Building With Behemoths Brands: How One Entrepreneur Leveraged His Way to the Top

If this is your first time reading one of our articles I’d like to welcome you. If you’ve read our thoughts before, then I want to welcome you back.

Whether it’s your first time or you’re a returning guest know that we’re all about #Strategy. We want to help you create ways that you can take action or follow a methodology and implement it tomorrow.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said it best:

“As to methods there may be a million and some, but the man who can successfully grasp the principle, may successfully select his own methods.

We live by this quote and principle. By getting to the heart of the strategy through asking the “what” followed by the “how” we can then get some tactical and actionable insight for our own brands. Once you have the right strategy, anything can be done. Tony Robbins is known for his motivational speaking, and yet he has mentioned that he’s a strategist first.

Why is the strategy so important?

There is a strategy in everything. Whether it’s a game, sales, marketing, coding, there is always a strategy to leveling up. He or she who has the best strategy and execution wins the game. And when you have a special kind of strategy, the unthinkable is possible.

Which reminds me of a gentleman I’ve had the pleasure and blessing to interview recently named Jordan Passman. He is the founder of a startup called Score A Score. It focuses on simplifying the process of music licensing for corporate brands.

I mean this in the most humble way possible- this dude is a beast!

I interviewed Jordan to figure out his strategy and how he was able to work with some of the biggest brands out there. Companies like Amazon, Netflix, Disney, Pfizer, Nissan, Verizon, Sony and many, many more!

I had to figure out his secret sauce. I wanted to know how we could apply his methods of success to position our brands in order to work with some of the best in our respective fields.

So how did this top music entrepreneur build this small behemoth of a brand, you ask?

During our interview, Jordan mentioned how he started and his philosophy on what it takes to be great. Gratitude is a major part of the story. His culture thrives on a fun and passionate environment, so I already knew that he had the mechanics of someone with the right mindset.

But what did he use for leverage to get his foot in the door?

So I asked him: “How’d you position yourself? What was your strategy?” and he proceeded to explain that his first major win was pairing composers to the Lego Ninjago TV show series.

 

He went on to say that before he had the portfolio and any clients, he asked his incredible talent pool of musicians who they worked with. He would then position by saying “our musicians worked with X, Y, and Z, so give us a try.”  

Early on, Jordan thought he wanted to become a film composer. This is why he moved to New York and began working with the licensing giant ASCAP, where he worked in the film and TV department in 2009. There, he built some powerful relationships and joined some phenomenal networks.

That’s when Jordan saw a need in the marketplace and decided to innovate. He found a way to bring value to ASCAP’s fanbase, so they were willing to plug him right in.

Jordan used the principle we’ve discussed before, called the “Win-Win-Win,” and the power of Relationship Acquisition to its fullest.

We believe that success is gained by navigating relationships and creating success for others. Jordan exemplifies that. 

Why would a company as big as ASCAP give Jordan access to their contact database?

1) They trusted him.  2) It was incredibly valuable to their tribe/community.

Because Jordan focused on relationships, the acquisition of opportunity was easy. To him, it was genuine, authentic, and built on a foundation that all parties involved were winning.

We can assume that Score A Score crushed it with their first client. He then had the energy and momentum to book the next client. And then the next one, and so forth!  Knowing that eventually, word-of-mouth would kick in.

So what’s the principle of the lessons here?

A) Build a great network. B) Provide a ton of value. C) Under-promise and Over-deliver.

When we focus on value and servicing the relationship first, doors begin to open and progress is made.

Jordan is without a doubt a trailblazer!  To connect, you can link with Jordan or learn more about Score A Score. When you reach out, just be sure to focus on the relationship 1st.