Shared Success Blueprint:

Everything You Need to Know to Make It in Business

Tiffany Gaines

• Publisher: Tiffany Gaines
• Year: 2021
• ISBN:
  9781087981291
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Negocios y empresa
• Subtopic: Negocios en general

The moment you decide to be your own boss, you're in for a transformation- a change of mindset, work ethics, and a lot more to make something out of nothing. But it's not as difficult as it may seem from a distance.

This book conveys the vital elements needed to succeed in an industry. As the name suggests, it serves as a blueprint for entrepreneurs seeking knowledge to enhance their potential growth and succeed as entrepreneurs.

Tiffany Gaines sits currently as a CEO, COO, Vice President, Entertainment Manager, Publicist, Music Distributor, Writer and Author on a mission towards changing lives one day at a time.

She is the founder and CEO of SS Global Entertainment, the first female-founded company to solely contract with over 50 record labels and over 4, 000 artists, managers, producers, and entrepreneurs. Her mission is to create a culture shift of collaboration among both independent and mainstream artists, music executives, record labels, networks, and brands to build mutually beneficial partnerships. Gaines also serves on the Board of the Southern California Women's Chamber of Commerce and has been featured in publications such as Yahoo Finance, Medium, Thrive Global, and in June 2021 was an honoree on the Forbes Next 1000 list.

Chapter 1: The Decision to be Your Best Self

“People don't buy what you do; they buy why you do it. And what you do simply proves what you believe.”

― Simon Sinek, Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action

I’m sure everyone’s familiar with the saying, “necessity is the mother of invention,” but what we need to speak more about is how innovation is the basic instrument required for entrepreneurship. Inventions and innovations are both interlinked to one simple goal, i.e., helping others—be it making their lives easier or coming up with ideas to make this world a better place for all. Now, as an entrepreneur, your job is to acquire the right amount of resources through ethical means and to allocate these recourses in such a manner that only the most favorable outcome is generated… sounds quite simple, right? Trust me, it isn’t as simple as it sounds, however, it isn’t that complicated either. To be precise, no matter what market you’re aiming for or what your goals are, the fundamental principles are the same for everyone. There are certain do’s and don’ts you need to look out for of course, but for the most part, once you align those things with the proper perspective, you’ll be good to go. Although people have observed the charm and benefits surrounding entrepreneurship, what they need to realize is that it takes a lot to be a successfully respected entrepreneur. First and foremost, you need to start by aiming to be the absolute best version of yourself. You can’t afford to be anything other than that if your goal is to succeed in any highly competitive market. Take it from an entrepreneur who has gone through hell and back to get to where I am today—we take our profession very seriously; we also understand the significance of being the best at what we do. Being innovative and making sure everything we invest in our business stems from honesty, transparency, and our passion to help others. If the success we generate from our business is infiltrated by deception or lies, that’s when I believe the entire purpose of being an entrepreneur is defeated.

My journey to success wasn’t exactly all rainbows and sunshine. I have had to fight my way through the industry in order to get to where I stand today. My encounter with the entertainment spectrum opened my eyes, and I was able to see the world for what it really was. Deception and fraud were rampant like mold on the walls of an old, untouched house; disgusting and hard to get rid of. It was suffocating to the point that I decided I had to take matters into my own hands. There’s this constant pressure to do better than your peers, and I saw a lot of that at the beginning of my career; it bothered me to a great extent. I personally believe in celebrating the success of individuals as they reach new heights rather than witnessing them envy the next person. That a sense of accomplishment is something people should derive on their own instead of obtaining it at the expense of another man’s loss. The one thing you’ll learn about as you continue diving into my journey is that my heart always leans toward the cause of helping others and, most of all, sharing my success with them. While I understand how much validation means to humans, whether it’s big or small, I too would love to have thousands of people speaking about how I helped them see life from a more positive perspective. But what I have found holds more value and purpose along this path is dedicating as much time and energy as possible to helping others discover alternatives that allow them to live a purpose-filled life. The amount of gratitude I receive back in return is worth more to me than having all the money in the world but no one to share it with. Celebrating others and their accomplishments to me is most fulfilling.

