Week In Review - 12 September 2014

As I'm just completing my second year of running GME, I am starting to see a pattern developing for my busy season, definitely the summer, and my breathing season, September & January. This works great with my companies' year because I like to use the first month of my business year, September, for planning. That's exactly what this week has been about ... Setting my annual, quarterly and monthly goals, and laying out a plan for how to reach those goals. 

Red Embers, GME Act

I want this year to be more focused on the acts I represent and the clients who book them. This area was a little bit neglected last year as I focused on several large events. This year I aim to strike a much better balance between these two vital areas of my business.

On Wednesday, I attended a Marketing Strategy Workshop at the Innovation Space in Portsmouth. The workshop was led by Lizz Clarke of LCM, who I work with in the Business & Enterprise work stream of Shaping Portsmouth. As I go into my third year, I realize that if I want to grow my performer and client base, I need to develop a solid marketing strategy. The tips Lizz shared has given me the tools to begin this process. All of us who attended this workshop seemed to be unclear of what 'marketing' actually is. Before this workshop, I wasn't clear on the differences, if any, between marketing, advertising & PR. Here's my take on Lizz's definition of marketing:

Lizz Clarke, LCM

'Marketing involves tactics that drive revenue. Those tactics include: advertising, PR, sales, social media, promotions, networking, etc.' 

As I build GME's marketing strategy for 2015 I have to look at all these areas with the aim of driving revenue. That's a lot to think about, but vitally important to the growth of the business. I encourage you to develop your own marketing strategy, and find ways to make yourself more marketable, no matter what you do in life. For businesses, contacting Lizz Clarke is a great way to start this process.

Also on Wednesday, my originals band Mayfield had an amazing rehearsal in our very own recording studio! The studio is still being built, but our last few rehearsals have been in this awesome space, and the recording room is sounding great! We should be fully up and running by early 2015. 

On Saturday we are  recording a demo at River Studios in Southampton to have a trial run on one of the mixing boards that we are considering for Mayfield Studios. We will be releasing our second album in late 2015 and have already written several new songs for the project. The demo will be of our newest song, Ready, Set, Go! which we will be recording over the next couple weeks. Watch this space for your sneak listen to this track. We may even offer it as a free download! Stay tuned to find out.

In addition to preparing to go into the studio to record the demo, we are also getting ready for a couple big shows happening this month:

20 Sep - The Jolly Sailor, Southsea - Rowan's Charity Event w/SoulTime DJ Martin Jackson (free entry)

26 Sep - The Cellars, Southampton - Supporting Soul & Funk DJ Craig Charles of BBC Radio 6 (sold out)

If you can't wait for the sneak listen to 'Ready, Set, Go!' then come see Mayfield at The Jolly Sailor where we'll be debuting this new song! Can't wait to hear what you think of this new tune!

I've got a full day on Sunday, starting with judging the OpenMic UK auditions at Ferneham Hall in Fareham in the afternoon, then I'll be heading to The Pyramids in Southsea where I'm exhibiting and performing Supremely, Diana Ross at a wedding show. Getting married? Then join me at The Portsmouth Wedding Show on Sunday!

Finally, I am performing my own songs from my solo release, Let Go, backed by my covers band, Move On Up! We will be supporting Alt3r Ego at Pizza Express Jazz Club in Soho, London on the 28th of September from 12:00 noon. Tickets are £15, but if you order your tickets in advance quoting 'Yemen7' the tickets are just £10. Click here to purchase your tickets!

Well, that's it for now. Have a fabulous weekend!

Weeks In Review - 6 June & 13 June 2014

FranClassic
Foodies Festival - Clapham

Apologies for not getting my 6 June Week In Review out to you. I usually write this blog on the Friday, but last Friday was Day 1 of Foodies Festival Clapham and I jumped right into the deep end of this 3-day event and didn't come up for air until Sunday night! The entire week was really devoted to sorting out all the last minute details for the event. We were so lucky with the weather over the 3-days and had huge crowds at the Entertainment Stage throughout each day. 

On 5 June I went to an early morning BNI networking meeting at the Hilton in Farlington where I gave a 1-minute presentation about GME. BNI is a worldwide network who are looking to launch a Portsmouth area chapter. I was invited back this week, but 6:45am is a bit too early for me, especially since I'm still recovering from Foodies :). Later on the 5th Dominic Elton (Mayfield band leader) and I met with Jeff Powell of Groovefinders to discuss Mayfield Studios, which are in the process of being built. We also discussed songwriting for our next album and development ideas as we take Mayfield to the next level as a band. 

Jerry Williams
Foodies Festival - Clapham

Jeff is a visionary manager who works with several emerging artist, including the very talented Jerry Williams who I booked to perform at Foodies Clapham. She was delightful by the way! There is mutual interest between Jeff and Mayfield to work together and I'm excited to see how things unfold in the coming months.

Even later on the 5th, I was at The Jolly Sailor judging Southsea's Got Talent! It was a very early start and long day, but no matter how tired I may feel when I get to SSGT, I am always energized and amazed by all the untapped talent in the Portsmouth area. This night was no exception. Each contestant was at the top of their game, and sadly only 3 were able to be put through to the next level! That was a hard decision to make!

Now we come to this week ...

Supremely, Diana Ross

On Monday, I had to drag my very tired self out of bed for a meeting at a venue where I'm booked to perform Supremely, Diana Ross for a birthday party. I am triple booked on this date, 21st of June,  so I need to check out the venue ahead to make sure I know how to get there and to see what equipment I will need to bring. I will be on such a tight schedule on this date, so there's very little room for errors like ... getting lost!

