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

Jonathan, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your business sooner or later

I originally approached my talents from the hobbyist mindset, so I never truly made any profits. Music production was something I loved, as well as DJing, but I had never considered the business aspect of those interests – just the creative aspect. Had I been more aware of the business aspect, I would have transformed these “hobbies” into businesses much earlier.

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

Somehow I am both left and right-brained. Immediately after college I became a high school science teacher and taught subjects such as biology, chemistry, and forensics to my students. That makes me a left brained guy. However, I have always been into music production from a young age, having played several instruments, created and recorded albums for others, and learned how to DJ. That makes me right brained, too! Overall I work in the emotion business. I help people to explore their own emotions and to provide them a space to shift moods easily; this is where the music comes into play. Music-wise, my company Exhale Event Productions focuses on helping our clients rid themselves of any anxiety when it comes to planning a celebration. I am proud of our focus being clear enough so that our clients truly enjoy working with us.

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

The DJ business is very word-of-mouth, people-centered business. Music in general involves a lot of emotion, so when people book a DJ, they want to know that he is someone they can trust. Clients usually book with my company because they either attended an event where we performed and liked our style, or got a recommendation from a friend or family member who worked with us recently. Also, networking is key! Exchanging contact info via business cards has definitely helped with gaining a buzz.

How’d you meet your business partner?

The way my business partner Anthony was very organic. We actually met about 5 or 6 years ago at a church in Fort Worth, TX where we both were serving faithfully. At the time he was managing the church’s entire media department and needed someone to take over that responsibility as he transitioned into working with the young adults department. I suppose he saw me as the best fit for the job, since I was very interested in media production (lights, cameras, audio, etc.). I would also DJ for his young adult events. After some time it was clear that we both were not only interested in music, but also event production in general. So around year 2021 we sat down and discussed what a production company would look like and how it would operate, and after filing for an LLC, our company Exhale Event Productions was born!

Contact Info:

• Website: exhaleeventproductions.com
• Instagram: @exhaleeventproductions
• Facebook: @exhaleeventproductions
• Twitter: @eventexhale

Image Credits
These photos were taken by myself or my business partner Anthony.