Women in Music: Kristi Jacobsen on Entrepreneurship, Motivation, and Personal Wellness

When she’s not managing the Customer Success team at Alfred Music, Kristi Jacobsen is hard at work realizing her goal of creating a platform that provides advice, tools, and resources for women starting careers in the music industry, launching their own business, and running their artist careers as businesses.

We recently interviewed Kristi to learn more about the inspiration behind her brand and podcast, Broken Glass Media , the importance of inclusion in the music industry, how she learned to step outside of her comfort zone, and how she balances the entrepreneurial hustle with personal wellness.

What’s your background in music?

I played clarinet from middle school through college, performing with marching band, wind ensemble, pit orchestra, and full orchestra. Despite my music education, I didn’t realize music business was a career option until I entered college. I applied as an undecided major leaning toward a business degree, but when I attended orientation I found out that my college offered a music business degree, and I set my sights on auditioning and applying for that program. It was a natural transition for me, because while I loved performing with ensembles, I was more interested in the business side of the industry. I loved attending concerts of all kinds—from live shows at famed rock venues to orchestras and musicals.

After undergrad I spent a few years away from the industry, applying for jobs across the country and trying to get my foot in the door. I decided I needed to make a drastic move to a major music city, because while I was close to New York City, I wasn’t close enough to be immersed in the industry and culture. I was also considering enrolling in a graduate program, and found the Music Industry Administration program California State University, Northridge. I immediately knew it was the right choice for me given it was in a major music center, the faculty worked in the music industry during the day, and I would have the opportunity to network with music industry professionals.

It was through CSUN that I came across a Sales Administrator position at Alfred Music, and I began my career at Alfred as I began the graduate program.

Since then, I’ve involved myself in the Los Angeles music community—attending the NAMM show as a spectator each year, going to concerts around the city, speaking with local musicians and music entrepreneurs on The Broken Glass Podcast, and becoming a Los Angeles member of a national creative and tech networking group, Brunchwork.

Tell us about Broken Glass Media. What inspired you to create it?

Broken Glass Media began in 2018 shortly after the release of the USC Annenberg study, Inclusion in the Recording Studio? and the GRAMMY Awards. The report and the jaw dropping lack of female artists receiving awards on the broadcast spurred me to join the discussion of women in the industry. I started with a blog to highlight women in music and the ways in which we can further our careers in the industry, but it soon evolved into a podcast, The Broken Glass Podcast, on which I speak with women in all niches of music—from singer-songwriters to journalists, authors, web designers, and more. Today I’m offering part-time virtual assistant services to music industry professionals.

What type of content and services do you offer?

The blog and the podcast focus on providing advice, tools, and resources for women starting a career in the music industry, launching their own business, and running their artist career as a business.

Within the last few weeks, I launched business writing, virtual assistant, and social media management services focused specifically for the busy music industry professional to help them take small tasks off their plate so they can scale and grow their business and get back to their clients.

What should music educators know about the importance of representation and inclusion in the music industry?

With greater representation and inclusion we’ll start to see new and different thoughts, better ways to do things, and higher achievement and success. We’ll create a more supportive industry that represents every voice. Every person, regardless of gender, race, or ethnicity will have their voice heard, be able to make a difference in the music industry as well as their local community, and have the same opportunity to succeed as the person standing next to them.

What lessons have you learned from some of the women you’ve featured on your podcast?

Be persistent. Each and every woman on the podcast persisted to reach their goals and dreams despite hearing “no,” being brushed off, or facing the difficult nature of achieving success in the music industry. They dreamed bigger, found another avenue, and didn’t let “no” stop them.

Sometimes you have to define your career on your own terms. Nearly all of the women featured on the podcast started their own businesses from the ground up. There are varying factors as to why they broke out on their own, but they discovered their niche and used their skills to create businesses in all aspects of the industry—from web design to video production, teaching around the world, or releasing their music completely on their own.

