The Successful Side Gig- Episode 009: James Jones w/ Spark DJ

In this episode of The Successful Side Gig with Adam Hymans you will hear an interview with James Jones with Spark DJ.  James is the Co-Founder of Spark DJ, a unique new app that allows an elevated music experience that is DJ inspired. He discusses key moments in the business that him and Co-Founder, John Boss, were able to capitalize on to grow  Spark Dj. Starting off as a DJ to pay his way through college James realized that there may be a way to create an, "Algorithmic Clone" of himself. (I know, a thought that everyone has had before, right?!?) 

Key Lessons and take aways from this weeks episode:

• It is important to test everything! It is ok if you have a target audience but learn after release and have to pivot
• In order to test the concept James pre-recorded a DJ set and sold it at a cheaper price as a proof of concept
• While working a day job you can take a long vacation in order to see what you are able to accomplish or if you would enjoy doing your side gig more.
• Being a self taught developer James thought after taking on investment that things would happen faster but its important to have a deep understanding of your finances and timelines.
• Even if you are up against giants as long as you create something and continue to learn and grow you will be successful.
• Make sure if your current day job offers any training, mentoring or personal development courses, take advantage of those freebies to help you learn!
• You can offer free products and services to charities or friends and ask them what they like about it and how much they will pay. You don't have to run A-B tests on the free user base to establish conversion rates, blah blah blah, Just ASK! How much would you pay for something like this?
• Don't keep your side gig a secret, it's all about how you craft your story and show people you are excited about it.
• When looking for a Partner it is great to have a pre-existing bond and a personal connection it helps build trust over hiring one!

Quotes:

"The more I did, the more I saw I was capable of accomplishing." -James Jones

"An apple tree never wonders if another apple tree is making more apples than it, it just makes as many apples as it can" -Kyle Cease

"Having a good partner is the best thing you can do, they can lift you up when it get's tough" -James Jones

Helpful Links:

For More info on James and John at Spark DJ visit:
Spark DJ

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Cheers,
Adam