Right now it is 8:16am, Sunday morning - it might actually be 9:16am because we lose an hour tonight. I have not slept, and this is the second all-nighter this week. Building a brand is very exciting, but it is also a lot of work. In my day job I am dedicated to helping college students reach their full potential. Basically, I spend 90% of my time mentoring students. The best piece of advice I have discovered for myself and for them is this:
In order to sustain the effort you will need to accomplish your goal, the goal itself has to come from a very special place. That place is the intersection of your passion and your talent.
Many people ask me how I came up with the concept. It seems so obvious - beer and hip hop, duh! Yet, no one had put it together like this until now. The answer, I went into that special place and discovered something so simple, so original, yet so profound that I could dive into it with all of my talents. I could love it with my talent.
Its kind of like the movie Limitless, when Brad Cooper is suddenly hit with the effects of the NZT-48. Everything is brighter, clearer, he is more focused, and my favorite quote, "I knew exactly what to do, and exactly how to do it."
With the internet, you can research what to do and how to do it. But without a goal that comes from that special place it won't matter. This is why people give up on things they are good at, or don't work at things they love. You need both - passion and talent. Thats where the magic is.
So what exactly do I have on my to do list? Sell 1,500 tickets for Cinco de Mayo, secure sponsorship from corporate and brewery sources, promote promote promote, collaborate with other festivals, plan and execute the overall growth of HGHH. How am I going to do that? Getting introductions, meeting new people, cold calling, whatever it takes.
Mostly though, I operate on two main premises: this shouldn't feel like work, so if it does, stop; and, always, always, always trust your gut, your instinct, your vibes. Trust yourself and dont stress yourself. And it applies across cultures, industries, and levels of experience.
What have I done this week?
IT services - upgrading my web store to do my own ticket sales. I decided not to use a ticket sales site this time - just seems like a waste of money, so I put in the work to make sure my site could handle ticket sales and that we would still have a smooth check in at the gate.
Two meetings with potential sponsors - one brewery, one corporation. Both love the concept, only one can put the dollars where the love is immediately. So I am excited to make the official announcement next week. And hopefully another announcement soon after.
FB Event Page - mandatory. I spent a decent chunk of time setting up and inviting everyone of my friends and family that is over 21. My man, Dres tha Beatnik, just invited 2,500 of his closest friends - super duper thanks!
Twitter Activity - mandatory. Spent a few moments each day tweeting, retweeting, and connecting with folks. I have been trying to get the attention of Daymond John, to no avail.
Instagram Activity - FB and Twitter are starting to get stale, Instagram is super hot. There is another app out, I will put you on in the next email - hint: movies.
Updating the email list - deciphering the, albeit small, percentage of your email addresses that were ilegible. Friends don't let friends drink and sign up for email lists.
Met with 2 of my co-workers/friends I look up to. Needed to bounce some ideas off smart people.
PR Planning meeting - apparently corralling my PR team is like herding cats. Luckily the plan is laid out, in writing, but meetings are awesome with the right people.
Ok, I could go on. And I will, in a blog format. But that's what behind the scenes looks like right now. I will let you know when it gets glamourous.
Peace.
9:24am or 10:24am, depending who you ask : )