describes it, makes the group very attractive to a wide audience of listeners.  Their pleasantly unique sound is very exciting and is mostly due to their pioneered instrumentation.  I do not claim to be aware of every artist and band’s work but I am sure that most people would agree that there are very few bands that offer a sound even remotely similar to The Black Keys.  Particularly in modern popular music, there are not many groups who can balance making music that appeals to a large audience and still remain true to the roots of classic blues and soul.  They sufficiently and amazingly managed to incorporate a traditional blues and soul sound in to their progressive rock style.   

 

The group consists of a Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney.  Dan is the lead singer and guitar player.  Patrick is the drummer and they have other varying contributing musicians.  The duo hails from Akron, Ohio.  These guys had really humble beginning launching their music career from Akron.  The group has labored long and hard and has truly earned their respect in the music industry.  They released their first album in 2002 and created great music that was used in movies, video games, TV shows and commercials.  It was not until 2010 that the band recorded an album in a legitimate studio.  The album was Brothers, which included Tighten Up.  Tighten Up was the song that I heard on that Subaru commercial.  The song was also used for the 2011 FIFA soundtrack.  Apparently, it really because popular from a viral YouTube video called Dancing T-Rex.  After increased popularity and their album’s incredible success, The Black Keys found themselves winning three Grammy’s. 

http://www.last.fm/music/The+Black+Keys/+images/51463261

Recently they released their sixth album, El Camino.  This album is sure to continue in the exponential success of the Akron, Ohio band.  The steadfastness and perseverance of The Black Keys is extremely commendable and their story is an encouraging one.  The Transcendent Music Movement will continue to support the unique work of this great band.  We look forward to them continuing to create TRANSCENDENT MUSIC.

http://www.theblackkeys.com/product/el-camino-cd

The Transcendent Music Movement Presents: Wale and his Self-Publishing and Distribution Efforts

http://thisbeatgoes.com/tag/wale/

The Transcendent Music Movement Presents: Wale and his Self-Publishing and Distribution Efforts

Musicians increasingly are finding value in self-promotion and self-production.  These activities have become prevalent particularly in the advent of home music production software and Internet publishing and distribution tools.  Tools such as MySpace, iTunes, CD Baby, Reverbnation and others are some of those mostly used for self-promotion or publishing.  One newly popular Hip Hop artist who earned a recording deal using these tools is Washington D.C. native Wale.

Wale was born Olubowale Victor Akintimehin.  His parents are Nigerian immigrants who raised their son in Washington D.C.  When Wale became of age he attended college.  He transferred schools twice before dropping out and pursuing his career in music.  Wale worked hard developing as a locally recognized artist.  He first got commercial exposure with one of his tracks being played by a local DJ over the radio.  This type of word-of-mouth promotion resulted in him earning national recognition from Hip-Hop magazines and others.  With Wale realizing his potential to become a national recording artist, he began to consider other promotion artist.  Wale did this by promoting mixtapes and by creating a commanding MySpace presence. 

http://www.killerhiphop.com/wale-bait-remix-lyrics/

Wale’s MySpace presence could arguably have been the single most contributing factor that led to his popularity.   In the spirit of self-publishing and distribution, Wale and his team used the methods as a means to another end.  Even those who have great success self-promoting and distributing, a recording contract with a major recording label is usually still a sought after goal.  Wale captured the attention of several major recording labels before Interscope Records signed him to a recording contract.  He has obviously transferred the responsibility of publishing and distributing his intellectual property had been transferred over to his recording company.  A major recording deal offers the artist leverage and greater distribution power.  Now Wale is working with Maybach Music Group accomplishing the same.

The record labels use their resources to publish and distribute Wale’s work.  This is incredible leverage for the artists.  In Wale’s case, he does not have to worry about using his personal assets to record and promote himself.  The major recording companies also have the capacity to have your music reach every corner of the planet using both conventional and online mediums.  Wale has done a great job of first working hard for himself, particularly with his self-publishing and distribution efforts.  From that hard work he gain the attention of recording companies to take on the burden of those efforts.  Now he is an internationally known Hip-Hop artist creating TRANSCENDENT MUSIC thanks to his pioneered self-publishing and distribution efforts.