031: World-Renowned Vocal Coach Jan Smith on Dreaming Big, Being Honest and Staying Humble

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Summary:

In this week’s episode, Executive Minds is joined by Jan Smith, a renowned vocal coach for celebrity musicians out of Atlanta, GA. You might have heard of a few: Justin Beiber, Usher and the Band Perry.

Jan is a singer, songwriter, vocal coach, Grammy-nominated music producer, and founder of Jan Smith Studios, Inc. Jan and Jeff discuss humility, success, growing your business beyond yourself, and how honesty impacts client relationships. Jan shared so much wisdom with us and we know you’ll get as much out of listening to her as we did.

Welcome to episode 31 of the Executive Minds Podcast.

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Three Takeaways:

1. Are you dreaming big enough?
Jan came from humble beginnings and had no idea what was in store for her. After working as a Psychologist for a period of time, she began teaching vocal classes inside a local music store on the side. Jan was also a musician herself and truly loved her craft. From teaching local vocal students to now running a business serving 200 clients—all together 7000 people annually across the globe—Jan’s dream reached a peak that completely eclipsed what she had planned for herself.

2. If you are willing to replicate and delegate, your business can grow beyond you.
Jan realized she could only sell a certain amount of her time for vocal coaching while working full time as a Psychologist. She made an effort to teach and replicate her skills with others she felt had the musical knowledge out of necessity. As the business grew, Jan partnered with her staff to organize those skills, teachings, and practices. This allowed Jan and her team to replicate and delegate efficiently to new staff without losing the quality of working with Jan personally.

3. Be authentic. Be honest.
Jan has found her clients appreciate authenticity and honesty. An example of that would be in Justin Bieber’s documentary, Never Say Never; Jan is captured delivering criticism to Justin. This has helped her to build a deep personal relationship and strong sense of trust with all her clients. Jan is open and available to her clients no matter the day or time, allowing them to reach out to her with more than just musical needs. But, Jan is careful to create boundaries that serve her and her client well in the relationship.

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