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Chance the Rapper has become one of my favorite recording artists over the past 7+ years.
As owning your music catalog has become increasingly important, Chance began his career independently, absent from outside labels or management.
Chance’s career began with an album titled 10 Day, recorded during a 10 Day suspension from high school in 2012. With an introspective, unique delivery, listeners hear someone who openly shares insecurities, challenges, and doubts, in a mixtape style that keeps you on your toes with each new song.
Chance has never signed with a record label and has been able to release his music for free to listeners – relying on touring, streaming royalties, and uniquely branded partnerships (Kit Kat, the White Sox, and 3M) for income.
In the summer of 2024, Chance was announced as the headliner for the Minnesota State Fair. As the day of his performance approached, his brother, who manages his work, received confirmation that the fair had sold only 3,333 tickets for a venue seating 14,000.
In a world where crowd size has become more important than ever, the natural reaction to only selling 24% of your tickets is to call in sick. No one wants to be the guy with empty seats.
Chance looked at it differently and wrote a new song about it.
What Matters & Why
It’s easy for so many of us to look at the same metrics everyone else is to decide if our work or our life is worthy. It’s easy to look around and gauge our own ‘crowd size’ to decide whether to play or not.
Or we could look for the metrics that matter most to us.
We can choose to define our own metrics.
Make Your Own Metrics & Mastering Your Impact
Each day, year, month, and moment brings us an opportunity. An opportunity to be honest, refocus, and keep our eyes on our own paper.
The statement that comparing is the thief of joy has so much truth to it.
Can we learn from observing others? Absolutely.
But we shouldn’t let it define us.
How do we go about leading businesses more focused on our unique purpose?
Identifying Impact Metrics
If we go to the root of what we do, it’s important to highlight key indicators of our impact.
- Start with How Our Clients Define Success The chances are that your clients couldn't care less about your AUM. They do care about how you help them and how well you understand them.
- Identify Unique Market Metrics
- Identify Your Adoption Metrics
What are the metrics that matter to you?
What are the metrics that matter to those who love you?
Related: The New War for Talent in Wealth Management Isn’t Hiring—It’s AI Adoption