Episode Title: Why Having Leadership Skills Matters To The Indie Creative Featuring Coach MJ Tolan

In this episode Durell is joined by entrepreneur and leadership coach MJ Tolan. Durell and MJ start off the episode talking about MJ leaving the USA in 1983 in London and deciding to stay in Europe and build several businesses. He talks about consumers overseas never having been exposed to several different products and services which he found to be quite interesting especially coming from a capitalistic society in America. MJ talks about how the new business model within the music ecosystem has changed to adding value first as a creative and then fans will follow. Durell shares that the record labels today don’t really know what they’re doing in terms of a one size fits all approach that will put a creative “on”. MJ shares the analogy of a young person being in high school and having a summer job so that they could buy a car. There’s often only two ways you could get the car either by taking out a loan or having a generous relative purchase the car. In order to go to the bank and get approved for a loan the bank is going to ask to see a history of how many loans were paid off in your name that would give them the assurance that you as the person applying for the loan can actually pay off the loan. MJ says the music industry often is going to ask for a similar history before they are willing to make that large investment into a creative talent no matter how great. MJ shares that oftentimes if the indie creative hasn’t been coached and groomed to possess the proper skills that not only develops their artistry but even more their leadership and soft skills they have a very difficult time achieving success.

Durell and MJ both share that one commonality that they’ve both experienced while working with creatives is that they’re horrible sales people in today’s marketplace. MJ shares that it’s often not because they can’t sell something but rather it’s because they are often sensitive with their art. Durell shares that it’s great for creatives who can do a bit of both (business and creative) because the indie creatives who understand brand and how to deliver their messaging which is often called brand voice are really able to set themselves in motion for success.

Durell asks MJ what an indie creative who is just starting out thinks about in preparation to set themselves on a path for success in building a successful music career. He shares a story about Aretha Franklin about who at the time was not well known and struggling to find a successful sound and vibe even though she had great talent. Aretha at the time was signed to a well known label in the North and even with all the great resources they attempted to use in getting her the right song, she made a decision to go to a small town in Alabama called Muscle Shoals and record a song called “Respect”. The moral of the story MJ shares is that there's no magic formula for success. There are creatives who haven’t been successful because of the lack of quality mentorship.

MJ talks about knowing what your “why” is and that if you have an ego to be able to know why, you allow an ego to get in the way of your success as a creative. He shares that creativity doesn’t come in a box and for every creative the process of how they display their creativity. Durell and MJ talk about his book “Executive Powers” which MJ wrote that talks about the lessons he learned as an entrepreneur. Durell shares there are a lot of skills that executives in the corporate space must learn that can also be applicable to building a successful music business such as leadership traits and skills, the ability to build and put together successful teams.

He shares a quote from his book that says “respect works exactly like a debit card”. He shares that with all the success that he achieved especially when he was in his early to mid 30’s he wishes he had mentorship and someone to show him the value in respecting everyone around him.

Durell and MJ end the episode talking about remaining humble and the fact that the music industry is such a timey business. Durell and MJ talk about creatives being able to implement systems. MJ shares the analogy of using a lemonade stand as the business to implement systems that help a business run successfully. He talks about needing resources, position, location, and exposure. In terms of music the ability to be able to have resources that allow creatives to be able to go to individuals that can help their product be able to compete in the marketplace that allow the consumers and key industry professionals to take notice.

MJ shares a story about a woman that he interviewed on his podcast entitled “Mission I’m Possible”. Jessica Cox was born with no arms and was determined and dedicated to achieve her goals no matter what the obstacles were that were in front of her. She learned to fly a plane and through her foundation was able to raise money and awareness for those who were born with disabilities.

For More Info On Coach MJ Tolan, please visit his website:

https://coachmjtolan.com/