We recently connected with Reid Foster and have shared our conversation below.
Appreciate you joining us today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.
Paul McCartney nailed it when he sang “there’s a fine line between recklessness and courage.” It’s not to say you should throw caution to the wind all the time, but oftentimes we need to take a deep breath and leap, knowing that it might go horribly wrong, but believing that we can survive either way.
One of my first big risks was quitting college to join a band full-time. I had been back and forth about whether to transfer to a 4yr school and get my BA. Early in my final semester I decided to suck it up for 2 more years and get it done, but a few months later at the end of a 90-minute managerial accounting class, I realized I had spent the entire time making a list of things I needed to do for my band when I got home. That was my lightbulb moment. Forcing another 2 years of my life into a classroom would be a huge waste of money and time. It was time to leap. The band broke up 6 years later, but by that time I had enough experience to believe I could make a career for myself on the business side of music. That was 20 years ago.
A year or so later I took another big leap and moved to New Zealand, mostly because I wanted the adventure of living abroad, but also because I wanted to remove myself from the distractions of my social circle and focus on some sort of career in the entertainment space. I landed in the country not knowing a soul and started hustling my resume, serving tables and doing temp work to pay rent. I went to backpacker meetups in town & put myself out there, eventually leading to a barely-paid internship with an artist management company. That’s when things really began in a more professional way. It took another 10 years before I made any sort of decent living, but I was on the path and I believed I could survive.
Fast forward a couple years and I’m living in Brooklyn, still serving tables to pay rent, while building a management & booking agency with a friend. It’s hard and I’m beginning to wonder if New York is really the place for me. An acquaintance from the music industry called out of the blue one day and said “Would you wanna spend the weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia, just hanging out and talking about the music business? There’s a train that leaves Penn Station at 3:30 today and if you’d be willing to come I can buy your ticket right now.” I called and got my restaurant shift covered and made the train. 24 hours later I had another lightbulb moment…I should just move to Charlottesville. I was surrounded by people I thought I could learn from, and the cost of living was low enough that I could get by on by DIY management business without having to work at restaurants anymore. I moved there 2 months later, and immediately found myself in a new place to grow professionally.
It’s these giant leaps that really shape us.
There’s a fine line between recklessness and courage. Most of the time it’s not clear which is which until the dust settles, but are you gonna move the ball forward in life, or stand on the sidelines watching everyone else play the game? No guts, no glory.
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 background and context?
My name is Reid Foster. I played violin, piano, and drums as a kid, and eventually joined a band for most of my twenties. Now I manage a few bands and lead the team of managers at Ineffable Music Group. Never a dull moment!
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
When you’re first getting started, say yes to every opportunity that comes your way, and learn to live on a shoestring for as long as it takes. Real-world experience and relationships are far more valuable than any paycheck.
Resist the temptation to add a bunch more projects/clients that don’t make any money yet. Instead focus on building the ones you already have. If you manage one headliner you have FAR more leverage than someone who manages 10 baby bands.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
I think the whole journey is about resilience. Every day has the potential to be awesome or awful, and you can only control how you respond to things. Meditate. Go out of your way to calm your mind regularly. To this day, at least once a week, I’ll find myself totally overwhelmed and have no idea how I’m gonna get it all done. Those are the moments it’s MOST important to step away and clear your mind.
Contact Information:
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