If you’re anything like most theater people, talking about money makes you sweat. It shuts you up. You dare not start a money conversation, because you’re afraid of unraveling a scary, nerve-wracking, discussion of something you don’t have and something you believe you’ll never get.
I remember it well, too. I was going into my first job at a ballet company and making $400 A MONTH, wondering, “How will I pay ALL of these student loans as a dancer and actor?!”
It seems impossible, doesn’t it.
Add in a national, theatrical shutdown where you can’t afford to BUY anything, let alone pay anything off!
Show business is hard (hopefully you knew that coming into it) and similarly, the money game can also be hard; especially if you’re relying on show business for it! But I need to wake you up and get you talking about the scary money, SOONER rather than later.
The later you wait to think about your money or talk about your money, the bigger, scarier and unmanageable your situation will get.
Do you know: I talk to older, established performers who STILL shrink up and inch away from talking about money?
Do you also know: I have older performers reaching out to me about their personal finances and they are still suffering from money mistakes that nobody educated them about years ago?
That shouldn’t have to be you.
I’m not promising your debt will vanish right away and I’m not selling you a get rich quick scheme. What I’m trying to show you is that if you don’t know where your money is going, you’ll never have any because you’ll always be wondering where it’s going.
You probably dream of continuing your education after college with private lessons, acting classes or dance classes? That requires money.
Do you want to get ahead in your career by attending a workshop by a casting director or choreographer? You need money for that, too.
You see, we’ve already started a list of future bills you’re going to want to take care of. It’s up to you whether you want to confidently pay for them like an adult or close your eyes, be a victim of the arts and pretend you’re “not in it for the money” until it’s too late, forcing you to either leave LA or NYC and give up everything you worked for. (Yes, the pandemic revealed MANY such people)
Are you a performer who is ready to take your career by the horns? Then you should do the same with your money! The performer who is ready to take responsibility for their career is the perfect candidate who will unapologetically learn responsible money practices.
Think about it…
The only upside is that you are successful in arts AND money!
That’s because the person wants to make it in show business knows that sacrifices must be made for the sake of something BIGGER in the future. The money game is the same.
There are a lot of delusional artists out there who think they can just roll through life while they continue to complain about being a victim to corporations, capitalism and the big men.
If that’s not you, join my mailing list to get fired up about building your wealthy, ARTISTIC life!
“And you are….?”
Who the hell am I, anyway?
I’m not your financial advisor or planner.
I’m just a guy who decided to start dancing when I was 18 (yeah, pretty late).
From there, I’ve made a career out of dancing, acting and singing, taking me from regional houses, ballet companies all the way to Radio City and being a soloist on a cast album.
That makes me a business owner. In between that I’ve also been a: server, cater waiter, wardrobe dresser, a dance teacher and I’ve even sold my belongings.
All of this while I was making it in show business and paying off my loans. Against all odds, I decided to make a career in theater as a sophomore in college, after never having danced before.
*I WAS SCARED*
What was just as scary as trying to get a job after only 3 full years of training was taking on debt to go into an industry I knew very little about at the time.
Guess what. I figured them BOTH out at the same time. I’m pretty proud of it, too. Why shouldn’t I be?
My debt was paid off in record time, I started saving for retirement, and I somehow landed my face in a New York Times Bestseller on personal finance!
At the same time, I was able to fulfill another interest of mine, travel and culture, for dirt cheap prices.
This isn’t an opportunity for me to brag. It’s an opportunity to show you that someone like you, entering into show business with debt, can be successful at both performing AND money.
That’s what you really want, right? To make a living in the arts, not continue the struggle!
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