Guitarist, songwriter, & business owner, Mark Thomas, shares his wisdom on using music to open doors in both business and personal relationships, using music to relieve stress, create a balanced life, feel happier and more energetic. He has a lot of wisdom to share with men about following your passion and staying true to what matters most in life.

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Mark's band, The Mojo Brothers, has recently released a music compilation that can be found on all platforms where music is streamed. In this episode, you'll hear songs from that compilation, plus hear him play live, as we talk about the importance of music in his life and to men in their desire for a happy life and the ability to connect with family, friends and business associates.

https://youtu.be/wrL7JY3b2KE

SHOW NOTES:(times are for audio

1:00 - Mark introduces himself to us with a great guitar riff from the new Mojo Brothers music compilation, Lucky Thirteen, called “Long Shot”! You can find the compilation on all DSPs (link below).

2:15 - Mark has been playing guitar since he was nine years old. We went to high school together and later connected on Facebook when we found we were involved in so many similar pursuits.

4:08 - Mark talks about his journey from college to L.A. and back to Texas where he went into radio sales. He used his music abilities to create great business relationships that resulted in a successful sales career. Over time, he set the music aside due to the responsibilities of corporate work and raising kids.

7:20 - After his kids grew up, he found more time to come back to his music and the result was that his sales numbers went up. He became happier and even more successful in his work. We discuss how important music is in relating to people.

9:11 - Mark’s clients were more interested in knowing him as a guitar player and musician than as their account executive and sales person, so music has been responsible for creating quality personal relationships outside of business.

10:30 - The naivte of not knowing how to sell allowed him to be creative in approaching potential clients from a musical perspective, playing his guitar for them to open the door to conversation. Mark talks about the communication and messaging involved in an effective ad campaign and the way most execs go at it backwards - putting the numbers first and failing to put the time into the creative aspects of advertising.

11:30 - Musicians are entrepreneurs, more and more, as creatives taking their music business online.

13:12 - Men in a black and white thinking pattern struggle to enjoy life by seeing their dreams and desires in the past and their present responsibilities as the only choice, leading them to burn-out, depression and anxiety. When Mark didn’t take time to play due to other responsibilities, he became very frustrated. Growing up listening to the radio led him to want to learn to play guitar at an early age, so getting back to it was key to starting his own business. Timing is an important element in creating music and Mark found that the same concept applies in business. His company, Thomas Media, was formed through understanding right timing with the right people as partners and has been a successful outgrowth of his creative approach to relationships with customers.

16:45 - The journey of being an entrepreneur or small business person can be scary because the success of your career is on your shoulders. But, having the courage to do it, in the face of fear, is worth it.

18:45 - Mark talks about the timing of restarting his band and performing live as his kids went to college.

20:23 - His lead singer leaves with a gig only ten days out. Mark talks about winging it with the new singer in...