The 12 Days of Giveaways has officially begun! For the next 12 consecutive days, I will be drawing one random aDJthought.com subscriber and that person will be receiving their choice of any one (1) of the items listed below to help kick start their 2017.
I am doing this for three reasons:
- First and foremost, these giveaways are to say “thank you” to you and the rest of my readership for their support this year. After some on-and-off writing, I’ve re-committed to one post every week for you and the response has been really great. Your comments and feedback are the fuel I need to continue writing and sharing.
- I am hoping to find additional quality readers, like yourself, to further add to that “fuel” that keeps me going. I am a mobile DJ… a large part of me responds/requires feedback to do what I do (rightly, wrongly or otherwise). With more readers, you’ll all get to hear better and more valuable content from me. If you know of a mobile DJ who needs/could use a little inspiration, please share this blog with them.
- Lastly, I’d like to turn you on to some of the tools which have contributed to my path over the past 6 years. In February 2011 I was an average DJ, doing what “everyone else” did (or so I thought). I then met some people who decided long ago to leave being “average” behind. I learned from them, I followed them, I explored with them and I then carved my own path through the knowledge I’d acquired. These are some of the many tools I discovered through those people (and these tools are for this giveaway) and it is my hope, if some of them are new to you, that these tools will help kick start your 2017 in an amazing way.
Getting What You’re Worth (prize already won)
The worlds top earning and most successful mobile DJs in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom & Australia credit Mark Ferrell’s Getting What You’re Worth with providing them the perspective and motivation required to truly get what they’re worth, regardless of their market conditions. You will be blown away with how life changing just a 3-1/2 hour seminar can truly be.
The Best Wedding Reception… EVER! (prize already won)
For me, this is the book that started it all. A DJ colleague showed it to me, which made me go “huh?!”, which led to that fateful trip in 2011 to Mobile Beat Las Vegas, and the rest, as they say, is history. This book, by former ADJA president and WED Guild founder, Peter Merry, has pages and pages of inspiration (including ideas from many contributing DJs) for brides, grooms and DJs alike.
Personalities for Business
In only 70, quick and easy to read pages, author, speaker and personality trainer, Vickie Musni, rapidly provides the tools for allowing you to connect with anyone of any personality type. Vickie’s material is easy to read, easy to understand and easy to implement. Since studying Vickie’s material, I have become better at vendor networking, I have become a better performer and I have become a MUCH better salesperson.
Profit First (prize already won)
2016 — this year — was the very first year I understood what my business bank account ACTUALLY meant. I’m not afraid to admit it. I didn’t have the control over my business income that I now do. The concepts and ideas presented in Profit First have helped put my DJ business into a far better financial position then ever before. I only wish someone would have exposed me to this book when I first started business all those years ago because the method is so easy to follow!
Celebrate Life (prize already won)
I am unsure how to describe, in just a few short sentences, what this book is beginning to mean to me. All I will say is that one of the most recognizable performers in the mobile DJ world, Marcello Pedalino, has put into book format what he uses to manage his life and stay at the top of his game in the non-stop busy world of running a DJ business in New Jersey. From physical fitness, mental well being, positive attitudes, and so much more, the pages of this uniquely special book (you’ll understand when you hold it in your hands) demonstrate that our daily decisions are the only thing standing in the way of what we’re capable of. All it takes is good, solid, daily choices and you too can “live it up”, as Marcello is well known for saying. This book is really helping me set the course for 2017.
1% Solution, Vol. 1 (original vol. 1 for giveaway) (prize already won)
Randy Bartlett, frequent seminar presenter at DJ conferences and MC workshop host, founded the 1% Solution DVD series on the premise that small changes to what we do can and should be able to produce massive results. From MC and DJ performance to specialty production, there are very few topics that Randy (and co-host/producer Mike Anderson) haven’t have covered in these incredibly valuable DVDs. There are now 7 volumes in the wildly popular 1% Solution DVD series, likely making them the most well known set of DVD tutorials for mobile DJs.
