6 Figure Creative artwork

6 Figure Creative

311 episodes - English - Latest episode: 6 days ago - ★★★★★ - 299 ratings

6 Figure Creative is a podcast that helps freelance creatives earn more money by doing what they love. If you’re trying to avoid the never-ending grind of a 9–5, or just want to earn more money doing what you do best (creating), 6 Figure Creative is your new favorite show! Join host Brian Hood and his guests as they explore topics such as mental health, finances, sales, marketing, time management, the digital nomad lifestyle, and more.

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Episodes

#60: How To Build A Kickass Portfolio (And Get The Most Out Of It)

January 02, 2019 11:00 - 45 minutes

In this episode of The Six Figure Home Studio Podcast, Chris and Brian discuss the importance of your portfolio and how you can build yours to showcase your best work. Without a portfolio, a studio will have no way to show what they are capable of and anyone browsing the studio’s website will likely move on to the next option. A weak portfolio is just as bad. Make sure you absorb the content in this episode!

#59: How To Build An Audio Career 100% Online From Anywhere In The World: With Austin Hull

December 26, 2018 11:00 - 1 hour

Chris Graham and Brian Hood are joined by Austin Hull, a full-time producer from our own Facebook community. In this holiday-postponed episode, you can learn how Austin harnessed his own Facebook community to act as a nearly-endless source of leads — even though he never intended it to be one in the first place. Find out more about this impressive feat by listening to this episode of The Six Figure Home Studio Podcast.

#58: The 3 Roads To 6 Figures (Choose Wisely)

December 18, 2018 11:00 - 1 hour

In this episode, Chris Graham and Brian Hood discuss three main business models you can use to build your studio to six figures. Though you can try to use several models instead of choosing one, it is typically easier to focus on just one. Listen in to hear the pros and cons of the three business models which could boost your studio to new levels if executed correctly!

#57: How Recording Studios Can Get (and Stay) Out Of Debt

December 11, 2018 11:00 - 51 minutes

Brian and Assistant to the Regional Manager, Chris, discuss a big topic for people worldwide: debt. Many people struggle with debt, and Brian and Chris have had their fair share of experience on the topic. They give their advice on the matter so you can learn from their mistakes.

#56: Three Fundamentally Different Business Beliefs That Will Make Or Break You

December 04, 2018 11:00 - 33 minutes

In this episode of The Six Figure Home Studio, Chris rants about irresponsible business partners and contractors. Brian brings the discussion around to talk about the three business beliefs that can make or break your business. Listen to the episode to hear Chris and Brian discuss the ways that you can nurture or kill your business.

#55: Can You Have A Successful Career By Ripping Off Other Producers?

November 27, 2018 11:00 - 38 minutes

In this episode of The Six Figure Home Studio Podcast, Chris and Brian talk about the danger of getting stuck ripping off someone else’s work. To have a long-lived career in audio, you have to ensure that what you’re doing is unique and original to you. Imitation is not the way to go for long-term success, though it may be necessary when you’re first starting out. Listen to the episode to find out more!

#54: What Drug Dealers Can Teach Recording Studios

November 20, 2018 11:00 - 37 minutes

What does your studio have in common with the neighborhood dealer? You might be surprised! In this episode of The Six Figure Home Studio Podcast, Chris and Brian discuss how you can adopt a drug dealer’s business model to hook people on your studio’s services for life. Listen to the episode to find out more!

#53: The Six Figure Home Studio's Guide To Gear (For Recovering Gear Addicts)

November 13, 2018 11:00 - 1 hour

Deviating from the norm, Chris and Brian do away with the Gearslut Alert and devote an entire episode to gear. They discuss the obvious interfaces and microphones, but also tools to make productivity while traveling easier, desks, and more. Listen to this episode of the podcast to find out what tools they recommend for every studio owner, the answers might surprise you!

