Playing the drums has always been Richard Ficarelli’s passion. At a very young age, he started making drum covers and posting them on his Youtube channel.
Not long after, his videos became viral as they were shared across social media platforms like Instagram and Youtube.
Fast forward to this day, Richard’s Youtube channel has over 160,000 subscribers. In addition, he’s now based in Nashville, Tennessee, working on several collaborations for composing songs and performing with other musicians in genres such as alternative rock and pop.
In the past, his increasing popularity paved the way for touring in the first ever DigiTour in 2011 where he also collaborated with other famous Youtube musicians.
When his online following grew, he began writing songs that he performed with his rock band, King The Kid (2012-2014).
For now, Richard is looking forward to continuing his passion to perform for international audiences and establishing himself as a remarkable musician.
Please tell us a little bit about your business
What I do is make music, perform on international tours, and spread my songs across social media.
Tell us a little bit about your background and how you started your company?
I first started making drum covers of popular songs when I was really young. It was Travis Barker, the drummer of blink-182, who inspired this idea.
I watched his popular remixes and realized that creating and posting my drum covers can help me market myself as a musician. I then posted them on my YouTube channel, and my following grew from there. As a result, my videos became viral and I was able to collaborate with other artists. And in 2011, I even had my own national DigiTour.
Right now, I’m based in Nashville, Tennessee, and I’m working on a lot of new music collaborations. But prior to this, I also became part of a rock band, King The Kid, from 2012 to 2014.
What would you say are the top 3 skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur, and why?
- First off, an entrepreneur must be a good writer. It’s important to be able to write down ideas and keep a journal of thoughts throughout your journey.
- The second would be perseverance. You’re going to hit a lot of hurdles along the way that you need to know how to jump over or go around.
- The third would be being outgoing. A lot of networking needs to go on in order to grow your business, so it’s good to know how to approach people.
What are your plans for the future, how do you plan to grow this company?
I’m looking to do more international tours and establish myself as a remarkable musician through Social Media. Additionally, I’ll continue to write songs and collaborate with other musicians to create amazing content. Lastly, I’ll keep networking and expanding my brand to new heights.
How have the pandemic and Lockdown affected you or your new business?
Honestly, It has allowed me to focus even more on my online presence. I am able to devote my time to making engaging and meaningful content which I can share on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. Also, having more downtime allows me the opportunity to stay in touch with my audience by directly communicating with them which I think is very important and something I really enjoy doing.
How do you separate yourself from your competitors?
There’s no one answer to this question because it varies depending on what industry you’re in. But I believe that the key is to find your unique selling proposition and focus on that. For me, it’s always been about creating great content and collaborating with other amazing musicians. Additionally, I’m also very active on social media and try to post as often as I can.
What were the top three mistakes you made starting your business, and what did you learn from them?
- The first one was not thinking through before launching myself online. But I’m sure everyone would admit to this because the whole idea of engaging your audience is pretty new.
- My second mistake was rushing into things without planning them out fully or having a backup plan in place.
- And my third mistake was not being more assertive when it came to the people around me.
You know, sometimes, it’s not easy to admit that you’re wrong. However, over time, I realized that nobody’s perfect and we all make mistakes. But one thing I’ve learned over the years is to enjoy what you do. There will always be ups and downs, but it’s important not to let stressful situations get in the way of your passion.
What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?
My biggest challenge so far was figuring out how to manage my time. As a musician, I want to play as much as possible and collaborate with other artists at the same time. But on top of that, I also need to maintain my social media presence and create new content for the different platforms.
Honestly, there are a lot more challenges I have to face but what keeps me going is my passion for music. This isn’t just a job to me – it’s something that I’ve always been passionate about and I’m not letting anything get in the way of that.
What are you learning now? Why is that important?
I’m constantly learning new things about the music industry and social media. This is important because there’s always something I can improve on or learn that will help my business in years to come.
In addition, I’m also trying to stay educated and up-to-date with technology. Even though I can’t code or anything like that, knowing how to use different software is important because it makes the song production process more efficient.
What are the top 3 online tools and resources you’re currently using to grow your company?
- I’m using YouTube as a way to reach my target audience.
- I use Patreon as a direct line of communication with my fans and supporters.
- I’m constantly on TikTok, which is an important platform for me because it’s where the younger generation spends their time.
What’s a productivity tip you swear by?
My productivity tip would have to be focusing on one task at a time and blocking out distractions. I find that if I try to do too many things at once, I’ll get overwhelmed and not accomplish anything. So I like to take my time and break down the task into smaller chunks so that it’s easier to complete. Additionally, listening to music or white noise can also help me focus.
What helps you stay driven and motivated to keep going in your business?
Honestly, it’s a combination of things. I stay driven by my passion for music and also try to set goals for myself. Additionally, I like to keep a positive mindset and remind myself that things could always be worse. As for motivation, I find that it’s helpful to celebrate small victories and take some time off to relax every once in a while.
What is your favorite quote?
“The only way to do great work is to love what you do.”
-Steve Jobs
This quote resonates with me because it’s true. You’ll never be successful if you don’t enjoy what you’re doing. And I think that’s something we all need to remember – especially when things get tough.
What valuable advice would you give new entrepreneurs starting out?
My top three pieces of advice would be:
(1) Don’t give up on your dreams.
(2) Persevere through the challenges.
(3) And don’t be afraid to ask for help. Everybody starts out as a beginner at some point, so don’t be discouraged if you don’t know everything. There are plenty of resources out there that can help you.
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