Do you have a talent that you’d like to turn into a new business?
You may want to take a few notes from world-class guitarist, John
Antone. From a young age, John dedicated countless hours to creating
captivating music. When it was time to get a “real job” he didn’t want
to give up his passion for his career. So he picked up and moved to
Hollywood, attended the famed Musicians Institute and became a
highly-paid studio musician in Southern California.
In
1996, at age 28, John found that this creative fulfillment wasn’t
enough. So he opened his dream business – Axis Music Academy – which
today has numerous locations and annual revenues of over $1.2 million
for 2005.
Listen in as John Antone shares some the key moves
that made his startup business a success, including his careful
selection of an advisory board. To learn more about John’s key moves tune your dial to StartupNation Radio and read Turning a Talent into a Successful Business.
Selected Q & A transcripts from this radio show
Q&A - Licensing an invention
Q&A - Setting up a franchise business
Q&A - Scaling a business and finding angel investors
About John Antone
John
Antone, founder of Axis Music Academy, came from rather simple
beginnings. That’s probably why he takes being the CEO of one of the
most exciting, progressive music businesses in the nation with a grain
of humility and understatement. In late 1996, John founded Axis Music
Academy, which started out as a four-studio, 400-square-foot leased
space. Shortly after opening its doors, Axis Music expanded to 12
lesson studios. Since 2001, Axis Music has opened two more academy
locations and started Axis Music @Home, a division strictly for
outbound instructors. The next academy is slated to open in May 2006.
Plans for further expansion are in the works, and talks of a regional
launch have already begun. Not bad for an upstart musician with a
dream…