How to Build Real Relationships in a Transactional Industry

Strategic and decisive leadership is essential to grow an entertainment business. Behind the glamorous facade lies relentless hard work. Leaders craft clear strategies, make tough decisions, align creative teams, manage risks, and push through challenges to turn vision into profitable success and sustained audience growth.

In this episode, I had a discussion with Abby Tobias, founder of Sole Power Productions, one of Toronto’s leading entertainment and production companies. With a roster of 500+ performers and event professionals, Sole Power delivers integrated entertainment and production for over 2,500 events each year. Based in Toronto and serving major cities across North America, the team specializes in custom, end-to-end event experiences tailored to each client’s goals, style, and budget.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/abby-tobias-42348237/
https://solepowerproductions.com/

00:00 - Meet Abby Tobias: Toronto’s Entertainment Powerhouse
02:15 - The Humble Beginnings of Soul Power Production
04:50 - How COVID-19 Became a Catalyst for Stronger Business Models
07:30 - Scaling Internationally Without Losing Control
10:10 - The Secret Sauce: Relationships, Reputation, and Real Connections
13:45 - Managing a Team of 26+ Staff and 70+ Contractors
16:20 - Why Profitability Isn’t the Only Measure of Success
19:00 - Opportunities in Expanding the Canadian Market
22:45 - How Toronto Nurtures World-Class Artists and Entertainment Talent
26:00 - What It Truly Takes to Build a Legacy in the Entertainment Industry
30:30 - The Importance of Relationships and Personal Branding for Growth
34:00 - Embracing New Technology and AI in Event Production
38:50 - Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs in the Events and Entertainment Space
43:20 - How Abby Handles Government Policies and Red Tape—Spoiler: Very Smoothly
47:00 - Connect with Abby Tobias: Where to Find Him and How to Collaborate

Transcript

Meet Abby Tobias: Toronto’s Entertainment Powerhouse

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Paying the most attention to what you have in front of you is the most important. And the little bit if you have a little bit of time thinking about what's more, what's next is also important. But I think a lot of people work so hard to get there. And then when they're there, they keep going and then the whole thing falls apart. The common thing we hear about is the younger generation doesn't want to work as hard. They don't want to put in their time. I don't know if I buy it or not. The simplest piece of business advice in any area is just be great. Uh the majority of people are not. I think a lot of people spend 99% on their craft. And the craft only gets you so far. It's like the reason most restaurants fail is because they're run by great chefs. And the reason most hair salons fail is because they're run by great farbers.

The Humble Beginnings of Soul Power Production

SPEAKER_02 0:48

Hi there. Welcome to Business Leadership Podcast. In this episode, I had a discussion with Abby Tobias, founder of Soul Power Production. He founded Soul Power Production 20 years ago from his mother's basement in Athorn, Ontario. Today, Soul Power Production is Torno's premier entertainment and production company. Soul Power delivers multifaceted services and a state-of-art design from a concept to completion. With over 500 professionals, it executes over 2,500 events annually, including high-profile clients like Android based in Churnell, serving all major cities across Canada and US. IB serves as a jury member for Canadian Event Awards and previously partnered at a six degree club. Now we had a discussion around the various different topics around the business development, business growth and scaling a company and some of the challenges that every industry faces. Entertainment industry looks so glamorous from a distance, but from our discussion, you will see that how much hard work it takes to build a company in that industry as well. Now, if you find value in this discussion, please subscribe, share, and comment below. We are working hard to bring you conversations with the business owners, coaches, consultants to help you build and grow your company. Your support and feedback keeps us delivering great value in every episode. So again, thank you for your time. Until next time, please welcome Abby Tobias. I guess welcome to Business Leadership Podcast. Today our guest is Abby Tobas. Abby, uh you know, your side of uh entertainment, productions, events, there's so much to learn from your industry. I know a lot of things change over the last few few years, I take it. Um looking forward to a discussion, looking forward to learning from you. Thank you so much for time today. Ah, my pleasure. Thanks for having me. So if you walk us through uh what's a soul power production is about, you know, how long have you been uh been running this business?

SPEAKER_00 2:31

Yeah, it's it's 23, almost 24 years old. Started in December of 22, and we are ultimately an events company specializing in entertainment and production. So you know, we're sort of a hybrid. Most most of our you know, competitors or people that I feel would be one of the two. And so people would hire us for a corporate event, a social event, a concert, a sporting event where we would supply either or both of your production needs. So speakers, lights, stages, power, microphones, that kind of side. And then on the entertainment side, performers, live music, DJs, hosts, and and in a perfect world, we would supply both.

SPEAKER_02 3:14

Got it. And you do a lot of sporting events, I take it, right? Raptors or or uh and the cello, all those events?

SPEAKER_00 3:20

Yeah, yeah, we do we do a significant amount of work with the Blue Jays. They're one of our favorite and uh most trusted clients. Uh, we do do some work with Maple Sports as well for the Raptors and the Maple Leafs, but we supply a significant amount of in-game entertainment, in-game activations, promotional work, some production work uh with the Blue Jays as well. And that's all sort of uniquely curated with our team and the the wonderful in-house team over at the Blue Jays. I'm wearing Blue Jays today, actually. Look at that. Nice, nice. It's like I it's like I knew it's like I knew you were gonna bring it up.

SPEAKER_02 3:52

Yeah, yeah. Good stuff. So is it all only uh Ontario-based events or in nationwise or some in the US as well? You know, how how what big is the footprint?

SPEAKER_00 3:59

Yeah, it's international, but but 90% is Ontario. So, you know, we will travel right now. We're traveling a few times a year for really large scale, primarily large-scale social events internationally. So, you know, the US, some in Europe, and and it's uh an area that we're that we're actively discussing about expanding in. We feel like we've really cornered the market as the premier player in in Ontario and in Canada, but we're we're interested in what the rest of the world may look like.

SPEAKER_02 4:29

Got it. How's been for last uh I know COVID kind of you know uh slowed down a little bit, you know, early on uh the the uh you know co-petvent went side of things. How's it been since uh you know the COVID's gone? You know, how's how's the market been?

