Case study
From waiting on referrals to finding his own clients.
Josh Goode was working four jobs and living on word of mouth from a small circle of producers. Coaching gave him a way to bring new people in, and the confidence to go and find them.
The numbers
- 4 jobs
- when he started, with mixing not yet the main one
- 80 songs
- mixed the year before, mostly through a small circle of producer friends
- 1 new client
- won by reaching out to someone he had never worked with
- 8 / 10
- how differently he now thinks about his business, in his own rating
A small circle and four jobs
Josh mixes and masters in Los Angeles. When he first talked to Michael he was working four jobs and trying to make mixing the main one. The work he had came through a handful of producer friends. It hardly ever came from artists directly.
His rate sat around $250 to $300, and it usually slid down from there once a conversation started.
“I feel like my circle’s kind of small. It’s gotten me a good amount of work, but this is why I’m saying I feel like it needs to get broader.”
The first message was the hard part
Josh liked people. Meeting producers and artists was never the problem. Sending the first message was. In his homework he called it a mental block, and wondered if it was a fear of not being taken seriously, or of coming off as a ladder climber.
So the plan was simple and specific: set aside time each week to reach out, and set up hangs with five producers in the next 30 days.
“I love connecting and meeting with people. It’s the part that I have anxiety over is the initial connect.”
A system for bringing people in
Josh had no process for onboarding a new client, so they built one. They set up a way to track his projects and budget, worked out how to price himself and raise his rates over time, and used mood boards to design a new brand and website.
Artists started complimenting the new logo before the site was even finished.
“I previously didn’t have any system in place at all, so going through and setting up something that gives me a process for bringing new people in was super beneficial.”
Reaching out, and it working
Near the end of the program Josh did the thing he had been avoiding. He messaged someone he had never worked with and asked to hang out. It turned into new paying work.
He is honest that outreach still takes effort. What changed is that he no longer waits for someone to recommend him.
“I actually applied these concepts last week and earned a new client by reaching out to someone I had never worked with and setting up a time to hang out with them. It was a successful connection and actually ended up bringing me new paying work.”
In Josh’s words
Working with Michael really helped open my eyes to how I can start treating my mixing career like the true business it is. In this industry, so much of our credibility relies on reputation and word of mouth, but through Michael’s coaching I have realized that there are real, tangible ways that I can generate growth beyond just waiting for someone to recommend me to my next potential client.
I would advise people considering this course to first think deeply about what they are looking to accomplish so that you can get the most out of the coaching and program.
Josh Goode Mixing & Mastering Engineer, Los AngelesMore client stories
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