We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Zach Green a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Zach, so great to have you on the platform. There’s so much we want to ask you, but let’s start with the topic of self-care. Do you do anything for self-care and if so, do you think it’s had a meaningful impact on your effectiveness?
Self-care and mental health is a huge platform for me. I’ve been in places of burnout and fatigue that were hard to dig out of, and learned a lot about myself and my tendencies. I struggle with anxiety and panic attacks, so I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on toxic behavioral patterns that were causing the most damage.
For example, I’ve learned over the years that I’m way more prone to anxiety if I’m not getting enough sleep, or specifically unstructured rest time. If there’s even one obligation on my calendar today, I won’t feel restful until it’s completed. I try to indulge in “rot days” once every two weeks at minimum – usually a Sunday, where I make no plans, set no alarms, and convince myself I am not obligated to do anything that day. Sometimes I take full advantage and sleep in, watch TV all day, and ignore my phone. Often though, the lack of any self-induced pressure frees my head up and I make the decision to go work out, meal prep, or take care of some personal business that I was putting off.
I’m still learning more about myself all the time and making productive improvements. Self reflection on your own can be illuminating, but it’s also invaluable to unpack these things with a good therapist!
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I run a consulting business with a focus on supporting independent songwriters. Most people don’t know the logistics behind the music business, particularly on the copyright/royalties side. Songwriters themselves are rarely taught this information, despite the fact that their ability to earn any money for their work depends on them handling their own admin, at least until they sign a publishing deal. I bring a decade’s worth of industry experience to a 1:1 workshop that empowers songwriters with all of the knowledge and skills to clean up their catalogs, collect the most possible, and communicate effectively with their collecting societies and publishing reps. I’m also partnered with several organizations in town to offer a variety of admin services and also creative services like “song plugging”, which means I pitch demo songs to artist teams to try and get cuts for my writers.
Apart from my business, I serve the community through several other initiatives. I’m the President of a local music business non-profit called SOLID, an esteemed group with nearly 30 years of tenure that focuses on leadership, education, and philanthropy. I also recently joined as the Sponsorships Chair for a second board called Nashville in Sync. They support industry professionals in the “synchronization” space, basically the licensing of music that’s synced with video (TV/film, advertising, etc.).
On top of all that, I host an award winning monthly industry gathering called Red Door Hangs, and I perform as a freelance saxophonist. I’ve been playing since I was 7!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
You’ll hear this in many industries, but easily the most important quality to have in my business is strong interpersonal, relationship building skills. Quite simply, be a “good hang”.
I’m not an entrepreneur naturally and I’m super risk averse in general, but I have so many incredible contacts that I’ve leaned on for support and guidance to grow my business confidently. My network has provided me with clients, speaking opportunities, and mentorship to name a few.
I also recommend coming to the table with a collaborative mindset rather than a competitive one. I’m often told that I make people feel comfortable in any room, and I think it’s in part because my first approach is always “how can we work together” and “who can I connect you with” rather than “what can you do for me”.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
I love to collaborate, and I especially enjoy meeting like-minded people and finding ways that we can support each other. If you’re a songwriter or you work with songwriters and want some guidance on royalties/admin, you can contact me at greenpandm@gmail.com for a free consultation. I also encourage everyone to come to a Red Door Hang to meet me and some other amazing industry folks in a very low-key networking setting. All details can be found at reddoorhangs.com.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://reddoorhangs.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/greenpandm
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zach-green-2a49ba63/
Image Credits
Personal Photo & Staircase Photo: Chrissy Nix (@chrissynixphotography)
Crawfish Photo: Morgan Jergens (@morganjergens)
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
