We recently connected with Coty Alexander and have shared our conversation below.

Coty, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you share an important lesson you learned in a prior job that’s helped you in your career afterwards?

I attribute my success as an artist to my reputation as a dependable professional who runs my entertainer career as a business, and now help others to do the same. Early in my career I was exposed to a great lesson having the fortune to work with good people and have their influence.  As time went by I worked with others who were not as professional.  One aspect that was different between the two experiences was the absence of office gossip, and to avoid the negative influence. Firstly, it drags you down; secondly, it’s likely inaccurate; and thirdly, it’s not anyone’s place to judge others, particularly when they’re not present to defend themselves. Conversely, by resisting the temptation to yield to others’ envy and their perceptions of you, you can navigate through entertainment as a career more smoothly, allowing you to ascend to greater heights. Remaining authentic and understanding that others’ opinions hold no sway unless you allow them to. Strive to excel in your craft with dignity and grace, and no obstacle can impede your path. Challenges will dissipate, and myriad opportunities will illuminate your journey.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I currently and for a time have been in the biggest tribute shows on the Las Vegas strip singing, dancing, and acting as Madonna, Lady Gaga, and Gwen Stefani. It started after years as a struggling actor, singer, and dancer in Los Angeles. I moved to Vegas and got the opportunity to use all my skill sets live on stage portraying Madonna. I was in a show for years and years and still do it to this day for other shows including my own. After years of success and a vast array of experience in Live performance, singing, dance and creating a specialty act, I now help artists get to the next level without spending years like I did, but instead do it quickly. I built an online platform just for entertainers to get all my Insider Secrets from promo to performance to job security. The Business of Showbiz. I do it through personalized coaching and through the products that I sell.

Growing up in a family with no money and leaving home at a young age I valued the opportunity of being in a show making steady money. I never wanted to lose the incredible job I had where I got to dance and sing and act onstage as one of the world’s biggest Icons. I wanted to make sure to keep the job. It is not an easy task. In the first years, it was an incredible learning experience, one that I am so thankful to have had. The show I was in was quite strict with rules of conduct which helped me understand, not only what was expected, but how to make the show need me. If you haven’t been in a big show, you don’t get this kind of training. I value the experience it gave me while developing my reputation and my act year after year on a stage. I have now done over 12,000 shows in 40 different theaters.

The Acts I did were quite difficult and expensive. Most singers get to stand and sing and can buy costumes to wear right off the rack. I had to sing and do choreography, and had to custom build my costumes, so I have added many skill sets to my repertoire and spent a million dollars on it. I compare this job to that of a Broadway artist portraying a real character, except, my show doesn’t buy your costumes and they don’t produce your act. They plan the lighting, the music, and the dancing around you, and make you look amazing, but you bring them your specialty – the character and everything that makes it a character. Unlike broadway, there are not 6 weeks of rehearsal, there are no understudies, and there are no days off. I still loved it, and as a result I thought of it as my business.

I constantly re-invested in myself, in my act, and in my skill sets and even went on to re-inventing myself into new characters, and now perform as Marilyn, Gaga, and Gwen Stefani and do so in the world’s biggest tribute show, as well as producing my own. Through several acts now that I developed, it taught me so much. I’ve had every mishap and experience imaginable.

In the beginning I didn’t have a lot of money, so instead of paying for photo shoots, I bought a professional camera. Instead of hiring a website builder, I learned how to do my own. Instead of hiring someone to cut my music and videos I learned how to do it myself, and I saved money, and am in full control of my production.

I’ve had a reputation among my peers as being one of the hardest-working artists they know, and after all of this work, I am so glad anyone noticed. Now, with years of experience performing, writing, editing, photography, video and music editing, website building, marketing, and a degree in Education, I realized I had so much to share. I had created my acts as a business. I did all these things for myself and it took years. I wasn’t even the best singer or dancer, but I kept my job by having a stellar reputation as someone who showed up and didn’t bring drama, or attitude, and put their all into it. I placed a lot of attention on perfecting what I do and presenting the best picture of it. Both aspects are highly valuable to a successful career. There are a lot of tips and tricks I’ve picked up over the years that I believe will make you look the best at what you do. Some of them performance tricks, some of them aesthetic tricks, and my specialty… promo, marketing and business.

A lot of newer artists have contacted me for help over the years, and I realized there was a need for people to know how to become successful in the quickest and best way.

I built an online platform just for entertainers to get all my Insider Secrets. And here’s my biggest secret of all. Most people would never guess that during the first 8 years of my career, I had stage fright. I realized if I could become this successful while having stage fright, I could help people. I got rid of my stage fright so I have built a 6-week e-course for getting rid of stage fright from my personal experience with it. I offer this and personal coaching on my webpage www.YoBizShoBiz.com

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Throughout all my years as a performer, I continued to use my time while backstage in a show waiting for my cues to continue to educate myself, never assuming this would be a lifelong career. I got a Masters degree and I started a Podcast. I was even an investor in property flipping, and am now a Realtor. As some of my older friends’ careers are dying down, many do not have backup plans and have told me they don’t know how to do anything else. I don’t think that’s true, but like anything else, you have to believe it to make things happen. You also have to want to do it. I’m glad I have other things to fall back on. As a child, I always wondered how someone could do just one thing in their lifetime. Exploring new options is scary, but necessary for growth and advancement in life.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

I believe your thoughts create things, good and bad, so my philosophy is to think of your highest good and that of others too, to get better and more opportunities flowing. There ae many great thoughtleaders that I follow and read books from.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://Beacons.ai/iconicblonde
• Instagram: http://instagram.com/cotyalexander
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YoBizShoBiz/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq34AJUU3gtkt7rUqxOcTdQ
• Other: instagram @cotysellsvegas LAS VEGAS REALTOR EXP Realty LIC.# BS.0146377 https://cotyalexander.exprealty.com www.cotyalexander.com

Image Credits
Photos by Levi Walker for credit only. Photos by YoBizShoBiz.com