#53: The Six Figure Home Studio's Guide To Gear (For Recovering Gear Sluts)

November 13, 2018 11:00 - 1 hour

Deviating from the norm, Chris and Brian do away with the Gearslut Alert and devote an entire episode to gear. They discuss the obvious interfaces and microphones, but also tools to make productivity while traveling easier, desks, and more. Listen to this episode of the podcast to find out what tools they recommend for every studio owner, the answers might surprise you!

#52: Why Every Home Studio Owner Should Have A "Do NOT Do" List

November 06, 2018 11:00 - 41 minutes

In this episode of The Six Figure Home Studio Podcast Brian Hood and Chris Graham discuss the benefits of a do not do list. Having this list and checking it twice before moving on to your to-do list can help you structure your day and life in a much better fashion to become more productive. Listen to the episode now to find out the benefits you can reap following this system!

#51: Why Are Audio Engineers So Bad With Relationships?

October 30, 2018 10:00 - 42 minutes

Chris Graham and Brian Hood discuss the abysmal track record audio engineers have in their relationships, both personal and business. Find out some key tips on how you can improve your relationship skills to improve your business and your life simultaneously!

#50: Help! My Clients All Want To Do Their Own DIY Recordings

October 23, 2018 10:00 - 41 minutes

In this episode (recorded live in The Six Figure Home Studio Facebook Community), Brian and Chris discuss a dilemma faced by many engineers: artists who wish to record themselves. With more and more artists choosing the DIY option these days, how can you add value to them while still providing a service that they can’t do themselves?

#49: How To Answer THE Most Important Question: Why Should Someone Hire You?

October 16, 2018 10:00 - 50 minutes

In this advice buffet, podcast hosts Chris Graham and Brian Hood discuss how you can make your business stand out from the crowd. Find out why you need to be unique and what the best methods of doing differentiation are. Answering this one question will set your studio leaps and bounds ahead of the “me too” studio down the road.

#48: Side Hustles You Can Use To Transition Out Of Your Day Job (And Into Full-time Audio)

October 09, 2018 10:00 - 46 minutes

In this episode you’ll discover: Why having a side hustle isn’t selling out Why you need to consider what your side hustle is so you don’t devalue your studio work What skills can be gleaned from side-hustles that benefit your studio Basic non-audio side hustles that can earn you cash Audio-related side hustles How you can harness the “sharing economy” as a side hustle The new business that will let you use your audio skills while helping home studio owners achieve their dreams

#47: How Every Single Studio Can Build A "Referral Team" For Free

October 02, 2018 10:00 - 39 minutes

In this episode, Chris and Brian cover the importance of building a team not only for yourself, but for the added value to your clients. If you have the connections to a solid team of freelancers who you can refer artists to, you are adding value to both the artist and the freelancer, strengthening connections and creating a win/win/win situation.

#46: Graham Cochrane Teaches Us How One Free Source Of Marketing Can Change Your Business Forever

September 25, 2018 10:00 - 59 minutes

In this episode of The Six Figure Home Studio Podcast, Chris and Brian go in depth with Graham Cochrane, founder of The Recording Revolution and www.grahamcochrane.com. They discuss topics such as making time for the important things in life, tips for content marketing, and much, much more!

#45: How Studio Owners Are Multiplying Their Income And Minimizing Their Headaches Using The 80/20 Principle

September 18, 2018 10:00 - 59 minutes

In episode 45 of The Six Figure Home Studio Podcast, Brian and Chris discuss the 80/20 principle. This is something that affects not only your business but your personal relationships, your health, your hobbies, and so much more. Learn to harness the 80/20 principle so you can increase your income, happiness, and time available for the productivity in your life. You will also learn how to use the 80/20 principle to reduce the negatives in your life, from toxic people to gear addictions.

#44: The Three Awkward Client Conversations You Cannot Skip If You Want To Enjoy Your Career In Audio

September 11, 2018 10:00 - 41 minutes

In this episode, Brian and Chris cover the three hard conversations you need to have with every client in order to set the precedent from day one. These conversations will ensure your relationship can last not just through the project, but for the rest of your career.

