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

The, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

Music has always been a part of me and my life. Unfortunately in the beginning of my career I didn’t have many musicians around me to collaborate with. In the end I taught myself how to record and play many different instruments, I decided to become a producer to assist other up and coming artists who also lacked the right environment for them to shine and succeed. In doing so it has brought me no small amount of pride and satisfaction to watch the other artists I aid go farther than they expected.

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

The Captain is essentially a piece of me. I’ve always been very adamant about how I carry myself and treat the world around me. I believe that if you put good out there, good will return to you. I’m so this way that I market myself in this manner and I want other artists to know that nothing is impossible. There was a time in my life I lived on a sailboat, forty-five miles away from shore for years and I lost my ability to effectively communicate; now I’m a full-time lyricist. I felt that if I could do it, anyone could do it. So, I’ve aimed to bring the community together in every aspect of what I do. I try my best to go above and beyond for each and every artist or fan. To me, the fans, family, friends, together we are a Krew. For some, being part of such a positive movement is all they need to make the difference around them and make the difference in the lives of others. I operate a full-time studio called Nature Coast Studios, where I assist numerous artists of a wide variety of genres with their mixing and mastering needs, as well as web help and promotions. Locally, I run an event called R&R which is a car show and artist exhibition that is completely free and open to all types of creativity, whether you shred guitars or tires, finger-paint or play a spoon on a mason jar R&R is a place you can shine. You can find more information at @R&RShows on Facebook. The Krew has an online store where you can find Krew merch from The Captain and designs from fans alike. Amongst all of this, I also enjoy giving skateboarding lessons to local kids at the neighborhood skate park. All thanks to the drive within me to pursue a music career, I’ve found peace and purpose in doing all of these things.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I built it with an open mind, taking each step with a grain of salt knowing that I’m planting a seed that takes time to grow. I took my time strategically building a story from scratch so that my story stayed consistent and that my brand stayed true. My content came from myself and my everyday life, from how I dealt with certain situations to writing my songs as if I was speaking to the world in the sense that everyone is different and has their own story: no two fans or customers are alike. Judgmental perception was something that I feared in the beginning, but I learned that the more I worked, the more I created, my audience grew. As I stuck to a schedule and made good on my word, my fans, my friends, and my family began to believe in me. I was never one of the popular kids or had a social media following prior to The Captain, in two years I went from absolutely no one even knowing who I was to having strong organic followings across different platforms. Along with the other advice here, my best advice for a beginning entrepreneur is to do what you do best that is truest to you and you will succeed.

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

The Krew is the backbone of my brand. The Krew consists of fans, friends, and family. Without their energy and support I wouldn’t have the fuel to do what I do. I reflect that towards my fans and customers. In order to build such a strong organic following, in the early stages of business development I took time to make connections with fans and supporters. I would take time to message or tag individuals in a meaningful way that was in line with the brand. With each conversation I wanted to give the experience of actually speaking with “The Captain” which might seem like a strange concept, but imagine if you liked a post on Nike’s page and Phil Knight messaged you personally to say he appreciated your support. That kind of nostalgic connection is what I have found to be the most profitable in a small business. It is long term and lasting.

Contact Info:

• Website: captains-closet.square.site
• Instagram: #therealcaptain17
• Facebook: @thecaptainskrew
• Twitter: @TheCapt17612782
• Youtube: youtube.com/channel/UCI0oEvSUQZFMccdV_jRxGLQ
• Other: soundcloud.com/therealcaptain