How COVID-19 Became a Catalyst for Stronger Business Models

SPEAKER_00 4:41

You know, COVID was a blessing for us, like you hate to say it, but one, like the the step away was was a really nice pause and refresher, I think, for all of us in a business that is very much 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It was nice to have just have a big pause. And then coming out of it, we kind of were in a unique op situation where we were forced to rebuild it and we rebuilt it slightly differently. And thus far, knock on wood, I think I have a much stronger, more focused business. And the business has been great. I mean, coming out of COVID, the the year out of COVID was the best year we've ever had, which I think a lot of industries had, but we were sort of playing the catch-up game. And now that it's normalized, I think just you know, ultimately we're right back to where we were, but we're we have a better product, we're better functionality-wise, I think we have a stronger team, we have a better headquarters. So a lot of good things came from COVID.

SPEAKER_02 5:36

Because sporting events didn't slow down even on a COVID, right? It was just a corporate side of things a little bit slowed down, I take it, right?

SPEAKER_00 5:42

Sports did slow down for us because uh there wasn't any fans in the stands for most of COVID. And I'm and most of our business is based on fans being there. So we did a little bit, like with the Blue Jays, we did some virtual national anthems for them. We we assisted in any way we could, but it was obviously new territory for us, it was new territory for them. But all of the, you know, we have a significant amount of people in the stadium for every game to entertain the fans as they move about throughout the stadium. And so that obviously wasn't there, but but to your point, there were still some. And on the corporate and social side, it you know, there's times it went to zero.

SPEAKER_02 6:19

Got it, got it. Okay, so let's talk about the business side of things, uh, Abby. You know, uh, you've been doing it for for for a while now. So, you know, you guys are one of the you know, premier in this area, you know, in a service side. What what do you saw some of the challenges over the few years in a terms from a business standpoint? You know, whether is, you know, I know a lot of businesses I talk to, they talk about, you know, finding the right talent is one of the challenges, right? So it could be just economy. So what have some of the your your experience been that that you saw some of the challenges on your side?

Scaling Internationally Without Losing Control

SPEAKER_00 6:46

Yeah, I don't think there's anything unique about our business. I tell this to our staff all the time. I think our challenges are the same as people who are you know manufacturing construction boots or accounting firms or you know, anything else. For sure, talent, like you know, having great staff, both on the administrative and and like sort of in-office side, and obviously talent as the way we use the word talent with you know performers, but you know, keeping staff, keeping staff happy, keeping them motivated, you know, not spending more than you're making, making intelligent purchases, using your time wisely. All those challenges are the same. I don't I actually I don't think my business is one bit unique. And I often the only maybe unique part is I'm often telling people that it's not unique because I think our staff tend to think that certain principles don't apply because what we do is different, but ultimately it's the same. And I've I've said for many, many years that I work in the entertainment business and 99% of that is business, and one percent of it is entertainment.

SPEAKER_02 7:45

But there's a lot of like upfront investment in your part every time there's events, there's a lot of upfront investment that you you you know, cash flow issues?

SPEAKER_00 7:53

It doesn't have to be. In our case, there is. We we tend to have a philosophy that we like to own the equipment that we use. Okay. So the bulk of the events that we work at, we're using equipment that we've purchased. So, you know, there could be a piece of equipment that costs$100, or there could be a piece of equipment that costs several hundred thousand dollars. So in our case, there is an upfront cost, but we find that when you amortize that over making wise investments that it pays for itself. There are other people in our space who don't purchase anything and uh don't own equipment, don't necessarily have staff and just outsource everything. And obviously they have much thinner margins, but they don't have any upfront costs. And so I I don't know, I actually don't know which one is better because as we've scaled over the years, you'd have to consistently redo, rework that algorithm. But since we've started, that's kind of been my philosophy. So the majority of the people who work for us are a part of our family, and the and the majority of the equipment that we use is equipment that we own, outside of you know, unique scenarios. So it's relative. You know, this is the time of year we're sort of in our offseason right now, so I'm getting quite a few invoices from my various departments about things that need to be purchased to get us ready for the busy time. So we'll we'll spend several hundreds of thousands for sure. And that stuff, you know, there's some resale value on some of it. Some of it you use until it dies. Some of it might be one-time use, like you're buying something for a particular event and never using it again. So uh it's it's a bit of a you know, business Tetris.

SPEAKER_02 9:23

But if you don't control the infrastructure in other businesses, I be, or you don't control the equipment, can you still control the quality of the service? You know, you depend on other other parties too for the equipment.

The Secret Sauce: Relationships, Reputation, and Real Connections

SPEAKER_00 9:33

Yeah, look, I think there's a model where it works. Again, it's not our model, but I've seen other businesses where they have two or three suppliers, they're trusted suppliers. You know, maybe as an example, if you need 10 pieces of equipment, you rent 12, so you have a couple spares, you establish good relationships, you you negotiate you know good pricing. But I think it can work. Again, it's it's not the model that I chose, but I have you know a big warehouse full of equipment and warehouse staff and trucks and a lot of liability and a lot of insurance and a lot of peripheral, you know, consumable items that are used and thrown away, like batteries and tape and that, you know, lots of tools and and that kind of stuff. So I think our method works for us, but I don't think it's the only path. Got it.

SPEAKER_02 10:16

So, you know, you know, I think uh one thing, comment, you know, you work with a lot of younger people. I I'm assuming that like that's the talent pool you work with, and I work with a lot of technology side, a lot of younger people as well. Where you find what these younger people are looking for, you know, how to to uh in a instead of you know trying to keep them in a position for a long time, you know, I'm sure they're looking to you for to to be inspired and and uh be motivated. So what what anything common you find that these people are looking for, you know, it what changed over the last few years. You know, olden days, people used to follow. You tell them, hey, this, I want you to do this, people will follow it. And these days, you know, they're looking for a lot more than simply just instructions for from a business owner, right? What are your thoughts on what they're looking for?

