‘Find a way to turn strengths and interests into a profitable business,’ Davidson advises.
Young Entrepreneur Spotlight: Matthew Davidson
Matthew Davidson, of Shreveport,
Louisiana, was only a toddler when his interest was sparked in music. He
received a toy guitar for Christmas when he was three, then started taking
acoustic guitar lessons in the second grade. As the years passed, his talent
gained more exposure, getting him invited to special performances and earning
him top spots in contests.
In 2010, Davidson turned his musical
abilities—in guitar, vocals, and songwriting—into a business: The Matthew
Davidson Band. To date, he has more than 350 live performances under his belt,
and earlier this year, he earned an NFIB/Louisiana Leadership Council Young
Entrepreneur Award for his entrepreneurial endeavors.
Davidson has racked up numerous
awards and honors over the years, putting his band in higher demand for
performances at festivals, concert venues, fundraisers, wedding receptions,
private parties, and other special events. To juggle it all, along with school,
he has had to hone his time management skills.
“There is a substantial time
requirement to maintain the success of The Matthew Davidson Band, with weekly
band rehearsals, individual practicing, weekly private instruction, booking and
promoting performances, planning performance details, and so on,” Davidson
said. “These requirements must be balanced with the time required for academics
and maintaining good grades in school courses. Using time management skills and
planning ahead helps with managing this challenge.”
Another challenge has been the band
member turnover.
“In the past, band members have
either relocated to other cities or graduated and moved on to college,” he
said. “It’s time-consuming to hold auditions for replacement members and also
challenging to find musicians who are both talented enough and willing to make
the time commitment required for weekly rehearsals and performances. Once
replacements are found, there is a learning curve as I teach them all of the
songs on the set list for upcoming performances. This has taught me flexibility
in learning to work with a variety of different musicians of all ages.”
Davidson is next heading to Belmont
University in Nashville to study music, and he plans to continue running the business
and performing as often as his college scHEDule allows. His long-term plan is
to increase the frequency of performances as well as to expand bookings into
additional geographic areas, and he also aims to release a third CD. Attending
Belmont, he said, will help with this goal because their music business school
hosts many programs led by music industry professionals, connects students with
companies for internships and provides opportunities to network with the music
community in Nashville.
For other aspiring entrepreneurs,
Davidson advised, “Find your strengths and interests and brainstorm how to turn
these into a profitable business. Develop a plan and work on it daily.”
