Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in music but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Dan Lombardi, Founder of 5PiECE Music, located in Toronto, ON, Canada.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

I run a company called 5PiECE Music which helps music creators sound better and get paid for their music. We do this in several ways currently:

  1. By offering mixing and mastering services to artists to bring their music to a professional-sounding release-ready level.
  2. By providing education around music production, recording, mixing, mastering, and funding a music career through courses, articles, private lessons, and free videos on YouTube.
  3. Through grant writing, we apply to music grants on behalf of artists to help them secure free money to pay for and complete their music projects.

Tell us about yourself

My business began through a combination of my passion for music and the necessity to be self-sufficient. Like many, I was always a passionate music creator and wanted to do it for a living. But, like most, something was always in the way. I always believed in my abilities, but the uncertainty of the industry and the need to pay bills got in the way of committing fully for many years.

I studied Audio Engineering and Music Production in college, but after graduating, all I could do was an intern. Most big studios were closing down, and almost none of them were paying a livable wage. Despite that, I found a few internships alongside Grammy and Juno Award-winning talent because I saw no other way. For 6 months, I interned at these studios during the day and then worked night shifts and odd jobs at night. This negatively impacted my health as I was sleeping maybe 2 or 3 hours per night at most to make this schedule work since I was constantly going from internship to job and back.

Finally, I was burnt out. I fully gave up on music for 6 months and got a job at a marketing agency. I learned a lot - many things I still use to this day - but I began to dislike working for other people more and more. I felt I was giving the best parts of myself to helping others build their dream while not working on my own. This led me to question my purpose until I couldn't stomach it any longer.

Eventually, I was allowed to work at a studio as an independent contractor through my own business. After doing that for 6 months and essentially running the studio on my own as the head engineer, the studio owners encountered some difficulties and closed the facility down at the end of 2015. I found myself at a crossroads to either find a 9-5 job once again or fully embrace being an entrepreneur. I pursued the latter - acquiring my own studio space and evolving my skill set into what I do now. In retrospect, all of the shortcomings and hardships taught me valuable lessons that would've been expensive as a solopreneur at the time. Because of my partnerships and seeing where these other studios failed, I could build upon those lessons and avoid those pitfalls.

I'm ultimately motivated to do what I do each day by the power I wield to help artists. From helping them develop artistically as a producer, to enhancing the sound of their final musical projects as an engineer, to getting funded as a grant writer- I have an enormous influence on an artist's outcome and can be the difference in their career. I don't take this responsibility lightly. As I rely only on my own abilities to make income, I'm also driven by the necessity to do what I do, like a starving fisherman that has to catch his dinner - if I don't catch a fish, I don't eat. This may scare some people - I know it scared me for years - but now it's become something I fully embrace and use as fuel to make progress.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I have many accolades, from the music I've contributed to performing well and being featured on buzzworthy platforms, TV shows, radio stations, and more to securing hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant funding annually for my clients.

However, I would say my biggest accomplishment has been successfully making a living exclusively through my business since 2015. This may not seem like a massive accomplishment to the average business owner, but consider making a living in a field that is entirely creative (music) and notorious for being difficult to make a living in. My entire life, almost everyone around me was skeptical I could do this for a living - I was constantly told by teachers, parents, friends, and peers that pursuing a career in the music industry was risky and that I was "too smart to do such a thing" (among others). I was rarely supported and paid to do everything myself, from going to college to building a studio and beyond. To overcome the persistent negativity, doubt, and rejection from those closest to me for over 7 years as a business (and counting) is a significant accomplishment in my eyes. In fact, the tables have turned, and most of those same skeptics are my biggest supporters, asking me, "how did you do it?" It's cliche - but it's real. You can't stop someone who knows where they're going, and I'm thankful I never let the negativity steer me away from my purpose.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

Adapting to the responsibility and accountability of running a business - knowing it's all on you, win or lose. Embracing the ups and downs and the feast or famine nature of making money as a business. I've had months where I made more than I could've imagined, followed by months of almost nothing.

Over time these aspects become easier to manage, but anyone coming off of a regular, consistent, and predictable salary will have a hard time at first. Like Nassim Nicholas Taleb says: "The three most harmful addictions are heroin, carbohydrates, and a monthly salary." I found this to be true for myself at first as well.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Make sure you have something of value to offer people to solve their problems- because of my musical background, I know all artists struggle with certain things, such as making their music sound great in post-production, marketing their music, and finding funding to put out the best possible product. I knew I could help with 2 out of 3 of these areas, which is why I do what I do today.
  2. Make sure people actually want what you have to offer - rather than start a business and try to sell something. I found things that people actually wanted and organically came to me first. My first clients were people who needed a place to record. They evolved into people who needed mixing and mastering services because we recorded the songs together and now needed to polish them for release. Later it evolved into those same clients not having enough budget to pay for recording or mixing and mastering and me stepping up to find them grant funding to pay for my services while also receiving payment to manage grant writing for them. I know my ideal customer avatar pretty well, and everything I sell is a necessity for them. Like Derek Sivers says, "if it isn't a hell yeah, it's a no" - if it isn't a necessity, it probably won't be a hell yeah.
  3. Manage your cash flow well - most businesses fail because they suffer from cash flow issues, usually not having enough to cover expenses and then some. One easy policy I instituted from early on is that full payment is required before beginning any engagement. If the customer doesn't pay, I don't begin work for them until they do. This helps prevent and alleviate a bunch of common problems - from having to chase delinquent clients for late or no payments and ensuring you have enough cash in the bank to cover all of your expenses at a given time. It really helps you qualify who is a quality client that you want to work for and who you probably shouldn't work for at all. This spills over into another area: the emergency fund. Make sure you have one and can cover yourself if your business doesn't take off right away - because, chances are, it won't.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://5piecemusic.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/5PiECE/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/5piece/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/5piecemusic

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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