SPEAKER_00 10:56

Yeah, it's interesting. I don't know. You know, we hear a lot about like the common thing we hear about is the younger generation doesn't want to work as hard, they don't want to put in their time. I don't know if I buy it or not. Like maybe that's the case. I don't know. I I think like you have to motivate them. And I think in our case, because we do have a lot of younger people, I have people who have maybe never had another sort of real job or have maybe had one or two, but so I find we have to teach them a lot about just this is the way the world works. I can't I find I'm constantly saying, I know this doesn't sound fair, but it's just the way it is. Yeah. And I think, you know, one of the things I keep trying to do better for myself is I often just in the heat of being busy and having a gazillion things to do, just say, like, this is the way it is, trust me. When really what I should be doing is explaining and and nurturing and and guiding them so that they understand why this is what it is. But I would say our best youthful staff are the ones that are open to learning and and you know, just recognizing that they don't know it all. I deal with a lot of like everybody, everybody I work with knows everything. And so, which is a good and a bad thing. It's not all bad. There's a nice confidence in that, but I find I'm definitely I we're also like really interested in taking people who are good at one thing and seeing if we can shape them into something else. And so because of that, opening their eyes to other sides of the coin is is key. And I and I find a lot when staff make it a number of years, they always say to me, Oh, you know, oh two, three years ago I really thought I knew everything and now I I now I know it all. And I say just wait for two or three years from now. Yeah. So uh so I I deal with that a lot, but not in a really bad way. Again, I think there's a certain bravado and puffing of the chest that our people have, which is not like bad. They're they're smart and talented.

SPEAKER_02 12:41

You know, a couple of things I find is one is they're not looking for a job, they're looking for a career. You know, if you can show them that, hey, listen, you can start here, but there's a few steps to go to, that's that they're very interested in that. You know, that's kudos for them. That's great. The second thing is they're looking for somebody also working hard. You know, show them as an example instead of just simply giving them instructions. I think uh, as you mentioned, that you grinding on a daily basis, that's that's a perfect example for them. So they kind of follow it. So those couple things I think wasn't there a few years ago, but now that's that's what the younger generation is looking for.

Managing a Team of 26+ Staff and 70+ Contractors

SPEAKER_00 13:09

Yeah, I think your point about people looking for careers, not jobs. I hear that a lot, which is which I don't recall hearing, you know, forever ago. So that's that I do think that's interesting. And yeah, I think like interesting for me, like I've always said I want to have great people, and I have a lot of people who have been with me for a long time. And I think that speaks to like we have a good, a good business, a good company. I think we treat people really well. I think it's an interesting and exciting industry. But I'm not interested in having like to rehire new people every two, three years. Every hire I make, every single one, I tell them, this is a hire for life. I'm hiring you for life. And if it doesn't work out that way, which of course in most cases it doesn't, it doesn't make it a failure. But my position is I want to I hire you and I want you to stay here forever and grow and and you know raise a family off of um how you do here. And we have a lot of that. I have a lot of people who are 20 years, 15 years, plus 10 years, and they start, I have people started when they were just out of high school. That's a really important piece to me. And I and I like to say that I I I can prove it to them and in terms of letting them continue to grow and have more responsibility, you know, sort of steer their own ship, obviously earn a better living, but it's uh, you know, it's the constant challenge. If you if you don't have the stomach for it, being an entrepreneur isn't for you, uh, because you do have to say the same thing on repeat and and re-explain the same thing to to everybody, and but that's okay. They're they're entitled to that. I think this is an area a lot of hard work comes in.

SPEAKER_02 14:38

I be a lot of people don't understand what it takes to manage the team, you know, especially younger people. You gotta have an energy to to match their energy ongoing basis. It takes a lot. So I was gonna ask you, so one how big is the team? And the second, were you always good at people side of things in a business, or this is a skill set you have to pick it up later on?

Why Profitability Isn’t the Only Measure of Success

SPEAKER_00 14:56

Good question. The team is 26 full-time. I'm about to hire the 27th next week. And then contractors, we have about I think we have hundreds, but I would say probably I don't know, maybe 70 to 80 that are consistently like they work for us. They're not employees, but they work for us virtually exclusively. So it's so it's about a hundred people that are just constantly in our orbit, and then several hundred of ones that come and go. And then in terms of being able to work well with people, yeah, I would say if that's probably one of the few things that I've always been good at. I think I have a a genuine appreciation for people and their time and their effort. I recognize that in our business it's not nine to five that we're pulling people away from their families and their kids and special occasions and nights out, and and I think you have to genuinely appreciate that. And I'm also I think it goes hand in hand that I'm not overly motivated by money. And I think it's hard to really appreciate people and be driven by how much money you put in your pocket. So I think if you do well in business, naturally you you earn money. That just comes with it. It's hand in hand. And I and I'm not saying I don't like it. I I like money just like everyone else does, but I'm not I'm not driven by it. I'm driven by the success of my business and the success of everybody else in it. And I and I genuinely want to see other people do well here. Obviously, I want to see them do well if they're not here too, but but specifically with our people here, if we can find a lane where you can be successful here and grow and do well, I really I'm like your biggest cheerleader. And I think most of my staff would say that. The people who don't feel that way candidly probably are the weaker of the staff. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge if you're listening, you know? Like but, you know, I think for the majority, I think there is a path, and I want them to to you know, be on the path that they want to be. And I've some people you want to be around. You want you want those are the people you want to be around. And I have some people who like are not interested in growth and just want something comfortable and know what they're getting into and know how much they're making and know what their responsibilities are, and I'm all for that. I think you need to have a variety of you know, level of dreamer. And I have some who are like, you know, they want they dream big, they want they want to conquer the world tomorrow, and I think that's great. And I think I have some people who are very comfortable, and I think a successful business probably needs a certain amount of both of those. Yeah. And my and my goal is to give that person what they want. Of course it has to align with with the company's wants and needs, and it's when it doesn't align that sometimes you have to part ways. But I do think I've always been good at that because I've always I've always it's always been in my nature to be fair. I think we can be f if you if you want to be fair, then there's ways to navigate to do so. Yeah, but if you ultimately if you just want to if you just want to make the most amount of money, yeah, you're gonna have a lot of people come and go and you're gonna have a lot of people who don't speak kindly of you. Yeah. Even if you're even if you're a great a good person, if that's really if it's and listen, some people are solely motivated by money because they have to, like the business earns X amount and they need X amount to survive, and that's I get it.

