Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Dealing With Details

Wednesday January 19th, 2011 - Milwaukee, WI/Fox Lake, IL

   The details in life are supposedly where the success lies, but that’s exactly what I’m not good at. I’m great at coming up with grandiose visionary ideas, then when it comes down to actually pulling any of them off, I’m all over the place. Big projects need big planning.

   They need to be thought out from beginning to end, then executed properly by a team of competent people who each know their individual roles, yet have a team concept and can work together for the common good of the collective. That sounds fantastic in theory, but making it happen in real life is a different story. That’s my goal though, and I’m behind.

   A big skyscraper can’t be built by working a little on the foundation and then a little on the windows, then a little on the elevator shafts. Each job has to be taken care of in proper order, and someone in charge has to oversee both the big picture and the individual jobs.

   Since this is my life and my ideas, I’m in charge by default. Do I know what I’m doing? HELL NO. I’m a complete idiot and I freely admit it. I’m slowly feeling my way around in the dark, and could easily trip and fall into wet cement at any moment. I’m a big klutz.

   Granted, I’m better than I was, but I still have a lot of work to do. I’ve got to fly out for more ship work tomorrow morning, so I went up to Milwaukee today to take care of some details before the big ‘Schlitz Happened!’ show at the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center Friday January 28th. It’s the first time I rented a space, and I could lose my shorts.

   Actually, the price was pretty reasonable and if not one person shows up I’m not going to have to sleep in the park. I won’t be thrilled about it, but I’ll survive. That’s not what I want to focus on though. I want to focus on FILLING it, not surviving an empty house.

   I went on the air with Drew Olson and Dan Needles on ‘The D List’ on 540 ESPN radio but I also sniffed around for ad rates to buy some air time in the future. I need to come up with at least a semi regular location where I can do the show and really work out the bugs.

   Advertising is essential, and I’m making my plan now. Do I want to do print? I have no idea what works best. I’m willing to try different things, but I do have a limited budget to play with, so I have to be careful. I can’t be buying any Super Bowl TV ads quite yet.

     I talked with my t-shirt guy and he’ll have a fresh load ready for the 28th.  I’ve got some ‘Hard Luck Jollies’ CDs left, so I’m good there. I’ve got the word of mouth word out for the show, but I could do better. Ticket prices are low, and I hope I can get at least a bit of help with the media. I don’t want to blow all my favors though. This is all an experiment.

  The show itself will be solid. Every one so far has been better than the last. I’ll work on it all week on the ship, and when I come back I’ll be ready to go. I’m ready now. If I had to go on tonight, I’d let it rip. I just want there to be someone in the seats to see it. It’s no fun standing on stage alone in a room. Details, details. They’re where I need to improve.

Posted via email from Dobie Maxwell's "Dented Can" Diary

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