Dear Creative,
Lots of people message me to ask “Do I need a Manager?” or “What would a manager do for me?”.
I used to find it very weird because I expected creatives or influencers to know the benefits of having a manager. I assumed that knowledge was established in an industry that needs more representation than any other.
I believe people want me to convince them why they need a manager and the reality is that most professional creatives do not think they need one because they believe they are equipped with what it takes to succeed. This can be true but it takes a certain level of dedication and multitasking skill to achieve considerable success. Time is the most important tool for a creative, would you rather spend days negotiating a deal or creating?
Would you prefer to spend weeks marketing a product or perfecting your art?
Would you prefer to spend days in meetings, on calls, responding to correspondence, creating strategy, or creating?
Knowing and doing it all by oneself will surely delay the ability of a creative to deliver excellent work and make the best of their situation.
Having spent over a year as a manager for a content creator and influencer, my first answer to the earlier question is You don’t need a Manager. Lots of creatives have proceeded to ask me, why? This is what I tell them, before you get to the point of asking if you need a manager or deciding to get one, there are certain ‘’ don’ts’’ you must address within yourself. If you don’t address them, dear creative you don’t need a manager, you can do it yourself. But if you feel you do? Here’s the “don’t’’ you must address.
- You don’t want to be accountable:
Hiring a manager means having accountability. Due to the nature of creativity, a lot of creatives struggle accountability. You want to be successful but you don’t want the responsibility that comes with it. A manager will hold you accountable to your word and actions, As clearly stated in a contractual agreement. To achieve anything great or meaningful the creative has to consistently show up as the manager does. You can’t expect a manager to move mountains and you don’t put in the work, There would be no results. When its time to create, create to the best of your ability and let the manager play his role. Advising, correcting, and guiding you. If you don’t want to be accountable, You don’t need a manager.
2. You don’t want to work
This is as simple as it gets. To achieve considerable success, you must be willing to work for it. Getting a manager means more work. You must be willing to wake up every day willing to work and make the most of your opportunity. The more successful you become the more work there is to do to maintain it. If you aren’t willing to work, You don’t need a manager.
3. You don’t have talent
A Manager’s work is to manage (I’ll go into more detail in the next article). If there isn’t anything to manage, a manager cannot work. There must be something that has the potential to grow, succeed, or bring in revenue. Not every talent has the potential to scale, assess yourself. You may just need an assistant or secretary to aid your work than a manager.
4. You don’t want to Pay
You are buying time, which is the most important thing for a creative. The more time you have to focus on your art the higher revenue you may be able to generate. You are paying for someone to aid you on the journey to achieving your dreams. Managers earn their living from Managing. If you don’t have the money to pay, ensure there’s a signed agreement between yourself and the manager, that clearly states each person’s percentage if your work begins to be noticed and revenue starts coming in. If you don’t intend to pay your manager either presently or in the future, you don’t need one.
There are more questions but I’ll leave with these four. If you do assess correctly, then, you may just be ready to ask me, why do I need a manager?, Which I will answer in detail in the next article.
Cheers.
