Meet Travis Reid Ball

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Travis Reid Ball. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Travis Reid below.

Travis Reid , we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?

Mainly from watching my parents as I was growing up.
We were on the lower end of middle class, and I seen them struggle to make ends meet, especially through my elementary and middle school years.
I remember lots of ups and downs, car problems, furnace and hot water tanks going out, stress over jobs and paying the bills, and usually all at the same time!
But no matter how bad it seemed, they would have a plan on how to handle the situation the very next day and work through it.
It installed a never give up attitude in me that’s kept me going throughout my adult life.
If I firmly believe I can accomplish something, I keep rolling with the punches and do my best to bounce back whenever I hit a brick wall!

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

For the last six years, I’ve been working hard to establish myself as a singer songwriter based in the Columbus Ohio area.
I write and perform music in a Alt Country and Classic Country music format, throwing in a mix of my musical influences from my childhood.
I grew up on bluegrass and country music through my family, throughout school I was introduced to classic rock and punk, all different types of music, but I find ways in my songwriting to pay my own homage to my influences.
I started playing live with my band locally, but the last few years I’ve been working hard to branch out, playing Ohio, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina and New York City.
This year I have the opportunity to record in Memphis Tennessee at the legendary Sun Studios, a bucket list moment for me!

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

I was fortunate to have the family background that I do.
Musical skill runs wild on my dad’s side of the family, and the love of music and singing from my mom’s side.
I have always gravitated to music, to play it and create it.
It’s always a challenge, and can be extremely frustrating at times, and that’s where my never give up attitude I inherited from my parents comes in, especially after forming my own LLC and the weight of running something you’ve always enjoyed as a business with all the ups and downs.
I played in bands with my brother, aunt and uncle when I was young, and learned a ton from them on not only how to play, but how to interact with people, and sell your music to others, to gain bookings and build relationships on personal and professional levels.
It can all be overwhelming at times, especially when you take the steps to make your passion a business, but I found out there’s a lot of good people out there who will go out of there way to help you when there’s quality and heart in what you’re selling.
I’ve gained so much from complete strangers who have pointed me in the right direction because they believe in my seriousness.
Add all the friendships I’ve made along the way, it’s been an incredible journey!

We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?

I believe you have to be well rounded, especially if you’re looking at it from a business standpoint.
I’ve always been able to play my instrument and create music, but was always shy and scared to sing in front of people.
To achieve my goals, I had to be able to sing my own songs.
It’s something I worked very hard to overcome and still work relentlessly to become better at it.
I also had to learn the business side of it.
As a independent artist, I don’t have anyone backing me but myself.
I had to learn how to be a manager, a booking agent, a promoter, a producer, a travel agent, all the industry stuff that I never thought about as a kid trying to learn my instrument.
Being well rounded as a business owner can only make you more successful in my opinion!

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