Produce Like A Boss blog

There Are No Shortcuts

Andrea Olson — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 13:41:21 GMT

Have you ever seen the meme of the iceberg poking out of the ocean and it says something like “what people see” and then you look below the surface where its roots obviously stretch miles & miles into the depths of the ocean and it shows “the years of hard work underneath?” I love that because it really is so true!

At some point, we have all wished for immediate gratification or a shortcut in life. A quantum leap. The truth is, it never comes. And every moment wishing for it, searching for it, or asking for “that break” is energy wasted that could have been put into doing the work!

Every success you see in somebody else, even if it appears to be overnight, has come as a result of a thousand little steps, not some overnight miracle.

And it’s funny because I’ve been on both sides of the fence.

I have been the inquisitive, young, hungry, energetic, ambitious, and determined student asking the mentor “but c’mon, like what’s the secret?!” When the answers I needed were really in DOING THE WORK.

The thing is, it’s a lot sexier to have lofty dreams about achieving goals happening overnight than it is to put in the work. It’s the same as us all wanting 6 pack abs, but not wanting to do the sit-ups to get them.

...or at least I don’t...

For the overachievers out there that think, sure it may take other people that long to reach success, I can do it sooner. Trust me, as an overachiever and a bit of an extremist, I completely understand that mindset. In fact, I have nearly worked myself to death as a result of trying to achieve results in rapid time & I’ve even had some success. But here’s the thing, I’m coming to realize there really is some magic in the organic slow and steady…

For example, when you want immediate results, it’s like the sugar rush from a candy bar. Sure, it’s amazing and will have you bouncing off the walls for the next hour, but the price you pay is the crash. With extreme highs come extreme lows.

Now, don’t get it twisted... I love me some chocolate, but the point is that a healthy balanced diet with lots of water, fruits, vegetables, & protein is what’s going to sustain your energy. You won’t get a massive rush, but you won’t face a massive crash either. You will glide and sail smoothly throughout the day. I know there’s nothing inherently exciting about balance & sustainability at first glance. It’s not sexy or appealing, but once again we all want the quantum leap, the immediate gratification.

I’ve noticed this: a lot of songwriters, artists, and producers as well, want to put the cart before the horse. They want the publishing deal before they even know what a publishing deal is. They want the major placement of the song before they’ve put the time into developing their craft as a songwriter. The dream is sexier than doing the work. They want to head straight to building a rooftop pool on a four-story house that doesn’t even have a solid foundation built yet. And here’s the thing, even if they were to achieve that through some dumb luck, what do you think happens to those artists that start building a rooftop pool on a four-story house that has a $hitty foundation? It freaking crumbles.

So...I know it might sound crazy, but you’re actually doing yourself a disservice by ‘wishing’ that your success would come sooner than it is because to be honest if you’re not prepared to receive that success, it ain’t going to last.

Some of the best advice I ever got when I was “knocking on doors trying to “make it” in this industry was “be so great you can’t be ignored.” Now, I’m not saying I’m so great, but what I am saying is my mindset is now forever focused INWARD and on being the BEST I can be. I am a lifetime student. And with that, I am forever growing, and striving to be greater than I was yesterday. And wouldn’t you know, the more I did that, the more opportunities came to me. Which reminds me of a scene from 50 Shades of Grey. Yes, I’m about to drop a 50 Shades of Grey reference on you! Mr. Grey said, “I’ve always found that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have.”

And Bruce Lee said, “Do not wish for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one”.

For me, as an artist-producer that translates to, “don’t wish for a big break, or overnight success, pray for resilience and thick skin.”

You know why? Because the most talented people don’t always win. It’s the people who stick it out and stay on the treadmill the longest.

The truth is that a lot of people waste energy trying to force opportunities that they aren’t ready for. I know I did and I’m so glad I got put in check by my mentors. I’m so glad I chose the right mentors that ‘spit it to me real.’ I’m glad I realized that I could use all that energy way more productively to work on myself and grow my craft because our time is far better spent doing that than wishing for shortcuts. It’s the thousands of small steps that actually make up the journey and coincidentally, that’s the best part, so why would we want to skip that?

I’m sure you know this but doesn’t victory taste so much sweeter when you’ve earned it. When you’ve busted your ass & achieved the thing like ‘oh my God, isn’t that just the best feeling?! You feel so empowered because you did it yourself! We’ve all seen what happens to kids who are spoiled rotten and handed everything on a silver platter.

There are no shortcuts. Just do the work.

Going Pro From Your Home Studio

Andrea Olson — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 13:22:13 GMT

There’s a reason why I’m so passionate about teaching artists how to produce all on their own stuff. It’s so you can take your musical destiny into your own hands, create opportunities, and dominate the music business!

What I’m talking about is not the traditional music business as you know it. I’m talking about making your music YOUR business. I’m talking about becoming your own unstoppable force who builds their own empire that nobody can take away from you because nobody gave it to you.

I remember when I first moved to Nashville, I really wanted a major publishing deal -- that was my starry, doe-eyed dream -- to write for major artists. After a few years of hustling, writing 2-3 songs a day, doing writers’ rounds, and facing countless rejections from publishers & labels, I decided I was done waiting for someone to give me frickin’ permission to not only release music but to write it and monetize it. I knew I had the chops, I knew my songwriting was good, I just needed to widen my tunnel vision from “a major deal is the only definition of success” to “how else can I make money doing this?”

I decided to stop chasing the Nashville dream, as I knew it, start working on my production chops and start looking for opportunities on the online marketplace to make some money. And wouldn’t ya know, there were tons of them! Not only did I start making money, I literally went full time and beyond by simply singing on other people’s demos, producing tracks, and toplining on DJ’s tracks -- which is getting paid to write songs!

So let’s get this straight, I went from moving to Nashville with my biggest dream being that a major publisher would pay me to write songs (which is actually just a loan, like a record deal, it’s money you have to pay back) to get paid money to write songs that are MINE & I don’t OWE anything back to anybody because I built this business by learning to produce & record myself.

And that’s what I mean by Produce Like a Boss. It’s about taking your career into your own hands.

I just landed a client who runs a production company in another country who’s hiring me to write 15 songs a month, reaching towards a final goal of completing 500 songs. That is better than any pub deal I EVER could have wanted or even a major placement. I’m getting upfront money, backend money, and I owe NOTHING in return except for the service I am providing as a professional.

Once you have your own studio set up, not only can you produce and release your own music, you can now function as a business where other people can hire you for your skills. So, even if your production skills aren’t crazy good at first, that’s ok. You’ve probably been working on your craft as a singer, songwriter, or instrumentalist for years before you set up a home studio, right?

So, really the first priority when setting up your home studio should be to start with what you’re good at. If you’re a singer, just learn how to record high-quality takes, add your harmonies/background vocals, adlibs, etc, and learn how to export ‘dry files.’ Processing isn’t really even a necessity in most cases as producers that hire you to sing will want to do their own compressions, EQ, reverb, etc. You do not need a 10k mic to get high-quality vocal tracks, you can literally do this on a $100-200 mic - that’s what I did! I just recently upgraded my mic not even a year ago because I wanted to, not because I had to. Don’t let the “I need fancy gear to get started” myth allow you to procrastinate. That's like saying you want a Benz for your first car, it’s ridiculous. Just stop it.

If you’re a guitarist, learn how to dial in your tones & pedals then come up with different parts that support a song both rhythmic/counter melodies, hooky riffs, and leaning more into guitar production. You get the idea. Take what you’re already good at and learn how to record it so you can be an ONLINE SESSION MUSICIAN.

