Why Marketing is NOT The Solution For Most Struggling Studios

Brian Hood (0:00)

This is the 6 Figure Home Studio Podcast, episode 8

SPEAKER_2 (0:07)

You're listening to the 6 Figure Home Studio Podcast, the number one resource for running a profitable home recording studio.

Brian Hood (0:19)

Hello and happy New Year. Welcome to 2018 This is the first episode of the New Year for the 6 Figure Home Studio Podcast. And as long as I did things right, this should be January 2nd. So hopefully, your hangover is over. Hopefully, you didn't make any massive mistakes on New Year's Eve.

And I know that although I'm recording this ahead of time, I probably had a very tame New Year's Eve because that's just how I am.

Today's episode is all about figuring out what to do next when you are struggling. This is kind of like a rehash or kind of like an in-depth conversation about a blog article I put out last year called Why Most Home Studios Fail to Make It. And it's based off of something called the Home Studio Hierarchy of Needs. And if that sounds like jargon, if it sounds confusing, do not worry about it, we explain everything in the episode. But I think this really is one of my favorite episodes we have done so far because it covers so many different aspects of what could be holding you back from success in your studio. And it's kind of the 30,000 foot view of different things that could be hurting your studio or different things that could potentially help your studio. So I think a lot of people, no matter what level they are in right now, will take away something from this episode. And for many of you, this may be an eye opener, a complete eye opener of the things you are doing wrong right now. So I don't typically like to have negative type articles or negative type podcast episodes about, you know, why you're failing or whatever. But honestly, these types of things are very important to know.

So before we go into today's episode, you need to know one thing, and that is there are show notes for these podcast episodes. If you just go to the sixfigurehomestudio.com/eight, you can get the show notes for today's episode. And it's important because we reference something that is visual. And I think it's going to help you if you can see what we're talking about as we're going through this. So again, that's sixfigurehomestudio.com/eight. And that's the number eight, not spelled out, but just the number eight.

So now here is the conversation between me and Chris.

Okay, Chris, so I am a struggling home studio owner. I don't know why I'm struggling. I don't know what to do. I am beating my head up against a wall. What do I do? How do I figure out where to go from here?

Chris Graham (2:28)

That's a good question. Essentially, what are the most important things that you need to do to run a home studio?

And what are the quote unquote best practices on how to build that up?

Brian Hood (2:41)

Yeah, so where do you even start if you're struggling, or if you can't find clients, or you're not making any money from your studio, or you are just out of things to do, to try?

Where can you turn to figure out what to do? And that is what today's episode is going to be about. It is a framework that is inspired by Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Chris, can you explain Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs quickly?

Chris Graham (3:05)

I've read about Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs in like half a dozen different books. It's constantly brought up as this fundamental thing that you need to understand to understand humans and why we do what we do.

It's essentially a pyramid, and the base of that pyramid, the first thing that all humans need, that they need before everything else, is physiological. And that's obviously breathing, food, water, sleep, pooping, et cetera.

SPEAKER_2 (3:32)

Yeah.

Brian Hood (3:32)

And what he's saying is if you don't have the physiological needs in place, like you don't have water right now, that is going to be your number one concern before you worry about anything else in your life. It's getting those things taken care of, food, water, and then whatever else is involved in the physiological needs.

And then what's the second step in the Metzl's Hierarchy of Needs?

Chris Graham (3:51)

Yeah, once your physiological needs are taken care of, then you move on and you deal with issues of safety, security, employment, resources, et cetera.

Brian Hood (4:03)

Yeah, it's like shelter and safety. It's like taking care of you, yourself, your family.