We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful J. Joy. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with J. below.
J., thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?
I think it takes proper preparation, dedication, consistency, work ethic, strategic planning, and execution to progress and be successful. Talent and skill alone won’t take you there, it could get you in the door or noticed, but long term success requires more.
An example of that in my own personal life would be my journey mastering my craft as a producer and starting my independent label, A&G Music Group. The progression I’m making so far is 80 percent preparation, dedication, consistency, tunnel vision, work ethic, networking, connections, and execution and 20 percent talent/skill.
If you put in the time, effort, preparation, etc, your talent and skill level will grow naturally and by default. Then you will find yourself surpassing others with just “talent”.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
So for the ones that’s not familiar with me or my story, I’m originally from Jackson TN, born and raised. My DNA is Jackson. I was raised by my mother and stepfather (which he is my father), 2 brothers and 3 sisters. I’m next to the oldest. I been a natural protector the majority of my life. My family and I are close and they mean everything to me.
I’ve had my share of trials and tribulations coming up, active in street lifestyle, dropping out of school at 17, receiving my GED, legal trouble, etc. I always deep down wanted more out of life tho.
I always had a love for music and been intrigued with entrepreneurship and ownership, I just didn’t know how to connect the dots. I had no experience or real knowledge in either field, but I developed a passion for them both. My older brother would always teach me and my other siblings different knowledge of life such as discipline, preparation, work ethic, and so on. And I had the morals and values from my parents and how I was raised, so I started there and began to build.
I have an uncle and cousins that ran their own operation working with and racing horses, that’s the earliest and first time I seen and remember someone running their own operation. I studied the formula, workflow, etc. I also began studying other successful people. I wanted to know the formula, and I soon realized success leaves clues. I was in preparation mode doing that for a few years.
In 2012, is when I got serious about putting my passion for music, owning a record label, and being an entrepreneur into action. In 2013 I moved to Nashville TN, in 2016, I got into SAE Institute of Nashville for Audio Engineering/Music Production. In April 2019, I received my Bachelor’s, August 2019, I got my LLC for my label, Ambition & Goals Music Group.
I’m a producer so I create beats, produce songs, run a studio session, help with the songwriting process, & the mixing and mastering process. I take pride into helping an artist and/or creative, with bringing a quality song to life from ideas from scratch, songwriting, to being a polished mixed and mastered song ready for release. I also have knowledge in the music business end, because even tho the creative and business end go or should go hand to hand, they are 2 totally different beasts! So I’m knowledgeable in getting songs registered, marketing & promo strategies, branding strategy, paperwork, types of contracts, etc.
What’s in store for me is I have music collaborations I’m working on, starting A&G merch, different business partnerships and collaborations I’m also in talks with. I also looking to building more a solid team. The goal is to continue shaping my brand and image as a music producer and continue to grow and shape the label brand, A&G Music Group! You most definitely wanna stay tune!!
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
Yes I’ve had plenty of moments where I had to pivot and make adjustments in my personal life and in business. I would say that I had to let certain people, energies, etc go because they wasn’t aligned with my overall goal and mission. Having the wrong people and/or vibes around can hinder your growth and success.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I have a lot of moments like this, but to give you an example, I was in school full time, working, working on my craft in music as a producer building a team, etc, but in the process I still hit a rough time. I was still able to graduate with a 3.9 GPA, received the Salutatorian Award, still would work on music everyday, etc.
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