So, what did I learn from Gene? (Other then his rather controversial views of women and marriage?) Well, he’s quite the entrepreneur. Here are two gems you can instantly apply to your own business:
1. KISS isn’t a rock and roll band, it’s a rock and roll brand. I’m probably dating myself here, but my first memory of KISS was seeing the other kids in elementary school carrying around KISS lunch boxes. What other rock and roll band had their photos on lunch boxes? Most lunch boxes back then were Disney and Warner Brothers characters, not rock and roll characters (and make no mistake about it, Gene IS a character).
When you read the book, he has this very interesting little side bar in there. When he was on tour, he was very concerned with things like having the KISS logo on the stage so people would see it, and that the promoters would correctly reproduce the KISS logo in the newspapers. Can you imagine some other popular bands getting bent out of shape over those details? Paul Stanley, the lead singer, focused more on the music and the songs, but Gene said while he was interested in the music, his number one concern was the business side of the music business. Which leads me to the second point.
2. Gene is a businessman first, rock and roll singer second. How many of you out there are a coach/consultant/graphic designer/speaker/writer/doctor/lawyer/bookkeeper, etc. first, and a businessperson second?
There’s a reason why KISS has made hundreds of millions (if not billions) of dollars over the years and why other rock bands don’t. There’s a reason why KISS is still touring and no one thinks it’s ridiculous that a bunch of 59-year-old men put on make up and platform shoes and sing rock and roll. Is it talent? No – they’re good of course, but by no stretch of the imagination are they the best musicians out there. It’s because they’re a rock and roll brand, not band.
So, how can you turn yourself into a brand? I would suggest one of the first places to start is by flipping your thinking around and turning yourself into a businessperson first and whatever it is you do second.
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