We recently connected with Guy Balbaert and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Guy, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
With grandparents and parents that were professionals in the theatre industry I quickly noticed that my upbringing was clearly different then the other kids in school and different is not always appreciated between kids, so that was my first lesson in being resilient and standing up for being who I was. Also being around adults all the time as a kid gave me insight on what life was all about and what you needed to have inside of you to deal with it well. Humour was what I saw most as a life saver and I cherish humour immensely. Diversity as well, but it takes years to tap into that source of understanding and acceptance.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I believe my success in combining songwriting, world travel, and music industry consulting for over 25 years can be attributed to several key factors. Firstly, I have a strong passion for music and travel, which has driven me to constantly seek out new experiences and inspiration from different cultures and environments. This passion has fueled my creativity as a songwriter and has allowed me to craft compelling music that resonates with audiences around the world.
Secondly, I have honed my skills as a music industry consultant through years of experience working with artists and industry professionals. By staying current with industry trends and developments, I have been able to provide valuable insights and guidance to my clients, helping them navigate the ever-changing landscape of the music business. And it is changing dramatically. Specifically on how customers want/need to be approached there’s a massive learning curve for manufacturers and distributors globally.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Do what you say you will do, be inquisitive and stay on course. Short and sweet, but pretty much the ground rules. Also don’t be afraid to think in the long-term, even if the client doesn’t want you to. He’ll thank you later. You need quite a bit of self-discipline to get to that zone, but there is a place there that allows you stay calm and focus on the right things at the right time. I would say I spent most of my time spreading strategies internally at any company I work with. You literally have to get everyone on board, or you get surprising results. And not always in a good way. Focus and repetition get everyone aligned in time.
What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
Creativity was their biggest gift, but also not to limit yourself. Something they did in their life in hindsight. I lost them early on in life, so I had a chance to mould my life independently. That was an unexpected gift. But again… You can just get caught in the drama of dramatic experiences or grieve, stand up and mould a new path to grow. And if you’re lucky a steady group of friends and close people will go with you.
Contact Info:
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/guy-balbaert888/
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/guybalbaert
Image Credits
Picture 1 – Guy Balbaert
Picture 2 – Sourcing woods in India
Picture 3 – Industry friends (Bourgeois Guitars/Taylor Guitars/Ohana Ukelele’s)
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
