I used to work at an independent record label.

At the label, I wore many hats.

I handled publicity, marketing, distribution, and graphic design (this was back toward the tail end of CDs being a thing).

My boss basically allowed me to do my job the way I saw fit.

He did offer one guiding rule, though: Find the champions for these bands out there.

What he meant was just keep reaching out to people until you find those who want to support the bands on the label in some capacity and then build with them.

It was simple, yet profound advice that I’ve applied to nearly everything I’ve worked on during the past 20 years.

You don’t need to construct some grand plan or craft some soulless pitch or marketing angle.

You just need to find others on the same wavelength as you and build with them in a way that’s mutually beneficial.