"Gain a true understanding of winning that can often be in learning from our mistakes" with Orville "Oh Yeah" Wright

Photo Credit: Sherman Wright

Orville "Oh Yeah" Wright is a seasoned professional in the music industry. He uses his songwriting abilities and talents to serve the public. He provides music to uplift and encourages others on their journey to success. His music is reaching many diverse communities and bringing them together with a common goal of victory for those who desire it. He applies the mindset of a humanitarian through music service and delivery.

What are the interview questions for entrepreneurs?

●     Can you tell our readers about your background?

I am an ASCAP singer, songwriter, and music producer of many different genres. Music has always been a part of my life with dancing, singing, and entertaining. A lot of my family has ties to music including my grandmother who sings and plays the piano. She was the one who taught many of my family to use our talents in music to demonstrate greatness. I am from Colorado Springs, Colorado and listened to a lot of genres including Pop, Jazz, Country, Rock, Rap, Hip-Hop, and R&B.

●     What inspired you to start your business?

What inspired me to start my business was observing first hand how many faults and flaws that the system has when it comes to musicians and content creators conducting business. I began as a music producer (as many others did and still do) that provided music to music libraries for users with subscriptions to use. One redundancy took place when a song was reused heavily to deter other users from wanting to use it. I also discovered that not all libraries are willing to accept new-comers as contributors. The many times being turned down from the libraries gave me enough fuel to become my own source as a sole contributor to a content creator's success. Though many of the outlets were exclusive, I discovered that I did not need them to make a sale. I decided to help a small select few creators with music production. I wanted to give users a different aspect of obtaining music that was more exclusive than a monthly subscription with a set of distribution releases. I learned and wanted to demonstrate how to be INCLUSIVE.

●     Where is your business based?

My business is based in the U.S. but serves across the globe. I started serving a small community of individuals that all collectively discovered are in a much broader community.

●     How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

I thought about how I was going to have business and be successful with music so I thought of Madonna. I learned how she built her empire and made history from the ground up. I realized that I could do the same. To start my business, I had to think of a name along with a logo. Being in the music industry, part of the name and logo were easy for me to figure out. I then had to become established and recognized across numerous platforms and am not done doing this as many more are being created today. I also knew about filing with my state department of taxation and assets along with the IRS starting my business. These were two important milestones of considering myself as a business. I came up with an LLC and a DBA (Doing business as). In the music industry, it is also important to be represented in a performance rights organization (PRO) such as ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, or GMR. Registering with these organizations is how additional revenue is collected for you as an artist or songwriter/ music producer and a publisher. Royalties are a vital method of receiving payments for music in businesses outside of direct sales.

●     What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

The most effective way for me to raise awareness has been through the promotion of my clients and vice versa. Happy clients return but before they return, they run and tell the town about the experience... good or bad. (Knock on wood) All of the experiences have been great so far and their promotion alone has helped to get my name into other households. Across different industries, the promotion has also left a great impact and influence on others that sparks the curiosity of my business and how to align beside it. One additional aspect impacting many in the content creator space is awareness through exclusive music products and services that music libraries do not truly present to the public. In the last few years, numerous accounts incurred copyright claims and strikes that even include take-down requests of content that features music they "thought" were exclusive. To be part of the solution, I knew that I could present to individuals and their brands a way to have music solely for themselves. My company creates music that clients can be a part of in the beginning process and have true representation for the end-goal they are trying to reach or message that is desired to be portrayed. Many new customers discover that they would like this form of protection and begin requests to my company. Many customers seek the "Oh Yeah" experience from my company thanks to the ecstatic reviews from previous clients.

