We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Elizabeth Davidson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Elizabeth thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights 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 very happy as a business owner! Don’t get me wrong, there are days that I ponder going back to a regular 9-5 job especially when my days get overly stressful. However, I know deep down in my heart this is what I am called to be doing at this time of my life: exploring my limits, growing myself as well as my portfolio, maintaining and sustaining my responsibility, the list goes on. I’ve been in a regular job before. A regular job provides security, stability, and predictability most days. It is clearly the safest option. I personally have always had a high work ethic both in a regular job and all throughout my schooling. I work extremely hard on any project given to me. Even one of my former bosses told me that “I worked like a machine!” I make sure the job not only gets done, but also gets done right the first time. As I’ve gotten older, I have realized that people will take advantage of your time, your work and your effort. No matter how hard I work, or how much I get paid, nothing is as important as your own real life.
From the start, I never chose the “safe” career or the “safe” option. I never did things the easy way and sometimes even worked myself to the point of exhaustion. I learned what I needed to do in order to fulfill the dream that I’ve had since I was 3 years old to be in a music career, and no matter what obstacles came at me on the journey, I pushed to succeed. That dream is what motivates and drives my decisions today. My path was not, and still isn’t easy. Every time I think about how easy it would be just to go back to a regular job, I look back to that little girl I used to be and look at the woman I still want to become and how proud they would be for my journey. I look to my grandparents who sacrificed so much to help me go through and take those piano lessons and think of the time I need to spend with them. I look to my parents who supported me through the years in music school and I see how much I want to give back to them and prove that they did something right. Most importantly, I look at the time I do have left with my loved ones and my friends and think, “When my life is over, what will be my legacy?”. I want to be able to spread my joy, knowledge, and talent with others whether it be through teaching music or helping other musicians with their own career. I want to be able to tell my future children that I never gave up on my dreams and to give them an example that it is possible to become what they aspire to be in this life. I want to be an example to others to start fulfilling their own dreams and to share their stories. That’s my future legacy. The only way I truly can fulfill these goals and aspirations is by having a job where I can be flexible while still focusing on my personal core values. For me, a job like that is the one I have created. I am creating my own legacy and you should too.
Elizabeth , 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?
What drove me to a career in the music industry was my passion for piano when I was only 3 years old. My first piano lesson was the moment I dedicated my life to becoming a piano instructor. Of course, at that age, I didn’t know what that entailed, but I chased that dream. It led me to not only becoming the piano instructor I aspired to be, but also led me into a music business career I never imagined myself in. Originally, I was accepted to study Piano Performance at Furman University in Greenville, SC. While I was in the program, I became involved with Women’s Chorale, Jazz Ensemble, Trumpet Studio, and Sigma Alpha Iota International Music Fraternity. As I honed into my craft, I became interested in the business side of music. My newfound interest in the business side of music led me to transfer and attend Florida Atlantic University where I received my Bachelors in Commercial Music – Music Business in 2017. While at Florida Atlantic, I gained real-life experience working as Director of Events at the 2 Latin Grammy-nominated record label Hoot/Wisdom Recordings. There, I assisted with publicity outreach, event planning, and artist development. In addition to working at the record label, I worked for a local PR firm, started managing a local band, and continued to teach piano privately. In 2019, I created my company Amp It Up! Creative Consultants, LLC and continued my education, graduating in 2021 with a Masters in Arts Presenting and Live Entertainment Management at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. Today, I am a Piano Instructor, Artist Manager and Publicity Consultant.
My company Amp It Up! Creative Consultants, LLC encompasses a variety of services. My company is an Artist Management and Public Relations Consulting Firm and I also have my own Piano Studio teaching all ages. I run campaign plans for clients where we focus on marketing for their latest music release. These campaign plans work on marketing strategies for artist branding and image, creating or updating artist biographies, planning out social media timelines and write-ups including pitches and press releases that are then sent through my press list for release. As for my Piano Studio, I currently teach students of all ages, from as young as 3 years old to senior adults. It is never too late to learn and it has been a joy being able to not only help musicians with promoting their own music on the music business side of my career, but also to continue helping others learn how to play and truly enjoy learning piano. I’m proud of how much I cover within my company and that, through my services, I provide lasting and real relationships with my clients to help further and foster their creativity and career as musicians.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
While in graduate school, I was balancing my courses with personal and work life. Although that in itself was a struggle on its own, the pandemic hit disrupting all aspects of my life. In 2020, I was struggling with the changing lifestyle and then the virus almost took my life. The virus left me physically weak, with lasting health issues that continue to disrupt and challenge my daily life. Although I truly felt alone during this time, I wasn’t really alone. Family, friends, clients, classmates, and professors were all incredibly supportive. All while slowly recovering, I was able to continue helping my clients change business tactics, build up my piano studio and graduate with my Masters Degree at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. What I also realized during this time is that everyone had similar concerns, fears and anxieties of their own, wondering what should be done next in their own careers.
Looking back, I felt alone trying to resolve my own problems even though I never truly was alone. I had support from everyone around me and I wanted to be the same for them. I called upon my professors and mentors for help on how to pivot my work as a small business owner through this rapid change of environment as they were trying to pivot their own careers and overcome similar concerns. My business tactics changed drastically during that time as well as the game plan for my clients’ releases, shows, and advertising. As I seemed to figure out how to pivot to promoting my clients online through tactics like shifting from in-person shows to streaming, and learning how to adapt to teaching my piano students online, everything seemed to be falling into place. As my clients and I figured out new tactics, I was able to network in different ways online. I met some great local business partners where I was able to write press releases and artist biographies for larger artists, be on a Public Relations Team for some major projects, and attain new students for my growing piano studio. Great opportunities like these arose for my company through the pandemic all from a shifted perspective. I was able to build and further my company by learning how to adapt and overcome life’s obstacles.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
Networking is one of the most important ways I have been able to build my reputation. Through events, competitions and community groups, I have been able to connect with others, both in-person and online. Through networking with others, I have been able not only to pick up great and quality clients, but I also have been brought onto special projects, have been asked to be on a panel of judges for a piano competition, and have been able to interview others I look up to as mentors. As the community gets to know you as a person and the quality of your work, you will naturally build up your reputation within your market as you and your work become more public. Companies want to work with motivated, driven and quality workers. Those who are the right business partners for you will share similar goals and objectives, and will be future references that may reach out to you or may become your own potential clients and business partners. Additionally, networking allows you to gather new resources for yourself to learn as well! It will help you keep up with what’s new and find some great books to further your knowledge in the industry. The opportunities and resources are endless now-a-days, you are the only one holding yourself back from reaching out.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ampitupcc.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ampitupcc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ampitupcc
- Other: Email: [email protected]
Image Credits
Patrick Novoa