SPEAKER_02 17:54

And you mentioned those few people, the the dreamer, they they they they you know, they you know, then they have a goal of what they want to achieve. So, you know, if you simply set these people in a right way and get out of the way, they will do wonders for your business. I know you you know people don't have a lot of those in a business, but if you have a find a handful of those people, simply give them what needs to be done and just give them instructions that just get out of the way. You know, they they go out of the way to help you achieve but what are we trying to achieve?

Opportunities in Expanding the Canadian Market

SPEAKER_00 18:17

Yeah, I I agree. Listen, I have I have a I I just told somebody the other day I said, you want me to ask you to do things. So in the moment, it might seem like a burden, or it's like, oh, this isn't my job. But if I'm asking you, it's because I trust you, I respect you, and I think you can do it. And think to yourself, why is he asking me versus the next person? And I have some people who like, you know, I'm calling up on a Sunday morning at 9 a.m. and saying, come over to the house for a coffee, we've got to talk about something because something came up or a strategy or an idea, and it's like, and they get it, and they're there and and they want to be there and they want to be in the room. One of my biggest problems, I actually, most of my people want to be at the table. And the table is only so big. It's a it's a good problem to have, but but they have a lot of people who are very passionate about the company and the success. And that makes for heated debates and arguments and you know, it's uh and gray hairs, but but it all comes from a place of wanting the company to be successful.

SPEAKER_02 19:09

Well, entertainment naturally connects people, right? And bring people on the same same table, as you mentioned, right? So a by nature entertainment is supposed to bring people on the same level. So I think that's probably the the benefit in your industry is that you you in in the and being in the business, you have that that it will bring people together, whether it's music, whether it's any entertainment.

SPEAKER_00 19:28

Yeah, we're we're in the business of making people happy. It's a wonderful way to spend every day. Sometimes I think we forget about that, but we're we're celebrating with people at some of their highest moments in life. And to be able to do that week in and week out, you sometimes forget, like, oh, this is this is really special. We're not in, you know, we're we're not working in a hospital or, you know, under underground in a tunnel. Like, you know, we're we're very lucky to be doing what we're doing, and we shouldn't have to have less because of that, but it's certainly a nice a nice perk. What does opportunity look like in your business, Abby? Opportunity moving forward?

SPEAKER_02 20:03

Yeah. What is what is opportunity? What is the potential of what you're building?

SPEAKER_00 20:08

Yeah. Scale, I think, is important. And so we've scaled uh really intelligently over the years. I think we're the I do think we're the biggest player in our space.

SPEAKER_02 20:17

So scaling means simply doing more if more of the same, or or is it going a different direction and scaling?

SPEAKER_00 20:23

Yeah, like so, for instance, the the piece that we're speaking a lot about these days is how much time and investment do we want to make into being international? And what are the pros and cons? I had a meeting with our senior music director today talking about, you know, do we want to be doing 15 events a year in Europe? And what does that look like? Because because at first, first comment, it sounds exciting, but what does it actually look like? What are the pros and cons? How much time in it? I think we can do it. I think we can do it. I think we're as good as anybody in the world at what we do. So I think we could do it, but you know, what are the risks if we t if we put too many of our eyeballs on that and we take too many eyeballs off of something else? What does that look like? And could we better use our time elsewhere? So I think it's I think it's a combination of those things. We could just be doing more events locally. We could be selling more product to our existing customers, and we could certainly be expanding into other areas. Like I'm I'm certainly intrigued about expansion in Canada. I don't know that there's another market like Toronto, but certainly the other majors, Montreal and Vancouver and Edmonton and Calgary, Ottawa, even I think there's an opportunity for upscale entertainment that I don't think they necessarily have the same access to. Like there's some good people in those markets, for sure in Montreal, but I think we could do a lot of damage in those markets. So I think about that, you know, being able to expand without dealing with cross border and you know, Canada US relations and currency, and that that's that intrigues me because I'm not sure that I want all of the headache that comes with the other. And of course, always what more just internally our clients are coming to us wanting to spend. So right now we offer them I don't know, 10,000. Things should we be offering them 12? And if we had two more great products that we could sell to every client, that would add up really fast.

SPEAKER_02 22:07

Yeah, that would have scale if you feel if you had more good products already.

How Toronto Nurtures World-Class Artists and Entertainment Talent

SPEAKER_00 22:11

Yeah. So I'm open to scaling this way or that way. I often think we have to just go through the exercise and see what sticks. And that's kind of what what we've been doing the last number of months. But I am also like every job we do is really important. And we do thousands, but everyone, even the small ones, are really important. And so I think really paying the most attention to what you have in front of you is the most important. And the little bit if you have a little bit of time thinking about what's more, what's next is also important. But I think a lot of people work so hard to get there. And then when they're there, they keep going and then the whole thing falls apart. And I feel very fortunate to have what we have. And and I don't want to spend too much time. Like I don't want to take time out of the the the work day when I need to focus on the events I have this weekend, the clients I have upcoming, the emails that need to be replied to. Because our business is forever. If we can stay great at it, I don't need to grow at all. I could say exactly now we've grown every year we've been in business with the exception of COVID. So naturally I think we're gonna grow because I just think we're I think we're good. Clients keep recycling. Yeah. Like the one good thing. On the wedding, the wedding side of our business, like there's always gonna be weddings. And so we did your wedding last year. You you're you're never gonna be a client to me again, God willing. You know, if if you if they end up breaking up, sometimes one client becomes two new clients. Well the kids grow up. Or the kids grow up, yeah. We've we we do that for sure. Yeah. Um, but you know, that that's that's there's always gonna be a market for that as long as you're great and and consistent.

SPEAKER_02 23:42

The the you know, Olympics or soccer cup, World Cup coming, is that uh are those opportunities for you guys, those sporting events?

