Lost Revenue, No Business: What Would You Do?
This week, we're switching up our community roll-up to dive deep into one business's challenge, and we need your input to help them solve it.
With 6 million business owners on the platform, there are bound to be great ideas from other members who've struggled with the same issues. So let's come together to help each other out. After all, we're #StrongerTogether.
To kick it off, let's take a look at the big problem that business owners Cody and Bj are dealing with and get to know more about their business and ideal customer. Then, in the comments, tell us: What you would do?
Have a business problem you want the community to take on? Share it in the comments for a chance to be featured.
Business Challenge of the Week: Music Production Company With No Bookings
The problem comes from Cody and Bj, who run Cody & Bj Productions, Inc, a children's music production company.
Using music as a tool to bring people together, they create original songs for their live shows, which are thrown at schools, camps, libraries, child care centers, military bases, and festivals for kids ages 2-10 who "love to have fun."
Their performances are meant to "inspire youth to reach out and help their world become a better place."
They've been in business since 1992 and made it through the recession and other dry spells. Prior to Covid, they were putting on "over 400 shows a year."
However, once the pandemic hit, business in the performing arts industry slowed to a halt, leaving Cody and Bj scrambling to make ends meet.
We've lost and continue to lose thousands of dollars. Unemployment helped, but it couldn't take the place of the hundreds of shows we booked.
Typically, the have two shows a day, six days a week along with bookings for their two other performers, Bj explains. From October to December, they'd have a jam-packed schedule performing their holiday shows. But right now...
We have no bookings for any of those months.
Without any relief from the government, Bj and Cody are in a tough spot. They also rely on other businesses for their own clients, many of which remain closed, can't bring people in, or don't have the budget.
"Until they are able to get back on their feet, we're stuck," Bj says.
What Would You Do?
And here's where you come in. We want to come up with solutions for Cody and Bj, but we need your help.
If this was your business, how would you handle the situation?
Take a look at their profile and website. Then, share your ideas and expertise in the comments below.
Let's tap into the power of the small business community to support each other through these tough times and a challenge that many of us face.
Comments (1-10)
Here's a thought...dont' know if it'd work as I'm not in this biz. Why not a "traveling" show...a flat bed truck, pick-up truck, or trailer similar to a hay ride. Have a couple of the performers on it and drive/stop along the side streets in your neighborhoods (kinda like the ice cream trucks do) performing a few songs, etc. You can ask for donations along the way and folks can drop the contributions into buckets via walking collection volunteers. Some folks may want to walk along the sidewalks with their doggies, bikes or kids. All while keeping safe outdoor distances, masks, etc. They do drive-by's for birthday's, good wishes, and more--why not for entertianment? Just a thought, I'd love to see something like this in my neighborhood as we always went every week to our local band shelter that featured local artists one evening a week.
Being a musician and owning a music entertainment agency, business changed during March, gigs were cancelled or postponed, and I was deeply concerned. Our solutions was to get good at doing virtual shows and we have done over 50 since March. We also found some country clubs/restaurants that agreed to do out of doors events and finally, we booked some house parties/weddings where everyone followed safety rules and the show was able to go on. It sounds corny but you have to reinvent yourself to survive this new reality. Support live music...
Parents are desperate for activities for their kids. Instead of contracting with other organizations, create your own after school events to be held outside on parking lots , park area or other public space. Twice a week ( Friday's and Saturday's) for two hours. Combining music to movement activities for exercise, games that can be done to music and more. You know what to do. Charge for a minimum of four sessions a month. You and the kids can bundle up as needed and when the weather is too bad you cancel. You would have to keep it to a minimum of 10 kids but if done right could provide some income.
I'd suggest reaching out to old clients to let them know that they are still around, offering safe and healthy options for the new Covid norms, what they are doing to address any concerns about Covid, and go from there.
As a web designer and optimization expert I'd also suggest upgrading their web site to be a bit more modern, mobile friendly / optimized, and have a notice about what precautions they are doing to ensure safe events.
Are you offering any courses? My private students are primarily performers - figures that, just when I determine that my ideal client is the pre-professional and avocational performer, all performances dry up - and of course, there's no performing for them. I'm starting an online musical theatre history and performance course this afternoon for 6 weeks, and I'm hoping that this will make them better performers when the day comes that they can perform again as well as keep me afloat. I'm also hosting masterclasses, but that market seems to be getting pretty saturated, so I think I'm going to look for more course opportunities. Especially since I'm a performer as well and I have more time on my hands.
The only thing I can think of that would possibly help would be to sell your cd's. The songs are amazing. Maybe you could hook up with Amazon or something like that. You should be able to sell millions of these cd's. They are inspirational and at this time we all need inspiration. Maybe an online virtual concert for online schooling.
Its all about innovation and collaboration. All about thinking outside that 20th-century formally trained box the system says. If you want to succeed you have to fit in our box. The performing arts is not my area of experts, was an audio technician for several decades in simulators and designing and building audio system for conference centers. So know without the performing arts technology and life would be very dull.
if you have 400 shows a year that normally have you working 6 days a week supporting operating cost and 4 actors and you are just breaking even. Then I would say you are missing a larger market potential. The world has not stopped. Just no longer going to work the way it did. Even after COVID-19 has a vaccine we still do not know enough about it and being in Canada every time money and self-interest drive the agenda. We get a spike.
Kids are still kids their parents are looking for them to be entertained and active willing to pay something to help keep them active. An old saying in my day. As always been relevant for anyone trying to make a living. What do you have that you can use and who can you collaborate to take something of no value to go create something of value and within the ablity of the masses to see value. If you are doing 400 shows a year then you have everything. Now you just have to figure out how to take what you already do to match the reality of the situation. can you transform what you do so rather than just putting on 400 shows a year you are being paid and supplement your living by getting 4000 people on a global scale to be able to do the same thing. at a monthly fee, they can afford based on their reality. You tell them what they need to start out if they do nothave money how to improvise. How to download your music as part of the package.
I tune won because it say you can have the song for 99 cents rather than buy a record for several dollars. Yet the record industry is still their as people due return to what they love. If you do not get greedy. Our organization used a Sustainability investment system from 1995 to 2010 to deal with the 1989 economic downturn. It started as a SandBox using open source thinking to test a lot of different new approaches to see which one was going to be accepted. A lot of trial and error. Then the formally trained were handed the vision and the rest is recorded history, but they did make a major difference
Having been in a choir, I know that there is a big global unfulfilled desire to sing and perform. I feel like there are many opportunities but we need to think differently. I saw our ex-president speak to a huge parking lot full of people standing next to their cars. It made me think .... I visualize a big projected screen in front of which the performance could take place. If the weather is bad, people may sit in the car as in old drive-in theaters. Payment is made through the phone. Watching on an iPad or phone could be an option. There are time delay issues, I know. Just thinking out loud.
Change is the only constant in life and business. As a business, you have got to start thinking outside of the box! If you sell products, think services, if you sell services, think how can I turn this into a helpful and productive service? Life is always changing and as a business owner, you've got to plan for the unseeable future. Do not put all your eggs in one basket ever.
Due to COVID19 perhaps you should think about pivoting your business a little to cater to your audience in a safer format. Perhaps offer a more a different setting idea for things like birthday parties, family gatherings, etc. with a limitation on the number of guest you are comfortable with you as a limit.
If you have a building perhaps space your setting out and show your audience that you are considering their safety in entertaining them.