The Best Business Podcast: Stepping Out From Your Comfort Zone

Ken Arlen, Owner of Arlen Music Productions

We listen to music because it awakens something inside of us. Something exuberant. Or thoughtful. Or something sorrowful. Music is spiritual like that. Some of us play musical instruments well, but some musicians struggle to have financial sustainability using their musical talent. They look for a day job to sustain themselves because music cannot do it for them. In this episode, we are joined by an amazing entrepreneur who proved to the world that Music can sustain people financially. Ken Arlen, Owner of Arlen Music Productions. Ken Arlen is living a dream and there is no better way to teach entrepreneurs than balancing financial sustainability with artistic integrity.

Don’t Get A Backup Plan

The 100 percent rule is a simple advice that can help you change your life. It’s about focus, when you are doing more things at one time, you’ll never deliver the maximum capability of what you are doing. “If you want to pursue something in life, do not have a backup”, Ken said. You’ll never be good at something when your attention is not focused. You need to give 100 percent, and if you have a backup that is taking 20 percent of your time and effort, then it is very difficult to succeed. To succeed, you have to be all in, follow your passions, and give 100 percent.

Tony Robins once said, “If you want to take the island, burn the boats.” Some people think that having a backup plan is safer. But in reality, having a backup plan prevents you from doing all that it takes to achieve your goals. Some people would be okay losing and not trying again because they have a backup plan. One of the reasons why is that we are afraid of the unknown, we want to be in control, which is not the case all the time. And that’s the best part of life, it’s more exciting to understand that we don’t always know what’s coming because it will be very boring if we will know our future.

The Entrepreneurs Mentality

“For future entrepreneurs, you never have to compromise artistic integrity to be successful.” Ken Arlen advised. The key is to be smart and have good time management to allocate your time wisely. Like David always believes, “We become what we think about.” Your vision and how you see yourself will make an impact in your life. If you think that you are going to become a musician, you will become. And if you think you are going to be a millionaire musician, then it will happen too. It is a matter of how you think your life will become.

Another key to becoming a successful entrepreneur is always thinking of the value you will give, than the money you will earn from your business. Successful entrepreneurs didn’t aspire for money, because they know it is the by-product of a good value that they will give to others. So, find out your driving motivation when you run your business or you’re trying to achieve something in life, and don’t focus on the by-product, focus on what will bring the by-product.

It’s A Building Relationship Game

Ken Arlen shared a story about how important is to build a relationship with others that has similar passions to you (listen to it here), and it’s amazing how building your network will help you in the industry you’re in. It is important to understand that people that are more successful than you want to help you because they have been in your shoes before, and it’s their part of giving back.

If you want to be successful in what you do, you need to surround yourself with people who made it already in the industry and make them a mentor. To succeed, it is important that there are people watching you so that they can connect you to other people that they know might move forward in your career.

The Best Investment Is In Yourself

If you want to build whatever you desire, be willing to invest. You can never be good at something if don’t invest your time or money in it. Entrepreneurs aren’t successful because of luck, they invested their time failing and learning. One of the best investments that you can do is to Invest in a Coach. What do Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, and Tom Brady all have in common? Besides being legendary in their sports, they all have coaches! Another one is Reading Books. The average person reads one book per year while the average CEO reads 60 books per year. Lastly, invest in Attending Seminars and Events. Of all the ways to invest in yourself, attending live seminars will give you some of the best and longest-lasting results.

Conclusion

The fastest way to arrive at the finish line is to start now. Becoming an Entrepreneur is not easy, it requires time, effort, and passion to achieve greatness. And the best thing about it is that it’s achievable. Every entrepreneur's journey is different but one thing they have in common is that they are all risk takers, because nobody is safe in their comfort zone.