Three Business Lessons to Be Learned From Music Producer Bobby Shann and Ariana Grande

As we see the world of spirituality, intuition, and meditation go mainstream, it’s hard not to wonder what part these concepts play in our personal and business pursuits.

We’ve heard so many people say “trust your gut” and “use your intuition – it’s the best moral compass.” But, that’s so esoteric.

Nothing is more frustrating than reading an article and realizing you’re deep into fluff. Or, that you can’t actually apply this to your life.

“Integration” as some call it: there’s a thin line between strategy and fluff, in my experience.

But, there is something to be said about using your natural intuition, intention, and universal energy in your business. 

It’s just about “the how”. How do we actually apply these “strategic” insights in a practical way?

The Problem: We Have Big and Difficult Decisions We Need to Make Fast, Without Enough Data. And WeNeed Sharp Intuition to Act Fast and Smart.

We all know the feeling: a big or important decision awaits you.

You’re forced to pick the lesser of two evils.

Or, worse yet, you have a decision at hand and no way to confirm which choice will deliver the expected outcome.

Even with positive outcomes – which decision yields the very maximum benefit? It’s a hard question, especially with limited information.

Every day, particularly with younger entrepreneurs who are bootstrapping, we’re challenged to make fast decisions that could impact us negatively if we mess it up. This is particularly bad when we simply don’t know all the facts and have to trust our “gut”.

It’s even more challenging if you don’t have the financial padding to protect yourself in case your decision produces the “wrong” outcome.

However, there’s a quote that’s stuck with me around this concept. Famed investor Tim Ferris says, “it’s more important we make A decision rather than make the “right” decision.”

Adding to that, a “wrong” decision now might have a huge a positive lesson/implication down the road. Far, far off – beyond our sight.

I’m sure you’ve heard recovering addicts thank God for an overdose that led them to being hospitalized. For many, this was the wake-up call they needed to make a huge change and start living a life of success and alignment. At the time, I’m sure they weren’t thankful for going unconscious, though, or shortly thereafter. 

You might think to yourself, “well, I’m not an addict or anything near that.” Well, the truth is, life might bring you to your knees more quickly than you expect – especially as an entrepreneur. It’s hard to foresee, but some of the challenges in business can be extremely difficult and have serious life implications.

This can happen to anyone in business – we make a decision and the immediate implication is seemingly backbreaking.

I personally really got broken down when an investor backed out of a $2.2M investment in my startup Vea Fitness that we had signed paperwork for. All that work, and years of my life, to have the door slammed in my face?

But today, the people I met along the way while brokering that deal are now a pivotal part of my business, and that helped me reach the highest revenues I’ve ever earned, since being involved. Alas, I’m grateful for the experience.

So we need some way to make smart decisions that have positive implications in the future, as well as serve our immediate needs.

Insert Swiss Music Producer Bobby Shann

Recently, I met an artist that really intrigued me. His unabashed trust-in-self amazes me. Better yet, his ability to apply intuition to his own creative pursuits and career has absolutely transformed his career.

So, I sat Bobby down and unpacked how he uses heart and soul to drive his business and music career to new heights. I tried to understand how he accesses his intuition, on demand, with absolute clarity.

A quick note: Shann set out an intention in the world to connect with Ariana Grande, then began trusting his intuition.

Step 1/3: Yearn to Understand Your Most Honest Truth

Bobby’s work requires a lot of creativity. And it needs to be accessed regularly and dependably. “I thought only inspiration could do that?” Well, kind of.

That’s where intuition comes in. It’s your own, unwavering personal compass. Your deepest truth and core source for inspiration. And, it’s always there, waiting to be leveraged.

No one else knows what’s better for you and your business better than yourself. Once you understand what you want at the deepest level, why you want it, and how to get it – that’s where inspiration ignites. To produce this on demand – we must access that deepest level of self-truth. That truth is then manifested through your own intuition.

But intuition is extremely subdued and nuanced. Most of us don’t trust our own truth because we’ve never actually seen it vividly and clearly. Some of us don’t even realize it’s available to us, whenever we please.

Further – it’s not easy to remove the veil covering your deepest drives, motivators and intuitions.

There are people who spend their whole lives trying to uncover their deepest intuitions and drives. So no, it’s not easy. But damn, is it worth it.

You may be thinking that adding a new “task” or “challenge” seems daunting. No one wants more work. Especially not a busy entrepreneur.