#43: How To Get More Clients For Your Studio (Part 2)

September 04, 2018 10:00 - 52 minutes

Last week we showed you five different strategies you can use to generate leads for your studio. The problem is this... If you don’t know the right way to convert someone from a lead into a paying customer, none of those lead acquisition strategies will matter. In part two of this series, we’ll be discussing how to sell your services to these new leads in an ethical, effective, relevant way.

#42: How To Get More Clients For Your Studio (Part 1)

August 28, 2018 10:00 - 43 minutes

If you ask any struggling studio what their number 1 problem is, the answer will almost always be “we need more clients”. This is because no studio can survive without a consistent stream of paid work. In this series, we’ll be tackling this issue head-on. Our goal is for this series if for you have clarity on what steps you need to take in order to make this career an attainable goal instead of just a pipe-dream.

#41: Why It's Important To Have Small, Measurable Goals For Your Studio - Lessons From The Chinese Bamboo Tree

August 21, 2018 10:00 - 20 minutes

Striving towards a big overarching goal when starting your business is great to aim for. But without the ability to test and measure your progress along the way, there’s no way of knowing where you might end up.

#40: How We Use Checklists To Boost Our Income, Creativity, And Consistency

August 14, 2018 10:00 - 31 minutes

Checklists may seem dull and boring, but the reality is this: Checklists help you to systemize tasks in your business which frees you up to focus on the things that actually matter. The things that actually push the needle in your business. In this episode, Brian and Chris explain their thought process behind some of the checklists in their business and how you can start implementing them in yours today.

#39: What Fortnite, PUBG, and Other Video Games Can Teach Us About Running A Successful Business

August 07, 2018 10:00 - 42 minutes

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, the popularity of video games like Fortnite and PUBG has exploded over the past year. Is it possible to take what we learned from these games and apply it to running a business? You bet your sweet ass it’s possible, so enjoy this ridiculous episode of The Six Figure Home Studio Podcast.

#38: 10x Your Business By Identifying And Eliminating Your "Single Point Of Failure"

July 31, 2018 10:00 - 1 hour

You cannot be successful if you fail to address what we call “single points of failure” in your life. One of these alone could severely hamper your chances for success. In this episode, we explore many different potential “single points of failure” in our lives.

#37: The Niche Domination Checklist - Implement This Into Your Business ASAP!

July 24, 2018 10:00 - 50 minutes

We’ve all heard the phrase “the riches are in the niches”.... While this may be true, it’s important that you do a few specific things in order to make the most of your new audio niche. In this episode, we give you a checklist of things you need to implement ASAP in order to give yourself the best chance for success.

#36: Sync Licensing: The Gateway To Passive Income For Audio Entrepreneurs - With Travis Terrell

July 17, 2018 14:30 - 1 hour

Passive income is the Holy Grail of income types, but it’s something that eludes most audio entrepreneurs. Most of us simply trade dollars for hours. One way to start building passive income is to venture into the world of sync licensing. In this episode, we interviewed the CEO Soundstripe – a rapidly-growing micro sync licensing platform. He helps break down the wall of confusion and helps us make sense of what’s working in today’s world of sync licensing.

#35: The Secret To Happier Clients, Fewer Revisions, And Faster Projects

July 10, 2018 10:00 - 42 minutes

This episode is for anyone who’s ever gone “batch it crazy.”

#34: What Does The Future Hold For The Recording Industry?

July 03, 2018 10:00 - 41 minutes

Software has all but replaced the need for much of the popular hardware from 20+ years ago. What little hardware that is required to get started keeps getting cheaper and cheaper. Recording budgets have been shrinking, and many major studios have shut their doors. While many people have struggled and failed to adapt, massive opportunities have been opened up for the average home recording studio.

#33: 5 Studio Niches Ripe For The Taking

June 26, 2018 10:00 - 50 minutes

Working on BIG records for major artists is probably a dream for a lot of you and most likely a big reason why you got into this industry. The hard truth is that for most people, this won’t happen quickly. So listen as Brian and Chris break down 5 audio niches that you maybe didn’t know existed and could take advantage of today (even if you’re trying to break into another niche).

