2020 was a challenging and unpredictable year to say the least, but it also came with new learnings and opportunities. To help vendors grow and move forward in 2021, we want to reflect on and celebrate the positive moments that the past year has brought—no matter how big or small.
We caught up with several of our members to learn about their 2020 silver linings, lessons learned, and goals for this year. Here's what they had to say!
What These Vendors Learned in 2020 and How They're Moving Forward in 2021
What's the greatest lesson 2020 taught you that you're taking into this year?
“That even as a mentalist, you can't predict what the future will be! One of the greatest lessons was how important it was to switch my mind and be proactive. Because I changed my mind and started working on virtual programs right in March, I was able to have a successful year.”
-Matias Letelier "Mental-e-Connected", Mentalist
“Be flexible and learn how to do what I do differently in order to continue to entertain and celebrate with my clients. Though many clients still wanted in-person events, I let them know that I was only doing virtual events at this time and they could reach out to me if they decided to try it.”
-Ariana - Party Readers, Fortune Teller
“I think the greatest lesson would be to think outside the box. COVID-19 has hit the entertainment industry very hard, so in order to stay current I needed to think outside the box and did so with my sidewalk serenades, zoom happy birthdays, and Facebook live shows. It’s been very hard to keep my head above water at times. Luckily there are very resilient Elvis fans out there.”
-Mike Slater Tribute to Elvis, Elvis Impersonator
“My greatest lesson is to ALWAYS STAY POSITIVE with your ability to give and to serve. As a One Man Band Saxophonist, the pandemic has brought a great deal of challenges when it comes to performing and providing a service for events. Keeping a positive attitude has allowed me to continue to provide my clients with flexible options that would still accommodate their needs”
-K. Chris Knight, Saxophonist
“Human beings are resilient and in their attempt to survive something awful they focus not only on essential things like food, water and shelter, but also on what feeds souls—the arts and live entertainment. I’ve always thought of my work as something I love but also something that just isn’t all that necessary. Witnessing how effectively music can lift hearts has breathed new life into my career journey.”
-The Telegram Girl Safe/Distanced Singing Telegrams, Singing Telegram
“Always have cash reserves or an emergency fund. Although we cannot outlast the pandemic with those resources, we can provide ourselves an immediate peace of mind for several months.”
-Mariachi Amor, Mariachi Band
What was your 2020 silver lining?
“The COVID-19 pandemic made room for us to record a Christmas album that ended up doing really well in both sales and jazz holiday reviews! This release was in the making for a while but life kept getting in the way.”
-The Telegram Girl Safe/Distanced Singing Telegrams, Singing Telegram
“My 2020 silver lining was to focus more on my business. This achievement included purchasing another, more professional level Tenor Saxophone that has given me more flexibility, comfort and confidence when performing. This has given me the push and desire to listen to other genres of music to add to my repertoire and accommodate an even broader audience.”
-K. Chris Knight, Saxophonist
“1. I LOVE my commute! I was sitting in traffic for hours sometimes, having to leave at least 2 hours early to get somewhere that was (without traffic) about 1/2 hour away.
2. Virtual events are JUST as FUN as in person events. People are having just as much enjoyment from their readings, whether in person or on their computer screen.
3. I'm doing more kissing card gift readings—more people are excited about getting a beautiful card style written Lipsology® reading in PDF format that they can either email to a friend or print and give to friends.”
-Ariana - Party Readers, Fortune Teller
“The silver lining was an in-depth look at my website and CRM. The positive that came from 2020 was a forced (unpaid) vacation or time off from work to give it the needed attention. Instead of fretting about gigs, I refocused my attention on building out and updating my website and CRM. Now my website and CRM are helping me instead of hindering me.”
-Mariachi Amor, Mariachi Band
“Because of virtual shows, I was able to reach a global audience and ended up doing shows in the 5 continents. That would have been absolutely impossible years ago.”
-Matias Letelier "Mental-e-Connected", Mentalist
“I took the time to create new features to my show with live videos as well as a very successful “Monday Night Live with Mike & Your Requests” broadcast on Facebook to help me continue to build a fanbase as well as keep my vocals up while waiting for the pandemic to loosen up.”
-Mike Slater Tribute to Elvis, Elvis Impersonator
What was your most memorable event of 2020?