You see, this is another vital aspect of being a successful entrepreneur. Your success shouldn’t be confined to the amount of wealth you’re able to generate. I believe an individual’s success, especially an entrepreneur’s, is defined by the extent to which they are able to help others. Did they leave a mark? Will people remember them for their kindness and compassion rather than for their power and wealth? If it is truly your intention to become an entrepreneur but you aren’t helping others by using your platform, skills, and servicing to provide them with opportunities, making their lives better, what exactly do you perceive yourself doing? At some point, you’re going to realize that you lack purpose and reason if you fail to help people see their true potential. The genuine purpose of life lies in helping. If you begin adopting this approach instead of believing the superficial meaning of success society has fooled you into chasing, then, believe me, success in its very true essence is bound to chase you. Entrepreneurship involves the passion for empowering others. If you aren’t on the same page with me here, it sounds like you might just be in it for yourself. And if that’s the case, you may want to re-evaluate your “why”, because most people will see right through you. The key to becoming a great entrepreneur is not figuring out ways you can get more clients to buy into your product or services. Instead, it is studying and researching for the right product or service that you can offer your clients which will, in turn, create a sense of value to what you offer to them. This approach will keep them coming back because they know you actually care enough about delivering the results that you have researched specifically to meet their needs and expectations. Once this is accomplished, all you have to do is make sure you over-deliver.

The minute I figured out this concept was working for me, I decided to go against the grain. When it came to what I focused on in terms of rising in the industry, I no longer cared so much about what success looked like. Instead, my primary focus became what my clients felt about my servicing. The minute I shifted gears, my entire circle of professionals started to deplete and grow simultaneously. From those who were superficial, focusing mostly on glamour, fame, and high fashion to others who prioritized long-term success such as real estate, eCommerce, stocks, education, investments, etc. While so many left quietly, others joined willfully and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Remember these words… Society places a deceptive view on what success truly is: Fancy cars, million-dollar homes, riches, fame, jewelry, etc. But most who are successful or even come close to obtaining the million-dollar dream and/or lifestyle won't even be remotely interested in all of these things as a priority at all. Why? Because they've worked too hard to get to where they are and in the process have learned how to apply the value of the dollar via the equation of the amount of work and effort it took to earn it. In other words, if it took five years to earn one million dollars, it probably would not be the first thought to go buy a million-dollar home the minute you reached that goal. Again, why? Because it might take another five years if not more to do it again.

Look, we are ALL trying to progress in life. Some are working harder and seeing more results while others stay stagnant year after year. Your progression or regression (or what I like to call your “seesaw” stage) should remain your main focus. Most successful people are quick to congratulate others while they grow, because they can relate, while the unsuccessful are quick to assume, find fault and come up with meaningless issues with regard to why others have it better than they do. They would rather invoke fear, caution, and worry relating to why taking leaps of faith outside of their comfort zone may not be such a great idea. Such people are usually the ones that you see have so much potential, and might even propose great ideas and opportunities, yet never seem to follow through. Please don't let that be you. Instead, let someone's advancements encourage you to be better and to do better for yourself. Learn to grow and experience life on your own terms and despite what anyone may say about your dreams, as long as you remain passionate about pursuing them, that’s all that matters in the end.

Now, back to my “seesaw” theory, please understand that it is normal to see ups and downs within your professional journey. The time period of trial and error should be expected to run through at any given time because not only is society, the advancement of technology, and you yourself evolving, but your blueprint will also naturally follow suit. Just remember, when these hiccups draw in, accept the challenge rather than complain. Be thankful that you were actually able to spot the issue dead on before it took a turn for the worse.

