Learning the Trade: A Vocal Coach Finds His NicheBusiness InformationUpdated on Oct 1, 2011 View more like this | Visit FRISCO, TX | Contact CCG & Associates Consulting, LLC. |
Ron Cross is a vocal coach, specializing in Gospel music. Be it an individual singer, or a choir, or whatever else you can think of, Mr. Cross can help improve the voice and bring additional help to any problem areas. He also deals with anyone that supports Gospel singers, or anyone related to the business. He describes what he does as the “music industry from a gospel standpoint… It’s all encompassing.”
He didn’t always have a specialty though. He used to be a vocal coach with his sister, taking on all different styles of music, and anyone that came to be taught. While this was going well enough for him, he decided he wanted to expand his business, and possibly coach full time. That’s when he started research how to grow, and listening to the business experts he thought could help.
One business consultant he worked with was Fredia Pryor, of CCG and Associates consulting. He said that though she was billed as primarily a marketing and business adviser, she stepped into his company and became whatever he needed from her. He said she was remarkably efficient, and great at following up on desired leads. He said one of her major strengths was that “you had to tell her something eventually,” because of the tenacity of her approach. His time with her help him become more organized and more efficient because of it.
He also started paying attention to things different business experts had been tell him, and doing as they did. “Focus on something you know the most about,” was the message Mr. Cross said was very important to him during his rebranding period. He followed it up by saying “I’ve been in the music business for 30 years,” and that he was able to serve people so much more in that industry. He also learned that he should be specializing his business, and find a niche. He was advised to not just choose a business name or a specialty randomly. There has to be a process to make sure the niche is viable. There has to be a similar process to make sure the entrepreneur has the expertise needed to make the whole thing work. Summing up his time before paying attention to what the business consultants were advising, Mr. Cross said “I didn’t know how much I didn’t know.”
He moved from the approach of “throwing things against the wall,” to a more systematic approach. He said he learned to “identify who your ideal client is, and then find where they hang out.” He says he is still learning some of the ins and outs of his business, but that everything is coming together. For instance, he recounted his experiences September – October of 2007: he was teaching from 7 to 10 PM, and making about $1,100 a month off of those few hours a week. Soon he thought he would be able to teach full time. But then, as November came around, clients began leaving, and by December his appointments had withered. Now he knows that around the holidays, less and less people are able to take vocal lessons for a number of different reasons. But now he has this experience and knows how to prepare himself for months that have proven to be slow in his line of work.
He has also started reaching out via social media, and found the effort being rewarded already. He said he keeps seeing his name brought up in various social circles, and his Twitter account has more and more retweets. He learned to add people with a purpose, not just randomly trying to add followers. That way he winds up with the kind of client that he is looking for. He also said after he started blogging and interacting with various online communities, he’s noticed his Google search result climbing the front page. He says that everything is a transition, and he’s learning more and more as he’s going. However, the progress he’s been able to achieve by specializing his business is undeniable.
Author: Russell Busse
He didn’t always have a specialty though. He used to be a vocal coach with his sister, taking on all different styles of music, and anyone that came to be taught. While this was going well enough for him, he decided he wanted to expand his business, and possibly coach full time. That’s when he started research how to grow, and listening to the business experts he thought could help.
One business consultant he worked with was Fredia Pryor, of CCG and Associates consulting. He said that though she was billed as primarily a marketing and business adviser, she stepped into his company and became whatever he needed from her. He said she was remarkably efficient, and great at following up on desired leads. He said one of her major strengths was that “you had to tell her something eventually,” because of the tenacity of her approach. His time with her help him become more organized and more efficient because of it.
He also started paying attention to things different business experts had been tell him, and doing as they did. “Focus on something you know the most about,” was the message Mr. Cross said was very important to him during his rebranding period. He followed it up by saying “I’ve been in the music business for 30 years,” and that he was able to serve people so much more in that industry. He also learned that he should be specializing his business, and find a niche. He was advised to not just choose a business name or a specialty randomly. There has to be a process to make sure the niche is viable. There has to be a similar process to make sure the entrepreneur has the expertise needed to make the whole thing work. Summing up his time before paying attention to what the business consultants were advising, Mr. Cross said “I didn’t know how much I didn’t know.”
He moved from the approach of “throwing things against the wall,” to a more systematic approach. He said he learned to “identify who your ideal client is, and then find where they hang out.” He says he is still learning some of the ins and outs of his business, but that everything is coming together. For instance, he recounted his experiences September – October of 2007: he was teaching from 7 to 10 PM, and making about $1,100 a month off of those few hours a week. Soon he thought he would be able to teach full time. But then, as November came around, clients began leaving, and by December his appointments had withered. Now he knows that around the holidays, less and less people are able to take vocal lessons for a number of different reasons. But now he has this experience and knows how to prepare himself for months that have proven to be slow in his line of work.
He has also started reaching out via social media, and found the effort being rewarded already. He said he keeps seeing his name brought up in various social circles, and his Twitter account has more and more retweets. He learned to add people with a purpose, not just randomly trying to add followers. That way he winds up with the kind of client that he is looking for. He also said after he started blogging and interacting with various online communities, he’s noticed his Google search result climbing the front page. He says that everything is a transition, and he’s learning more and more as he’s going. However, the progress he’s been able to achieve by specializing his business is undeniable.
Author: Russell Busse