●     What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

Honestly, the biggest challenge has been to say "No". I am often given challenges by clients but somehow overcome them with persistence and determination to make them happy with my many works. I am however a perfectionist as many other musicians are so I always think that I can do better. Somehow, the work and effort delivers the best to satisfy the expectation of every customer. I believe that the time has not yet come for me to be able to afford to say no, yet. Though I do feel the time is close, I need to continue obliging everyone the best to my abilities with music services in business. I did learned to say no to my wants but say yes to my needs. This applies when I need some time to sit back and reflect or decompress. Often in the past, I would move from one project to the next without having true moments to relax and that does in fact intensify stress. As a business, we need to learn to say no to somethings, sometimes.

●     How do you stay focused?

This is an anomaly. My focus is a beat and a few metronome clicks away from being lost. What I mean is that I focus on one song at a time. To micromanage myself in the process, I focus on small objectives in composing music. I determine the mood, the tempo, a particular melody, along with instruments that will construct the song. Every project has the same process so I figure the focus deals with consistency. The easier it is for me to remain consistent, the easier it is to focus and attain success.

●     How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

How I differentiate from "competition" is by incorporating collaboration over competition. I do not see myself as having opponents in this industry, though others will disagree with plenty of reasons. I believe in the inclusion and collaboration of others for the success of everyone who is willing to put forth effort. In my past, I focused on opponents but not on my growth or success and this is what presented a "set-back". For a while I compared my position and status with similar individuals in the same industry. I ended up in the same position as I started by chasing behind others. I wasted money (thousands of dollars), energy, and talent, having them channeled in the wrong outlets. Now I can say I am in a different place and have grown. While observing my "competition", I can figure out how to offer inclusion while shining and standing out with my brand that is connecting more personally with each client and new customer. I am sure my competition knows that I am offering everything but capitalism on a plate to everyone and the value just cannot be matched. I think one reason is due to the mission behind the drive not being similar to mine. In fact, it often becomes transparent for many of my competitors that they do not stand with the people nor do they desire to stand for them. As a result, the traffic comes to my business and brand. My business is becoming more of a household name than many competitors but remaining humble and grateful is what seems to keep me soaring above the rest.

●     What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

The most effective way for my brand and business to grow has been through theme songs. I never imagined that creating complete music compositions for others to highlight their works would become such a thriving approach. Theme songs alone have driven more traffic to me and now a long list of clients is created because of the desire to have the branded element of "Oh Yeah" on background music and in lyrical delivery. Currently, many of my fans are waiting for the next set of songs to be delivered that will be historical. Aside from this, I have not had much of a marketing strategy. All that I ever desired to give to the public is my brand, myself, and my missions. I believe that the established connections of human-to-human interaction have been the best approach next to theme songs. Everyone is consistently receiving a personal touch of myself and in that more realize that we are "like-minded". With that in mind, the laws of attraction fall into place and my business grows. Essentially as my business grows, the same occurs for my clients.

●     What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

The best advice that I can offer to new entrepreneurs is to line up the levels of success that you desire to achieve. I have not reached the success levels I am currently at by wishing and hoping for opportunities but I have determined where I can get and how I can get here. I have written so many notes about every aspect of business to reach success. This includes names of people and organizations that I can offer value to as can they for me. A true entrepreneur will think like a business person constantly and thoroughly. \

What this can intel is that you should think about the next "set" of moves that you need to take for your business. This is identical to chess and can land you a position and status "on top", learning about how to handle set-backs, face adversity head-on, and find triumph in struggles. We are always going to have ambitions for things to fall in line how we imagine them but life has its own rules in place. Every business person quickly understands how to get ahead of adversity. For every person aspiring to be successful regardless of the business or industry, gain a true understanding of winning that can often be in learning from our mistakes.

