When someone asks me what I do for a living, the wise guy in me always wants to reply with, “I try to change the world every thirty minutes — I teach music lessons.” The historian in me wants to say, “I teach rising musicians who Little Richard is, and why he matters more than Pat Boone.” Eventually, I stop clowning around and tell them that I own a small music store, teach music, and recently published my first book, The New Musician. This is where the tone of the conversation shifts, and the questions start flying, with good reason.
Most people in the “normal” job world find art-related jobs intriguing, but intimidating. They know there is no net, so the pursuit of a high-wire career is not something they are willing to attempt, for fear of failure. You can’t really blame them for that phobia, when according to a 2025 report by Commerce Institutes, 80.6% of Arts and Entertainment businesses fail in the first year, 52.9% fail after five years, and 35.4% fail after ten years.
So, with such a high probability of failure, what are some of the secrets that successful Small Box businesses know, that allow them to achieve that success?
The first tool that makes for a successful Small Box Shop is Clarity of Mission.
Having Clarity of Mission is different from just writing a mission statement. Clarity of Mission is maintaining the consistent execution of a well thought out business plan. When you get this part of the formula right, big things can happen for any business. First you write it, then you live it.
The second tool on my list of must-haves is Originality.
Think about it — all box stores, regardless of size, ache to be original and unique. Most big boxes are not lacking for products, they have tons of them, along with multiple shiny, pre-printed displays that look exactly the same in each location. While that may be efficient, it lacks originality and imagination, and last I checked, art-based businesses are supposed to stimulate your imagination. So, when it comes to originality, more often than not, the Small Box Shop is the winner. That being said, once you showcase your originality, others will have no remorse over pilfering any clever ideas you may execute. If they are on display, they will be borrowed. That’s a truth that creatives just have to live with.
The third tool on my list is a Creative Decision Maker.
Utilizing this tool can be a little trickier. The Small Box Shops have creative leadership, but bigger money often attracts bright candidates. The problem is, creativity is not always embraced by big money leadership, and creativity is the life blood of the Small Box Shop. When the decision maker of a small business is allowed to fully express their creativity, it is then that the business comes alive, and thrives.
I do notice one oddity, though. The creative freedom that a Small Box Shop offers can be intimidating. With that being the case, leaders of small boxes often default to mimicking what they have seen other successful independent stores do. This mistake will put you right back in the category of Unimaginative. The whole point of having an original store is to express your own authentic, creative ideas, and bring a unique product to market.
The next and final item on the list of tools is Adaptability.
The best recent example of this skill being necessary to have is the Covid hangover. Whenever I speak with smart business owners, I always ask them how they were affected by the pandemic, and if they think we are still sweeping up the mess. They almost always say we are absolutely still dealing with a Covid hangover, and many compare it to people’s addiction to scrolling. Nobody wants to talk about it, but true leaders are able to admit that these struggles are real.
So what’s the answer? Admission is the first step, and then, adaptability. How do music stores adjust? I personally believe there is no better elixir for both of these conditions than learning a musical instrument. My suggestion is to sail into the wind. Yes, it’s harder, but after a storm you will always come out a better sailor. What better time to seed the fields of music-making than after a creative drought? And who better to lead the charge than the Small Box Shops?
