Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Joe Savage . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Joe , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

Instead of spending $10k on a marketing campaign with a reputable company, I have taken the risk of going to Spain and walking the Camino De Santiago in order to promote my new music. The promotion part of the music business is the hardest and it requires the most attention to detail – maybe even more than the creation and production of the music.

Either way, with a marketing company or not, the risk was there. In the face of needing to give personal attention to each potential listener, I couldn’t trust such an impactful part of the entire project to a company that barely knows me. After consideration and doing the walk, I’ve been able to meet many people one on one and showcase the new material in person. I believe this is creating lasting impacts and forever fans.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

For the years of 18 years old to around 25, I followed the status quo. I went to college, got into grad school, studied abroad, and got normal jobs and attempted to generate a normal life.

I became unsatisfied even after achieving a life long goal of teaching bilingual language arts in Fort Worth ISD and in 2013 at 29 years old I left the teaching field and my academic circles for good.

The next few years were a big struggle. I went from a comfortable living to having almost nothing. Entering the music business full time in 2013 proved to be costly, but very beneficial in the end. Over the course of 9 years I’ve built a business that generates over $100k a year in revenue and I am able to pay myself a modest salary from which I pay my mortgage, car and other daily expenses.

The determining factor in gaining stability in my business has been persistence. When everything seems to be failing, and even when I found myself living in “squalor”, I continued to seek out clients and offer a genuine, personal and unique service. My method over the years has been to send out one inquiry a day. This trick has now amassed an inertia so great I can finally say no to some offers and am able to select and pick and choose the people who I do business with. This was not always the case, and I’ve referred to the saying “never say no until you can’t say yes”

The second most important tactic to my success is reinvestment in the the business. I continue to set myself apart from the competition by upgrading my equipment and hiring experts to compensate my lack of experience and knowledge. Maintaining an organized tool belt, equipment storage and establishing a consistent routine all add to the determining factor of persistence, but carry their own weight as well.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

In the music business there is a lot of discussion of what to play and sing and how to get to the next level. I once was certain the only way I’d be recognized and able to make a decent living would be to play 100% original material no matter the gig or client.

A turning point came when I embraced the idea that I was there to entertain the customers of the place that had hired me. When I realized this I was able to pivot my approach by including cover songs of old and new material the people had heard before.

I still deliver 50% original material at every gig, but by including the cover songs and making this drastic change that seemingly went against the values of my brand and business have not only resulted in more favorable bottom line, but have reinforced some of the basic tenets of my business model – personal care and attention, catering to the client and bring the maximum amount of joy possible to each gig.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I’m certain that the personal attention I give my clients, my punctuality and consistency as well as my work drive are all things that have built my reputation.

Contact Info:

• Website: Wwwjoefnsavage.com
• Instagram: @joefnsavage
• Facebook: @joefnsavage
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/c/JoeSavageMusic

Image Credits
Photos by Trista Morris Art work – oval raccoon – Conor dardis Moon raccoo. – Tiffany T Bone