New Year's resolutions are funny things. Often suggested by some as goals, but in truth are little more than wishful thinking. In this article I want to suggest two simple ways to improve your skills and your studio business.

The word simple is often confused with the word easy. Charity is a simple concept, give some money or time to someone or something less fortunate than you, for their benefit. Who can’t understand that? However, doing it is not easy.

I say this because I want to be clear that two principles that have served me well and helped me and my business to grow are simple, doing them is not always easy. It takes determination, commitment and consistency. Something some of us are not very good at, including myself.

However, I know from personal experience and that of others, that applying these two principles can transform you and your business.

Principle One: Make Small Changes To Big Things

We all love a grand gesture, a big announcement. They are the stuff of social media, the human equivalent of fireworks. We all love to suggest we are going to run a marathon, but right now we can’t make it up the stairs without breathing. Or land a contract with a Hollywood movie studio, but right now we can’t even finish a simple voice-over task. Dreams are essential, after all someone once looked up at the moon and thought, one day I’ll walk on that. However, life is busy, complex. I often plan an amazing day of productivity, only to have it derailed by an email an hour later.

Regular readers of the blog will know I’m a huge fan of Atomic Habits by James Clear, it is one of those books that really changed my life. Until I read it I was the poster boy for the road to hell being paved with good intentions, mainly because I thought big ideas and grand gestures would change the world, and me.

Then I found out how much difference making small changes to important things can, over time, make a huge difference. What are big things? My business, my skills, finances, health, my marriage and my family. Things that really matter. So I set about applying the principle of small changes to big things. So what does that look like?

Here’s a list I wrote a few years ago to help improve my business, it’s on my office wall.

• Make emails a little more detailed.

• 
Create a list of priorities for each day at the end of the day and then make sure I deal with those things first the next day. I will do this at 5pm each day in my office.

• Check and sort emails first thing each day.

• Aim to respond to all emails within 24 hours.

• Learn new software shortcuts each day, when I find a shortcut I don't know then learn it. Is there some software to rationalise them all?


• Use post notes as reminders.

• Check bank accounts first thing each day and log payments

They all seem small don’t they? They can’t take that long to do? They don’t. In Atomic Habits, James Clear writes; “set goals you can do on your worst day, not your best.”

However, over time I’ve experienced less misunderstanding with my clients because I now write emails that aren’t expecting them to read my mind, or don’t sound as dismissive as a simple “yes!” I recently had a Birthday to which someone wrote on Facebook “HBD” Really? Is their time that squeezed, and my Birthday so unimportant that they can’t write three words? People appreciate it when we respond to emails in a timely manner, again a small thing, but details matter.

It might be a coincidence, but my business has grown since I started implementing these small changes. I lost 30 kilos in 18 months using the same principle. There was no marathon run, just walking where I could and eating fruit instead of chocolate… sometimes. Or the software shortcut one on my list, that’s a minimum of 365 new shortcuts learnt in a year, one more in a Leap Year.

The second point, your list may be very different to mine, I’d be surprised if it isn’t. It may be more audio or music related. It may be trying some binaural mixing instead of installing a full blown Atmos rig. It might be mixing 10db quieter than you have in the past. Whatever, find the big things in your world then make some small changes. It will also change over time, it may grow, or shrink.

You will know what the small changes you can make to your big things. Try it, it works.

Principle Two: Go Deeper Not Wider

We live in an industry now where both the technology and the access to information means we can do anything. Recording, mixing, mastering, create videos, build websites… The list is endless.

A client hired me to do something for his business, part of the project required me to use a specialist, someone at the top of their game. During a call one day my client suggested that the specialist teach him how to do it. Nice idea… bad idea.

There’s a reason we have specialists, they concentrate on doing one thing well, in some cases to world class standards. The better they are, the more in demand and the more they can charge. Let me ask you a question, you’re going to have to go into hospital for a heart operation, do you want a generalist, or the best? 

The temptation to go wider is all around us. “Master your own tracks like a pro” or “Create Hollywood quality Sound FX!” say the ads for the software. I’ve often been tempted to buy a bass guitar, it’s one of the things I don’t have in my studio. I could probably be able to play one well enough for laying down on tracks I’m doing. It would probably take me a year or so. Or I could hire a top session player to do tracks when I need them. I know which one would sound better. Plus, think of all the time it would take to be even half decent. It would be time I couldn’t spend on being better at what I’m good at, and becoming so good that I’m the person who gets the calls when the audio equivalent of open heart surgery is required.

This is one area of our lives where we need to be brutal about focus. Say no to the distractions and go deeper into what we already know.

Simple, Not Easy

In closing, as I said at the beginning of this article, there’s nothing earth shattering about these two principles, they are simple. However, in a world of distractions, FOMO, and the constant push to make grand announcements and think we can do all things, it’s not easy.

Both of these principles serve me well. When I forget them, and I do, I see things going wrong then I have to return to them. Try them and let me know how you get on.