You’ve spoken about hustle in the music industry—what advice would you give to students, teachers, and industry pros about staying motivated?

I think first and foremost, you have to just take everything one day at a time and one goal at a time. It’s really easy to get overwhelmed with everything we need to do in one day, and other distractions often get in the way of completing those tasks. It can snowball from there and when that happens, I personally will just shut down. When I break things down, set out my top priorities for the day or the week, and have one goal in mind, it’s easier for me to not only remain motivated to but to accomplish those tasks and stay focused.

Find an accountability partner. This could be a friend, colleague, or mentor, someone you can check in with on a daily or weekly basis to help you keep focused and goal-oriented.

To balance that hustle, what advice would you give for also maintaining personal wellness?

The most important thing is to take time for yourself, whether it’s an entire week, day, or hour. Carve out some time to just get away from everything—email, social media, work—and delve into something that lights you up or quiets your mind. When you give yourself space, you let a lot of negativity out and you’ll come back to the table refreshed, motivated, and often be inspired to create.

I also make sure I listen to what my body and my mind are telling me. If I’m having an off day where I just can’t focus and I can’t create, I’ll go home and take a breather. Instead of jumping back on my computer to do more work, I’ll read a book or watch a TV show. If I’m physically fatigued or hurting, I won’t push myself to workout and I’ll make that day a rest day.

It’s amazing how much more productive and creative we can be when we take care of our personal wellness, both mind and body.

Your website mentions you overcame a fear of networking. How did you do that?

Honestly, by just getting out there and getting out of my comfort zone. My business mentor has a quote that completely resonated with me: “A comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there.” I realized that to progress in my career and grow my business, I had to push myself past my comfort zone and talk to people. I make sure to go to the event prepared by knowing the background and work of the guest speakers, bringing business cards and crafting my 30--60 second elevator pitch, and connecting with people who share similar passions to me. When I start to feel nervous or anxious at a networking event, I take a deep breath, repeat mantras to quiet my mind and nerves, and think of the potential positive outcomes from speaking with new people.

What advice would you give to others about entrepreneurship, creating their own career path, and setting/achieving goals?

Start small but start somewhere. You can plan all you want, develop business and marketing plans, build out your website, read all kinds of books and listen to podcasts, but if you’re not taking massive action like just getting out there, telling people about your goals, applying for jobs, or launching your business, then nothing is going to happen for you.

That goes along with being willing to do the work. We all want to achieve success, but it starts with being willing to put your head down and work to gain the trust of your colleagues, employers, and clients. I interned, took entry level jobs, and took on projects that maybe I didn’t necessarily want to do, but I was able to show my commitment and ability through those projects and errands. During my internship, I was asked to take a golf club from the office near Grand Central Station in New York to Universal Music up in Columbus Circle. Just being willing to do that (despite how awkward I felt on the subway), showed that I was willing to work, and it led to being handed greater responsibilities in the office.

Tell us about a teacher who made a huge impact in your development as a music industry entrepreneur?

My high school band directors, Robert Kenny and William Magalio, were instrumental in my music background and education. They recognized my potential and encouraged me to audition for the wind ensemble, to become a section leader in marching band, and invited me to perform with the pit orchestra for the musicals. They instilled a passion for music and performing with groups that took me through college and into my career.

My business mentor, Amanda Boleyn of She Did It Her Way , made a huge impact in my pursuit of entrepreneurship. I took entrepreneurship courses in school, but I never truly thought about following that route until I started listening to her podcast in early 2018. Her guidance as an entrepreneur and as my business coach have been instrumental in building up Broken Glass Media from a blog to what it is today.

Where can people learn more about Broken Glass Media?

Instagram : @brokenglassmedia Facebook : facebook.com/brokenglassmediallc Website : www.brokenglassmediallc.com Podcast : Available on Apple podcasts ; and other major podcast platforms Broken Glass Collective : www.facebook.com/groups/thebrokenglasscollective