#32: The 5 Types of Audio Income

June 19, 2018 10:00 - 48 minutes

Consistent income is something that all of us strive for but most of us struggle with. While there are plenty of ways to make money in the audio industry, how do you know which one is right for you? Well in this episode, Brian and Chris break down the positives and negatives of the different ways that can help you pull in a consistent income.

#31: Overcoming Self-Doubt, Imposter Syndrome, And A Lack Of Self-Confidence In The Studio

June 12, 2018 10:00 - 49 minutes

Self-doubt is the biggest enemy to success that we see in our community. This is something that has prevented a lot of us from achieving our goals. If you’re unable to get out of your own damn way, then no amount of marketing, gear acquisition, audio training, or networking will make up for it. This episode explores the root cause of self-doubt, as well as some potential “seeds” of self-confidence that you can plant today in order to start the long journey of overcoming this crippling prob...

#30: 11 Highly-Effective Negotiation Tactics Any Audio Professional Can Use

June 05, 2018 11:30 - 54 minutes

Whether you realize it or not, you negotiate with people nearly every day of your life. Even if you refuse to negotiation, you’re STILL using negotiation tactics. In today’s episode, you’ll learn 11 negotiation tactics you can use in your career today, in order to earn more. So before you negotiate the rates on another project, buy another piece of gear, or sell off some unused equipment, this episode will help you improve one of the highest “dollar per hour” skills you could ever use.

#29: 12 Amazing Tools To Help You Run A Profitable Home Studio

May 29, 2018 10:00 - 50 minutes

We’ve all heard the quote “The right tool for the right job.” Well this especially true if you’re looking to optimize your business and grow it at an exponential level. In this episode, Brian and Chris break down their 12 favourite tools that have helped them both grow their businesses to where they are today.

#28: Warren Huart: Advice From A Multi-Platinum Producer With 196,000 YouTube Subscribers

May 22, 2018 10:00 - 36 minutes

Warren Huart has worked with bands like The Fray, Korn, and Aerosmith, and he’s worked on movies like Inglourious Basterds and Transformers. Further adding to his clout is his success on YouTube. With over 196000 subscribers and 17,000,000+ views, his tutorials are some of the most popular you’ll find online. If you’re ever lucky enough to meet someone like Warren, it’s best to do a lot more listening than talking...

#27: Saving Over $3,000 Per Month By “Downsizing To Profitability”: Matt Boudreau’s Story

May 15, 2018 10:00 - 1 hour

If you had the chance to run your studio out of a fancy commercial facility designed by Bill Putnam, would you take it? Most of us would jump at the chance...but is this the right move? Matt Boudreau was given this chance in 2007, and in this interview, you’ll hear how this quickly shifted from an opportunity of a lifetime, to one of the lowest points in his career.

#26 Systems You Can Implement TODAY In Order To Help Your Business Run More Efficiently

May 08, 2018 10:00 - 1 hour

Building great systems into your business will eliminate many of the unnecessary friction points that are holding you back from reaching your true potential. In this episode, Brian and Chris break down the systems they use in their companies and why they think it’s important for you to implement them in yours.

#25: What If You Were Starting Over In A New City WITHOUT Friends, Connections, or Gear?

May 01, 2018 10:00 - 59 minutes

In this episode, Chris and Brian live out a hypothetical scenario where they join the witness protection program, move to a new city and start their audio careers from scratch. Find out what they would do and how they would do it if they had to start all over again.

#24: 10 Ways To Wow Your Clients And Keep Them Coming Back For Life

April 24, 2018 10:00 - 55 minutes

This episode challenges you to see the upside of selfless service to your clients. Brian and Chris offer ten ways to help connect with your artists on a more personal level, ultimately nurturing relationships and showing how selfless service can really change the way your artists respond to your services.

#23: Why You MIGHT Need To Advertise Your Studio

April 17, 2018 10:00 - 45 minutes

In this episode, we will talk about why paid advertising is an important skill to develop in this fast-changing recording industry. We also discuss who should be investing time, money, and effort in paid advertising, and who should NOT be bothering with it.

