Biz Lessons we can learn from The Chainsmokers

I remember the first time I heard the obnoxious, awful single #SELFIE. Like, it’s seriously the worst, but hella memorable. After Shazam-ing it, I thought to myself, “Chainsmokers”? What is this song, who are these people, this has got to be a joke.

Fast forward three years later. It’s 2017 and The Chainsmokers are everywhere. They are insanely successful, breaking records, and dominating the radio. Even my mom knows their music. The chance of hearing one of their songs on at least one radio station at any time is pretty likely. As soon as you’ve learned all the words to their latest tune, they put out something new. Their songs are catchy and full of energy. We can learn a few lessons in our own businesses, blogs, and online shops from these guys.

You’ve Gotta Start Somewhere

After some research, I learned #SELFIE isn’t The Chainsmokers’ first single, however it is the song who got their name out there. It made an impression and went viral. It was bad and people loved to hate it.

Maybe what you’re putting out right now, as a beginner, isn’t the best. Whether it’s blog posts or products in your Etsy shop, you have to start somewhere and it’s a known fact that those starter projects are less than great. I’ve been there – the first designs I had in my Etsy shop were pretty ugly. The presentation of them wasn’t good at all and the listing descriptions were lacking severely.

Keep Improving

The first things you put out there won’t be the best, but they will be a great base to build and improve upon. You’ve got to start somewhere and everyone begins at zero. Getting feedback and experience will allow you to create and adjust to give the people, readers, and buyers what they want.

There’s nothing to improve if you don’t actually start. Accept that where you begin isn’t where you’ll end and being a beginner isn’t forever. Keep at it, whatever it may be – writing blog posts, creating new product, launching services, or dropping singles.

Move Past Mistakes

Did you know that The Chainsmokers “performed” on American Idol in 2014? It was one of their first major public appearances and it was a big fat fail, hence the quotation marks. Later, Drew Taggart , one half of The Chainsmokers duo, stated that it was “the worst career move” and they “had no idea” what they were doing at the time.

It’s inevitable that you will make mistakes and even be the recipient of a biz fail. It’s going to happen, but it’s ok! Sometimes we have to make mistakes to actually learn and grow. Realize it’s ok to get things wrong sometimes and how to move past them quickly.

Be You

The Chainsmokers have been so successful because they’re a little bit different. Not only is their music something special, but so is the path they’ve chosen in making and promoting their work. The combination of taking risks and being true to yourself can lead to great things.

There’s a lot of competition out there. Whether it be your blog or your Etsy shop, you need to find a way to stand out and be memorable. The easiest way to do this? Be yourself. The majority of people follow trends, do something different!

Ride the Viral Wave

Your 15 minutes of fame will come. With people constantly sharing on social media, it’s only a matter of time before your hard work gets the recognition it deserves. Be prepared by keeping your website, shop, or social media profile up to date (with working links!).

I sell funny bridesmaid cards on Etsy and shared a photo of them on my Instagram page. Several weeks later a very large account regrammed the photo and I got instant traffic. Not only followers, but sales! As soon as I realized what had happened, I changed the link in my Instagram bio to the listing of the cards. People were able to easily click over and purchase.

Unlike the Chainsmokers, your mom has probably never heard of me. My surge in sales from a regram lasted only about 24 hours. Some posts or products will have a longer lasting viral effect than others, but you can be ready for a spike in traffic by maintaining your online presence and making it easy for people to find you.

If you’re a blogger, make sure there’s a way to capture emails on every page of your site. This way, if a post ever gets featured or goes viral, you’ll be able to keep in contact with visitors who opt-in at your site.

Don’t Stop Producing

No matter what, keep creating! Work everyday toward making something new. It doesn’t matter if you’re just getting started, selling sporadically, or booked out – it’s important to stay ahead of the game. Readers and buyers love something new and you can provide that by constantly producing. Keep ‘em coming back for more!

Collaborate

The way in which The Chainsmokers have collaborated is probably my favorite thing they’ve done in expanding their reach. From mentioning (or calling out) Kanye West is “Kanye” to having lesser-known artists vocal over their tracks to teaming up with some of the heavy hitters (hey, Chris Martin), The Chainsmokers were never shy about collaborating.

The value in collaborating is key to growing your audience. When you team up, you’re able to share readers, buyers, or both! Don’t be afraid to reach out to someone you admire to collaborate – just make sure there is a mutual benefit.

In the case of The Chainsmokers, crossing genres proved to be extremely valuable. In our blogs and shops, we can work together with businesses like our own as well as reaching out to those that complement ours. For example, if your Etsy shop sells baby shower invitations consider collaborating with a shop that sells party décor. Your customers need décor, their customers want invitations, it’s a win-win for everyone, including the buyer!

Promote

Don’t be shy about showing off. Share your posts and promote your products! Get familiar with social media and use it. Post consistently, be authentic, and create a way to keep your audience engaged and excited about your business.

Show up at events, craft shows, and network. Last year, The Chainsmokers played headlined at dozens of music festivals to get their names out there. When people can physically meet you in person, you’re way more likely to make a deeper connection past that of the online world.

Don’t wait for Perfect

As many hits as The Chainsmokers have released, they haven’t even released their first full length album yet! It’s set to drop next month, but they’ve had major success without going all in.

When it comes to launching our blogs or opening our Etsy shops, we sometimes feel the need to wait until we have every detail squared away. It’s so important to just get started before having everything perfect. Spoiler alert – it will never be perfect! Just go for it!

The Chainsmokers inspire me, both as artists and as goal crushers. They’ve worked their booties off, stayed consistent, and listened to their fans on where to go next. I think the lessons we learn can be applied to our blogs, businesses, and Etsy shops. I can’t wait to see where they go next!

If you made it to the end of this post, I hope you’re feeling motivated! Time to turn up the music and get to work!