It’s been a whole month since my last blog post. Where has the time gone?
You haven’t heard from me in a month because I was having an identity crisis. I have thoughts about things involving internet marketing, but unfortunately no results. I knew I needed to find a niche that I had some experience in, and I think I have finally found it. Still no results, but that isn’t going to keep me from posting regular updates on this blog.
I have put in a lot of thought about how best to brand myself. I’m a skinny white boy from North Dakota. Things are pretty conservative and vanilla up here. I know, though, that in order to sell you have to be different than anybody else out there. You have to have something about yourself that people relate to and want to follow. A drunken discussion on a party bus helped me figure out my direction.
A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of talking to a guy who owns a company that does party busses. If you’ve never been on a party bus, or even heard of one, it’s a pretty good time. You rent this bus with a bunch of friends and the bus takes you bar hopping. You don’t have to worry about driving drunk, and you can drink on the bus between stops. It’s become pretty popular up here in North Dakota… I have no idea how it works in other parts of the country.
The owner of this company is a Surfer/Hippie in his late 30′s. He owns two busses and is in the process of building his third. He came on this bus to help throw the party. His first words to me when he found out I was 26 were to watch out, because my thirties were going to be the best decade of my life.
He and I started talking about his bus. This bus was different than all of the other busses I’ve been on. Instead of being polished with fancy tv’s, expensive radio, and having a black tie feel, this bus looked like it had once spent some time touring with an 80s hair band.
I asked the owner about his concept, and he told me that this was what he imagined when he thought of the coolest party bus possible. He wanted the vintage feel, the bathroom in the back, and the 12 inch subs in the seats that made the whole bus vibrate. He also wanted the stripper poles in the middle and the laser light show that made me wish I actually had a drug of choice. He took his concept and made it a reality. Now he is making a full time income riding around with groups of people throwing a party on wheels.
What did I take away from this?
I started to think about my concept for my business. What is my dream? How can I create a brand like my party bus friend?
I had already started to come up with something for my DJ business. I want to make my show as big as possible. My vision is to put on the equivalent of a rock concert whenever I perform. Eventually I also plan on charging the same as some local “rockstars” as well. That means big speakers, crazy lights, and having a personality that is larger than life. Tough order, but I think I can handle it.
I decided that my brand involves having a big show and being a rock star. I guess it fits. I’ve always loved reading about Motley Crue and Guns and Roses. I’ve also secretly been jealous of guitar players and drummers. When I was in 6th grade I actually had a choice between drums and trumpet. To this day I wonder how different my life would have been if I had studied drums for 15 years instead of trumpet.
I may not be as crazy as the serious rock stars, but I am a music nerd who likes to party. And if you don’t believe that they were music nerds, look up how much time Slash spent practicing his guitar in high school or how much time Axel Rose spent on that piano of his.
My party bus friend built his brand on being vintage and over the top. I’m building my brand on having a big show and personality. What is it that you are building your brand on?