2020 hasn’t exactly been a year of pleasant memories for most of us. Many of us are looking forward to 2021 with hopes that it will offer something better. However, in the meantime, there are people like David Rothman, music industry expert, philanthropist, and music creator, who are bringing a welcome wave of encouragement and positive vibes through music and philanthropy.

Rothman is an up-and-coming artist who recently released a hip-hop track, The Rap Knight, which you can listen to here. The track is a welcome mix of fast-tempo hip-hop instruments set with inspirational chording and melodic material, with a catchy background and solid production, which Rothman also handles expertly as a composer. Rothman raps about the positive experiences in his life, including becoming married, finding happiness in his 30s, his family’s joys, and much more. It’s pure, straightforward lyricism set to catchy production (Rothman seems equally talented and comfortable as a producer as he is behind the microphone).

The Rap Knight offers the kind of positive escape that music is meant for, and it’s refreshingly real and introspective.

On his music journey, Rothman explains,

“As a member of the Recording Academy it’s been a dream to get a chance to produce and release music. Looking forward to releasing more music in the near future. Music has always been a big part of my life… I first got into the industry by attending a lot of shows and was socializing with all people in the music industry. I got my Executive MBA and saw a gap in the industry, which was helping artists on the road. That’s when I decided to fill in that gap.”

But rap is a small part of what Rothman does. He’s also an accomplished businessman and philanthropist. Rothman explains his philanthropic work in an interview with Film Daily:

“UJA of NY is the world’s largest local philanthropic organization helping more than 100 non-profits around the world. Our mission is to help everyone and keep them united, right now we are contacting people via email due to the coronavirus, whereas we usually set up meetings in order to set our mission… In addition to that, I volunteer with Junior Achievement of New York teaching those less fortunate to become the next generation of Entrepreneurs.  I am also a District Advocate for the Recording Academy and work to make sure our politicians do what they can to help the Entertainment Industry.”

Rothman continues in his interview with Film Daily, “I am always volunteering for charities and helping teach young musicians and entertainers about the industry. I am also the incoming Co-Chair of UJA’s Young Leaders and joining the organization’s Board of Directors.”

David Rothman is the kind of fresh air 2020 needs: an accomplished musician and businessman who cares about bringing hope and encouragement into a cultural environment that needs it.

To learn more about David’s music and other philanthropic interests, visit his Instagram page.

Imagine the scenario:

You’re a 16-year-old kid. You’re working your way through high school, learning skills like everyone else, thinking about college in your future. You begin making videos of yourself singing and dancing, just for fun with friends. Soon, you begin posting your videos on tick-tock and YouTube. Without expecting it, you begin to grow in popularity, and your videos suddenly are being viewed millions of times per month. Advertisers are knocking at your door, brands are desperate to work with you, and you quickly realize you could make a fortune doing what you’re doing.

Fast forward a few years, and you become a multimillionaire with no ambitions other then being the best media star in the world. But you’re still only 18 years old. How do you handle your success? Who can you call for financial guidance?

This is where Travis Guterman comes into the picture. He’s the premier management expert for rising celebrities in the Wild West of the new media space.

Not only is he a Millennial himself; he has the credentials to back up his financial and management expertise for his generation. Travis graduated with Honors, Distinction, and magna cum laude from the University of Arizona, Tucson with a BS in Agribusiness Economics and Management. He received his Master of Business Taxation from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business.

Travis explains,

“As a business manager, I’m essentially a personal CFO for celebrities and athletes.. With the help of my team, I handle everything from setting up business entities, taxes, investments, insurance, buying houses/cars, and etc.This allows my clients to focus on the parts of the business that they enjoy, rather than the boring and time consuming financial minutia.”

Travis’ advice for up-and-coming celebrities?

“Think long-term when making financial decisions. While the money might seem like it’s going to keep coming forever, it’s extremely important to put aside enough for taxes, savings, and retirement. If they handle their money properly, they won’t be forced to take jobs/brand deals that they don’t want to, just to pay for their living expenses. The goal is financial freedom.” 

Connect with Travis here: Travis Guterman Linkedin  

“Direct to consumer marketing will have exponential growth within the next few years. With more and more brands will be backed by investors as they continue to see how successful of a model direct to consumer is. We’re already seeing a few come into the space that have had multimillion dollar buyouts like Casper Mattresses.”

