I ROCK! BUT I AM NOT AN ISLAND.

Our human history is certainly NOT filled with stories of men and women overcoming insurmountable obstacles completely on their own. They always have a team: The original Macintosh development team, The 1985 Chicago Bears, or Frodo and his fellowship. People band together for protection, to share the work load, and create a better environment for themselves. No matter the level of talent or ambition, no one can do it alone. If you want your band to go farther, build a team.

When I first started out as a radio talk show host, I tried to do it all myself. I wrote every bit, did all my own research, and took on the work to try and grow the business. I got burned out. I came to realize even the big boys of talk have teams writing for them. That turns the host from work horse to more of an editor and collaborator. And on the business side they go from sole proprietor to director or captain. One person can’t build, operate, and steer a ship on his own. 

Your team is more than your friends who you enlist to help out once in a while.  That scenario often leads to disappointment when the friend doesn’t display the same sense of passion for the project as you do. Building a team is more than delegating tasks. It’s about achieving goals. And to achieve them, you have to 1^st know where your band or project wants to go. Even if your goals aren’t as specific as “to one day play the main stage at Bonnaroo,” deciding to not to stay stagnant is a good step in the right direction. 

Write down your goals. Take the 1^st 10-20 minutes of band practice (when your band should be discussing business matters anyways) and have band members share their goals. Sharing goals and writing them down makes it more likely you will work to achieve them. It also ensures all band members are on the same page and focuses efforts on pushing the band forward. 

Once you know where you want to go, you are ready to tell others and build your team. This team can come from close friends, super fans, or ambitious observers. It is important to know what you need done and what skills are necessary to do it. Be sure to assign tasks based on the person’s particular talents and skill set. Put those outgoing talkers in charge of passing out flyers.  Some team members will be volunteer; some are after experience and recognition, and some you will have to pay for.  Friends might work for free but accountants and lawyers will not.  Others, like booking agents and managers will only take a percentage of what they make you.  As for the rest, farm out your graphic design; get a t-shirt guy, merchandise person, roadie, a driver, any task that frees you up to focus on why you got into the game in the 1^st place – the music. 

Your team members should not only have clear expectations of what you want from them but they should understand WHY they are there in the 1^st place. They will be much more productive and will show passion in the lean times if they understand how the part they play fits into your overall goals and mission.  The point is to make those on your team believe as you do – that what they’re doing, no matter how small the task, is important. You don’t want to count on someone only to find out that you’re on the bottom of their priority list. 

Even if your band’s music is the end product, it’s not all about the band. There should be some perceived value to helping you out. Whether its cash, free swag, or career experience; know the needs of those around you and try your best to match people with the right task and rewards. Are they expecting to grow with you? Just looking for a line on a resume? Or are just happy to have a free t-shirt and tell friends ‘they’re with the band?’ Each team member should be aware of how band decisions are made and who they should go to and with what questions. Is the drummer in charge of booking? Then any show opportunities need to go thru them. Each member of the team should know what they can or can’t say/do on behalf of the band.

Having clearly defined expectations and instructions may not come easy. There is always a learning curve when building a team from the ground up. But as an indie band, you should be used to hard work. Be patient with new team members. Though it may be slow going in the beginning, the effort put in will be worth it to have a solid team. 

Goals change. And that’s ok. Did you become the astronaut you said you wanted to be when you were six?  If you stuck with that goal you’d be out of a job now. Who knew musician would be the more stable choice? Just like you don’t have to follow the goals you made when once you were six, you don’t have to rigidly follow the goals made just a few years ago. Your goals should match your current wants, talents, and opportunities. It’s ok to change your goals over time. 

With a good team of supporters, you’re free to manage the business side and work on your music. You remain in charge but you’ll get some breathing room.  The team you put together will look to you for attitude and inspiration. Be your own biggest fan and when they see that, they’ll follow suit. The reason many people fail isn’t because they didn’t have the talent or that no one gave them a break – it’s because they never really tried. 

If the support system you build isn’t all unicorns and rainbows on the 1^st try, don’t beat yourself up over it. It’s a process. Building a support system takes time and effort but without it, you’ll run into limitation when trying to get to a higher level than where you’re at.