●     What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

My favorite app is Instagram. Facebook... ahem... Meta has done a good job with this platform, allowing the world of influencers and celebrities to connect with one another. I constantly engage with stories, posts, and comments with others. Many have included me in a lot of group conversations that eventually mold the members into members of a community or family. I do not read blogs but allow me to tell you about books. I am all over with this selection but I can read over-and-over "Monster" from Sanyika Shakur, "Gifted Hands" from Ben Carson, and "Culture Vultures" from Damon Dash. I have learned so much from these books and several others that make me grateful for my journey and the tribulations in it. I have learned how to understand others more and become more open-minded in order to become the best humanitarian of my abilities. I have also learned the best ways to conduct business, with whom to do business with, and when not to do business. I found a lot of similarities in perspectives with the writers and myself. I suggest to each person with business in mind to check them out.

●     What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

My favorite business tool is Zoom. It is a communication platform that is perfect for scheduling business meetings and One-on-One conferences. It is a favorite because it can connect me directly with clients without the need to disclose personal phone numbers. Meetings can be scheduled and also recorded for cross-referencing in the future. Zoom has helped me to continue business practices to further the extent of success for all parties.

●     Who is your business role model? Why?

My business role model is Damon Dash. I have watched his career in the music industry and TV & Film. I have seen his growth and focus on wins that matter despite what headlines may portray. Facing much adversity even with friendships and partnerships that have gone sour, he displays the poise that identifies him and his new team as fighters and survivors in the aftermath. He has built another empire from the ground up with a loving and supporting family. He also offers the most amazing advice for others to pick up when conducting similar business that he is most familiar with. He has also identified the ideal types of people to do business with as opposed from who you may think is the type to remain around. Dame Dash is indeed a great business role model for me.

●     How do you balance work and life?

Work and life balancing is tricky. There is never a shortcut or straight road of success when trying to balance the two. Life and business will always have unexpected occurrences that can demand immediate attention and imbalance. I do put forth efforts to balance the two by setting approximate time slots for activities of the two. The slots include half-hour periods to sort through business emails. Family time matters to me and ways to show support to my family is by taking time to have video chats and half-hour phone conversations. Date nights are still a thing for me so some slots on calendars will be full. Emergencies take place but being transparent helps me to function the best in both worlds. I occasionally have executives that will contact me in need of files and contracts to be signed and they can be demanding. For that reason, a little time may have to be taken to handle business for my future success. The same could apply to artists and content creator clients that may have an urgent matter. With certain projects, I fill my family in on the time that I could be pulled away to be transparent and offer comfort in "knowing". This is how I handle the balance of business and life.

●     What’s your favorite way to decompress?

The way that I look forward to decompressing is by watching my favorite set of movies at home. I have a few comedies and thrillers that I have memorized scene by scene. When I have overloads, I will often load up a movie in cue and relax with content that is not out of order and I am completely familiar with. I add into the equation my go-to snacks and drink, finding my grounding again. I forget about the momentary overloads and relax. This is how I decompress.

●     What do you have planned for the next six months?

For the next six months, I will be quite busy serving the public with more music and finding some common interests with a few investors for bigger projects. I also plan to have some music videos published and that will be intriguing to all. In most forms of art, I find new ways to project my creativity as well as the best ways to connect with the projected audiences. There is also going to be more investment in equipment. One of the greatest decisions for anyone in business is to continue investing in yourself and your brand. When you invest in your business and brand, you are setting a foundation for growth and success. My next six months will be busy if not exciting.

●     How can our readers connect with you?

I can be connected with across social media with the handle "@Ohyeahbeats". I spend a good amount of time responding to messages and comments, making sure that as many voices directed to me are heard and felt. Everyone can also stop by for the latest content on "Ohyeahbeats(dot)com". Understand that it may take a moment but it is a heart-felt mission to remain inclusive to all. I thank you all for your time and wish you the best on your journey towards success.

"The first hard part is starting, so just start" with Juliet Edjere

Photo credit: Litt Photography

Juliet Edjere founded Maze alongside Sarah Nantume and Winner Adebayo with a focus to connect people relocating with service providers, reduce moving costs and enable the optimization of customer journeys. Alongside her role as the CEO, Juliet leads product and business strategy at Maze.