29-year-old Graham Byers has helped build $2 million of revenue this year alone for his e-commerce businesses… from his home in Puerto Rico with just a laptop and an internet connection.

He proves that if you want something badly enough, and if you’re willing to put in work and use your skills, you can do just about anything.

Why?

Because if you know how to market something, your opportunities are literally limitless.

Byers is an expert at direct response marketing, a type of marketing that uses content to evoke an instant reaction from a potential customer, such as a conversation or call to action.

According to SmartyAds, 

“Direct response marketing is a type of sales technique designed to evoke an on-the-spot response and encourage a prospective customer to take action by opting in the advertiser’s offer. Unlike other marketing types, the direct response requires little or no time waiting to see measurable results. Advertisers are able to access performance from the moment the campaign is launched. Direct response marketing facilitates the delivery of a “call to action” via direct or online interaction.” (Source) 

After wanting to make sure his family survived the economic crisis of 2008, Byers was able to grow and sell an internet company at age 22. Since then he hasn’t slowed down, diversifying his skills with e-commerce, focused on health products. 

And, he also kickboxes professionally. More on that later.

Graham has taken an unorthodox and rare path to success, and he encourages entrepreneurs who are trying to follow in his footsteps to not do what they’re passionate about.

Wait, what?

Graham says, “Don’t follow your passion, follow what you’re good at until it becomes your passion.” 

This is simple advice, and it’s brilliant: if you want to make an impact, don’t ask people to come to something you’re passionate about but not necessarily good at. Instead, focus on areas of skill where you can genuinely impact others, and you’ll eventually develop a passion around it.

Marketing and direct-to-consumer expertise didn’t start as an easy path for Graham, but he found he had skill in the area, and he’s been persistent. Today, he and his business partner have amassed over $5,000,000 sales as a small team.

And, on the side, Byers has been preparing for professional kickboxing.

And, he’s actually skilled at it, not just passionate about it!

Learn more about Byers here.

How has a Haitian immigrant broken language barriers, cultural barriers, and risen to help business owners dominate their markets?

Here’s a quick example: Athis Djeffson’s Company, Athis Enterprises, is a Click Funnel Two-Comma Club award winner, and has generated over 3 million dollars for the year so far. 

Hear it from the man himself.

“I help business owners, coaches, consultants, and aspiring entrepreneurs create a widely profitable online business! Covid has unfortunately proven the vulnerability of physical businesses, and regular jobs to not be recession-proof. A lot of people had to learn the hard way, that online is the way to go. This year has shown an unprecedented increase in Online Traffic, and it won’t stop.”

Athis Enterprises helps entrepreneurs thrive. Athis explains, “We give you access to our program, which has a very structured step by step process, and which gives you all the strategies and videos you need to scale your business. But what makes us proud and differ us from a lot of competitors, is the core support system we offer our clients: Weekly group coaching, one on one coaching, an active Facebook Group that provides both Emotional Positive support and Technical support from our team’s Moderators answering questions live!”

“Getting to your own first 6 or 7 figures is cool, but real success to me is the ability to help others achieve the same, in the fastest way possible.”

Like many entrepreneurs, he’s had to adjust to the demands of a changing industry, and he’s quickly become a guru for maximizing online traffic. He has some great advice for new entrepreneurs and people looking to develop their careers:

“Don’t wait for the right time, perfection is just a cover for insecurity! And if you will create a business, make sure it has an Online Component to it! Have more than one way to acquire customers and revenue in your business, and be able to adapt and make decisions fast!”

When asked about challenges he’s faced, Athis explains, “Just like life, business is composed of ups and downs. At the very beginning, I had to deal with the cultural shock and language barrier of being a Haitian immigrant in the United States. Mind you, I was working as a Sales Man in a full commission job. With little to 0 English, I don’t have to tell you how painful and difficult it was. But every hardship is there not to stop us, but to bring the best out of us.”

“In five years I want to help as many people as possible! I want to help create an economic revolution especially in my community, and since I started investing in a lot of small Black-owned businesses, I want to invest in 50 by five years.”