Invest In Your Career
By Duncan Fremlin
In the early 2000s, I was on the Board of Directors of a micro-loan organization called ACCESS Community Capital Fund. For much of that decade, Canada was suffering from high unemployment and a shortage of investment capital so entrepreneurs turned to our small neighbourhood committee for a loan.
One of my responsibilities was to interview applicants and analyze the merits of their application. Few of the applications succeeded, mostly because their business plans were incomplete or worse, didn’t exist at all. Their application began with an idea but then what? For example, if their plan was to sell widgets, it was important to know how much the widgets cost, their sale price, number of widgets sold to turn a profit and so on. In short, what was their plan for getting customers?
During the years I was interviewing these entrepreneurs, I was also booking shows around town with my band Whiskey Jack. I couldn’t help but notice how similar our stories were. I was asking them questions I should have been asking myself.
I began to change my entire way of thinking so I got to work on the business end of my music.
I found an inexpensive bookkeeper who set up a proper accounting system. I began to work on becoming a better singer (lessons on YouTube). I took some improv classes at Second City and became a much better MC. A virtual printing/marketing company helped me design a professional looking logo and poster template (advice was free). I asked for social media help from friends who spent a lot of time online. I messaged a YouTube channel that I admire and they sent me some free tips that I use on my own channel (over 2000 subscribers). I read marketing industry magazines. I went out to see more live music and met a lot of people. I researched places that would like my kind of music, then I telephoned or visited. I stole many ideas from my competitors. I used Canada Post. I was shameless. I even wrote a couple of really corny jingles that I sang to sell merchandise. I got help creating an image (choice of attire and so on).
The list goes on for pages.
As it turns out, I was spending more time planning my vacation than I was my life. I’m 75, Whiskey Jack is 48 and we’re busier than ever.
Duncan Fremlin is a banjo player, singer, realtor, producer and curmudgeon and performs with Whiskey Jack.
Website: whiskeyjackmusic.com