SPEAKER_00 23:49

Yeah, the the um the the highest profile ones that come from other cities are often a lesser with us because our relationship is really with the teams, like specifically the Blue Jays these days. There was a time that we did a lot more with the Raptors, although we still do Raptors in Maple, so no knock to them. But typically, like when an event like that comes, or even when like NBA All-Star came or NHL All-Star come came, it's the league, the league takes it over and they have their relationships that they usually bring. So we end up doing some, but the excitement, the first couple of years when something big would come to Toronto, I would get really excited thinking it would be a great opportunity for us, but it really isn't because they they end up, you know, like we work on a very small scale with Golf Canada on on their open and their partner at one of our partnering venues that we're really excited about, uh golf facility. But even for them, like we're we've slowly start to learn like they are they change facilities every couple years and they have their team that they may bring in from wherever, and that's their team. And um, and so like even with the World Series, like we did so much during the playoffs, and then probably less during the World Series because Major League Baseball came in and and you know, sort of takes over the building. So we still did some, and I'm grateful for what we get. But I think that was a learning lesson for me that at one point it sort of tips and it goes outside of the hands of the people who we you know we we speak to.

SPEAKER_02 25:11

Yeah. So uh City of Toronto or any of their cities put up a lot of events as well, right? They they they they're constantly putting all the events out. Are those opportunities like do you guys get involved in that those opportunities as well?

SPEAKER_00 25:21

Yeah, yeah, like we we do a ton of charity work, a ton of charity events. We we get re we get connected from a different charity at least two or three times a week about they're looking for you know for something. We do what we can, obviously. We work with all of the city and townships. So there's you know, there's different parades, festivals, you know, speaking engagements. So of course, yeah, like we're we're a supplier open to work with anybody. I mean, again, we have partners and and venue partners and company partners that we work really closely with, but that continues to change and evolve.

What It Truly Takes to Build a Legacy in the Entertainment Industry

SPEAKER_02 25:54

Okay. We you know, just just a couple uh minutes. You you mentioned that success with that with employees. We were talking about it. So I wanted to step back and just simply just uh again. So what is a success look like in a business? Is the running does uh operational smoothly is that success? So you know you mentioned that you're not driven with money, but more of a success with a business. So what does that look like for you and your employees at B?

SPEAKER_00 26:13

Yeah, I think uh I think this I can look back on a year and see one, I'd like to know that we did more business than the year before. So either higher volume or higher output. Obviously, I want to make sure that we were profitable. I want to make sure that uh the people were paid fairly and and the people who deserved growth and had the opportunity for growth financially. I think it's hard to assess, but you want a smooth sailing ship. The question is, it's never gonna be perfectly smooth. I mean, every day I deal with bumps and you know, my staff and my wife know, like I always say I'm getting punched in the face every single day, but you develop thick skin and you just know that it's coming. And the hope is at the end of the year you look back and say, I got punched in the face less this year than last year. So, you know, as we've grown, we've we've made some, we're continuing to make changes to have better systems and be more consistent and listen to our staff and and develop programs. And it's a constant evolution because you're doing it in real time as the company is it's not like you're pausing the business. Yeah. So new challenges are coming at the same time and you're being pulled in many different directions. But I don't know if it sounds like it's almost cheesy to say, but like just doing it is the success of it. Like being in it and living it and doing it every day is you've like that is you've won. And everyone on my team, I think, has won and are winners every day. I don't, there's not a metric that I'm that I look for. Um again, I I of course I want to be profitable. I often will analyze a job based on the finances of it. You know, we earned X and we spend Y, not because I'm motivated to put the money in my pocket, but ultimately I know that the money makes the company.

SPEAKER_02 27:45

Company has to make money. A company has to be profitable.

SPEAKER_00 27:48

Yeah, yeah. And that's that's the that's the easy no-brainer way to assess, hey, we should be doing this or not. Yeah, we not not profit, it's a it's a business, right? So you've got to be profitable at the end of the day. If we did an event and charged$1,000 and it cost us$1,100 to put it on, we have a problem. And we certainly don't want to be. Yeah, yeah, exactly. It's not a business, it's a hobby, and it's an expensive hobby. Yeah. So again, not be motivated by it. And I all some I said one said to one of my staff members, I said, You're not motivated by money, and he got a bit offended.

SPEAKER_01 28:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 28:16

I said, I'm not saying you shouldn't want, you don't want money. I know you want money, and I know you want to buy things, and so do I. And I know you want to put away, and I know you want to have for your family, but that's not why you're getting up in the morning. Because if that was the case, then again, I could go, I think I could go and work anywhere and sell anything and make a lot of money. I think I'm great at sales and I'm great with people, but that's not the motivating factor. I want to, I also want to, we're in the we're in a business where we can do something special and help people and and and make people happy and be a part of celebrations. And why wouldn't you want to spend every day like that?

SPEAKER_02 28:46

Yeah, yeah. Yeah, definitely. I talked to a lot of business owners, uh, I mean, and one of the items they talk about is you know, policy and you know, um, all that uh, you know, government and in and the city policies. Do you think those help you some shape or form? Or do are they working against you? What are your thoughts? And I'm always finding that people say, hey, listen, it looks like you know, it's not easy to build a business in Canada. There's so many red tape, so many, you know, hoops you gotta go through, whether in an employment side or or uh, you know, on a business site, there's so many uh I uh you gotta jump through hoops to build a business in Canada. So what's what's how's your experience been uh dealing with this red tape and the policies?

The Importance of Relationships and Personal Branding for Growth

SPEAKER_00 29:20

I don't think I've had that experience. I don't find I've had any red tape to jump through. I mean, there's natural things like business licenses and WSIB and insurance and and obviously there's policy, you know, like when when when I need to know how many days off my staff are supposed to get, I can go on to the website and see based on how many years they've been there and if I know, you know, how much severance somebody is due or all those things doesn't really bother me. And and I can't imagine that that's not the case in some capacity everywhere. So I have no problem with it. There's nothing really that stands out. I mean, I guess during COVID, you know, policies would come in place that would seem wacky and it would affect us for better or for worse. But I would also say, like, yeah, they were these politicians are just human and they were dealing with it in real time the same way we were. There wasn't a blueprint for it. But day to day, I don't think about it at all. You know, if somebody if the government decided to pass a new policy that meant I had to have certain particular testing or particular insurance or you know, whatever it might be, then we would just go with the flow. And if it's happening to us, it's happening to our competitors and our industry. And I've so I I have no issues. Uh yeah, you figure out as you go along. You know, it's just uh that's what business is about, right? You figuring out as as as we are processed. Yeah, yeah. And I think like do your due diligence and know what you're signing up to. But you know, like we don't get involved in I don't think I've ever applied for a government grant. Uh I've never had a handout. And so in some ways that's good, right? Like I just very much and Yeah, you don't have to give anything back, you know. So you control your yeah.

