Reflections

When I started the EBMS program back in January of 2013, it was my goal to gain more knowledge and add to my level of expertise in the entertainment industry. I have already had over twenty years of experience and earned a bachelor degree in Music Industry Management from Ferris State University. It had been over ten years since I completed that degree and I felt that this program would be the revival in needed in my career to catapult me in a new direction. This program has not only met, but it exceeded my expectations. The information that I have received has given me support in areas where I needed help like with marketing, branding, and finance. Also in areas where I was pretty strong, this program helped to make me stronger like in the areas of artist management and law. I have literally been able to take the information that I’ve learned and put it into practice, as I was already operating in or building my own business in these capacities. To say the least, this EBMS program has been great for me. Although I prefer to learn face to face in a classroom setting, the online program has proven to be very convenient, engaging, and it has challenged me. I am looking forward to finishing what I started and moving on to accomplish some great things in my career. I am extremely thankful for this opportunity.

I liked the insight that Chris Brogan gave in his blog about understanding value. He talked about how he asked his friend what the key to selling was and he responded by saying, “Sales is about creating value.” What I get from this is that selling is really not about selling at all, but it is more about solving problems and adding value to someone’s life with what you have to offer them. This is what has happened to me as a result of being a part of this EBMS program. It has added value to my life and to my career. In return, I plan to use my knowledge and skills to add value and help others see the value in their own lives. Entertainment is the platform that I am using, but the concept is the same; understand the value and add value to others.

Resource:

http://www.chrisbrogan.com/understanding-value/

Mike Sears

FINISH

I would like to dedicate this blog post to my late friend and brother Karl Darwin Pratt. He was a businessman, an entrepreneur, and one of the kindest people you could ever meet. In a conversation I had with him before he passed, I was sharing with him some of the things I currently had going on in my life at that time. I was working on my music project, a CD. I was doing some acting in theatre and film, I was going to school full time, and I was working on some other projects. All while I was telling him this, my brother sat there and listened. When I had finished talking he simply said to me, “ …You know Mike, you have to finish something…” I told him he was right. I expressed to him the first thing I knew I would finish was school because I was almost done and I knew that was one thing I could say fairly soon that I finished. Take a listen to this artist by the name of Johnathan Nelson. He has a song entitled, "Strong Finish", and I know this is exactly what my brother was encouraging me to do.

 Now you might be saying to yourself as you are reading this, what does that conversation with your brother have to do with the entertainment industry. Well, the answer to that is pretty simple, but to many can be considered very complex. I realized that when I finished that conversation with my brother, if I had only heard one word he said to me that day, that word would have been, “FINISH!!!” In life and especially with those who seek a career in the entertainment industry never reach their goals because they don’t finish. Think about it. It is currently July. We are halfway through this year. Many of us started this year with some expectations and we had some particular goals in mind. Will we finish what we started this year?

The entertainment industry is a game played by a lot of finishers. You cannot play in this game and expect to be successful unless you too plan to finish. You may receive a lot of “No’s” in this business. Often times you will experience a lot of rejection. However, can you start your journey with a goal in mind and see it through until it is finished no matter what? There are so many talents in the entertainment industry who were able to answer this question and because their answer was yes, we know who they are today. The same way my brother encouraged me, I want to encourage you. If you have a dream of being successful in the entertainment industry then I have one word for you. Whatever you start, don’t give up until you, “FINISH!!!”

4/14/56 - 5/15/14

Rest In Heaven

Thank You For Encouraging Me To Finish!!!

-The Mike Sears