But, at the end of the day – we need a dependable way make smart decisions, on the fly.

This kind of “work” can be fun.

Bobby explains how his intuition and spiritual listening drove immense inspiration and motivation,

“It wasn’t just hearing [Ariana Grande’s] song that shifted something in me. As I learned more and more about [Ariana] I began to find a spiritual commonality. The more I dove into her music – the more connected I felt to her values. I can tell, her incredible charisma which she spreads with her music gives me this energy and motivation to create more music! It’s different than any other female artist out there! I had to express THIS feeling in my music. And that’s what inspired the track ‘Ariana’.”

The deepest values of what make Bobby who he is, and Ariana who she is, is exactly what inspires him. His intuition. His truth.

Hearing her music, feeling her spirit, and manifesting that into music – that’s his process.

Bobby digs deep into his values, embraces them, and transcends to a spiritual high, where music and creativity blossom.

This is all achieved by simply slowing down, and listening to his favorite music. Not so hard, right?

A bit more on Shann’s song Ariana in a moment.

Step 2/3: Trust Deeply in Your Own Intuition

Inspiration and intuition might as well be synonymous. Inspiration is your conscious cue to do what your subconscious intuition is suggesting.

Remember, your subconscious is a data-driven machine. It’s constantly pulling together facts every day and spitting out honest recommendations into your awareness.

Time travel with me for a second to just 2 months back.

For Shann, his subconscious sent a cue while listening to Italian Classical music, by famed movie soundtrack artist and songwriter Andrea Bocelli – together with Ariana Grande.

As the elegant sounds of Bocelli and Grande permeated the air, Bobby began to feel a distinct surge of energy. Inspiration hits. And intuition kicks in.

Almost abruptly, his vehicle makes a 180*. Back to the studio. It’s time to create.

For the next ten days, Bobby locks the door and creates. He records, edits, and masters a whole album in that time. Pure, unadulterated inspiration is transformed into tunes that will bring a whole Ibiza nightclub and thousands of listeners to life, only weeks after.

The outcome of this 10-day creative binge is one of the most soulful, new electro/deep house tunes of a generation. And yes, of course, Ariana’s in the song. In fact, the single is even called “Ariana”. The songs were released with his new album “Auto-Reflexion“ on October 5, 2018.

Whatever your business is, there are moments where your intuition and inspiration will guide you to a decision. Follow them.

Sidebar: If you haven’t read the book “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho, this would be a good place to start. It teaches you about looking out for those intuitions, or “Omens” as Coelho calls them.

Step 3/3: Harness your Creativity and Intuition as it Comes – Don’t Procrastinate

Once you have that sensation, act on it. Make the decision as soon as you have the inspiration and clarity that you need.

But that clarity sometimes needs a little tooling. It’s not always apparent and right in front of us, like Ariana serenading Bobby in sweet song.

There are a few key ways to help bring that intuitive truth forward so you can make a decision. If you’re challenged to get creative, on-demand – I have some ideas for you.

Remember, it’s more important that you make “a decision” than make the “right decision”.

When Bobby heard Ariana’s voice, he knew for sure he had an intuition or an Omen.

He also had a choice: Go about his day, meet his upcoming appointment, and maybe make a small deal. Or, go back to the studio and work on something huge.

Now, he also could’ve lost out on an immediate opportunity by skipping his 2PM meeting. But the outcome of making a decision to turn around resulted in an album that you’ll learn later on will change his life in ways he never could’ve expected.

There are several ways to uncover your intuitions and creative truths. Here’s a brief list. I’ve heard them called “anchors” before. I think it’s appropriate.

• Take a 10-minute walk
• Meditate
• Listen to a podcast that inspires you
• Take a bath
• Listen to your favorite music. Or, if you’re me, listen to Bobby Shann

You probably know your own anchors best. Try one out next time you’re challenged with sourcing inspiration or making a hard decision.

Once your anchor triggers your inspiration, set an intention, and follow your intuition.

In Closing: Intuitive Decision-Making Will Liberate You From Decision Fatigue and Deliver on Your Dreams

Just two days before writing this article, Ariana Grande’s management team followed Bobby Shann on Instagram and messaged him.

It’s hard to say how or why that happened, but his intuitive decision to make that album in the moment when Ariana inspired him may have just helped get him one step closer to working on his dream collaboration with her.

We’ll see where it goes from here. As for your dreams? Keep feeding into them with inspiration and absolute trust in your own ability.