“If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself” -Henry Ford
Kevin Hart mentioned in an interview once that we should be loyal to those who are loyal to us and help us grow. There’s no person in this world that’s successful, that can say they did it entirely on their own. NOT ONE! You win as a unit. If they bought into your dream, that means they invested in you. If they started with you, that means they believe in you.
This post really stood out to me because I’m really big on teams and loyalty. On my journey through these Detroit music scenes so far, I’ve been associated with teams and groups and individuals, none of which lasted or yielded anything other than lessons learned and experience. I think the thing that’s biggest in my book is the actual genuine desire to build with someone. Most people only enter situations for the sole purpose of personal gain. What’s in it for me? My thing is this, when you’re building from the ground and you’re on your knuckles, it takes time to get your momentum going….. and everybody’s not down to hold you down like that.
Let me walk y’all through my journey of Dream Teams lol. So let me start with the first level of Dream Teamin.’ To me, the first level is your support system. My family is my EVERYTHING, period. That’s my top tier support system. Through everything. Now when it comes to second tier support system, i.e. friends, I’m lacking lol. In the general sense of the word, I guess I have friends/associates. But when it comes to like close friends that might as well be family….. ain’t none. So not only am I focused on building my work/career Dream Team, but also my inner support system tier too.
Anywaydoe, when I first decided to get my feet wet in the local music scene, I partnered with another female from the city who was into the same sort of things I liked, mostly music. Together we put on a music showcase in one of the local businesses and it actually became a success. Pretty exciting. So when the first one was poppin,’ you know we had to run it back. With the second one, we had to get a bigger venue and things were a bit larger in scale. Well with small victories comes inflated egos. What ends up occurring is that the girl gets the big head and basically pushes me out and plays like the whole thing was always solely her idea….. Of course it ends up failing due to bad business practices, not surprising. When you put that type of energy into the universe, you get that ish right back. We’ve since spoken and cleared the air about it. Both moved on, Both have grown. Partnership dead but we’re pushing forward in our respective lanes.
My next and more successful stab at it was being a Brand Ambassador with one of Detroit’s local collectives. In the beginning I had high hopes for this one. It started out really good. There were about 5 of us and we were a pretty close knit group. Along the way, the team ended up picking up more “interns” (catch this side eye) and the group got pretty big. Originals, like myself, started to get left behind and left out. People weren’t getting the chance to shine in their respective strengths. I was basically a chauffeur and assistant. It went from family to flunky. This one hit a little harder than the first one because I had grown close to the team and I knew the potential they had to take over. Long story short, users will use you up until you’re dry and then kick you to the curb. Beware!
So when it comes to those people who are genuinely interested in seeing you win and thrive, you should really hold on to them and keep them close. I’ve done my share of reaching out to folks I saw potential in and offering my services and help, only to be forgotten about shortly after. I even had an up and coming artist decide not to work with me because he felt I was “trying to get his money” (money that didn’t exist) all because I saw his potential and talent and offered to put some plays together. You really never know what type of network people have access too. Be careful who you count out.
So many people get “Loyalty is Everything” tatted on them and have no clue how to operate within the concept. I need everyone to be mindful of how they treat the people on their team. If someone has been there for you in the trenches, no questions asked, they for sure deserve a seat at the table. I’m not sure why this concept is so foreign these days. Learn to appreciate the people who hold you down. Don’t ignore those people that reach out to you and offer you their services at no charge. Out of the goodness of their heart. If they’re anything like me, they simply just see your potential and shine, and they want to help you reach that end goal.
I’m totally here for the concept of a group of totally dedicated people working together towards a collective goal. If one wins, we all win. Sometimes you have to kick the trust issues and selfishness to the side and just build. Now I’m not saying be stupid, we all have to operate with a spirit of discernment. But you should definitely be open to new experiences and assisting people in reaching their level by allowing them to share their gifts with you.
The concept of the Dream Team is SUPER important to me. I say this all the time! Absolutely NO ONE does it alone! If you’ve got a clutch team, hold tight to those people. I’m working on building my dream team and you better believe we’ll be set to takeover. I’m a hard working, genuine person, and I say that humbly. I pray for my dream team all the time. I’m ready to takeover the game and you know if we starved together, we’re for sure going to eat together. Shout out to the people that believe in the kid!