The truth is there are thousands of people on the online marketplace looking to hire home studio pros and you’re leaving money on the table by not learning these skills. There are people who are doing this online -- major label producers, people who have produced for larger acts, session singers who have sung on those types of things as well. So, it’s easy to go online & say “oh, I could never do that.” STOP IT! That is bull$hit. That is BULL$HIT! They have their audience that they are serving, just as you have one you could serve as well. Don’t get it twisted though: This is assuming that you’ve mastered your craft as a producer, as a songwriter, as a singer, guitar player, as ‘a whatever it is that you are going in to find work for.’ If you have mastered a skill there is a client out there for you. Not everyone can afford Beyonce’s background singer.

I was talking to a friend recently who’s actually been a major publisher. He started one of the first major publishing companies in Nashville and now runs a few different online companies to help independents get their music out there and he said to me “whenever artists ask me how they can get ahead in this business I tell them, LEARN HOW TO PRODUCE! It’s the only way to compete.” And frankly, I couldn’t agree more! There are too many great musicians out there, too many great singers, songwriters, guitarists, etc. There is no shortage of talent in this world, the bar is set so incredibly high nowadays! With modern technology making it so accessible & easier than ever, there’s no excuse.

Back in the day, you needed a record label to fund the commercial studio, now the doors have been kicked down and anybody AND I mean ANYBODY can make records on their computer. I know of an 11-year-old who is crushing it on Logic Pro X

Right now we’re in the middle of a global pandemic. People are losing their jobs left and right, struggling to find jobs or retain them. This includes the gigging musicians & my heart aches for them, but you know who’s still surviving? Studio musicians that can engineer themselves. If you can record yourself, you can make a living. Because if I can do it, I know you can do it too!

The Starving Artist Vs The Boss Producer

Andrea Olson — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 12:38:37 GMT

I’m so pumped for this because the blog you’re about to read today is part 1 of 5 in a powerful series I’ve put together for my aspiring producers called “Boss Producer Business”

In this series, I’m going to walk you through the steps it takes to go from being an unpaid amateur to a paid professional producer.

I’m also going to give you a sneak peek into how I run my six figure production company at a high level of performance and profitability.

Now, I want you to get the absolute MOST you can out of this series, so I created a handout for you to help you implement everything I’ll be covering. Just head over to www.producelikeabosspodcast.com/business to download!

Also, if you make it to the end of this series I will have an entire workbook chocked full of goodies, recaps, and worksheets for you!

So let’s jump in!

Boss Producer Business:
Part 1:

The Starving Artist Vs. The Boss Producer

Now I’m calling the boss producer, the CEO, because that is the highest level in which you need to function in order to run a business. You must be able to think and act like a CEO. You may have heard me say this before but it’s worth repeating: “When you take on the role of being a BOSS producer, it’s no longer about just producing music--you must produce income, opportunities, growth, customers, and results.”

Not only is it not JUST about producing music, but music is actually just one of the many things you need to go pro. I know, crazy right?!

It’s easy to get swept up in the romanticism of music and the arts--thinking that our only job is to be great at our craft and somebody will do the rest of the work. But in the new music industry that couldn’t be further from the truth. Don’t worry though, this is actually GREAT news, because now the power is in our hands & for those who are willing to put in the work, the opportunities to turn passions into profits are endless.

Before we begin and with full transparency: I WAS a starving artist that learned everything I’m teaching you the HARD way. So before you start huffin’ & puffin’ as I describe some of these not so flattering characteristics, please just know I’ve got nothin’ but love for you baby & I’m here to help!

First let’s talk about the difference between the starving artist and the boss producer.

THE STARVING ARTIST

The starving artist tends to be really self focused. Check ME out, my art, my new song, my new single is dropping. I really want to get MY music into film & TV, I want more followers to care about what I’M doing. The starving artist wants solely to express themselves, wants solely to feel heard. The starving artist can be overly focused on vanity metrics rather than actual metrics. Good reviews, followers, and likes don’t pay the bills. Still, starving artists get swept up in these little ego boosters.

Starving artists are also notorious for drowning in their own perfectionism, which is just procrastination masquerading as productivity. You’ll hear them say things like, “It took me seven years to make this record. I’ve tried five different mastering engineers and nobody has gotten it right!” They hold on so tightly to ONE song or ONE project and have a fear of just letting go and moving on because they don’t believe their best work is still ahead of them.

THE BOSS PRODUCER

The Boss Producer or CEO is more focused on service. They understand that in order to ask for money for their services as a creative, they must provide value. They listen to the needs of their clients (Now I’m saying clients here because I’m speaking from the perspective of a production company but you can replace “clients” with “fans” if needed). They understand that the only way to grow is to look at true metrics and see what generates the most revenue and profit because that’s what an actual business does. Lastly, the boss producer doesn’t treat their songs like they’re their babies. They understand that in order to succeed they need to focus on quantity, not just quality. They don’t hold on too preciously to their work because by the time they finish they’re too busy moving onto the next. It’s easier for them to just let things go.

To Recap:

The Starving Artist:

Self Focused
Wants to Express Themselves
Wants to Feel Heard
Focused on Vanity Metrics
A Perfectionist

The Boss Producer (CEO):

Service Focused
Provides Value
Listens to Needs of Clients/Fans
Focused on TRUE Metrics
Focused on Quantity and Taking Action
Lets Go Easily and Moves On

Don’t forget to visit the worksheet included with this series at producelikeabosspodcast.com/business to help you tackle what starving artists traits YOU have and how you can step into your role as Boss Producer CEO. If you’re identifying with few or even all of the starving artist traits and it’s causing you to cringe a little, don’t worry boo, I was RIGHT there with ya. No shame, we learn and we grow!

Let’s talk about what it means to be in business. I always say, musicians are the only business owners that don’t know they’re in business. If you wanted to be a chef, you wouldn’t just cook food at home then go walking around outside and ask people to eat your food right? Yet, that’s what so many musicians do. They cook food they like & go around trying to feed it to strangers--wondering why nobody wants to eat it. They don’t understand that in order to run a business, you need to:

#1 Be of service by providing something people value and want
#2 Have systems by which you can deliver your services
#3 Have consistency so that the process is repeatable
#4 Create awareness so people know you’re in business

Remember I was telling you earlier how this is all GOOD NEWS?! Here’s why: We are living in the best possible time EVER in the music industry. The old model told us you needed a record label, a publishing deal, a gold record, or you needed to have millions of fans to “make it”. And all of these things were out of our control because you used to need a label to distribute a record. You used to need a studio to make a record and you needed a PR firm for marketing. Now, we have the power in our hands. We can distribute, record, promote, and sell our own music; including our services as musicians.

This is the new music business and the new music economy where musicians are THRIVING and running businesses from their home studios!

So this blog did either one of two things for you. Either you went whoa...this sounds like a lot of work and you’re put off by trying to turn this into a career.

You said: WHOA...how freaking cool is this?! The power is in MY hands? I can build my own business!! Yippee!! Give me more!

I’m hoping and guessing that if you follow this blog and my podcast that you’re ready to DO the work.

If you are feeling overwhelmed or like ‘ugh...I dunno, this isn’t really “sexy” enough or exciting,’ I want you to notice that resistance. This is exactly what stops people from being successful. I could release a blog called “How to Get Rich Quick Getting Your Music into Film & TV” and that would get a LOT more views than this series simply because nobody actually wants to do the work. Everybody is looking for a “magic pill” but this is what sets aside the winners from the losers in this race.

Remember, you can work hard for yourself doing what you love or you can work hard for someone else. The choice is yours.

By the way, as many of you know I LOVE to read and a lot of you have been asking me for what books I recommend and I feel like now is a perfect time to mention “Do The Work” by Steven Pressfield. This book is one of the many that have changed my life and helped me to go from amateur to pro. I will drop a link to it below:

LINK TO BOOK

Speaking of going from amateur to professional, we are getting ready to
kick off our Boss Producer Bootcamp starting September 7th!

