What can be said about Floyd “Money” Mayweather? You either love him or you love to hate him, there is no in-between.
You can whine about his defensive fighting style, cockiness, lack of humbleness whatever… whatever makes you feel better, When it’s all said and done, Mayweather delivers.
If you look past his image and break him down, you begin to realize just how smart he is as a businessman.
Here are a few things music professionals can learn from Mayweather Jr.
Floyd Mayweather Works Hard
This should be obvious. I don’t know one professional who doesn’t work hard for what they have. No one is born great.
Some get the silver spoon, even an edge or one up on everyone else, but the work still has to be put in.
How Does This Relate To Music Business?
Wherever you are in the music field; whether it’s composition, writing, audio editing, or whatever, it takes a lot of work and time to hone your skills.
Even more so, if you plan on doing it for a living. Think about that… for a living, that means for the rest of your life.
There will be things that come to you naturally, but to sustain and grow there’s work involved. Lots of hours doing the same sh** over and over. I’m a firm believer in repetition and strength in numbers.
The more you do, the better you become, and if you want this …success, you’ll work for it.
Mayweather Focuses On His Strengths
I’ve never seen a video of Floyd Mayweather where he focuses on power punches. I’m not saying he doesn’t practice on power, but the majority of the ones that I see surfacing are hand-eye coordination and speed and it reflects heavily in the ring.
He’ll jump out of his comfort zone here and there, but once he starts getting hit, it’s back to boxing ← his strength
How Does This Relate To Music Business?
Stick to what you know. If you’re used to making classical music and you are proficient… do that, do what you understand because it’ll always be your fallback if and when everything else fails.
When it comes to music and success you want to be versatile, but versatility doesn’t just mean understanding multiple genres of music it also means knowing how to profit from multiple aspects of the business.
So for the record, before someone snaps at me → I’m not saying ignore your weaknesses, just put more focus on your strengths. I think this is a great place to mention that 80/20 rule that everyone throws about casually 🙂
Floyd Mayweather Knows How Piss People Off
Whether he’s walking around with Justin Bieber and Lil Wayne, showing off his luxurious lifestyle or wearing culturally disturbing outfits to get underneath people’s skin.
He knows exactly what he’s doing. He knows how to get people to react.
How Does This Relate To Music Business?
Entertainment, Buzz, etc. This doesn’t mean that you need to go out and be the bad guy or piss people off. What it means is you need to pay attention and take advantage of what people react to.
Find what works and exploit it, simple as that.
I call this riding the wave of the situation or humping the trend. This is nothing new, music has been created based on life-changing or popular events since… forever. The difference today is there are tons of events and with the help of social media we have the ability to catch wind of everything.
So… pick what fits and capitalize.
Mayweather Picks His Fights Wisely
Or at least, that’s what people complain about. I don’t know or care about the inner workings of his fight arrangements. But if it’s true, he’s a flipping GENIUS → smart move → an easier win for him.
How Does This Relate To Music Business?
It’s simple, pick projects you have a good chance of landing. Have no shame in seeking out opportunities that revolve around your strengths, It’s ok to cherry-pick here :).
It’s good to challenge yourself and broaden your horizons, but they’re also needs to be some consistency in order to keep the money coming in.
