Yelp’s employee affinity groups allow Yelpers to connect over a wide array of interests and often give employees opportunities to meet for the first time and hear from speakers and visitors. The Yelp NYC office’s Hip Hop Club is one of those groups. We recently had the opportunity to host a pretty special visitor — Antwan ‘Amadeus’ Thompson, the CEO of Platinum Boy Music.
Antwan is considered to be one of the best music producers in the music industry. His music catalog includes production credits for over 50 artists and he is currently the Music Director/Tour Drummer for Trey Songz. Amadeus has a passion for music and believes his purpose in life is to share his worth of knowledge of the music industry with college students and young professionals. In 2015 he created The Platinum Boy Music 101 College Tour in order to educate students on the “ins and outs of the music business.” He states that Platinum Boy Music’s mission is to “educate, empower, inspire, and transform the people.”
Along with his VP of Platinum Boy Music, Micheal Daniel, he made a stop at the Yelp NYC office on Thursday, September 21st to speak to members of the Hip Hop Club. While Amadeus usually speaks to college students, he tapped into his resources and brought along surprise guests for a panel discussion that gave our Yelpers an inside look into the music industry. Amongst those guests were Chris Gotti (Irv Gotti’s brother), President of Add Ventures Music; Peggy Byrd, SVP at iHeartMedia Sales; Datwon Thomas, Editor in Chief at Vibe Magazine; Nick Storm of Ciroc; and Elaine Hamilton of D’Usse and Ace of Spades.
Each panelist shared a wealth of wisdom with our sales team on how to combat the challenges faced in the salesforce, which are the same challenges they have all faced in their respective careers in the music industry.
Here are some of the big takeaways we heard from the panelists: “The person you sit next to each day is your resource, use them and help one another grow to reach new levels.” – Amadeus “You will hear “no” more than “yes” in life. The key is persistence. If it didn’t work today then say, “okay, no problem I’ll be back tomorrow, AND I’m going to keep coming back.” – Chris Gotti “Fear and competition aren’t real. You’re your own competition. Ask yourself what you can do better and how you can step outside of fear.” – Elaine Hamilton “Believe in yourself and believe in the brand. When you get people to believe in you, you can sell anything.” – Nick Storm
The biggest lesson shared with us by all panelists was this: Suppress the fear, be persistent, and go out and achieve what you are meant to achieve because it is yours for the taking. When you hear the word “no” it’s not rejection, it’s an opportunity to find a different way to get a “yes” next time. Remain persistent and keep pushing to achieve your goals!
Our Yelpers were left inspired, motivated and full of unexpected courage and strength to take on the rest of the sales month to not only hit their numbers but to surpass them. Many Account Executives were able to network with our panelists and get some one-on-one advice from these highly successful music executives which left them feeling very empowered.
We are excited to see programs such as these at our Yelp offices, reminding us of what success looks like and how we too can achieve it, no matter what circumstances come our way!
This post was originally posted on the Yelp Blog authored and images by Yours Truly