In this 5 day bootcamp you will discover:

The mindset it takes to go full-time as producer
What it takes to run a business from your home studio
The path from amateur producer (unpaid) to pro producer (paid)

I’m also going to show you:

How to increase the quality and speed of your productions
How to make pitchable, placeable, profitable music
Ways to make money online whether you’re a singer, songwriter, producer, mix engineer or instrumentalist (once you learn how to record)

We’re going to give away tons of prizes, there will be contests and even scholarship opportunities.

Now, this bootcamp is 100% FREE, but don’t get it twisted--this isn’t your run of the mill “fluff filled freebie” where you show up and give your time and don’t actually receive any real value. You are going to leave this bootcamp with a plan to start your production business today!! So I want you to treat this training like it costs you thousands of dollars, because that’s how valuable it is!

Just head over to producelikeaboss.com/bootcamp to reserve your seat!

Making Great Music Is Just The Beginning

Andrea Olson — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 10:48:49 GMT

Alright y'all, I’m so pumped for this because the blog you’re about to read today is part two of five in a powerful new series I’ve put together especially for my aspiring producers called “Boss Producer Business.” If you haven’t checked out the 1st blog of this series, “The Starving Artist Vs. The Boss Producer,” I want you to go and read that now! I’ll link it below!

LINK TO BLOG

In this series, I’m going to walk you through the steps it takes to go from being an unpaid amateur to a paid professional. I’m also going to give you a sneak peek into how I run my six-figure production company at a high level of performance & profitability.

I want you to get the absolute MOST you can out of this series, so I created a handout for you to help you implement everything I’m covering! Also, if you make it to the end of this series I will have an entire workbook chock full of goodies, recaps, and worksheets for you! Follow the link below for that handout I mentioned!

www.producelikeabosspodcast.com/business

Boss Producer Business:
Part 2:

Making Great Music Is JUST The Beginning

Today’s blog is called “Making Great Music Is JUST The Beginning!” It’s something I feel I need to shout from the rooftops because so many people think that talent alone is all it takes to succeed with their music and that couldn’t be further from the truth. Making great music is the bare minimum to success. So for all of my uber-talented ninjas out there, you know who you are, the “everything comes naturally to me and I was pretty much born, singing in key...” LISTEN UP.

This concept is actually HARDER for you because your talent has spoiled you. You’re used to things happening easily. You’re used to praise. You won the talent show, you aced the test, you got the guy...or girl...or whomever. Everybody acknowledges how good you are. But guess what? Compliments don’t pay the bills! So don’t let the fact that you’re a talented musician TRICK you into thinking you won’t have to work for this. The truth is, oftentimes, it’s untalented (is that word?) that will go further because they’re hungry for it. They actually had to WORK to get better, gain skills, and get ahead. Yes, I’m pretty much talking about the story of the tortoise and the hare. My point? Talent and great music are just the beginning. So what does it mean to make great music as a producer? Let’s start with what you got in your toolbox.

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to have really expensive equipment to make great music. However, as you enter into the big leagues and ‘go PRO’, you are going to want to up your game by making sure you have high-quality software & plugins. This means dishing out the money to get stuff like Kontakt, Omnisphere, and Nexus (just to name a few). Now you might be thinking, “holy $hit Kris, that IS expensive!” BUT let’s take a step back and look at some numbers real quick. Going to music school costs tens of thousands of dollars and sometimes over $100,000. Building a commercial studio, which used to be an absolute necessity, could cost tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars (Thanks to modern technology though, today you can make records on your laptop from the comfort of your home). Oh, and by the way, none of the above-mentioned guarantees you success.

Also, don’t feel bad, I said the same thing for a long time, but here’s what I’ve learned: It’s not that you need these virtual instrument libraries to make great music, they will just get you there a heck of a lot quicker. You have to ask yourself what you value more: your money or your time? Here’s a hint: money can be lost and made back again easily, time can only be lost. You can never get it back. So as we grow as business owners we have to uplevel our thinking to value our time MORE than we value our money. I’m going to say that again for the people in the back. We have to value our time MORE than we value our money. This is what the most successful entrepreneurs do.

If it takes you two weeks to mix a song because you’re using $h!tty sounds and you won’t spend a thousand bucks on Komplete (or any other great instrument library) then you’re not valuing your time. Oh and one more thing, there are literally zero businesses that are 100% profit. Investing in yourself and your studio gives you SKIN in the game, it tells your subconscious ‘I’m not effing around, I mean BUSINESS.’

Got it? Ok, moving on.

How else can we make sure we’re making great music? I bet you’re not gonna guess this next one… You gotta make $h!tty music first. Yep. You gotta get through the suck factor before you can start making great music.

I want you to think of turning on the water of an old sink and how when the sink hasn’t been turned on in a while, the first thing that comes out is the brown, icky water--the gunk. If you let the water keep running, eventually it starts coming out clear. That’s how we need to treat our music creation when we’re first starting. Whether it be songwriting, arranging, or producing, there’s always a suck factor at first! Hell, I made hundreds of awful demos before I stopped sucking. It’s okay to say “um, hello, I didn’t know what I was doing!” We don’t get mad at babies for not being able to walk when they’re first born, right?

If you sit there waiting to make the perfect song, you’re missing out on the opportunity that creating many imperfect songs can bring you. And if you find yourself stuck on a track that’s “sucking” & you’re not sure when to call it, just remember this:

A project is done when you’ve reached the end of your skill level.

That’s it. Ditch your perfectionism and just finish songs based on your capability to complete them. If you really want to come back to it after you’ve gotten your production chops dialed in, you totally can!

The last thing I want to touch on today is skill stacking.

There’s an amazing book called “How To Be Better At Almost Everything” by Pat Flynn that has absolutely blown my mind. I swear, it’s what I live my life by. Pat Flynn talks about how valuable it is to be ‘a a generalist’ in today’s world and demystifies the idea that in order to achieve the success you have to be an expert. Pat explains that generalists are those who are good at various things and specialists are best at specifically one. If you’d like to dive further into this book and its concepts, which I highly recommend, check out the link below. I’ll make it easy for you just so you don’t have to go scouring the internet to find it:

LINK TO BOOK

The reason I want you to check out this book is because of exactly what I mentioned at the top of this--as artists we think that if we work really hard and get really good at our craft, that success is inevitable. We strive to be EXPERTS and we scoff at generalists saying things like “I can’t spread myself too thin, I need to focus on one thing.” We don’t think of all the other things that are needed in order to become successful with our music, especially when we don't have a team.

Remember, when you’re first getting started, you have multiple hats to wear. You’re the artist, the producer, the manager, the social media manager, and the marketer. So, with all that being said, do you think it would be better to become the best singer in the world? OR would it maybe be more valuable to become a great singer, while also learning how to write songs, track your vocals, produce some demos, and then learn how to market yourself?

Y'all, this is literally my story!!! I was a struggling singer-songwriter and I was pretty good at writing songs and performing, but it wasn’t until I started skill stacking (i.e. learning to produce, doing session work, doing custom songs) that I started providing the VALUE that allowed me to build a business.

Remember what we talked about in blog #54? Check out your worksheet right now if you have it handy, or head to producelikeabosspodcast.com/workbook & check out page 2. The BOSS Producer provides value. They’re service-focused.

So after years of living the “#StruggleIsReal,” starving artist life, the quality of my questions shifted from “why can’t I get paid for MY music” to “what do I NEED to do to provide enough VALUE to get paid for my music?” And that’s when I experienced exponential growth in my revenue as a musician. I remember the year I started my production company and actually started functioning as a business, I went from barely scraping by to having first $3,000 months, then $5,000 months, then $8,000 months, and then more! This is possible guys! I’m living proof and that’s why I can’t say it enough, “making great music is just the beginning.”

Alright, don’t forget to check your workbooks for the recap and some exercises to help you grow YOUR business.