“Despite the pandemic I was still able to book and perform at a local theatre in my area that I have been wanting to do, The Rex Theatre. Even though the venue was restricted to only half capacity because of COVID-19, it was still an exciting show for me. It also allowed me to get some great video footage in a theatre for future possible bookings at other venues in the area.”
-Mike Slater Tribute to Elvis, Elvis Impersonator
“We performed for our regular client (friend) in October 2020 (typically, he has an event in May). Along with her wedding party, his niece was coming to Austin in October, and he decided to do a smaller event (outdoors). At this event, Mariachi Amor practiced and performed with other artists: Steel Drums, Tango Dancers, and Flamenco Guitarists! The client and the guests loved it!”
-Mariachi Amor, Mariachi Band
“My most memorable event of 2020 was actually performing for a couple's wedding anniversary outside in their front yard for their neighborhood. I used their porch as my stage. The couple had their invited guests sit on their front lawn and sidewalk while I gave them and onlookers a mini concert.”
-K. Chris Knight, Saxophonist
“I have an a cappella vocal group (also listed with The Bash) that was booked by a neighbor to sing carols outside of another neighbor’s apartment window in Philly during the holidays. The requests were very specific all the way down to which verses to sing on each song. The day after our gig we found out that we sang for a cancer patient in hospice and that she absolutely loved our music then died a few hours after we left. It made us all realize the immense value and beauty of a music gift.”
-The Telegram Girl Safe/Distanced Singing Telegrams, Singing Telegram
“A birthday party where the birthday gal organized Lipsology readings for herself and 30+ of her friends. I read for her first for the whole group and then we used a break-out room where her friends joined me in smaller groups to get their lip prints read.”
-Ariana - Party Readers, Fortune Teller
“I did a show for Pixar. I love Pixar's movies and being able to perform for them was one of my favorite gigs back in 2020.”
-Matias Letelier "Mental-e-Connected", Mentalist
What are your top short-term and long-term goals for 2021?
”My top short-term goal is to continue to be flexible with the challenges of COVID-19 while also continuing to practice, particularly with more emphasis on improvisation. My long-term goals are to continue to grow my business and continue to improve my style as a Saxophonist. I would like to get to a point in my journey that I begin to give lessons to beginners.”
-K. Chris Knight, Saxophonist
“My long-term goal is being able to have my own virtually produced show (not just for corporate events but for everyone). I'm working every day (short-term goals) to improve my performance, connect with those who might help me achieve this, and having fun while doing it.”
-Matias Letelier "Mental-e-Connected", Mentalist
“The short-term goals will be to get through this pandemic continuing to think out of the box and still performing. The long-term goals would be to build my business back up to where it was before the pandemic once the restrictions ease up.”
-Mike Slater Tribute to Elvis, Elvis Impersonator
“My biggest short-term goal is to come up with innovative ways to advertise including a “commercial” that can air on social media, billboards and other large-scale signage. Currently my business is only in the Greater Philadelphia area; my long-term goal is to branch out and make my service available throughout the Northeast and into lower New England, including New Jersey, New York and Connecticut.”
-The Telegram Girl Safe/Distanced Singing Telegrams, Singing Telegram
“My short-term goal is to contact my previous clients to let them know what we're working on for 2021. My long-term goal is to increase revenue to pre-pandemic levels.”
-Mariachi Amor, Mariachi Band
“Short-term: Get my "Marriage Kiss" Lipsology reading video out so more folks who are planning to get married, are married, or just really want to do something fun with a current romantic impression of what Kissing each-other does to their lip print reading. Long-term: Find more ways to get into in-person events and, hopefully, do more with the makeup companies—virtual and in person...because I love working with big makeup folks like Christian Dior, Borghese, Yves Saint Laurent, Burt's Bees, etc. as well as stores like Bloomingdales and Nordstrom's. Also, I'd like to train some more folks who are interested in mastering the art and science of Lipsology.partner.”
-Ariana - Party Readers, Fortune Teller
To learn the #1 tip each of these vendors has for others booking events in 2021, read our related blog post, 6 Vendors on Their #1 Booking Tip for 2021.
Do you have a 2020 silver lining you’d like to share? We want to hear! Comment below!