As for me, being a part of the music industry, I had to witness all sorts of vile and disgusting practices, misogynistic and cruel mindsets, and vicious traps people in the industry set for the rookies. I came across people who exploited their power, abused their authority, and took advantage of people’s naivety. All that glitters isn’t gold if only I had realized this way sooner. Sadly, the industry is also filled with people who are wandering aimlessly just in hopes of achieving their true purpose in life. I have had to witness the hopelessness in the eyes of individuals who genuinely had a passion for their skills and gifts where all they truly wanted was a chance to reveal their talents to the world. I also found their hopelessness and misery gut-wrenchingly painful. Especially when I saw the dark clouds enveloping them, it was at that time when the true purpose of my life came to me as a direct, in your face, epiphany. I knew I had to do something for them. I had to be a savior among all the beasts that resided in the industry. At least, that was the intention. Along with talented individuals, the music industry is also home to liars, manipulators, scam artists, hustlers, and thieves. Many of them hide beneath their masks of politeness, fake promises, and lies, making it hard for the people in the industry to identify them for who they really are. In the midst of it all, the struggling artists are always the ones who suffer at the hand of these fraudsters and slick executives who make false promises of a golden future but provide nothing but conceit.

It all started when I was able to convince the models and musicians that I worked with to come and work for me. I had to be persuasive by assuring them that I only had their best interests at heart. This was as important to me as it was to them. Let’s just say that I was able to pull through and generate my success by creating several opportunities for people who deserved it, along with making these opportunities accessible to them. My main purpose was to help these individuals reach their goals without compromising their self-worth and self-esteem. Along my journey, I was exposed to the dark side of the industry, which, for the most part, isn’t visible to the outside world. But as an insider, you see how the façade swallows the naïve up without warning. The entertainment industry, as a whole, is a world encumbered by alcohol, drugs, over-sexualized depictions of women, celebrity nightlife, pimping, drug dealing and so much more but for now, we will just leave it at what most perceive which from my experience is true. I was exposed to the deception of fame and money and how everyone who fell into these traps was desperate to prove themselves. From there, I didn’t go searching for my journey towards success; it found me. I knew the minute I started seeing the deception that my purpose had been established.

Considering the way the world works, people have a hard time trusting others. Fear and skepticism follow them everywhere, especially when they have a lot on the line—a lot to lose. I think people should be very cautious about who they trust with their work, fears, weaknesses, and insecurities. However, that isn’t to say that those who can be trusted should not be trusted a hundred percent. I believe that we need to find the balance between caution and trust and learn to give the benefit of the doubt to some as well. I understand how it is considerably hard, especially when executives also contribute to the corruption of the industry by charging so much and under-delivering. This is why I decided to intervene and make things different for my clients. This is where my purpose for helping others spoke volumes. In fact, I became so obsessed with the concept, that I named my second company SS “Shared Success” Global Entertainment. But we will get into that later in the chapters.

I was fortunate enough to read between the lines and see through all the lies and deception of what comes with associating yourself with the industry and because of this, I refused to sell out for the obvious options placed in front of me. For one, it is sad to see how so many females in the industry in high positions either come up through submitting and compromising themselves to higher-level executives who promise them the world, or how they have to work harder than the average professional to show they are worth being taken seriously. I was the latter. Instead of working with th...

Table of contents

• Half-Title
• Full-Title
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Acknowledgment
• About The Author
• Chapter 1: The Decision To Be Your Best Self
• Chapter 2: Connecting The Dots & Establishing Your 'Why'
• Chapter 3: The Real Enemy
• Chapter 4: Take Risks
• Chapter 5: Open Doors
• Chapter 6: Finding Balance
• Chapter 7: Happiness, Happens In Moments
• Chapter 8: Stop Dreaming & Wake Up
• Chapter 9: Value Or Money
• Chapter 10: The Perspective Of An Entrepreneur
• Chapter 11: B For Business
• Chapter 12: Making Your Mark
• Chapter 13: The Story Of Success
• Chapter 14: Shared Success Blueprint