I’ve tried to stay quiet concerning all of the “body goals” posts Teyana Taylor inspired this past week. For those of you who do not know, there was a live music awards show hosted by MTV. And no matter how hard I try to enjoy a night of relaxation watching TV, my business hat just won’t stay off. Teyana had the opportunity to slam dunk in the sales arena twice this year and didn’t! Here’s five lessons any entrepreneur can learn from this mistake.
5 Lessons Teyana should have learned twice in 2016:
- Seize the opportunity
I do understand that the video debut was Kanye’s, but Teyana starring in the video made her a partner in the endeavor. She was trending on Twitter because of the video! He may not have given her all of the details for the release, but her team should have had a plan ready to strike the moment the video released. By the way, who is her PR & Marketing squad? Fire them: twice! There should be a TeyanaTaylor.com website up with a shop to purchase all the latest and greatest from her brand. Now, the Hip Hop Honors event was another opportunity she had more control to seize the opportunity to close the deal after such a stellar performance. Moral of the story: always have at lease one product ready to launch in the queue.
- Execute great marketing
Marketing is key: If you have not read Beyoncé’s Marketing Syllabus for Entrepreneurs please do! You do not have to be the best at what you do, but if you can monetize the gift/talent/skill then you are five steps ahead of the best. I don’t care if you are an artist, an entrepreneur, an author, stylist, consultant or whatever if you cannot monetize your talent you’re five steps behind. It is your job to be the best salesperson in your field. The best ideas must be sold. Let me share a secret with you: people buy you before they buy your product. Teyana: the people are sold on you, but you have nothing to sale! She did confirm she has Halloween costumes “the wet wig & coconut oil (Black girl hair staple) included” coming soon...but not soon enough!
- Timing is everything
The MTV Awards had 6.5 million viewers who were laser-focused on the who’s who in the entertainment industry. (According to the the NY Times) there were 45.8 million Facebook streams and 62.8 million viewer streams last Sunday. Teyana boasting 3.3 million Instagram followers and 1.1 million Twitter followers of her own had access to oh just about 59 million extra viewers Sunday night and Monday morning. Have we not learned anything from Beyoncé? She performed at Super Bowl 50 and immediately following opened Formation World Tour ticket sales: Marketing gold! Teyana since you’ve missed your window, might I suggest you drop the workout DVD 4th quarter as everyone is preparing to make New Year’s resolutions? Even with this frame of thinking, there is no guarantee that she will have access to 62.8 million potential buyers. Timing is everything. Timing. Is. Everything.
- No matter what your profession is, you sell whatever it is you do
Teyana’s last album VII was released November 4, 2014. It’s been two years; meanwhile Planet Fitness Membership Sales went up 80% after the video debut with no endorsement deal. She is a signed artist on Def Jam and the Twitter streets are saying the label is holding up releasing her next project...but they did increase her budget, thus she is back in the studio recording. It doesn’t matter when she has nothing to sell right now! Teyana can sell ab workout DVDs, butt work out DVDs, post-baby body work out DVDs, and dance workout DVDs without her music because those four benchmarks are various factors of who she is. The record label may be holding her music, but her branding team is holding her up!
- Teamwork makes the dream work
With the right team in place here are four streams of revenue/products Teyana could have released twice this year with the perfect timing:
- New music (Hey Def Jam, y’all are playing with your money)
- EP (Digital Release)
- LP (Digital Release)
- Single (Digital Release)
- 2017 Calendar Pre-orders (Serving all types of slayage we witnessed in the Fade video)
- Workout DVD (she says it’s coming soon, but soon is not now and she could have used the workout cover to start pre-orders)
- Athletic wear
Let’s not forget how she bodied her VH1 performance honoring Hip Hop rapper and icon Lil Kim during the Hip Hop Honors. These same principles would have applied for that opportunity as well. Def Jam KNEW Kanye recorded her in his music video; they should have had something brewing. Even if she couldn’t drop an album, she could have dropped a single at 12 am the night after the awards show aired! There should be a team to assist with marketing, branding, promotions, operations, and execution. Lil Kim gave Teyana an amazing opportunity and she did well. Kanye set her up nicely and millions of people are talking. The common denominator: she did not capitalize on the hype from either event. Who is this team? They’ve got to go!
The ‘Famous’ Effect
In Kanye’s infamous words, he “made her famous,” because after two days of the video premiere, Teyana did land two TV gigs in the Viacom family on VH1. Because my snoop detective skills are superb, I’ve noticed Teyana posted a picture on Instagram where her entire body is painted in all gold using the hashtag #Champions. If you know anything about music, it is Kanye West’s first single off his forthcoming LP Cruel Winter. Take these lessons and apply it for that launch Teyana. This advice is free, next time I’ll be invoicing you!
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The CEO and published author, Ask TPJ, is a millennial M.B.A. graduate in love with helping others fulfill purpose by working in the areas of writing, personal development, business leadership, and project management. Tricia J. specializes in non-profit organizations, project management, business administration, organizational strategy, and small business start-ups. She’s also a mom to a starting lineup of 5 little A’s. Check out her business blog: The Entrepreneur’s Guide to: for the latest merger of pop culture and business tips.
The most successful entrepreneurs like to live on the edge. We do “it” afraid. Many liken the experience to jumping off of a cliff and building an airplane on the way down. Taking a business risk reminds me of the pregnancy process: it’s exhilarating, taxes your body, drains your finances, it can be uncomfortable (please get used to being uncomfortable,) and you lose plenty of sleep. It has painful moments: moments of unsurety, it stretches you, makes you stronger, more flexible, and more fearless. The freedom an entrepreneur possesses is birthed through the experience that gives you your fearlessness: the birthing process. In the end, everything you experienced no matter how tumultuous, was worth it. Yes, we entrepreneurs take risks unlike any other, but what’s a normal journey look like anyway? Don’t fight it. Taking calculated risks in your can be one of the most freeing and rewarding experiences you will ever have.
In the words of entrepreneur, Ming Lee, “the best marketer wins.” And the award goes to... Mrs. Bootylicious Carter! Marketing talent is rare. She’s no Mary Kay Ash by creating network marketing, but all it takes is one post on social media and the BeyHive is spending tax money on Formation Tour tickets; paychecks on Ivy Park athletic gear; or fasting lunch to purchase the latest $20 album. How can this information help your business? Market your product/service in such a way that your customers praise your greatness without you having to tell them to do so! The best marketers know how to tell one hell of a page-turning story to grab your attention, keep your attention, and close the deal with the customer purchasing what’s been placed in the cart online. Geniuses close the deal!
It is a must you learn how to be a great storyteller as an entrepreneur. Authors typically sell their life experiences. Beyoncé took her alleged sour life experiences and turned them into a lucrative visual masterpiece. There’s no reason why you can’t sell your pain and profit from life’s misfortunes. Some take lemons and do nothing. Some are smart enough to make lemonade. Some make lemon drop martinis. But the entrepreneur distributes it as a product or service and makes a profit! Be like Beyoncé, profit from your life experiences.