SPEAKER_02 30:46

Let's talk about your journey, Abby. You know, uh what you were doing before you started a business. Let's talk about how you got interested in building this business, you know, if if you talk about your background and walk us through your journey.

Embracing New Technology and AI in Event Production

SPEAKER_00 30:55

Yeah. Well, my the business, this company started really as a DJ company and started as a DJ cu company because I was a DJ. So I I started DJing when I was 15 and I worked for somebody else for nine years. While I was doing that, I developed a passion for artist management. When I was young, I I managed a group of dancers that sort of just kind of, you know, friendship that fell in my lap. And I really I wasn't very good at it, and they'll tell you that for sure, but I really I really liked it. And I sort of like the balance between performing myself, although I, you know, there was times I wasn't that good at that either, and and and working with other talent and helping develop them. And and so when I decided when I finished university, I went to Ryerson for radio and television. I I launched this company, and it was supposed to basically be a combination of both providing DJ work and representing talent. And that that, you know, it quite literally started in the basement of my mom's house and has grown from there, you know. But that's sort of the basis of what it was. And I don't know, maybe 10 years ago or so we shifted the entertainment to be as much about live music as it was about DJ. So that's it's those two components sort of drive the entertainment side of our business. We had a f we had a management company as an um as an umbrella company to Soul Power, which I've since closed, but you know, managing talents, both DJ and and on the music side all over the world, which I really liked, but I didn't find that I was as good at it as I am this. So at one point I just wanted to keep my energies, you know, keep my eyes on the prize. I've been in the nightclub business, I've been in in the restaurant business, I've been in the Did you own them or were you were you operationally vending them? Yeah. Both. Both. I owned uh I own a a DJ school, uh, which was the first of its kind in Canada, which was never overly profitable, but really was a passion of mine. And I thought like one of the more interesting things that I that I had ever done, I really enjoyed that for a number of years. That has since closed. Again, managing talent was a was a really big piece of the puzzle. Monetarily, I was never able to do as well there as I was with Soul Power. And when I lost a little bit of the love for it, I thought, well, if I'm not earning the way I want to earn, and I and now I don't love it as much, it's it just doesn't make sense. So I I you know graciously walked away from a few projects. Um and I still dabble with it, but more of um more as an advisor, you know, like I don't want to manage any artist and and you work for an artist and you're you're you're working for their livelihood. I don't want that responsibility, but I do have artists that I consult with and I help and advise and would just like to see them be successful. And I have no skin in the game monetarily anymore, which is really nice. But yeah, that's sort of my my background is is start started as a DJ for and that's primarily what I was for you know for the first 15 years. So DJ for uh weddings and stuff? What do you want a DJ? Both, both I did like like a big part for me was like weddings and private events and social events, and that was a huge piece to my puzzle for a long time. And I was in the nightclubs for a number of years again. I was never great at it. I think I probably did better than my skill set. I was really good at like convincing people to hire me and appearing as if it sounded really good. But what when I when I spent time in social circles with really good DJs, I realized, wow, I'm really not very good. Like it was and I and I remember when people used to tell me how good I was, I used to think, wow, they really don't know what good really is in this space. Probably when I started the DJ school and I really got to spend a lot of time with like true world-class DJs, which we have a lot of in Toronto. A lot of my, you know, really close friends are world-class DJs, and like it was no comparison. I'm like, these guys are so much better than me, but I did fake it pretty well for a long time, and so that that was fun. Yeah, but you know, you're good at the management side of things, you know, you you circle. Yeah, I I I think that part I was I was I was good again, because I like working with people and I'm good with people. And you know, there was a few formulas that were missing when we were doing management, and ultimately it also just comes down to like how much if you're managing talent, how much how much is the talent earning? You can manage the best artist in the world, but if they're only earning twenty thousand dollars a year and you get 10% of it, it's a tough way to make a living. You know, like you do the math.

SPEAKER_02 35:14

But if but you know, like I had one act that one year did at 4 million and you know, I think we were getting Can you change that as well in a market if somebody's earning some, you know, the the one amount can is a way to encourage it to get to the different levels?

SPEAKER_00 35:29

Can you change how much how much they're making or how much you're making? They're making how much yeah, like listen, you're I like to me, good management is a partnership, you know, and I and I hear managers talk about it all the time. The fact that a manager is earning 10% often to me is crazy, especially at the startup stage. At the startup stage, you should be 50-50 partners, the way a somebody in a business and a business owner and a chef would be partners in a restaurant. But, you know, listen, the artist would say, you know, you put in all the work now and you make a little bit of money, but if I ever, you know, really hit, then you you do well. I think what what has what we've started to see in that space is when artists really blow up, they actually don't want to pay management contracts anymore. And so somebody who's like a world-class talent who maybe is earning$100 million a year says, I don't want to pay 10% to my manager. Why would I pay$10 million when I could just put someone on salary for$400,000? For$400,000, you can get anybody, right?$400,000, you get a cream, a creme de la creme business advisor. And so why would you pay$10 million? Now the manager would say, well, but I was getting$2,000 a year back when you were only making$20, and we were on this journey together. So to me, as long, yeah, as long as it works on both sides, you know, like if you're if the manager wants more up front, then they have to be willing to take less if and when it hits. And it and I guess you would say if you really believe in your artists, that wouldn't be that wouldn't be very wise if you did the math. But again, it's I have I hear artists all the time talk about how hard it is to find a manager. And I say, well, you're earning$50,000 a year. So how hard is someone going to work for you for$5,000 a year? Because they're only getting 10%. Or if they're working for people for$5,000 a year, how many artists did they need so that they can earn a living? They need 25 artists. And in that case, how much time are you getting? So it's it's a bit of a challenge on both sides. Like until there's money in the pot, it's a very difficult thing. And we had artists, great artists we worked with that earned no money. And then, you know, probably one for sure, just trying to think, maybe just the one, like the one main act that I work with at one point, after many, many years, started to earn significantly. Like I said, I think they did about four million in one year. So that was really, you know.

