A DJs Guide to Bouncing Back from the COVID

It's been the toughest year for everyone, especially for DJs and performers who have been unable to work since March 2020. However with the vaccine drive moving forward the tide is now turning and it's time to prepare for a bounce back! Here are some ideas to help you plan and take advantage of the opportunities that will arise in coming years.

Mentally Prepare Yourself

Make sure you are looking after your mental health now so that when things open up again you are of sound mind to take hold of any opportunity coming your way. Create a daily routine that includes exercise, health goals, social goals, creative goals, business goals and growth goals. Here are some tips:

Have a morning routine

The morning is the best time to be productive and get things done. Make a manageable list to complete every morning immediately after you wake up. Small goals are brilliant to get you in the right mindset. Make your bed, do ten push ups and start ticking off your list. Doing a tiny bit of exercise like ten push-ups will give you a boost of endorphins that will put you in the right mood for a productive day. You should exercise as much as you can. Walking 10,000 steps a day is an excellent way to stay healthy, give your brain the oxygen you need, boost your mood and creative thinking. Try using this time to listen to music or calling friends and family. In addition, you can try cardio or weight training. However, don't aim too high, keep your goals realistic so that you can easily achieve them and feel accomplished and not pressured.

Make Lists

Use this productive app to make your own daily routine that you can tick off as you go. In addition, use another notes-based or list based-app like Notes on iPhone to make weekly and monthly goals. It's a great idea to have a long term list with your life goals too! Learn to love lists and ticking them off! You'll get a buzz when you tick off your goals and it will lift your mood. That being said, you should also make it a goal to have some time to just relax and be lazy! It's all about balance!

Remind Yourself What Matters

It's always good to give yourself a good reality check. In the western world we are all privileged and although our plans may have been derailed recently we are still immensely lucky. Stay humble and focus on appreciating what you have and not what you don't. Aim to practice what you love and remember it's great to plan a destination but the real joy is in the journey getting there.

Brainstorm New Opportunities

Make yourself comfy, grab a pen and paper and brainstorm all your ideas and try and predict what opportunities the 'new normal' will bring. You may have heard of many stories of people losing their jobs or being put on furlough during lockdown but starting a new business and making a success of it. There are always business opportunities even in the deepest of recessions, so try and imagine what they would be.

It may sound cynical but if you look at the businesses that have lost trade in someway or another you will find a group of consumers who have been cut loose and who would present an opportunity for another business to step in. A recent example covered in the news involved a hairdresser who was furloughed and made a million by selling on Amazon. He fulfilled a new demand for exercise equipment as gyms were closed and dental equipment as dentists were closed. What new markets can you identify? Don't limit yourself to the music industry, DJs can have other businesses that support their lifestyle and their music.

Diversify With A Side-Hustle

Set up multiple side-hustles so that you have more than one potential stream of income, even if it's small. You will read hundreds of stories of people who started a small side-hustle that grew into a big business. Having multiple side-hustles will also help you mentally. A change is as good as a break, when you hit a brick wall with one of your ideas you can switch to another for a mental break. This strategy will keep you busy and keep self-doubt at bay. One of the best ways to battle depression is to stay active but it's normal with creative art forms to get writers block or stuck in some way. You can avoid this derailing your mental health by switching to another goal until you have the inspiration to continue with the first.

Nurture Your Network

Business is collaborate. You should dedicate some time into nurturing your network of professionals, building a black-book of contacts and reaching out to new people in your industry. The best way is to start by listing all the contacts you know and what they do. You should then reach out to them on a regular basis to cement the connection even just on a friends basis. Making this list we remind you that you know more people than you think. There is real worth in the people you know.

There are many online groups and conferences at the moment so see who you can meet and network with now that will help you bounce back when lockdown is over. This social aspect will also help your mental health and those of others you talk to so it's a win win!

Create a Business Plan

Now you've got yourself organised, brain-stormed some ideas, identified some opportunities and kept yourself active you should create a plan of action. A plan goes a bit further than a list, it details your aims but also the path you need to take to get there. Identify what steps you need to take so when the time is right you don't waste any time.

Some Ideas From Us!

To help you on your way here are some ideas we have had that may present opportunities for DJs to take advantage of once lockdowns are lifted and clubs and bars are open again.

Increased Demand

The biggest opportunity is the expected increase in demand, or pent-up demand, for clubbing and partying. After a year of not having anything to do everyone is ready for a party! We expect that once clubs and bars reopen there will be a huge rush. This will also create problems. One such would be that venues will get booked up fast.

If you want to run your own events and take advantage of this demand you should think about booking a venue now. Be careful that you have a contract where you can get your deposit back if anything changes and make sure you don't pay a deposit on a venue that is possibly at risk of going bust before anything reopens. You may also be able to negotiate a better hire price now if you pay in advance. Venues are cash-starved right now and might give you a great deal if you pay in advance. This could be risky but could pay off big time as well. We predict that venue hire fees will be astronomical once they can reopen because the demand will be so high and they will want to recoup their losses.

Ticket prices will also be higher as more people will be willing to spend more on going out. You can take advantage of the extra profit margin this will give you as a promoter. You could pocket the money or reinvest it into making your events company even bigger with better production values or big DJ bookings.

Social Distance Parties

It's predicted that venues will not fully open at first and to begin with offer socially-distanced parties. Make some plans now for this opportunity and plan how you can run it effectively within the rules. You could also start selling tickets in advance but be prepared to refund those tickets should the lockdowns be extended.

Start a Venue

If you have access to funds or can collaboratively create a bigger business you might want to start your own venue. Sadly, many bars and venues will go out of business because of cash-flow issues which means many new venues will be on the market at knockdown prices. If you can get the money together you might be able to start your own venue or buy into another existing venue to help them prop up their business financially.

Mobile DJing

Many birthday parties and weddings were postponed in 2020 and early 2021 so a lot of people will be planning to go big this year, all at the same time. This pent up demand will most likely out-strip the number of available mobile DJs and raise the prices through increased demand. Why not start your own mobile DJ business now and get everything ready to take advantage of it? Read our blog on how to start a mobile DJ business by clicking here.

Learn To Produce

Now is the best time to up-skill while there are little distractions. DJs who also produce their own music will get more gigs because they have gone the extra mile and will be able to build their own fan base. Learn how to produce now and you could be releasing music by the time lockdown is over just in time to start gigging. Click here to learn more about our production courses that are available both online and in the studio. If you want to go one step further why not start your own record label! Click here to learn how to start your own record label business.

Cultivate A Fan Base

It's no secret that DJs with bigger followings will be first in line to get the gigs once clubs and bars reopen. Make sure you constantly cultivate your fan base and following so that you are a more valuable booking in the eyes of promoters. Click here for help with social media for DJs.

Work Together

It's always easier to work together to promote events to why not club together with other DJs and producers and create a brand now and start building a following.

Conclusion

I hope you found this blog inspirational and you have some new ideas to help you take advantage of the years to come! Stay positive and productive! If you would like to add any ideas to this blog or ask any questions feel free to reach out! Click here to contact us.

‍