She is obsessed with building things that solve problems and delight others, particularly with software and operations. The core of what she does is intrinsically motivated by understanding people, their processes, behaviours and what they’re trying to achieve. 

Outside her day-to-day managing of her company, Juliet is a Legal Practitioner with an educational background in Law and Business. She has a BSc in International Law and Diplomacy, LLB from the University of Birmingham, a PgDip in Legal Practice Course and LLM in Commercial Legal Practice.

Can you tell our readers about your background? 

I’m originally from Nigeria but currently residing in the UK. I work as a Content Marketing Lead and Technical Advisor where I manage all things API and no-code integration. On a day to day basis, I develop prototypes and products using low and no-code tools like Airtable and Zapier to effectively capture, understand and analyse data.

I am also the CEO and co-founder of a University of Birmingham-backed startup called Maze. Instead of the expensive, tedious and slow process of vetting services across the country, users can simply register with Maze and we do all the settlement interactions. 

We launched the startup out of a personal relocation story, and a desire to help others get a positive relocation experience. As the CEO and product lead, I manage the business direction, vision and culture. On the product side, I strategise the roadmap and prioritize what needs to be done to achieve the initiatives and strategic goals behind the product.

What inspired you to start your business? 

I grew up with an entrepreneurial mindset. I identify as a self-starter that understands that deciding to run your own business is a big decision. I always felt disconnected from the typical corporate dynamic so it was easy to find my footing within the startup industry.

As a product owner, I build micro tools to solve my own problems. My entrepreneurial nature rests on the realization that building is one thing and understanding the legalities to ensure products/services are policy compliant is another thing. Thus, my knowledge of law, tech and business management fused together made the journey easier.

Sarah Nantume [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-nantume/] is a legal professional with experience leading tech-driven initiatives. As the COO, she ensures the company's operations and services align with strategic goals and business needs. 

Winner Adebayo [https://www.linkedin.com/in/winner-adebayo/] is a Business Development Manager. She has varied experience in marketing and sales, project management, and research.

Where is your business based?

Maze is based in Birmingham, United Kingdom. The team is however based in various parts of the UK so we operate remotely.

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

The first step I took was deciding which area I wanted to venture into. I was inspired to create a solution I wish existed - providing an end-to-end solution for people relocating.

Then came getting the team together. I was keen on not being a solo founder because the value of a team with a more specialised focus in certain business areas was very important to me. I put together an extensive 21-page business plan and presented it to my two partners to get them on board with the idea.

After we got on the same page, I came up with a name that mirrors what we do and Maze seemed a very good fit. I created a landing page for signups, got endorsed by the University of Birmingham to operate in the UK under the Startup Visa and business operations began from there.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business? 

Our awareness strategy is primarily through inbound channels - leveraging personal networks, SEO, repeat clients & client referrals. The core of our customer acquisition strategy is using personal networks and leading a manual effort on social platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter. 

Maze also has a community of ‘relocators’ that’s growing rapidly. Through this medium, we help people connect to others relocating, answer questions, make friends and extend their network in their new city. Never underestimate the power of a community. 

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them? 

The startup environment is a very fast-paced and dynamic one. 

I had to learn to trust the abilities of my team to grow the business.

Before the business started, I had some prior startup experience and gained robust entrepreneurial experience as a YCombinator Startup School graduate and an early participant at the Founder Institute 2020, the world's largest pre-seed startup accelerator, amongst other accelerator programs. Thus, getting the team together to work on Maze was great for scalability.

How do you stay focused?

I plan my time effectively by automating my calendar and spreading time between tasks. I also ensure to take time off work and maintain a good work-life balance so my productivity level stays at its peak.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition? 

A major advantage over other relocation platforms is our end-to-end support from pre-arrival to settlement. With automated data processing, we place a high priority on data security. This saves time in comparison to traditionally manual processes.

People need community and inclusion. We understand that by capturing peoples’ desires, we’re one-third of the way there. People always consider others opinions and look for a community to share offers with. We facilitate this through our social well-being support.

