We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Alisha Moore a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alisha, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?
I am happier as a business owner because I enjoy much more freedom. I have occasionally thought about what it would be like to have a regular job, but whenever that thought crosses my mind, I feel grateful for my decision to become a business owner. The benefits and perks of owning my own business far outweigh the appeal of a typical nine-to-five job.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many small business owners faced significant challenges. Fortunately, my company managed to survive when many others in our industry did not. During that time, the music and entertainment industries had to learn how to adapt to a virtual working environment. What helped my agency was that we had already been working in a hybrid-virtual networking workspace.
The thought of working a typical nine-to-five job did cross my mind during the pandemic, but what kept me focused on owning a business was seeing how regular employees lacked freedom. Many nine-to-five workers were forced to take the vaccine or risk losing their jobs. I witnessed several people suffering adverse side effects from the vaccine, with some even facing severe health consequences. Unlike them, as a small business owner, I had the freedom to choose not to take a vaccine that I did not agree with.
From my experience as a business owner since 2018, I have learned that business owners enjoy greater freedoms. We can create our own work schedules, set our own meetings, generate opportunities, and there is no glass ceiling on how much money we can make.
The benefits of being a small business owner provide independence and control, flexibility in work-life balance, the satisfaction of building something and seeing it succeed, and the potential for greater financial rewards. As a small business owner, I have the opportunity to develop new skills, create jobs, and make a positive impact in my local community. As a minority (Black-owned) business, I also have the chance to create a legacy for my descendants. More importantly, I have the opportunity to help rebuild Black Wall Street in today’s time.
Alisha, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Dreko Music Productions is a talent management, music production, and media production agency. Our mission is to empower underserved artists to transform their passions into thriving businesses through brand partnerships and community engagement in the music and entertainment industry. Our vision is focused on forming strategic brand partnerships between our clients and carefully aligned brands that enhance visibility, diversify revenue streams, and foster audience engagement. Our goal is to help underserved artists reach new audiences and strengthen their brand identity and visibility.
We offer a variety of services, including digital distribution, marketing, advertising and promotion, social media marketing, professional photography, videography, website and logo design, podcast/vodcast marketing, event planning, new business setup, copyright and trademark registration support, and creative writing sessions for songwriters and screenwriters. We are dedicated to assisting emerging artists and entertainers as they develop their careers in both music and entertainment.
We take pride in our strategic partnerships with companies like Cosynd and Symphonic Distribution. Through these collaborations, we provide our clients with professional copyright registration support and top-tier digital distribution and marketing services. We are also members of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce, the Better Business Bureau, and we participate in the Mississippi Businesses Against Trafficking Initiative (MBAT), established by Mississippi Secretary of State Mike Watson. This program aims to combat and report human trafficking, a significant issue within the music and entertainment industries. Our agency is committed to doing our part in reporting crimes against humanity because we believe in working together for the greater good.
We want potential clients, followers, and fans to know that our agency was founded to create a network of trust for talent. In an industry with many untrustworthy agencies and individuals, we strive to be a reliable source of support and guidance for artists during their career development. Trust is our top priority, followed closely by our loyalty to our network and clients. We operate with integrity and uphold love and truth as the core values of our brand.
If you are a talented individual seeking a trustworthy management team, we encourage you to give our agency a chance to demonstrate our commitment to your success. We work for you and with you, allowing you to focus on your career endeavors safely. Our agency represents dedicated management executives who are committed to helping talent succeed. To join our agency and become part of our mission, please call us at 601-228-2980 or email [email protected].
We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.
I met my co-founder and business partner when I was already working as an executive in the music and entertainment industry. He is now my husband and is also a musician. We quickly connected over our shared passion for music and entertainment, and it truly felt like love at first sight. Our passions and goals aligned perfectly.
Today, we have accomplished so much together. One of the perks of running a business with my spouse is the enhanced trust, communication, and deeper relationship we’ve built through our shared objectives and vision. Additionally, we benefit from sharing workloads, having flexibility in managing family responsibilities, and leveraging each other’s complementary skills and strengths.
Financially, we also enjoy the advantages of keeping all profits within our family unit, along with potential tax benefits. I absolutely love being in business with my husband; he is both my best friend and business partner.
Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?
The initial startup capital for our business came from our savings. My husband and I both had regular nine-to-five jobs; in fact, we met while working at McDonald’s. We decided to start a talent management and media production company because we noticed that underserved emerging talent needed significant support in business development. Many aspiring artists do not understand the concepts of starting and operating a music or entertainment business. They often perceive it as all fun and games, completely unaware of the administrative work required to turn a hobby into a commercial success. Since my husband is a music artist and entertainer, we recognized what emerging talent needs to grow into a successful business. Therefore, we invested our savings and any additional funding we received into the company. The money we saved from our previous jobs and the earnings we made over the years were all put into our business.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.drekomusicproductions.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drekomusic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drekomusicproductions
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dreko-music-productions-llc/?viewAsMember=true
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrekoMusic
- Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@drekomusicproductionsllc
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/dreko-music-productions-gulfport
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/drekomusicproductions
- Other: https://mscoastchamber.com/list/member/dreko-music-productions-llc-gulfport-10144
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Image Credits
Image credits belong to Dreko Music Productions LLC.