Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in entertainment but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Patrick Worley, Owner of  Worley Music LLC., & Music Lessons Las Vegas, located in Las Vegas, NV, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

While I do several things involving music, the biggest project, and arguably the one I'm most proud of, is my directory website of musicians that teach, Music Lessons Las Vegas, LLC. This used to be a site that was strictly devoted to my own private teaching business, but I really invested some serious time and resources into making it the most powerful site in the Las Vegas metro area for any musician that taught, and through those efforts, I built the largest private teaching studio of any local musician. I currently have 100 students on the waitlist.

Being that I wasn't able to handle any more students myself, I flipped the site to a directory for other musicians in late 2019. So now the site hosts information on musicians of all instruments and styles, still retains the ease of use and convenience of high online search engine placement, and connects all local musicians on the site directly to potential students who are interested in studying an instrument with an instructor.

Tell us about yourself

Music has been the only job I've ever had as an adult. I studied classical music in college and worked playing country and rock genres in Nashville as a session and touring musician through my 20s. While teaching has always been a big part of what I do, I also play weddings and corporate events in the Las Vegas area, concertize, sell the product, do arranging work, etc.

You kind of have to wear a lot of hats to be a successful musician, as I've found that sometimes one project can be very hot for a while and then nothing for a long time. My way around that has always been to pursue lots of different avenues to make a living as a musician. It's the only thing I know how to do, so hopefully, I can keep doing it for a long time!

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

There have been quite a few working musicians. I played some great gigs all over the country and world and had some amazing opportunities to work with some great musicians, but I'm at the stage in my life where I'm getting more into other entrepreneurial endeavors to help other musicians be successful as well.

I think it's a big problem for a lot of musicians - where they are great and music, but they have a difficult time making a living from it. So I'd say my projects, like the above-mentioned business (Music Lesson Las Vegas), are the things I'm most proud of and my largest accomplishments.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

The paperwork (legal filings, taxes, etc.)! No fun at all but a necessity if you want to own a business of any kind.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Make absolutely sure you wouldn't be happy doing anything else for a living. It is incredibly difficult in more ways than one can imagine, so, in my opinion, the entrepreneur route should only be pursued if you are 100% positive it's the only profession that will make you happy. There's a saying I've heard -"Entrepreneurs are the only people who will work a 60-hour week job to avoid working a 40-hour week job" - and I'll tell you it is very true.
  2. Don't be afraid to ask for/pay for help from good people and businesses. There are so many facets to running a business that no one knows them all on their first several startups (maybe no one ever knows them all) having a good marketing team, a website that pops up, good attorneys and tax professionals, etc., are all incredibly important and will make your life easier, freeing up time for you to focus on the areas of your business you enjoy most.
  3. Make sure your services stand out and are appealing from the start. People don't put a lot of time into something if they're confused by it or bored by it, so really take the time to create engaging marketing materials.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website:
https://www.lessonslasvegas.com/
https://patrickworley.com/

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/MusicLessonsLasVegas
https://www.facebook.com/patrickworleymusic

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/musiclessonslasvegas/

Twitter:
https://twitter.com/sickofthepick
https://twitter.com/musiclessonslv

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/music-lessons-las-vegas/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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