SPEAKER_02 37:33

But Toronto Toronto is known to produce a lot of artists, right? We we we are is is that is that is that right? Is it are you a big market for that?

SPEAKER_00 37:40

In the last number of years, yeah, in the last 10 years, it's they certainly before that, and in the first 20 years of me working in this space, it was the opposite. It was how soon can I get out of Toronto to get to New York or LA? Um and it's and it's changed because we've had, you know, a few world-class pieces of talent. So now, you know, people don't think like that. Like a young artist wouldn't think that way anymore, I don't think. But but it's still it's you know, you're talking about how many people become Drake or Justin Bieber or the weekend. Like yeah, you're talking about it's you could buy a lottery ticket every day and have a better chance of being rich if you want to be rich, yeah, than just saying I'm gonna be the next Sean Mendez or the next, you know, whomever. It's just not it's not it's not realistic. But look, there are lots of ways to earn money as an artist outside of just becoming a big rock star.

SPEAKER_02 38:28

But do we have an environment to produce those artists in in a Toronto area? Like do we have all the resources and and what it takes out, produce artists?

Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs in the Events and Entertainment Space

SPEAKER_00 38:36

Uh to me, it's about the hub. You need people working here, collaborating in in all the different spaces. So producers, directors, engineers, studio owners, musicians. If if the really talented pool of people are here, which right now I think they are, then I yeah, I think it's fine. And I guess maybe it depends on also the lane of music, right? Like maybe a country artist would say otherwise. Like if you're not in Nashville, you're you're you don't have a chance. Maybe I I don't know. I've never worked in that space. But yeah, I think like I think we we have a lot of resources. I think we have a lot of government tools and funding that that can help. And I'm sure every artist would complain and say they wish there was more.

SPEAKER_01 39:17

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 39:18

Every time I speak to an artist, I say there's the government's never given me any money for my craft. Yeah. So if they're giving you$50,000 to shoot a music video, I'd say you're in pretty good shape.

SPEAKER_02 39:26

Yeah. Very interesting. So let's talk about your early days of the DJs. If somebody is there in the same place that I'd be right now, they're trying to figure their way out, you know, they're trying to get to uh what what would you say, you know, what what can they do? How could they avoid some of the, you know, save some of the time, avoid some of the mistakes, and and uh, you know, follow a similar footprint and get to where, you know, where you're at, uh build running a building companies. Any advice you will leave for those guys?

SPEAKER_00 39:50

Yeah, I I've always said the same two things. One, that's the simplest piece of business advice in any area is just be great. The majority of people are not. I think if you can just be great in whatever it is you do, however it is you do it, and whatever lane you're in, you've you've already got a significant leg up because most people are not great. So figure out how to be great. And then I would say, similar to my other comments about I'm in the in in the entertainment business, but 99% of my work is business. I think a lot of people spend 99% on their craft. And the craft only gets you so far. It's like the reason most restaurants fail is because they're run by great chefs. And the reason most hair salons fail is because they're run by great barbers. And the reason most gyms fail is because they're all run by great personal trainers. Same as dentists. Correct. They're all great, they're all they're all great at their craft, but they haven't spent enough time being great at business. And like, again, like I said earlier, I don't think my business is special or different. So I think you have to be great at business. And the same way in anything else, it's like, okay, well, how do I do that? Like, take a course, read a book, ask a question, take someone for coffee, watch this podcast. I I don't know, like, yeah, the resources are there to do it. But but I think that's that's the big one is like I think a lot of I spoke to somebody today who's a great DJ and just has done nothing because they're spending so much of their time about thinking about the next piece of DJ equipment and some really interesting mix and how to get join um, you know, a pool for new music, but they haven't spent nearly enough time on the business, you know, versus like, you know, one of my one of my closest friends is a music artist and he made this shift a few years ago where he spends way more time marketing himself and thinking about TikTok and social media than he does writing songs. And he can write a great song in a day. So if we can write a great song in a day, why are you spending a month writing it? When the reality is you need to spend that amount of time in the within the landscape of your field conducting business. And so he's seen tremendous success since then. And I think that's that's that's a the model that mo most people need to follow. Nobody wants to do that. Everybody would love to just like write a song and then like Usher discovers you and you and you're on the Grammys and you're living uh, you know, on a yacht. It's just so unrealistic. Um and then the only other small piece, I just think all business is relationship driven. Yeah, and I think part of the reason that I haven't felt the urge to dive into some of these other markets, like we talked about before, is I don't have relationships there. And I'm I would just be a guy knocking on your door as opposed to here. The people in our space know my company, they know me, they know we're great, they know we're trustworthy, they know we're honest, they know we're professional, and and I think so. I think relationships is really important. And I would you can never start making relationships early enough. So that would be my like my practical piece of advice. Very good.

SPEAKER_02 42:33

Yeah, no, definitely, you know, to things so you're right on, you know, definitely relationships are key. But personal branding, a lot of them drink lots of water. Drink a lot of water. Drink a lot. A lot of people in my space, you know, I always tell them, I listen, uh, you you know, these days, but you know, there's so many research out there that you know, personal brands are much bigger than a you know, uh professional brands, company brands these days. So you gotta get out and talk about what you do. And even in my space, a lot of people, you know, you know, a lot of software developers, a lot of techie people, they want to do a lot of tech work, but don't want to get out and talk to people and and and build the companies, right? So I think you have to or or or like know what you're good and bad at.