Wednesday I had my 1st full vocal coaching session with my new student, Nicola. I am helping her prepare set lists, find the right songs for her voice and music business coaching in addition to helping her fine tune her vocals. We had a great session and I am always thrilled when I see a student learning and growing. I recorded most of our session and played it back to Nicola. She struggled to listen to herself, but doing that helped us identify things she needs to work on, and the songs later in the session were already showing a marked improvement. I'll be seeing her again in a few weeks. 

If you are someone you know is looking for a vocal/music business coach, do get in touch to set up a free consultation.

Move On Up!

Thursday, I was with my band, Move On Up at The Wine Vaults and we had a fantastic night! We were worried that we would have a small crowd due to so many events happening at the same time including camper's night at the Isle of Wight Festival, and the opening night of the World Cup. However, we had a great crowd who were already on the dance floor by the third song of the first set ... this is very rare! By the end of the second set, the place was packed to the rafters and the punters were screaming for more ... even after our second encore! Sadly, we were out of energy and out of songs so we left the crowd wanting more, which is not a bad thing!

Speaking of Isle of Wight festival ... Mayfield are gearing up to make our debut at this great festival on the Hipshaker Stage on Saturday starting at 9pm! We had our final rehearsal prepping for the gig on Tuesday and the set is sounding very tight. We'll be dropping some new songs from our next release, and Amy and I will be donning new dresses that she designed and created! I'll have loads of pics to share with you next week.

Gloria Miller Duo

Finally, tonight I'm rehearsing with my Duo partner, Dennis Elvie as we prepare for our next gig which is the first of the three gigs I've got booked on the 21st of June. We will be doing Jazz & Blues originals and covers at The Spring in Havant! 

I've got one hour to prep for rehearsal, so that's it for now! Have a fabulous weekend!

Week in Review - 28 March 2014

It's weeks like this one that make me so happy I've started my own business. It's been an incredibly exhausting and rewarding week so let's get into it!!

On Tuesday I had a lovely meeting with Steve & Chrissie of One World Radio to put the finishing touches on my next radio show, and I'm happy to announce that Glo's Music for the Soul Vol. 2 will be airing on Saturday, 5th of April at 7pm! I'm quite excited about this show and I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts once it airs. In the mean time, click here to listen to my debut show that aired on Valentine's Day. You will be able to use this same link to listen to Vol. 2. Please let me know what you think about the shows. I would appreciate your feedback, suggestions and tips on how to make the show better.

Visit Their Website

Wednesday I went to a fantastic joint networking event held by the Hampshire & Dorset Chambers at Careys Manor & Hotel which is a delightful hotel and spa in the New Forest. Wow, what an impressive establishment run masterfully by their staff! We were given 5-star treatment starting with lovely, tropical pre-lunch drinks, followed by a delicious 3-course lunch! Careys provided a great atmosphere for networking and I connected with some fantastic people including Claire Oldham, a manager at Careys who gave us a delightful tour of the spa facilities. I was ready to book a spa day then and there!  I also met Carolyn Freeman of Revelation Marketing who spoke so passionately about marketing to people who are 50+. It was quite the 'revelation' speaking with her and I look forward to meeting up to discuss reaching this virtually untapped demographic.  It was also fantastic meeting Wendy Savage of Marie Curie. She was such fun and sat next to me during lunch. I am looking to partner with her on community fundraising events for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. 

Visit Their Website

I'm always surprised by the generosity of people at these networking events and how eager they are to help you connect with other people.  Carolyn made sure I met Jo Legg of Global Radio who run several radio stations. And then Jo made sure I met Kim Clayton, with Dorset Chamber. The more I run GME, I'm realizing that doing business is all about developing relationships with the people first and then through those relationships finding mutual ways to benefit each other in business.

With Tara Howard

My Wednesday didn't end there, later that night I went to the launch event of the Portsmouth Venus Awards. The Venus Awards acknowledges the achievement of women in business, and I had the pleasure of meeting the very enthusiastic founder, Tara Howard. It's so great to be a part of something when it's first starting, and you could sense the excitement in the room as several of the sponsors of this event spoke about why they were bringing the awards to the Portsmouth area. I am happy to announce that GME will be sponsoring the entertainment for the Portsmouth Venus Awards Ceremony being held at the Portsmouth Marriott on the 1st October, 2014.

If you know a woman in business who you feel deserves a bit of recognition, please do nominate her. Click here to find out more about the Portsmouth Venus Awards and place your nomination!

Thursday morning I attended a 'Coaching Skills Taster' at the Langstone Hotel on Hayling Island being run by Jane Child of JCA Learning. I am thinking about doing some coaching for people in or who want to be in the music business, and attending this taster gave me a great opportunity to see if coaching would be something I would indeed pursue. I absolutely loved the taster. I even got to do a 'mock' coaching session ... I was a bit rubbish, but also invigorated by the whole process. I am definitely going to pursue getting my qualification to coach, so watch this space!!

Because I am just a performer at heart, the highlight of the week was performing 'Supremely, Diana Ross' at the 'Spring Into Action' event put on by the very talented Nathalie Gunn and held at the Wedgewood Rooms on Thursday night. The evening was a true Variety Show with singing, dancing, magic, burlesque and a contortionist! Just fabulous!! The event was in honor of Nathalie's good friend, the late Kerry Harvey who bravely battled Pancreatic Cancer and the proceeds of this event will benefit those who are still battling this disease. The venue was absolutely packed with people, each thrilled to do their part to support this cause. I'm so glad I could be there too!

Supremely, Diana Ross

What a week! Today I'm recovering a bit before I sit in on vocals with the fantastic band, 'Beau' at the Woodpecker in Waterlooville on Saturday night. My friend, the lovely Chloe Dixon is their regular singer, but due to a bout with laryngitis, she has asked me to cover. I will not do justice to the songs like Chloe can, but I will give it my best shot :)!

I think that's enough for this week ... have a fantastic weekend!