We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Brandon Kunka a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Brandon, appreciate you joining us today. Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?

I think it’s natural for small business owners to think about the other side with a ‘grass is greener’ mentality at times. I get scared because I’m in charge of my own retirement, if I take vacation I lose pay, I have no prepaid benefits, etc., and that can be really overwhelming. It really comes down to freedom vs. security. I think my personality type would be bored in a regular job just because I prefer changing dynamics and not the same grind every day. Private teaching especially brings that to me because you have to handle every student differently. While it may be the same content being taught, the presentation has to change to fit the adaptability of the person you’re teaching. That being said, I constantly have to be thinking a few steps ahead with things like retirement because I do not have the security blanket of a normal job.

Brandon, 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?

I have been a fan of music all my life. I’ve been playing music, whether it’s tinkering on piano, playing toy drums, or holding a guitar much too large for me at a very early age. It was a no-brainer for me to go into music in my formative and college years. I spent a long time post-grad school working for different middle and high school programs teaching, as well as doing pick up gigs for various bands around town, and eventually wanted to take a step forward and come into my own. Hence, the creation of Backbeat Productions. The business is an all-in-one lessons, performance, and production company which combines my greatest strengths as a musician and businessman, all under one umbrella. Currently I have been focusing on expanding the private lessons facet of the business, and I am very proud of my current and former students’ accomplishments. I have many students who have gone on to study music at prestigious universities and get into the business themselves, which is quite rewarding.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Face to face contact, as well as word of mouth. Once I get a few students from a particular school, I find that more parents show interest in getting involved with lessons as well. The process kind of builds on itself. Going out and visiting various middle and high school programs and interacting with potential students in a teaching environment also helps quite a bit. It shows a bit of humanity and not that you’re just some person coming in trying to rack up more clients.

In the performance arena, it’s totally networking. The more people you know, the higher your chances of getting a gig. Once you’ve shown up to a gig and shown your value, you get calls for future gigs. It seems obvious, but making a good first impression will go a very long way.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Having student success breeds more interest, as you’re building a proven track record. It took me a few years to get my first student into All-State, but as that amount increased, so did my reputation. Now I’m consistently getting 7-8 students into All-State every year, and up to 15 into District Honor Band. Also, as mentioned before, having students going on to study music and get into the working world themselves is a big plus. Tying into the previous question, word of mouth starts to grow when success grows. If your name is the first one spoken by many colleagues when it comes to your line of work, the pattern stands out.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.backbeatatl.com
• Instagram: @backbeatproductionsatl
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/backbeatproductionsatl

Image Credits
Andrew Burn