It’s amazing what can change over the course of a decade, and it got me thinking about how different the mobile DJ industry is now. What has changed for me and for other DJs? And what impact has that change had?

Earlier this year – through conversations with Pro Mobile editor Peter Holding – I discovered a book and podcast called ‘A Diary of a CEO’ by Steven Bartlett. In the book, he lists five buckets that you need to fill to determine your human potential, explains how to fill them, and, crucially, in which order – things Peter discussed at the opening of January’s Pro Mobile Focus & Retreat.

The five buckets are:

1. What you know (your knowledge)
2. What you can do (your skills)
3. Who you know (your network)
4. What you have (your resources)
5. What the world thinks about you (your reputation)

What struck me was the correlation between these five buckets and what has happened within our industry over the last 10 years…

Filling my buckets

Back in 2010 – four years before Derek and I started our travels around the UK – I attended my first of many Marbecca workshops in Las Vegas to train as a master of ceremonies. Whilst there, Derek's desire to help me connect with fellow DJs he knew in the States led to our friendship.

On my return to the UK, I had a conversation with the then-national chairman of NADJ, which culminated in me helping set up a local branch and becoming its chairman in 2011. I also helped set up Marbecca workshops in the UK – and Mark Ferrell delivered his ‘Getting What You’re Worth’ presentation to a packed room of over 100 DJs at an event I coordinated.

By April 2014, when Derek and I started our UK tour, Derek was already actively delivering one-day training workshops. Because of my reputation for helping DJs and my journey so far, Derek asked if I wanted to be part of some evening events, designed to help our DJ colleagues adjust their mindset.

The ‘tour’ included sessions in Bristol, Southampton, Reading, London, Great Barr, West Midlands, Manchester, and Darlington. At the time, local DJ association branch members and DJ groups gathered to hear what one guy from the Wirrall and another from Hampshire had to say.

Back then, most DJs we met felt positive and were keen to learn more. That said, one of the subjects we were talking about was getting what you are worth. This is about what you can charge for services you provide as a mobile DJ, including being part of the whole wedding day by adding additional skills that help clients have a better experience and ultimately enable DJs to charge more!
If there was any objection, it tended to be that this approach seemed 'very American' and that couples wouldn't want an all-day DJ. It's amazing how that has changed for many in today’s market.

I knew if I filled my first bucket (‘what I knew’) it would allow me to fill my second bucket (‘what I could do’) by developing more skills. So, I set out...


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