Let’s recap, here’s what we covered today:

Making great music is just the beginning.

Your talent may be spoiling you. Don’t think that just because you’re good at your craft that you don’t need to do the work to go pro.
In order to make great music, you should invest in your home studio. Especially your computer, your virtual instruments libraries, and some 3rd party plugins. It’s time to step up your game.
The most successful people in business value their TIME more than their money.
Everybody sucks at first. It’s ok. Be messy. You HAVE to go through this to make great music.
Being a generalist can actually be more valuable than being an expert. Skill stacking can give you a unique advantage in the music industry.

Speaking of stacking Skillz like pancakes, we are getting ready to kick off our Boss Producer Bootcamp starting September 7th, so mark your calendars!!

In this 5-day boot camp, you will discover:

The mindset takes to go full time as a producer
What it takes to run a business from your home studio
The path from the amateur producer (unpaid) to pro producer (paid)

I’m going to show you:

How to increase the quality & speed of your productions
How to make pitchable, placeable, profitable music
Ways to make money online whether you’re a singer, songwriter, producer, mix engineer, or instrumentalist once you learn how to record

We’re going to give away tons of prizes, there will be contests and even scholarship opportunities.

This boot camp is 100% FREE but, don’t get it twisted, this isn’t your run of the mill “fluff” filled freebie where you show up and give your time and then don’t actually receive any real value. You are going to leave this boot camp with a plan to start your production business today!! So I want you to treat this training like it costs you thousands of dollars because that’s how valuable it is!

Head over to https://www.producelikeaboss.com/bootcamp to reserve your seat!

I hope you got a lot of value out of today’s episode. I'll be back next week with part three in the Boss Producer Business series so stay tuned!

Producer Business 101

Andrea Olson — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 10:47:51 GMT

Alright y'all, I’m so pumped for this because the blog you’re about to read today is part three of five in a powerful series I’ve put together especially for my aspiring producers called “Boss Producer Business.” If you haven’t checked out the first two parts of this series, I want you to go and read them now. It’s the two blogs just before this one and I’ll also link them below:

LINK TO PART ONE

LINK TO PART TWO

In this series, I’m going to walk you through the steps it takes to go from being an unpaid amateur to a paid professional.

I’m also going to give you a sneak peek into how I run my six-figure production company at a high level of performance & profitability.

I want you to get the absolute MOST you can out of this series so I created a handout for you to help you implement everything I’m covering. Just head over to www.producelikeabosspodcast.com/business to download! Also, if you make it to the end of this series I will have an entire workbook chocked full of goodies, recaps, and worksheets for you!

So let’s jump in!

Boss Producer Business:
Part 3:

Producer Business 101

Today I want to talk to you about setting up your business so you can start monetizing your skills as a producer! It’s really easy to put the cart before the horse and start seeking opportunities to get paid without actually having a system in place first. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve known producers or singers out there trying to “get paid work” and the second an opportunity comes up they’re turning around going, wait, how do I know what to charge? How do I collect payment? How do I manage multiple jobs? What should I say in these emails? These are all the ducks you’re gonna want to get in a row before you start pedaling the pavement for customers.

So let’s start with #1 which is setting up your production company. Setting up a production company just means setting up a company that allows you to provide services as a producer/musician. You can listen to my podcast, episode #44: “5 Skills You Need to Run a Production Company” to get the skinny on what it takes to set one up. I’ll link it below

LINK TO PODCAST

Next, you'll need a catchy producer name, a logo, bio, portfolio, website, grab all the social media accounts, take promo shots, (your iPhone is fine). You’ll also want to create a pricing guide so you’re always ready to answer what your rates are. I would create a filing system whether it’s in google drive or on your hard drive with all of these assets in one place so they’re easy to locate. In addition, create automation and templates for tasks that you do on repeat to streamline your workflow. I will get more into automation later in this series.

I know I’ve mentioned batching before, but it’s worth repeating as you HAVE to start batching once you start wearing multiple hats or you’ll find yourself running around like a headless chicken between tasks. Batching helps to maintain your state of flow. For example, it’s easy for me to work on multiple sessions in a day even jumping from producing one track to tracking vocals on another and so on, but when I switch from a creative musical task to something like marketing or business, I have to use a completely different hat for that and the costume change literally throws my mojo off. Rather than suffer from context switching, I tend to batch out my days.

For example one day I may just work on sessions, producing, and songwriting. I’d call that an ‘artist day’. Another day I will focus solely on marketing and social media. Another day I will focus on reach out and business. Another day I will just focus on building kits, templates, file organization, and so on. Those would all be business days. However, you decide to do it, batching tasks is a game-changer that allows you to enter into and maintain a flow state more easily.

Next, let’s talk about actually setting up your business. So many people ask whether they need to set up a DBA, an LLC, or a Corporation and I am just going to speak from personal experience, so here it goes:

I didn’t start my LLC until I was making over $80,000 a year. This was actually the advice of my CPA in Nashville. First, there are annual fees and those can be high depending on your state. Secondly, “liability” wasn’t a concern in my business as I work remotely. Lastly, I could still write off business expenses as a sole proprietor, so I did. I eventually became an LLC only JUST a few years ago. I actually file as an S-corp now, but I didn’t do that until I got into multiple six figures.

That is just my story, of course, consult your CPA about this as the laws vary in different states and countries.

Speaking of expenses, did you know that you can write off things like your computer, your software plug-ins, your gear, and even part of your rent if you have a home studio? That’s right. And once again, I was able to do this as a sole proprietor for years before I became an LLC. I also wrote off things like makeup and clothing (not 100% of course, but a small amount) because I’m in the music industry and because I’m on camera for my job. So you’re going to want to start keeping track of all your expenses and receipts. An easy way to do this is to use one credit card for all expenses, then they’re easy to keep track of. Here’s where having an LLC can be helpful because you can set up a business bank account, then set up a business credit card & that keeps things super clean *BUT* I just want to be clear that I was still able to write off expenses, even without a business bank account or a business credit card. I actually used the self-employed app by Quickbooks for a couple of years which was attached to my accounts and I could go through my transactions -- just swipe left or right for business or personal. It also allowed me to track mileage which I could write off as well because I was traveling to gigs.

The reason I’m giving you this “out” and saying don’t rush to set up an LLC is because I know that can stop you from taking action. I’m always going to be the voice of JUST START and then you can PIVOT as needed. When you NEED to become an LLC you will, don’t let that stop you from starting!

And once again, consult your CPA, the laws are different for every state.

So, to recap, here’s what we covered today:

Set up your production company. Go listen to podcast episode #44 - “5 Skills You Need to Run a Production Company” for more deets on how to do that.
Pick a catchy producer name, get a logo, write a bio, build a portfolio, website, grab all the social media accounts, take promo shots, and create a pricing guide. Also, keep all these assets in a folder neatly labeled.
Batch your workdays so you don’t get stuck in “context switching” which will break your flow states. (i.e. artist day, admin day, marketing day, etc.)
Talk to your CPA about whether you absolutely need to set up an LLC; most likely you can JUST START as a sole proprietor
Keep track of all your music-related expenses so you can catch those business owner tax breaks -- woot woot!

Don’t forget to head to www.producelikeabosspodcast.com/worksheet to grab your notes for this series & some checklists to help keep you on track and accountable with your new business.

So, I gotta check in with you. How are you feeling? Are you digging this business series? My goal is to arm every singer, songwriter, producer, an entrepreneur with the tools they need to run a successful business from their home studios.

Like I said in the last blog, this takes WORK and while I pride myself in being able to SIMPLIFY things, I never said this was easy. I can sit here all day and give you the EXACT steps I have taken to build a six-figure business but the truth is most people won’t do the work... BUT not you my friend! You’re reading this because you are my PEOPLE and I know my people are ready to LEVEL UP & take their careers into their own hands. That’s why I’ve created the Boss Producer Bootcamp which starts September 7th!

