We recently connected with Michael Solomon and have shared our conversation below.
Michael, appreciate you joining us today. To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard
When we transitioned into the technology industry, all of the parties that sat between employers and tech talent were aligned with the employers. Much like happened in sports and entertainment decades ago, we saw that the supply, demand and power imbalance was ripe for disruption. Top talent in technology provides tremendous value to those who harness it. We want to return some of that value to its creators.
Michael, 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?
Our company (10xManagement.com) is a talent agency for very high-level, freelance technology professionals. We help them find, evaluate, negotiate and contract their freelance engagements. Essentially, we take all of the pain out of freelancing and make their lives better by freeing them up to do what they love and are best at.
As a result of this, we also have relationships with the companies that engage our tech talent and we derive tremendous satisfaction from providing them with high-level service and desired outcomes. What sets us apart is bringing a human high touch (but wildly fast) element to those in need of seasoned tech talent.
Have you ever had to pivot?
In the early 2000s, the was music industry was being eaten by technology, and at the time, that was our primary source of income (managing musicians (which we still do)). As free technology based distribution for music proliferated, we saw the threat and needed at the very least to have plan B.
Almost 20 years into our entertainment careers, it was hard to see how our skills as talent managers would translate to other industries or occupations. Fortunately, we quickly recognized the similarities between tech, talent and musical talent. It was like a lightbulb went off. We ran a quick experiment to attempt managing a programmer like we did with musicians. Much to our surprise and delight, it worked perfectly and with that 10x Management was born
How’d you meet your business partner?
My cofounder and I actually go back to third grade when we were eight years old. It’s almost 50 years later and we’re still managing to make it work though like all relationships, it takes effort.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://10xManagement.com
- Linkedin: https://Linkedin.com/in/michaelsolomonx