#22: How Emily Got Hundreds Of Clients By Combining Two Passions To Create Her Niche

April 10, 2018 10:00 - 1 hour

This episode also kicks off a new series where we interview people who took two passions and combined them in a way that created a unique niche. On this week’s episode, you will learn how Emily has used unique niche to work with hundreds of clients and build a life that has allowed her to do what she loves...day in and day out.

#21: The One Thing That Will Guarantee Your Studio's Failure

April 03, 2018 10:00 - 51 minutes

Whether you run a small home business or a large multi-million dollar business, you will run into roadblocks. Your ability to “figure it the f*ck out” will be a large reason behind whether or not your company is successful or fails miserably.

#20: Should You Quit Your Dayjob To Start Recording Full Time?

March 27, 2018 10:00 - 49 minutes

Trying to run a recording studio AND maintain your day job? We get it...quitting your day job is not an easy decision to make. You could end up ruining your life by jumping ship at the wrong time or in the wrong scenario. The goal for this week’s episode is for you to have a better idea of whether it’s time for you to finally quit that damn day job or not.

#19: n00b Website Mistakes That Will Choke Out Your Business

March 20, 2018 10:00 - 59 minutes

Your studio’s website sucks and we can help.

#18: It’s Tax Season: Don't F*ck This Up

March 13, 2018 10:00 - 40 minutes

Taxes have always sucked ass, and they always will suck ass. Unfortunately taxes are impossible to (legally) avoid if you’re a freelancer, and the repercussions for evading taxes far outweigh any benefits you could ever gain from cheating.

#17: The 5 Stages Of A Successful Recording Career

March 06, 2018 11:00 - 1 hour

Everyone is going to be in different stages of their company but it’s important to know exactly what stage you’re in. Understanding these 5 stages and properly accessing which one you’re in is crucial for the next steps of your career.

#16: How To Avoid Nightmare Clients By Watching For These 8 Red Flags

February 27, 2018 11:00 - 54 minutes

When a new client contacts you, your immediate reaction is to take the money no matter what. The problem is that some projects can quickly turn into an absolute nightmare. This episode of The Six Figure Home Studio Podcast talks all about how you can spot nightmare projects before they start. Instead of saying “yes” to every single project, learn how saying “no” just might be the best thing you can do for the long-term enjoyment of your career.

#15: How To Conquer Burn Out And Prevent It From Ruining Your Career

February 20, 2018 11:00 - 1 hour

At some point in your career, you’ve probably experienced some form of burnout. It’s something everyone will experience at some point, and it can drain you both physically and emotionally. Understanding exactly what you can do to minimize or eliminate burnout is crucial if you want to push past it and have a long-lasting, happy, and healthy career.

#14: Social Skills: If You Don't Get This Right, Your Home Studio May Pay The Price

February 13, 2018 11:00 - 41 minutes

You’ve probably spent countless hours studying recording techniques, the nuances of different gear, and maybe even learning how to run your business effectively. You probably have NOT put much thought into the effect your social skills have on your business. The thing is... social skills can have a much bigger effect on your income than any other single skill. Your ability to get people to like you can go a long way when it comes to growing a home studio business.

#13: How Social Skills Helped Billy Decker Dominate The Nashville Mixing Scene

February 06, 2018 11:00 - 1 hour

Billy Decker is one of Nashville’s top country mix engineers and has worked with a large list of labels and independent artists. But more than just mixing, Billy is known to be one of the most kind, generous and passionate persons that you will ever meet.

#12: How To Choose a Profitable Niche For Your Studio

January 30, 2018 11:00 - 44 minutes

Answer this question: When it comes to your studio, what is the one thing that you're known for? If you can't answer that, it may be time to find some way to "niche down". Most people think that "niching down" means you’re going to be turning away money even when you aren’t making much to begin with. The reality is this: Your fear is keeping you from seeing the bigger picture. "The riches are in the niches," so this episode is all about helping you choose a profitable niche to dominate.