In this 5 day bootcamp, you will discover

The mindset takes to go full time as a producer
What it takes to run a business from your home studio
The path from the amateur producer (unpaid) to pro producer (paid)

I’m going to show you…

How to increase the quality and speed of your productions
How to make pitchable, placeable, profitable music
Ways to make money online whether you’re a singer, songwriter, producer, mix engineer, or instrumentalist once you learn how to record

We’re going to give away tons of prizes, there will be contests & even scholarship opportunities.

Now, this bootcamp is 100% FREE, but don’t get it twisted, this isn’t your run of the mill “fluff” filled freebie where you show up and give your time and don’t actually receive any real value. You are going to leave this bootcamp with a plan to start your production business today! So I want you to treat this training like it costs you thousands of dollars because that’s how valuable it is!

Just head over to www.producelikeaboss.com/bootcamp to reserve your seat!

Alright, my friends, I hope you got a lot of value out of today’s blog!

Systems That Will Help You Scale

Andrea Olson — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 10:47:06 GMT

https://www.producelikeaboss.com/bootcamp

Alright y'all, I’m so pumped for this because the blog you’re about to read today is part four of five in a powerful series I’ve put together especially for my aspiring producers called “Boss Producer Business.” If you haven’t checked out the first three blogs of this series, I want you to go and read them now. Just head to
www.producelikebosspodcast.com/business

In this series I’m going to walk you through the steps it takes to go from being an (unpaid) amateur to a (paid) professional.

I’m also going to give you a sneak peek into how I run my six-figure production company at a high level of performance & profitability.

I want you to get the absolute MOST you can out of this series, so I created a handout for you to help you implement everything I’m covering. Just head over to www.producelikeabosspodcast.com/business to download. Also, if you make it to the end of this series I will have an entire workbook chocked full of goodies, recaps, and worksheets for you!

Let’s jump in!

Boss Producer Business

Part 4: System That Will Help You Scale

In the last blog, we got down to BIZ-nass covering everything from setting up your production company to choosing your company name, to getting your assets in place, to batching, to choosing whether to get an LLC or function as a sole proprietorship, to keeping track of your expenses SO YOU can get all of those business owner tax breaks -- yaaaaas!

Next, we'll talk about how to SCALE so that you can grow your business.

One of the things that used to really slow me down when I first started doing this was that I was VERY unorganized. This might be hard for you to believe if you’re familiar with my workflow now from watching my youtube videos but I’m telling you, my project management, color coding, and pretty much any SYSTEM you see me use came out of sheer necessity! At a certain point, I realized there was just NO way I could grow my business if I didn’t start implementing systems to make my workflow and customer experience more efficient and streamlined. So, how do we implement these systems?

Let’s start with file management.
(ooh, file management...sounds sexy…)

If you’re the type of person who just hits save every time you’re in a session, without selecting a destination (without intention), or the type of person that just hits download every time you buy a new sample pack or plugin (without intention), meaning you’re not thinking about where these files are actually going, then you’re headed for a world of trouble, my friend. This is what I did in the beginning and who could blame me? I was a newbie and I was just so excited to get into my DAW and start creating. I wasn’t thinking about file management.

Eventually, my computer would run out of space, my samples would stop linking to my virtual instruments, and when it asked me to ‘relocate’, they couldn’t be FOUND because I never knew where I PUT them. Overall my computer looked like it could be on the show “Hoarders.” I had crap all over my desktop and it was not pretty. This slowed down my workflow tremendously as you can imagine. So let me save you from this right now!!

Let’s say you decide to get Splice or Arcade, and when you use the desktop player for Splice or Arcade there is a settings button. BEFORE you download any samples, set the location of where those files are going to go. Here’s another tip: use external hard drives to store all your samples to save space on your computer. I also use an external hard drive for all of my sessions. This way the only thing being saved onto your computer is your actual plugins, software, & players. Now, if you’re zoning out, I want you to come back to me. You have to value your time as a Boss Producer and file management is the key to a solid workflow. People ask how I move around so quickly in the DAW and the reason

is that I know where all of my files are located -- that and ninja quick commands of course.

One last thing on file management: I also keep my client's folders nice and clean, which includes their session and their files (contracts, split sheets, song info sheets, lyric sheets, and revision notes). A song info sheet is just a sheet that has all the info of a project I’m working on, including BPM, key, and other metadata. If I ever need to quickly access info on that song I can do it by looking at the sheet rather than having to open the session. I can’t tell you how many times I would have to open a session to check the key or BPM of a song before I created that system.

Ok next let’s talk about templates.

You’re going to have many repetitive tasks in your business and templates are a great way to save time.

Let’s say somebody reaches out to you because they’re interested in having you mix or produce their song or vice versa, you want to reach out to an artist you know is seeking a producer. It’s best to have email templates in place so that the majority of the email is already written ahead of time. Of course, you would customize it for every client to discuss their specific project, but just having the foundation of it written ahead of time makes the task 80% complete before you even start.

Another template I like to have available is all of the information I would use to fill out my profile on a site like Soundbetter or Beatstars. Many online marketplaces ask for the same information so why not just have it ready to copy-paste rather than writing the same thing over and over? The more you work, the more things you notice that you do on repeat -- the more templates and automation you can create.

Next, let’s talk about project management.

Project management is simply the art of organizing all the components of a project. In short: it’s to-do lists within to-do lists. So if I have a song to produce for a client there are several steps I walkthrough from start to finish to complete that project. For example, it may start with a discovery call to see if we’re a good fit and if so, asking them to send me a work tape or demo. Then sending a scratch version to see if they like the vibe, producing and arranging the song, mixing and mastering, outsourcing outside players and/or engineers, necessary contracts and paperwork, etc. The key is to use the same system over & over again.

I was a big fan of Trello (project management software) for a LONG time, but as of this year, I’m officially a “Monday” user. While it might be the worst name in the world for a company, the software is GOLDEN! You can create tasks, boards, due dates, color-coded tabs, assign tasks to team members, perform automation, and so much more. Monday.com is my JAM and I highly recommend it. Just remember, if you’re overwhelmed by what project management IS, just tell yourself it’s just a VERY streamlined TO-DO list or to-do lists within to-do lists. I still love Trello and it may be the more affordable option, so either one works!

Speaking of team members,

Let’s talk about hiring your first VA.

VA stands for a virtual assistant. A lot of people think that they’re not ready for an assistant but the truth is it’s easier and more affordable than it’s EVER been to hire help online! I highly suggest doing a brain dump (into a Monday or Trello board) and getting every little task you do in your business onto this board so you can see it all laid out. Then go through and put checkmarks next to the tasks that you don’t like to do and could easily train someone else to do. This can be anything from creating graphics and a logo to registering songs with the PROs, to adding metadata into your iTunes, to creating a website, to creating invoices, to repurposing your content into different mediums (podcasts to blogs, blogs to books, etc.)!

Now, I will say, you could hire an ‘intern’, sure, but beware! Interns can slow you down if you’re not careful. Don’t get caught up in the ‘but it’s free to work’ myth! Free work actually costs you money if it costs you time. I tried doing interns from the local college several years back and it didn’t work out for me. Not only that, virtual assistants are trained and experienced in admin (which we tend to hate as musicians). Many of them are jacks of all trades and they’re hungry for work!

The last thing I want to touch on today is outsourcing.

So many producers think that they have to be able to play everything to be a producer, or they have to mix and master all of their own tracks. This mentality couldn’t be further from the truth. Your only job as the producer is to be a visionary and direct a project while delivering results. I know producers that don’t play a thing, nor touch a soundboard or computer.

