Ellie Horvath
Karen Chiftalaryan of Show4me Music Interaction Network.
Tell us about yourself?
I’m a dreamer and sometimes I feel like I’m a little out of this world. But a dreamer means nothing without hard work and the pursuit of your dream.
So I think at some point in my life I figured it out. When you’re in business, you get hit a lot, you’re always under pressure, and sometimes you get really frustrated and you need the strength to get up off your knees and move forward.
Otherwise, you have nothing to do with owning and building a business. At the start, you always exaggerate your expectations, but with each new hit you become stronger and gain this invaluable experience that gives you a new understanding of how to break the wall.
So, that’s who I am. Started as an investment banker and then became an investment banker who dreams and makes dreams come true using his previous experience.
What lessons has being an entrepreneur taught you?
Personally, I don’t believe in success stories. It is better to read “failure stories”. That’s why I think that every company or any entrepreneur has their own lessons that will never help others avoid their personal ones.
So, lesson number one is think for yourself, do it yourself, and don’t read books like How to Get Rich in One Week.
If you could go back in time to when you first started your business, what piece of advice would you give yourself?
I would give myself a lot of advice, but the main one is: don’t expect other people to understand things what you think is as simple as a piece of cake. It can be a big problem for other people to realize this and even more so to work with it. But to understand what i mean you need a specific experience also.
A lot of entrepreneurs find it difficult to balance their work and personal lives. How have you found that?
Frankly speaking, I do not always balance between personal life and work. Being a leader is a big responsibility not only for yourself, but also for the entire team of your company.
On the one hand, you are responsible for the success and well-being of others, on the other hand, you continue to pursue your dreams in terms of creating something meaningful and big, if, of course, you have these ambitions.
And as you can see, I have them. So yes, sometimes it’s hard to be in balance, but it’s a choice you make, and once you’ve made it, there’s no way out.
The responsibility and your will to success keep you in. At the same time, you are trying to find the 25th hour to dedicate to yourself. Sometimes successfully.
Give us a bit of an insight into the influences behind the company?
Our mission is to level the playing field for musicians and give the opportunity to get a fair reward for their art by building a close relationship with their fans through Show4me direct interaction model.
With Show4me, every artist gets equal chances to get noticed, gain fame and recognition and make a true life-long living as a full-time musician. On the other hand we bring unique experience to music lovers.
They get everything in one place and they get unique content, private party invitations, limited merch and many more.
What do you think is your magic sauce? What sets you apart from the competitors?
Our secret sauce is an artist-centric approach, and a combination of essential tools for direct artist and fan interaction and music monetization. There is no such other platform on the market at the moment.
How have you found sales so far? Do you have any lessons you could pass on to other founders in the same market as you just starting out?
At first, do not underestimate knowledge. Find a person who knows exactly what he is doing. Then, do not overestimate your understanding of marketing, don’t be a Dunning Kruger effect victim. Work hard.
Regarding our results – our sales grow every quarter. Another marketing advice I have: don’t put all eggs in one basket. Promote your service/product using all channels, organic, SEO, referrals, paid ads, etc.
What is the biggest challenge you have faced so far in your business, and how did you overcome it?
It’s really hard to change people’s mindsets. Users got used to old products/services, even if they are bad or not convenient. It takes a lot of time and effort to convince users to try something new.
But if you believe in your product and put your customers first, step-by-step, you create trust and users’ loyalty.
What do you find are the advantages of operating your business in London?
London is uniquely positioned geographically. Landed next door to mainland Europe, between Asia and the Americas, it gives you convenient reach to major financial centers.
Also, London’s time zone overlaps with New York, Frankfurt, Singapore, and Hong Kong. And worth mentioning, London’s multicultural population gives you access to a large pool of highly skilled employees.
Are there any issues with having a London based business? Have you experienced these?
The commercial rent cost has skyrocketed recently. Many businesses, including ourselves, had to move out of London.
How has the higher than UK average cost of living impacted your ability to work and live in London and how has this also impacted your ability as an employer?
Higher an average cost of living, higher salaries you have to pay in your company. That is true. Our UK office moved to Kenilworth, and our team is spread around the globe.
These measures helped us to decrease operational costs and hedge market fluctuations.
If you had to relocate your business to another city in the UK, which one would it be and why?
We relocated to Kenilworth, actually. Why? Because it’s next to Birmingham, the hometown of one of my favorites band Duran Duran :). Joke. Actually, it is a question of costs and convenience.
How has BREXIT impacted your business (if at all)?
Show4me is an international music platform with offices in 5 countries, and users from 150 countries. Brexit didn’t impact our business at all.
What is your vision for your company in the next 5 years?
In five years, we want to become a one-stop-shop solution for millions of artists, musicians, promoters, labels, and other industry pros.
A service hub where they can find all essential tools for direct interactions with fans, music monetization, collaboration, tour planning, ticketing for offline, online, and hybrid events, merchandizing, fan subscription, sponsorships, and much more.
On the other hand, millions of fans will be able to follow and support their favorite artists and discover new music.
And finally, if people want to get involved and learn more about your business, how should they do that?
If you are an artist, we encourage you to try our artists-centric approach. Go to show4me.com and register a professional account for free. Use any of our specialized tools or a combination of all to boost your music career.
If you are a fan, check out our charts, events, and Artistclubs. There are tons of free music and events. Discover new music from all over the world, subscribe to the artists you like, interact with artists and like-minded music lovers. Maybe you will find a new Beatles or Queen.
Follow Show4me Music Interaction Network on Twitter or Linkedin.
