When I first started Produce Like a Boss in 2019, I had no idea it would grow into the empire it is today.
For years, I had been grinding to get my own music career off the ground, actively trying to get artist cuts in Nashville (meaning to have another artist record your song) and sync placements (getting your music placed in Film/TV).
In 2018, the fruits of my labor from over a decade were finally starting to pay off.
After years of hard work, hundreds of demos, and consistent networking, I had a consistent stream of paying clients for various recording services, from recording vocals to songwriting to music production.
Additionally, my songs were finally starting to get placed in TV shows - something I had dreamed of for years, and were being cut by other artists. And to top it all off, I was producing amazing artists from my home studio in Nashville - I was as happy as a bird with a french fry in its mouth.
Finally, I was a full-time producer, and I was thrilled about it. No part of me had ANY idea that I was about to build an online educational business around teaching music production.
Something I always noticed, though, was that I lit up whenever an artist would ask me for tips on recording themselves. Or when they'd ask about how I was making money. Suddenly, I'd find myself diving into this "teacher mode" where I wanted to share EVERYTHING and ANYTHING I knew to help the other person. Especially if it meant I could make their journey less painful than mine.
One day, one of the artists I was working with said, "you know you're really good at simplifying and teaching this stuff; you should really start a YouTube channel!"
"Oh no, I'm not a teacher..." I said humbly.
I mean, I always got in trouble for playing things by ear and for refusing to learn how to read music. I wasn't qualified to teach anyone... right?
But shortly after, I was having lunch with a publisher friend of mine, and he said something similar. "Kris, you should really build an online course. I think you could help a lot of people."
Okay, now I couldn't ignore that the Universe was clearly trying to tell me something.
So, I decided to create my first online course and called it "From Voice Memo 2 Demo."
I had no idea how to sell it; all I knew was I had something that could help people. I didn't do any market research; heck, I didn't even know what a funnel was. I just tapped into the part of me that was eager to share this piece of my soul with the world. The part of me that wanted to help other songwriters on their journey and empower them to take control of their music careers. (God only knows how many years I spent dependent on another producer's timelines and budgets! I wanted to pay it forward and share what I had learned.)
Once the course was created, it felt like all the cooperative components of the Universe just lined up in my favor.
I got introduced to my first business mentor, Bill, by that very publisher I mentioned earlier, and then I dove into the world of funnels and online business. I devoured as many books as I could lay my eyes on and started attending every business conference I could, immersing myself in marketer-land.
I'll never forget sitting in the audience at Funnel Hacking Live in 2020 - a huge annual marketing conference put on by the software company Click Funnels - and watching them hand out the "Two Comma Club Awards" to entrepreneurs who had generated 1 million in revenue for their businesses.
As I watched other online course creators receiving these awards, I thought to myself, "I am going to get that award. This is my new goal. I want that award hanging on my wall!"
And let me tell you, my desire to win this award was intense.
Maybe it's because I never graduated high school or college - and never got that diploma.
Maybe it's because I never won a Grammy.
But something inside me was BURNING with the desire to get that award.
So I set my intention and went home to work on Produce Like a Boss (which hadn't even made its first six figures yet).
For the next year and a half, I passionately built this business. Not in a grindy, burnout way, but in a "I'm so on fire because I love doing this so much, I'd do it for free" kind of way.
The enthusiasm, passion, dedication, and vision that went into building Produce Like a Boss was other-worldly. It came from deep within my soul. It came from sheer alignment and purpose.
A little less than two years later, I found myself on stage receiving the very award I had envisioned in 2020.
As I stood on stage at Funnel Hacking Live 2022, shaking hands with the founders of ClickFunnels, Russell Brunson and Todd Dickerson, we all posed for the camera and - 📸 click - the picture was taken. Then the moment passed.
Afterwards, something felt off.
I returned to my hotel room, sank down on my bed, and started to cry.
But why?
Wasn't this everything I had ever wanted?
I couldn't understand why I felt so empty after winning this award, which had been my biggest accomplishment to date.
I mean, I had gone from being a starving artist to becoming a 7 figure business owner in less than two years.
I wouldn't understand why I cried that night until a week later.
{stay tuned for part 2}