[quote style=”boxed”]I coach my team to be focused on creating value. Whatever you do, do it the best you can and money will follow. The value must come first.[/quote]
Torrin is a musician, public speaker, entrepreneur, and writer located in the pacific northwest. Music education is his passion and spreading it as far as possible is the goal of his first venture, Music Masters. Started in the Fall of 2012, Music Masters hires musicians to teach, perform and do outreach on the community level. Beyond work, Torrin loves basketball, biking and chasing the dream of living on mars.
Where did the idea for Music Masters come from? What does your typical day look like?
I’ve always loved teaching music, it is just something that comes naturally to me. As a young teacher I was always looking for more students, and how to find them. As a private teacher this is very difficult, working alone without other teachers to help fill in the gaps, so I found a way to bring teachers of all instruments, styles and disciplines under one roof.
My days are extremely varied. I teach two days a week of my own drumset students and run the store from afar the other four. I take Saturdays off and work Sundays. I love the flexible schedule. I like to work when the business isn’t open – I feel like I’m covering more ground that way.
How do you bring ideas to life?
Well I’m a big idea guy and I am always working to make things bigger. Faster. More flexible. So I go through a lot of ideas, and honestly I don’t use all of em. But the key is to break the idea down into bite-sized chunks, and accomplish those one at a time while keeping a list. Update the list as time goes on and move forward, and you will see results.
What’s one trend that really excites you?
Oh man there are so many! In the last 30 years the cost and space of storing data has dropped in price from over $100,000 a gig to less than 10 cents. This trend is something that will affect every industry on the planet in some way. I also think 3D printers are extremely cool. They’re not in yet, but in 5 years everyone will need one.
What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?
I focus on results. I don’t let meaningless statistics get in the way.
What was the worst job you ever had and what did you learn from it?
I was an intern at a lab when I was 14 and my boss was a dick. He made me seriously think of locking him in the silenced and outside-locking snake room. Don’t get locked in a snake room. Don’t be a dick boss.
If you were to start again, what would you do differently?
Think bigger with advertising. I spread my money out. If I had kept it all in one place, it could have made a bigger impact.
As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
Learn, and keep learning and never stop!
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business? Please explain how.
I coach my team to be focused on creating value. Whatever you do, do it the best you can and money will follow. The value must come first.
What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
I ran a painting business into the ground one summer. It was hot and sweaty and sometimes slightly dangerous but even from that process I learned. I learned how (not) to run a team. I didn’t quit though. I kept my head down and got through the summer. This taught me persistence, which is the #1 skill to test for any entrepreneur. It’s easy to come up with ideas, it is hard to see them through and you have to really believe. I believed in myself with the painting company and I was wrong. I learned that I need to do what I am best at, which at the time was teaching drumming. So I figured out how to build a career doing that.
What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?
I mentioned them before – I think 3D printers are on the rise. A lot of companies are out there with prototypes in their garage, and some of them are going to hit it big. Where are they?
Tell us something about you that very few people know?
I love to go on bike rides at 4am
What software and web services do you use?What do you love about them?
Dropbox, Google services, infogr.am, Constant Contact, Facebook. Looking at HootSuite. Ease of use. Drag & drop pictures. Oh and I love scheduling emails & posts. Add that to -everything!-
What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?
I just finished Castaneda’s “The Teachings of Dan Juan“. Loved it.
What people have influenced your thinking and might be of interest to others?
If you aren’t familiar with the man, then oh god please check out Elon Musk. His strategy, technology and ideas will shape our future – and he has already begun.
Connect:
Torrin Rosegold on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/torrin-rosegold/75/387/886
Mario Schulzke is the Founder of ideamensch, which he started a decade ago to learn from entrepreneurs and give them a platform for their ideas.