How Abby Handles Government Policies and Red Tape—Spoiler: Very Smoothly

SPEAKER_00 43:06

There's also nothing wrong with like I've I've had artists that I've spoken to said, I'm really good at my craft, I'm just not good at that. And I recognizing that is so important. And then okay, you've got to find someone to work with you who is good at it, someone who can help you. And maybe it's not a high profile manager, maybe it's your mom, maybe it's your sister, maybe it's your husband, maybe it's your partner, maybe like you know, the tools are so easy to like, for instance, if you needed to do accounting for your small business, you can go online and find the softwares that are just meant for people who have no clue what they're doing. It's like that wasn't always the case, right? Somebody's done it before. Somebody have done that before. Yeah, 10 years ago, it's like you know how to use QuickBooks, you're in trouble. You know, like and now it's like there are tools forget about AI and and all these things that are every day being introduced to make our lives so much easier and and and more sort of cost effective and time effective. But yeah, I think like The tech one is the same thing. There's guys who are great at tech and they start a tech company and they have a great end product and that no one has thought about how to sell, how to market, you know. And just all the things. I I've I have one uh supplier who one supplier who who always forgets to bill. It's like they do the work, but they they don't they forget to invoice. And I'm like, you know, if you don't send an invoice, you're not getting paid. So again, like you have a hobby, not a business. And if you love it enough to just do it for the sake of doing it, that's great. But like you're in the charity business at that point.

SPEAKER_01 44:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 44:30

So these things, I see these things uh all the time. Very interesting.

SPEAKER_02 44:34

Is technol coming uh technology changing your business any shape or form? You mentioned AI as the new technology tools and stuff coming out. Are they reshaping your business the way we run our business?

SPEAKER_00 44:44

Yeah, I yeah, I I don't know that I've quite figured it out as you know, these things get harder as we get older, right? Things that were easy to us in one lane and now there's a new lane. So of course I'm spending a good amount of time with my staff talking about how can we adapt AI into our business and really thinking out of the box. I think we're doing all we can in the sense that we're always having conversations about it. I wouldn't say that we have figured it out yet. I think everybody trying to do it. Yeah, and half of my business is equipment, right? So you're talking about like we're half of my business is hardware. And so with that, it's like there is a new speaker, there is a new amplifier, there is a new, you know, this this battery can last longer or draw less power or, you know, whatever those things might be. I'm also not overly technical, to be honest with you. Like going back to what I said before, I'm the first one to say that half of my business is tech and and I'm not great. So I have really great tech people who I've learned to have really great communication with, to understand what we should be investing in, how should we be investing in it? And and you know, we we make some mistakes, but I think we're just scratching the surface. But I will say that we talk about it a lot and I'm open to the conversation. I I actually have a meeting tomorrow with one of my staff who has three AI tools that he wants me to think about implementing. And I'm I'm like eager to have the conversation because if he's done the work and and he feels like this is something that is you know helpful for us, I would be ignorant to not at least give it my full test.

SPEAKER_02 46:07

Kudos to you. A lot of business women I know they get so intimidated by just new technology that want to just box themselves, you know, they don't want anyone to take a look at that, you know, simply. Yeah.

Connect with Abby Tobias: Where to Find Him and How to Collaborate

SPEAKER_00 46:15

And I get it, it gets harder as you get older and you get more set in your ways, but I just consistently try and tell myself, don't be that guy, don't be that guy. Like I, you know, I like my computer set up the way it is. And I like listen, during COVID. Yeah, the one the one thing during COVID pre-COVID, we had hard files for every event we did. An actual physical file with a printout of their contract, their information, their payment schedule, everything was in a file. So on Fridays, when I would leave the office, if we had 30 events that weekend, I would take 30 files home with me in my in a in a bag. And that way, if anything came up on the weekend, somebody could call me and say, hey, what's, you know, what's happening with such and such? And I can open it up and say, you know, this is what's on the file. And so only during COVID did we move everything to digital. And the fact that I had these hard files, the one I had to carry with me, two, I had to not lose. One day, you know, somebody broke into my car wants to steal a bag, and sure enough, in the bag was all these files. But, you know, the fact that that didn't live online for even as just a backup, it was just something that we were forced to do with COVID. But that would be a good example of just being open to like we were even then five, 10 years behind. And so I I really do try and be open. I think it's mostly maybe the same for everybody, it's just time. Like somebody presents me with something today and they say, This is gonna be a great tool, but you need 10 hours to you know be able to infuse it into your business. Like, who has 10 hours? I don't have 10 minutes. Yeah, but I think it's I think it's important. And there's no question that's that is the future. And if you're fighting it, you're you're in trouble.

SPEAKER_02 47:43

Yeah, very interesting. As long as you open to uh look for different ways. Where can people find you? How can they connect with you, Abby? If they want to have a chat with you.

SPEAKER_00 47:50

For the company at SoulPowerProductions.com. I'll link a link below the video. Yeah, good. Yeah, most of our activities on Instagram at Soulpower, it's S-O-L-E. My socials are at Abby Tobias. I'm not fairly open to uh to communicate with people directly. And our our headquarters are in Midtown, Toronto, Young and Lawrence. I am I I winter here in in sunny, sunny Miami. Um it's not so sunny today, but I'm here for a few months working remotely uh and then back in the back in the city and and and always available.

SPEAKER_02 48:19

Very nice. You know, there's so much to learn from you, you know, business owners who are watching, you know, business leaders who are watching, you know, or listening to us on a podcast. I will, you know, there's there's so many areas we can take advanced. You know, I know Cooper events is one of the items a lot of businesses that always thinking about it, you know, how to manage some of that stuff. I will strongly recommend, hey, listen to reach out to you for conversation, you know, click a link below this video, connect with you. Who knows where the discussion is gonna go? Because you know, while just by uh having a quick chat, I learned so much from you around this area. I'm sure anybody who reaches out to you, they're gonna learn a lot from you as well. So thank you. Strongly recommend here, re click a link below, reach out to you, have a conversation, and uh hopefully it's something good for both of uh both of you guys, and and I go from there. Absolutely. Thank you so much for time. I be hopeful, I will talk soon in uh in the future. Thank you all, appreciate it. All the best. Thank you. Bye bye.