I know for most of us we’re making tracks from our home studios so of course, we have our hands in it, but for example, I’ve been playing guitar for over 20 years. (wow, did I just date myself?!) and I don’t play guitars on my tracks. I outsource it to the pro who lives, eats, and breathes guitars. It’s not a contest or an ego trip. The track doesn’t have more value just because I played everything. Now, if I really loved playing guitar and it was my zone of genius, then of course I would play it on my tracks, but it’s not. Producing and songwriting are my zones of genius so I stick there. I also don’t tune or edit tracks anymore simply because I don’t like doing the work and I often outsource final mixes and masters. This is how I manage multiple projects with different timelines while keeping my sanity.

If hiring a VA or outsourcing sounds WAY out of your comfort zone, I want you to do a little exercise with me. Ask yourself how much money you’d like to make a year.

(By the way, don’t forget to download the worksheet that comes with this episode for the recap and exercises.)

Let’s say it’s $100,000 a year and let’s say on average you work 40 hours a week.

We have 52 weeks a year, actually, let’s say you take 2 weeks off, so 50 weeks a year.

So 50 weeks x 40 hours = 2,000 hours.

Take $100,000 divided by 2,000 hours = $50 an hour.

That means that your hourly rate needs to be at least $50/hr at the very minimum.

So I want you to start looking at the tasks you’re doing and ask yourself, “is what I’m doing worth $50/hr?” And if it’s not, you need to get it off your plate or you’ll never reach your goal; it's just cause and effect.

You must avoid activities below your hourly rate in order to scale your production business. Let’s say you decide to track your own guitars on a track you’re producing. You’re not a pro but you’re pretty good. It takes you an hour to set up, dial in your tones, and tune. Then it takes you another couple of hours to track all the parts, buuuut then (oh wait), you forgot to tune in between takes. So now you gotta do a few parts again and now you’re done, BUT oh $h!t, you weren’t in the pocket on that chorus, so now you’ve gotta edit. So overall, tracking guitars on your project took you about seven hours after comping and editing.

You could have paid a pro guitarist $75-$100 to send you edited, professionally played tracks, but you said “nah, I wanna save my hundred bucks, I’ll do it myself.” However, you didn’t save $100, you actually LOST $250, because seven hours of your time is valued at $50 an hour, which is $350 (minus the $100 you “saved” on not outsourcing!) You actually LOST money by trying to save, crazy right? And if you remember in the last post, we talked about how successful entrepreneurs value their time more than their money.

Alright, let’s recap what we’ve learned today!

Here are some SYSTEMS that will HELP you SCALE:

File Management -- from your samples to your sessions, to your plugins -- you must start practicing proper file management to increase your workflow!
Email Templates -- writing emails is a TIME SUCK. Create templates ahead of time to help speed up communication with your prospects.
Project Management -- Monday & Trello are both excellent FREE project management tools that will help you keep track of your “to-dos!”
Hiring a VA -- this is more affordable than EVER! Make a list of all of your tasks then decide what you can take off your plate and delegate to someone else.
Outsourcing -- hire people for their “zone of genius” to bring your tracks to a competitive level. You must avoid activities below your hourly rate in order to scale your production business.

Don’t forget to head to www.producelikeabosspodcast.com/business to grab your notes for this series and some worksheets to help keep you on track and accountable with your new business. Also, don’t forget I’m giving the ENTIRE WORKBOOK away after we drop the last episode in the series, woot woot!

Whew, I know that was a LOT to take in. How are we feeling? Like you’re drinking from the fire hose? It might feel overwhelming or even uncomfortable right now, but guess what? That means you’re growing. Say it with me “I’m grooooowing!!!!!”

And I know how overwhelming learning all of this stuff can be...

That’s why I’ve created the Boss Producer Bootcamp which starts September 7th!

In this 5 day bootcamp, you will discover

The mindset takes to go full time as a producer
What it takes to run a business from your home studio
The path from the amateur producer (unpaid) to pro producer (paid)

I’m going to show you…

How to increase the quality & speed of your productions
How to make pitchable, placeable, profitable music
Ways to make money online whether you’re a singer, songwriter, producer, mix engineer, or instrumentalist

We’re going to give away tons of prizes, there will be contests and even scholarship opportunities.

This bootcamp is 100% FREE, but don’t get it twisted, this isn’t your run of the mill “fluff” filled freebie where you show up and give your time and don’t actually receive any real value. You are going to leave this bootcamp with a plan to start your production business today!! So I want you to treat this training like it costs you thousands of dollars because that’s how valuable it is!

Just head over to www.producelikeaboss.com/bootcamp to reserve your seat!

Alright, my friends, I hope you got a lot of value out of today’s blog! I’ll be back next week with part five in the Boss Producer Business series so stay tuned!

Secrets To Selling Your Services Like A Boss

Andrea Olson — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 10:45:42 GMT

Ok, I am so pumped because today is the final day of the Boss Producer Business Series!! I’ve put this series together especially for my aspiring producers, and if you haven’t checked out the first four blogs of this series I want you to go and read them now! Just head to: www.producelikebosspodcast.com/business

Also, as promised, I’m going to give you access to the entire workbook for this series which includes recaps & exercises to help you get your business started! Once again that link is: www.producelikebosspodcast.com/business

OK, let’s jump in!

Boss Producer Business

Part 5: Secrets To Selling Your Services Like A Boss

First, let’s recap what we’ve covered in the first four episodes:

In episode 1, we acknowledged what starving artist traits we need to shed in order to become a boss producer.
In episode 2, we talked about how making great music is just the beginning and that being a generalist can actually be more valuable than being an expert (the practice of skill stacking can give you a unique advantage in the music industry). We also talked about how to value your time as a business owner.
In episode 3, we covered how to set up your production company.
In episode 4, we discussed the systems and processes that will help you streamline your workflow and help you scale.

Now that you’ve lined up all of these pieces it’s time to start selling your services like a BOSS!

So, let’s start with the online marketplaces. There are tons, and I mean TONS, of online marketplaces where you can sell your services as a musician. Whether you sing, produce, mix, or make beats, there are platforms you can hop onto right now and start offering your services. Some of these platforms include Soundbetter, Airgigs, & Beatstars. You simply sign up and get your profile sorted (All of the assets you need to do that are mentioned in part three by the way).

It’s important to note the differences between selling your services and selling digital products. When you sign up for sites like Soundbetter & Airgigs you are offering your services for hire as a musician. This means taking on a client and working on their project(s). When you sign up for a site like Beatstars, this is where you upload music you’ve already produced. If you’re unsure what I’m talking about right now, visit the blog “What Kind of Producer Are YOU?” where I discuss the different kinds of producers and what makes a beatmaker different from a producer.

Both of these are great ways to make money as a producer, one just requires that you trade your time for money, the other is more of a “digital product” that can make you money while you sleep. The same thing goes for getting your music into film and TV. This is a great opportunity to pitch a catalog you’ve already created so songs aren’t dying in the hard drive graveyard.

Other ways to make money online are custom songwriting, licensing your original music to other independent artists, creating royalty-free music, and even hopping on freelancing sites like Fiverr or Thumbtack to offer your services there.

I hope you’re getting really excited right now because I am literally handing you gold! I started working in online marketplaces several years ago and grew my business tremendously! I went from struggling songwriter, to a professional session singer/producer -- initially making around $2,000 a month, then $3,000, then $5,000, to eventually $8000 and beyond. But you’ve got to be willing to put in the work. I’m not the best singer or the best producer, but I will outwork everybody and I’m thinking that if you’re following me, and are in the Produce Like a Boss world, you’re that kind of a workhorse too. You want this and you will stop at nothing to get it. Right? Rawr!! Let’s do this!!! Ok, I’m excited, but let’s get back to the matter at hand.

