The Taylor Swift Playbook — Bold Moves, Loyal Fans, and Lasting Impact | Kevin Evers

Michael Gervais (0:00)

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Kevin Evers (1:28)

Taylor Swift is so persistent and she was so headstrong and she ended up breaking into a market that no one else thought existed. And I don't think we'd be sitting here talking about Taylor Swift today if she hadn't done that.

Michael Gervais (1:41)

What if one of the most powerful business minds of our time wasn't a CEO or founder and instead a singer-songwriter who's been redefining her brand strategy since the age of 13? Welcome back, or welcome to the Finding Mastery podcast, where we dive into the minds of the world's greatest thinkers and doers. I am your host, Dr Michael Gervais, by trade and training, a high-performance psychologist. And today we're diving into the business brilliance of Taylor Swift, and help us do that, I'm joined by Kevin Evers, Senior Editor at Harvard Business Review, and author of There's Nothing Like This, The Strategic Genius of Taylor Swift.

Kevin Evers (2:18)

Taylor is so successful and she's so popular, yet she makes bold decisions at times when you wouldn't think she would need to make those bold decisions.

Michael Gervais (2:27)

I got to know Kevin because he was the editor of my most recent book, The First Rule of Mastery. I just fell in love with the way that he thought, and I loved his deep knowledge and business reference points.

Kevin Evers (2:38)

She has never stopped creating. Over 20 years, she's never taken a break. She's gone through controversies, she's gone through challenges, the industry has shifted around her. Yet she always goes back to her number one priority, and that's making music.

Michael Gervais (2:51)

This is not about her songwriting or her latest megatour. It's about how she built a billion dollar brand using clarity, intense connection, and creative risk taking.

Kevin Evers (3:01)

She took another big risk when she decided to re-record her older hours. It's a bit of a crazy idea. Re-record your old music and tell your fans, don't listen to the old stuff, listen to the new stuff.

Michael Gervais (3:11)

So with that, let's jump right into this week's conversation with Kevin Evers. Kevin, welcome to Finding Mastery. I'm so happy to sit down and have this conversation with you. Congrats on a very successful launch of a book. There's Nothing Like This, The Strategic Genius of Taylor Swift. So let me just start at the top. What made you want to write this book?

Kevin Evers (3:38)

I mean this title very literally. There's Nothing Like This. In my mind, Taylor Swift belongs of the pantheon of music legends that include The Beatles, Elvis, Michael Jackson, Madonna. And she is such a great entrepreneur. She's such a great business mind. And I really wanted to dive deep into how she's been able to do this for so long.

Michael Gervais (4:02)

Okay, Kevin, as someone who's made business strategy or life work to really understand, I mean, you've read more books as a senior editor at Harvard Business Review than most people would ever begin to read on business, if you will. So what made you turn your attention to Taylor Swift as an example of an incredible business framework?

Kevin Evers (4:25)

I have to say it didn't take much soul searching. Taylor Swift is operating in an industry that's extremely brutal. We tend to cycle through stars and superstars as if they're fashion trends. Taylor has been doing this for 20 years, and she's more popular now than she's ever been. The Aris tour grossed over $2 billion. It's the highest grossing tour of all time. So I wanted to pull back the curtain, and I wanted to figure out how she's been able to do this for so long.