We cater to the unique needs of our users, taking care of the time-consuming research from help finding a new home abroad, staying abreast of immigration laws, travel restrictions to help in understanding new cultures better.

Our services do not end on getting into the country, unlike immigration consultants. We help newcomers get set up for their new lives, find products and resources to hit the ground running. Once they are settled, we continue to provide them with tailored content and services so they do not feel isolated from the larger society. This allows for making decisions quickly and focusing on building a new life.

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business? 

Content Marketing - We provide value by creating high-quality content that resonates with the target audience. This includes a series of newsletters and articles to engage users & make them come back, build the website’s authority, create organic traffic and brand presence on issues faced by relocators. The marketing message relies on the storytelling of typical users. From navigating accommodation hassle, learning to set up a bank account, conquering loneliness and depression, to dealing with the policy implications.

Additionally, we leverage launch platforms like Show HackerNews, RemoteTools, BetaList and Betafy to get the word on new updates out there.

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs? 

The first hard part is starting, so just start. As you start out your entrepreneurial journey, position yourself to be portrayed in a positive light by building a startup that solves problems.

Take advantage of the learning process and work hard on getting your product or service out there. Don’t attempt to do it alone and don’t fall into the phase of planning for months without actually speaking to your (potential) users.

Another piece of advice I’ll give is to monetise as soon as possible. The goal is to not pay attention to vanity metrics that don’t grow the business but identify how many users are willing to pay to use your product or service. 

What's your favourite app, blog, and book? Why?

My favourite app is Notion. Maze works entirely on Notion, we use it to manage everything from tasks to OKRs, notes, finance tracking, pitch deck, CMS, roadmaps, library etc with in-app reminders. We also set up automation to get notified of any changes on Slack and via emails.

What's your favourite business tool or resource? Why?

YCombinator startup resources have helped in defining our activities at Maze. There are a lot of useful video and audio resources that cover product-market fit, lean startup model, traction generation, technology, and setting up the startup for scalability.

Who is your business role model? Why? 

As a person of colour in entrepreneurship, I highlight the strengths of black people in leadership. This is a wider net than just having one business role model. More representation means that gender and racial bias are being dispelled. 

It is important to see other people and realize that they can go after their dreams and really make a change in our world. Leading a black-owned business means amplifying representation as being a pivotal part of my input in my society. Your age, race, and personal circumstances should not be a disqualifying factor. 

How do you balance work and life? 

As an entrepreneur, it’s easy to forget to have a good work-life balance. I wake up as early as 3 AM and get on my laptop because I remember to update a task or I’m brainstorming a new idea. Notwithstanding, I try not to get burnt out so I know when to shut down.

What’s your favorite way to decompress? 

I love to travel. I previously started a service-based travel platform to help tourists plan, book, and manage their trips. However, when the pandemic hit in, I reviewed the strategy in early 2021 and pivoted to provide an end-to-end solution for people relocating.

I also love listening to music during my downtime.

What do you have planned for the next six months? 

We recently launched our website in the first week of February 2022. Over the next six months, operations will be focused on seamless integration of services which pose the biggest hurdles to newcomers. We are in the process of securing partnerships with reliable third-party service providers - institutions, movers, recruitment agencies, relocation management companies, travel agencies, housing agencies and ride-sharing services.

We intend to expand from a B2C model into an enterprise B2B model to facilitate global mobility, providing one-stop shop relocation services for corporations, government entities and consumers.

How can our readers connect with you?

To learn more about Maze you can visit https://trymaze.com.

My Personal Website: https://juliethiri.com. 

Social Media Handles:

Instagram: @juliethiri and https://instagram.com/trymazeapp/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/trymazeapp and @juliethiri 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/trymazeapp 

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/trymazeapp

Blog: https://trymaze.swish.ink

Feel free to ask questions & hit us up anytime!