The reason I push the online marketplaces when you’re first getting started is that you get to capitalize on somebody else’s traffic. When you’re first building your business you’re just trying to learn how to marry the left & right brain as an artist and turn this into paid work. Do you also want to become a google ads expert? An SEO expert? Run paid traffic & ads and deal with ALLLLL the moving parts of a business like chasing down payments, finding clients, and marketing? Probably not. Truthfully, the online marketplaces are a form of marketing -- you are paying somebody for leads and traffic, just like Facebook or Instagram. In the same way, we promote our music on Instagram instead of trying to drive people to our website, we should also take advantage of the online marketplaces. There’s no way you’re going to reach more people than Soundbetter or Beatstars, why not jump on a moving train?

That being said, some of the cons that come with that are that you don’t own the traffic you’re getting and it’s oftentimes forbidden to take work off of their platform. They also charge monthly fees, although all of them have a free tier as well.

When people ask me “is it worth it to pay the monthly fee?” my answer is always “yes,” at least to test it. If a platform costs $70 a month and you book just ONE job you’ve made your money back. Even if you don’t make it back in the first month, maybe the next month you book a job that pays $1000. Now you’ve paid $140, but you’ve made $860. So, is it worth it? Hell yeah, it is!! Don’t get it twisted my friend, you're in business, you’re going to have to invest to make returns whether it’s your time, your money, your gear, paying for leads/advertising, or even in coaching, that’s how business works. We must have skin in the game. If you’re the producer going “is it worth it? Meh, I don’t want to pay anything” but you want to make money, BRO! SIS! FAM! Your mindset needs a makeover.

Now, I consider online marketplaces as one basket. I never put all of my eggs in one basket. You can also start marketing your beats, your services, and your songs within your own network. This includes your social media, your current email list, and even locally in your town! Do you know singers that need songs produced? How about songwriters that need demos? I actually have a student who was hired to compose songs for her church group. Do you know somebody who wants to start a podcast that you could do the editing for? How about any companies that need a theme song? Here’s something amazing I saw on Instagram the other day. An influencer mentioned that a musician reached out to them and said, “Hey, I really love your brand man. I actually made this song for you and you can use it for your podcast or in your videos. If you like it, we can strike up a licensing deal. If not, no worries, just love your stuff and wanted to see if I could be of service!”

Gahhhh!!! Can I get a mic drop moment here?! Cue *explosion sound* because my damn mind is blown.

These are the type of forward-thinking, innovative, go-getter STRATEGIES I love to hear about!

The last thing you’re going to do to sell your services like a boss starts working on your CRM which stands for Customer Relationship Management, which is pretty much your email list. This won’t be something you can mesh with the online marketplaces as much since they kind of forbid email and telephone number exchange, but this is super useful for your own network. You can sign up for a service like mailchimp for free and the next tier is $9.99 a month (as of this posting).

I could do an entire SERIES on email marketing as it is its own beast, so I’m gonna keep this part short: I believe when you’re first getting started that the online marketplaces are the jam because you’ll get to reach more traffic faster, which will get you making money sooner and that’s what I want for you. I want to get you generating income ASAP. Just keep in mind that as you start knocking projects out of the park and building a customer database within your network, you’re gonna want to keep track of those customers in a CRM. Side note on that: people who have hired you or purchased from you are FAR more likely to hire you and sell to again. Much more so than it is to get a new customer to enter your Customer Relationship Management!

Wooooo Weeeeeee, that blog series was a DOOZY am I right?! Are you feeling the fire?! Are you ready to go SLAY the day by producing and recording professionally?!

Well then check it! If you dug this series, you’re going to LOVE ...LURVEEEEE….The Boss Producer Bootcamp! I’m going to be going LIVE with you guys and doing a five day FREE training on how to build your business as a producer!

In this five day bootcamp you will discover...

The mindset takes to go full time as a producer
What it takes to run a business from your home studio
The path from the amateur producer (unpaid) to pro producer (paid)

I’m going to show you...

How to increase the quality & speed of your productions
How to make pitchable, placeable, profitable music
Ways to make money online whether you’re a singer, songwriter, producer, mix engineer, or instrumentalist

We’re going to give away tons of prizes including a SHURE SM7B mic & the SLATE VMS-1! Plus there will be contests & even scholarship opportunities.

Just head over to www.producelikeaboss.com/bootcamp to reserve your seat!

Thanks so much for catching the Boss Producer Series on youtube, the podcast, and the blog! Please make sure to like & subscribe & drop a comment if you have any questions!

Alright my friends, well I hope you got a whole lot of value out of the Boss Producer Series!! I LOVED making this for you. Don’t forget to head to www.producelikeabosspodcast.com/business to download your ENTIRE workbook with recaps, handouts, and resources!

How To STOP Caring What OTHER Producers Think!

Andrea Olson — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 10:44:59 GMT

I've had so many people in my life, along with some producer friends, EVEN BOYFRIENDS, tell me I'd never been a "real" producer. They told me to just stick to what I was good at, songwriting. Had I listened to them, if I had given in and believed them, I would never have had the confidence to put my own music out there and see what I could truly be! The truth is we have to stop letting other peoples’ opinions define us. Most of the time these people, these producers, aren't really talking about you, they're projecting their own insecurities on you to feel better about themselves. So don't take it personally and most importantly KEEP WORKING!

In this blog, I want to talk about how you can push through the fear of caring what these other ‘producers’ think!

You can do it, I believe in you! 🧡

The other day I got a DM from a fellow up-and-coming female producer. My heart ached as I read her words as they echoed my own from not long ago. She told me she wanted to be a badass self-sufficient producer who wasn’t afraid to talk around the ‘big guys,’ but she was SO afraid of what she creates being bad and paralyzed with the fear of having another producer tell her she did something wrong. She was frozen in her own insecurities. Then she said, “I feel like I’m JUST a songwriter.” My heart broke hearing this.

A lot of you already know what I’m going to say: perfectionism is procrastination disguised as productivity and I know her position ALL too well. For years I wanted to be a producer; I had Garageband, I had Logic, I had the midi controller, friends had HOOKED ME UP by selling me pretty decent used gear for really cheap, but I still waited. I still procrastinated. It was never good enough. I wasn’t producing because...(I only know how RIDICULOUS this is now LOL) I wasn’t producing because ‘I needed better sounds.’ Because I couldn’t afford Kontakt or Omnisphere, I would produce NOTHING? Saying it out loud now I’m like, ‘wow, I was really just terrified’ and I get it, I had producer friends and they were all men. Super intimidating right?

This isn’t to knock men, because I know some AMAZING male producers and I’m forever grateful to my mentor, who is a man. BUT I will say, a lot of my so-called ‘friends that were producing would say stuff to me like “you should just stick to what you’re good at.” By the time I actually did start producing, making demos, and was actually making a little money I still had a guy tell me “yeah but you don’t have a REAL studio so you’re not a REAL producer.” LOL! I actually let those words get to me! I only see NOW that OF COURSE, he was saying that, he had to justify and validate HIS studio costs to feel better about HIMSELF. ESPECIALLY because he saw that I was succeeding, growing, and making money without all of that! His own need to validate his studio rent had nothing to do with me and it never will! When people are trying to tear you down or say you’re not good enough, it’s because of their own insecurities. Please remember that.

It’s funny because, yes, there are @ssh#les & trolls out there, but most of my fears were actually in my head. There was a time when I never posted my beats or productions on social media because I was always afraid one of those “pro guys” would comment and critique that I was doing something wrong; kinda like a “yeah, that’s cute, I remember when I had my first beer.” I was petrified I would be belittled and that I wasn’t good enough

So, back to the message from the up-and-coming female producer. She finished by asking me ‘HOW I got over the feeling of not being good enough, and I’m going to tell y'all exactly what I told her:

We have to stop caring what other producers think. End of story.