Sales 4 Event Pros (prize already won)
I have learned the overwhelming majority of my sales skills from Mitch Taylor. This Jeffrey Gitomer certified sales coach is also a full time mobile DJ that has sales for event professionals completely figured out. Since witnessing Mitch present Creative Consultations at Mobile Beat Las Vegas in 2011 (the seminar is available on DVD), I’ve stayed tuned to everything this man has to say (and I’ve watched that seminar 20 – 30 times!). With the recent publication of his book, Sales 4 Event Pros, Mitch has documented every tool you need for taking your skills to the next level.
Keys to a Great DJ & MC Performance (prize already won)
As I was recently telling another DJ, I didn’t fully understand HOW I knew what the music was doing when I began to mix out, I just knew it was right! But when Mike Walter, author, DJ seminar presenter, PHDJ workshop host, broke down the basics of beat mixing in this DVD, things really started to click! I didn’t know anything about beat mixing when I first started DJing and for the first 15 years or so, I didn’t even give it a second thought. Mike’s Keys to a Great DJ & MC Performance DVD further encouraged me down the mixing road and the MC education he provides, while very different on the American East coast then in other places, is very educational, informative and inspiring.
The Go-Giver (prize already won)
This will be the toughest summary for me to write. I’d like to simply leave you with the fact that I have listened to the audio book format of this story and read the actual paper book at least 8 or 9 times in the 6 months since it was introduced to me. Isn’t that enough of an endorsement for you? In short… The Go-Giver is a story about a guy named Joe who meets a man named Pindar. Joe is a guy who is struggling to make his sales quota at work and Pindar, through a variety of remarkable stories, shares with Joe what he calls, the 5 laws of stratospheric success. If you have not heard of this book, it will be nothing like you expect. It is short, easy to read, and I guarantee you’ll want to start it over again the moment it ends. This book is easily as life changing as Mark Ferrell’s GWYW. Many friends and DJ colleagues have written to me personally, thanking me for publicly sharing about this book on Facebook, as I’ve done numerous times, because of the impact it has had on their life. Life. Changing. Get it now.
Disc Jockey News (subscription for giveaway) (prize already won)
Disc Jockey News is probably one of the most comprehensive educational resources out there for mobile DJs. In addition to an actual print newspaper (and electronic edition), Disc Jockey News is also the presenter of Disc Jockey New TV, which often records most weeknights while streaming live and with different guest presenters. I’ve learned a lot by tuning into what John Young and his guests often have to share.
The Wedding MC / Wedding Toasts Made Easy
Tom Haibeck, author of The Wedding MC and Wedding Toasts Made Easy, provided me with one of my first glimpses into what becoming a true wedding MC (in addition to my role as a DJ) might look like. As mentioned in a recent blog post about wedding toasts, I now provide the electronic version of his wedding toasts book to each person speaking at weddings I am working with. This book has contributed greatly to the success of my weddings.
Tools of Titans (prize already won)
I haven’t read this book yet, but I feel completely and 100% confident in putting it on this list of things to get your 2017 kick started in the right direction. It is a distilled, print version, of the over 200 interviews Tim Ferriss has conducted with billionaires, business icons and world class performers for his podcast, The Tim Ferriss Show. Tim’s purpose with his show is to discover the tactics, routines and habits of those he is interviewing. The topics and people are always fascinating and what I’ve learned for benefit of my business and performance has blown me away. I received this book for Christmas and will be devouring it shortly!
Oh Say Can You Say (this is a +1 to the list) (prize already won)
If you’re thinking this odd sounding title sounds like a Dr. Seuss book, you would be right. When DJ & MC and host of the Entertainment Experience, Bill Hermann, joked that I should give away this Dr. Seuss book, I agreed to take him up on that challenge. Since spending a lot of time in MC performance training workshops over the last couple of years, I now more than ever, fully appreciate the vocal and performance training required to truly MC a wedding. Reading Dr. Seuss is an incredible exercise (stop laughing, I am serious!) to further expand your MC skills. If you choose this book as your prize, I am going to insist that Bill sign a copy of it for you. We’ll see how that part goes…
There you have it… 12 incredible tools (plus a Dr. Seuss book!) for you to make 2017 your best year yet.
Share this list with a DJ friend and start working on things together. That is the best way to ensure you and your friend success!
Thank you for an amazing year here at aDJthought.com. I appreciate your support and you’ll be receiving more content from me again in the new year!
Chat soon,
~ Dave