We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Suice DaConnect. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Suice below.

Hi Suice, thanks for joining us today. What do you think Corporate America gets wrong in your industry? Any stories or anecdotes that illustrate why this matters?

They confuse movement with progress. They think followers & Views translate to dollars. They soon find out that all them followers doesn’t equal engagement. They also think there’s no value in something that’s not “popular”. Cooperate America doesn’t know what’s hip and a twelve year old can’t dictate what I like. Every age group has niche that they can tap in to but people are lazy and don’t want to work for their results, they want it NOW.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My introduction to the industry was just being available. I started out just showing to the BAD BOY office as a teen. I use to hang out in the front every day. Eventually, making my way upstairs. They use to give us tokens and posters to hand out all over the city. I use to do that all week. A roll a tokens were 10 dollars. So I’d take the tokens, hop the train and go around the city putting up posters. By the end of the week I’d have 50 bucks. I did that for a summer.

Fast-forward, I was in every studio session. I wasn’t quiet, I just wasn’t talking. I was listening. When you’re in the lab, you hear everything, the good, the bad, the ugly. You hear from the Artist what they liked about their Management or label; you’d hear what they hated. You would hear what they would do different. You also notice what they SHOULD be doing different.

When you’re being seen, people notice you even when you’re not trying to be. They notice that Artist are paying attention to you even if you’re not drawing attention to yourself. So you get to know the promoters, club owners, people that have luxury car services. You get to know Hotel Managers, Hotel owners etc.

So remember when I said in the beginning “I was available”. I got a call at 330am asking if I can get to the Airport by 6. Last minute show booking, Artist Road Manager wasn’t answering and I’m pretty sure no one else was since they made it to me…lol They needed someone to go on the road.

There’s no Lyft/Uber then. You had to hail a cab. I lived in Harlem and cabs and stop for us then. Grabbed my go-bag, rolled the dice on getting a cab and made it to airport. I only had clothes for 2 days, 2 packs of draws & a pack of socks and ended up being on the road for 2 weeks, but I figured the rest out on the way. Every city has a mall. White T’s can be copped from gas stations. The point is I answered my phone. Learned the rest on the job.

Every artist is different so you just have to have a tough skin, watch and listen. Not all of them will tell you. Artist are so use to being catered to that some of them don’t even know what they want until you show them.

The service I provide is My service. I can be involved in as little or as much in your career as you like. I clean up messes, put out fires and give the Artist as much room to be creative as possible. I take the hits so they don’t have to. When markets/buyers aren’t showing interest I put up my own money for tours myself and create the demand. This isn’t a “side job” for me. I work harder for the Artist than they work for themselves at times believing in them more than they believe in themselves. Anybody under my umbrella, I want to see win. So I’ll do my best to see that they do.

I’ve been on all sides of this industry. I still love this game. The problem with most Artist is that they hire their homeboy/girl to be their Manager. The thing is, that person doesn’t know how to Manage. It takes more than just answering a phone and telling a buyer what the Artist wants to perform. You have to anticipate issues before they come and be able to handle it immediately when they do.

Everyone thinks they can do this job, until they have to do this job. We get all the blame and none of the credit. You have to be okay with that. If you want to be seen, this isn’t the job for you. If you looking for thanks and gratitude, this isn’t the job for you. I don’t need a Pat on my back. My lights have never been off, I’ve never been evicted and I can do whatever I want, whenever I want to do it; All the time. My position allows me to do so.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

Music was my side hustle. I worked in a Hotel for years. Managed 2 was on my way to getting a 3rd. I kept an hourly wage so that I can take off when I needed to. I never took vacation nor did I take sick days. So when I needed to go on the road for a weekend, I’d work 10 days straight so I could take 4 days off and not get shorted on payroll. I was making decent money. I did that for 5years.

Until an opportunity presented itself and I said, if I don’t leave now, I’ll never leave. My psyche isn’t built to quit. I didn’t hate my job, I actually loved it; it’s just not what I wanted to do. What I wanted to do full time is what I was doing every weekend. So I had to break cold turkey. No 2 weeks notice, I have to go now because If I don’t, I’ll be here forever. Next time they saw me was on TV.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

Everyone that’s under you won’t have the same drive or discipline as you. But remember why you have them there. You’re the leader, as the leader pull what you need from them but don’t let loyalty destroy what you built. Never be afraid to let someone go.

Mistakes aren’t always fireable. Some things are teachable moments. Somebody has to be the voice of reason. Everything isn’t defcon 3. Be firm but fair and once your staff see you going harder then they are, the good ones will demand that you let them lighten the load.

I also had to learn (I still struggle with this on the daily) is to trust your team. You don’t have to do everything yourself. The reason I know too well, is that you want it done right, yes but in the event it gets messed up, there’s no one to blame but yourself but lighten your load.

Contact Info:

• Website: GrownManBusiness.com
• Instagram: GrownManBizMusicInc
• Facebook: GrownManBizMusicInc
• Twitter: Suice
• Youtube: DaOwnersBoxLive