I know that’s easier said than done, but hear me out: once I changed my mindset, it changed everything. We don’t make music for other producers. I want you to marinate that for a second. We don’t make music for other producers. We make music for ourselves of course, but we also do it for the fans and fans don’t listen to music the way music makers do! NONE of your fans are listening to your music and thinking “oh, she really should have shaved off a little 10k there” or “ugh, I wish she’d bring the attack down on that compressor.” Producers think like that and guess what? They’re not your audience! They’re not buying your records and going to your shows, so who CARES what they think?!

Listen, y'all know that I’m a songwriter FIRST and I truly approach music production in that way. If I’m EVER doing something in my productions to ‘impress’ another producer I know that my EGO is getting in the way. Yes, of course, it feels nice to be embraced by your peers, but you can’t rely on their opinions as truth. They literally don’t hear music the way non-producers do, and once again, your music isn’t FOR them.

So let producers talk their smack. I look at it like this: any energy they spend tearing apart YOUR work is time they should be spending on improving their own craft. People that hang out online just waiting to troll you are LOSERS, they’re hanging out in online forums just waiting to use their energy on something completely anti-productive.

I heard once that the cure for imposter syndrome is to stop making it about you and to instead make it about service. The same applies here with music production. For example: when I go to teach a live webinar, I DO get butterflies and sometimes I get NERVOUS, but when it starts to feel like it overtakes me I realize I’m making it about me. If I look stupid or say something stupid, I have to realize that’s my selfish side talking, but when I make it about my audience and think about how I can serve the people that have shown up today, my anxiety melts away. The same exact thing applies to your music. Think about who you can help, who you can touch, who you can move -- don’t pay any mind to the idiot who has way too much time on their hands to sit around critiquing yo $h!t.

Alright, well I hope you got a lot of value out of this and I hope if you’re feeling insecure about producing that this has given you the confidence to just do it. As far as ‘sucking’ in the beginning goes, THAT’S normal! I have made TONS of $h!tty demos. We don’t run before we learn how to walk. AND we don’t walk before we learn how to crawl. AND we can’t crawl until we START.

So do you have some barriers and self limiting beliefs about being “just a songwriter”? If so, please don’t ever say that again. You are a CREATOR & there are TOOLS to help you create the music you hear in YOUR head, and I want to help you learn how to use them! I hope you’ll continue to follow along with this blog and with my podcast. I've made it my mission to help you succeed but to do so you HAVE TO put in the work!

Sometimes You’re the Rubberband

Andrea Olson — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 10:44:27 GMT

Hey, producers and producers in the making,

Do you ever feel like you’re frustrated with where you’re at? Maybe even a little stuck? Perhaps you’re a busy body (like me), but lately, you feel like you’ve been standing still, even though you’re busier than ever! Even though I know we've all been reassured that feeling stuck is normal, it's more than that: it's part of the process to get from where you are to where you want to be.

Maybe I can reframe things for you? Instead of being stuck, you might just be the rubber band in a slingshot, feeling like you're going nowhere, or maybe even backward, but if you stick with it, BAM!, like a slingshot, you'll shoot forward as a result!

You might be in a place where all you need is a little push or something to set you up to launch. Check out this free resource, and see if it can help you get moving again!

https://www.producelikeaboss.com/freelooptutorial

We wear so many hats in our businesses as independent artists. We are our own manager, accountant, booking agent, engineer, editor, promoter, and now some of us are self-producing our own records. You name it, we do it all.

But there are also seasons we have to take into account.

The most exciting and rewarding ‘season’ is probably launched mode. This might be releasing a new record or a single! It might be getting ready to hit the road on tour or even all of the above. You might even be releasing your own online course. It’s very exhilarating and you see immediate results from the work you’re releasing. You get to engage with the comments and likes on social media, you get to watch your sales flow in, and you may even get to engage with your audience live. It’s pure instant gratification.

And sometimes you’re in rest mode where you just unplug & recharge your batteries. This might include a cleanse from social media, checking email, and working on your music. I think this is totally healthy and necessary for most creatives, even though I think many of us struggle with this. I love working so much it actually stresses me out to take time off, but I’m sure I could use some more of it, ha! What about you?

Then sometimes, sometimes you’re the rubber band.

What the heck do I mean by that? I mean you’re working your tail off but not necessarily seeing the rewards right away. This could be anything from the writing process that goes into making a record, to building a business or an online course, or even taking an online course as a student!

While you’re not moving forward, you’re certainly not standing still, but it feels like you are and it can be frustrating. You’re putting in the time and grinding, but not seeing the instant results and that makes it feel like you’re stuck, even though you’re not. Because, again, sometimes you’re the rubber band, you’re in the slingshot. All that work you’re putting in is slowly building potential and energy, and it feels like you’re going nowhere; $h!t, at times it feels like you’re going backward, but if you’re doing the work then fear not! Once the time is right that slingshot is going to release and you’re going to fly forward at lightning speed equipped with all your new tools in hand.

Everything you’ve been doing, all the hard work you’ve put in, it’s all part of that process, and as my mentor always told me, “trust the process.”

Maybe you’re not stuck, maybe you’re just the rubber band.

I hope this helped to shed new light or has shown you a new perspective on your current frustrations. If it did, would you mind giving this a share with a few of your friends? Who knows, maybe it’ll help them out too!

I hope you have a great week and keep on keeping on!

Remember, trust the process!

Plant Many Seeds, But Don’t Watch Them Grow

Andrea Olson — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 10:43:56 GMT

I was recently notified that a song I produced and co-wrote was on hold for a Google ad! The paperwork was on the ad agency’s desk, the cat was in the bag, it was a done deal, and at the last minute, they decided to go with a big name artist instead. The payout would have been six figures. I mean, it was Google, and of course, that’s probably why they wanted to give the advertisement to an “artist” artist and not a production company.

Not gonna lie, it stung to hear that just a little bit because day-um... that was a close one! Did I cry about it? No. Did I wallow in despair for any longer than a brief second? No. Why? Because I never rely on ONE thing to move the needle in my business. Over the years I have learned that this is a NUMBERS game and you have to have multiple irons in the fire at all times!

This brings me back to a couple of years ago when my Soundbetter profile was on Fi-YA! I mean, I was booking at least 3-5 jobs a week and I got a little too comfortable with that. Now, you know I love me some Sound better, they have helped me to connect with hundreds of clients, BUT, putting all my eggs in one basket and relying on them to be my main bread & butter, well, it put me in a sticky situation when it slowed down. That happens all the time, the market can change at any moment and it did. Now I might book 1-2 jobs a week through Soundbetter which honestly I end up turning down a lot of the work with the way my schedule is now, BUT the point is: I do not rely on ONE THING!

There’s a saying that goes: plant a seed and watch it grow, or nurture it and water it or some $h!t like that. Ok, I don’t actually know what the exact saying is, but you know what I’m saying. You get the gist, right?

Let’s ditch that analogy for a second and try this instead. I want you to imagine you’re a farmer and you’re driving through a field on a tractor. You’re reaching into a bag and you’re grabbing handfuls of seeds and just throwing them onto the ground as you plow through the dirt, just tossing thousands of tiny seeds behind you as the wind blows through your straw hat and the sun is kissing your skin.

Are you looking behind you to see where the seeds fall? No. So, don’t look behind you, don’t watch the seeds grow! Ever heard the saying “a watched pot doesn’t boil?” Trust that the seeds are planted, the rain will water them, and the sun will shine. You just need to keep throwing more and more seeds and letting mother nature do her job. You’ve done yours.

This is a numbers game. Content is king. Create more. Create multiple streams of income, not JUST streams which pay next to nothing. Look at also doing session work, or live gigs, or SYNC placements. Do all the things. Get creative. Get scrappy. This is the new model, the new music industry, and the opportunities are endless. Plant more seeds.

Alright friends, today I’m keeping it super short and sweet!

Get out there and plant those seeds!