What's Actually Holding You Back

You think it might be your technical skills. Or you need more knowledge about gear. You may also think you don't have enough experience.


But here's the truth: the engineers who get calls for opportunities aren't necessarily the most talented or experienced. They're the ones people trust enough to recommend.


And no one actually helps you understand the currency of your reputation until you start to understand how your job is to provide peace of mind.


Perhaps you're stuck. You've been at your church or regional sound company for years. You feel like you're doing the same work you were doing last year, and the year before that. You watch others get more opportunities, better positions, or higher compensation.


You're so busy that it's impossible to know what they're doing that you're not.


Maybe you like your job, but you're frustrated by your level of pay. You believe you're underpaid but you don't know how to ask for more money without sounding entitled. And most of all, you're scared the conversation will backfire. Jobs are difficult to come by and our economy is as uncertain as it's ever been. It's a good idea to get an outside perspective on what your market value actually is and learn how to change the way people value your work.


Maybe you're confused. You got a job offer and have 48 hours to decide. You don't know what questions to ask or what you're walking into. What is fair to ask for? What will help you in the critical first conversations you're about to have? And what signals that you're ready versus the telltale signs that you've never been here before, and you're unknowingly presenting yourself as a risk.


Maybe you've made a relational mistake. We all have. You burned a bridge. You didn't leave well. You mishandled a conflict. You don't know how to rebuild your reputation and you could use some help understanding what the best course of action looks like to rebuild those relationships.


Here's what all of these have in common: you're running into invisible rules that you don't know about, and you're about to pay the ignorance tax.

Click To Get Your Free Guide: "5 Mistakes That Kill Your Reputation"

Click To Get Your Free Guide: "5 Mistakes That Kill Your Reputation"

Click To Get Your Free Guide: "5 Mistakes That Kill Your Reputation"

Click To Get Your Free Guide: "5 Mistakes That Kill Your Reputation"

Click To Get Your Free Guide: "5 Mistakes That Kill Your Reputation"

Click To Get Your Free Guide: "5 Mistakes That Kill Your Reputation"

The Hidden Cost of Live Sound Professionals

I'm Gene, a touring FOH Engineer actively working with artists I deeply respect.

I have enough work to say no when jobs don't fit me.

I have the privilege of working with professionals that I call friends.

My family helps make my touring career happen instead of tolerating it.

And it wasn't always this way.


I started in churches. Received an incredible experience, got underpaid for years, and learned the real value of those relationships after I left to build a freelance career.


As I started working, I fumbled job offers and watched others get ahead while I felt stuck.

Eventually, I learned how this industry works. Not through courses or theory. But by transitioning from job to job, opportunity to opportunity, and learning what really impacts compensation and the work that gets offered to us. And by helping countless engineers navigate their own job searches, interviews, and contract negotiations.


I've also been the beneficiary of some great relationships, and I understand the acceleration that can happen when the right referrals happen in the right order.


But here's the hard truth: This isn't just about getting on tour, or your dream job at a church, or the sound company you want to work at. It's about building a career that doesn't cost you your health, your relationships, and everything else you care about. It doesn't take much to look around and see the cost some professionals have had to pay and it tells you how hard it is to balance a life doing this work.


I've coached engineers through the exact decisions you're facing, and I have a unique view of how this industry is changing. There is more opportunity than ever. Yet it's harder than ever to build a reputation that lasts.


A timely conversation with the right guide is what you need to keep building experiences toward the jobs you want to be doing.


That's where Career Builder comes in.

How Much Is It Costing You to Keep Guessing?

If you let the industry or your current employer decide your future:

  • You'll stay underpaid for another year (that's potentially $10K-$25K in lost income)
  • You'll take the wrong job and waste 6-12 months (or worse, years)
  • You'll stay stuck and your career frustration will lead to poor decision making
  • You'll burn out chasing opportunities that don't align with your strengths

What if you invest in clarity now?

  • You'll know how to ask for what you're worth, and more importantly, you'll know how to change the way the market values your time
  • You'll make informed decisions with your opportunities
  • You'll build a reputation that generates inbound work and stop hustling for every gig

Career Builder Framework

How it Works:


If I were to categorize the two types of engineers I've seen build the kind of career we'd all like to have, it's this.


A: The first is an incredibly confident engineer. 

Regardless of talent, they were blessed with an innate sense of confidence that permeates every interaction, job opportunity, and relationship. It's remarkable how far you can go if you pair confidence with talent and experience.


B: The second engineer I've seen become successful is the worker bee. 

A tireless work ethic. The work ethic is so significant that it is often difficult to distinguish from talent. If you add talent and experience to work ethic, there is also no ceiling on how far you can go.


Those are the two paths. 


Regardless of which path you're on, your career will demand that you manage transitions.


The transition of student to intern.

The transition of full time gig to freelancer. (Or freelancer to full time)

The transition of patch tech to monitor engineer.

The transition of fly tech to system engineer.

The transition of corporate AV to touring.

The transition of one city to another.


I don't know what it's like to have an unnatural amount of confidence. And I don't know how to prop it up or lift it out of another person so that they magically have it. If you have a lot of confidence, I think you should leave. I'm not going to be helpful.


But if you're like me and you have the ability to work hard, then the path to fulfilling work is simple.

Increase the amount of opportunities that you have.


And nothing will increase the number of opportunities you have more efficiently than building up the right type of reputation and increasing the amount of referrals.


But how that looks for every engineer is completely different.

We all have our own strengths, personalities, goals, and most of all, a different appetite for risk or risk tolerance. 


That's what Career Builder is about. 


The days of staying at the same job and experiencing upward mobility with competitive compensation is gone. You need a guide to help you from one opportunity to the next. This works whether you're starting out or mid-career. Whether you're at a church, a regional company, or already touring. 


The transitions are different, but the invisible rules are the same. 

It seems simple. But the process took me a long time to figure out. 


  • Increase Opportunities (say yes to the right things)
  • Build Reputation (how you show up matters more than talent)
  • Generate Referrals (people say your name in rooms you're not in)


This Is for You If:

  • You're weighing an important career decision
  • You want to understand the invisible rules before they cost you more opportunities
  • You're tired of conflicting advice from people whose careers don't reflect where you want to go


If what you're reading feels familiar, this session will give you the clarity quickly.


How to Get Started:

  • Book your 75 minute video call below
  • You'll receive a calendar invite to book an open time slot
  • You fill out a short questionnaire that helps me prepare
  • On our call we get clear on what is holding you back and what you should do next
  • You leave with a plan you can execute
  • Video calls are recorded so you can revisit your session any time


Investment: $200 

One informed decision about a job offer, a raise, or a transition will pay for this session many times over.


Book Your Career Builder Session

Testimonials

Z.Butler: Kenny Chesney

C.Helder: Forge Productions

Z.Butler: Kenny Chesney

"Gene has taught me countless small lessons that show up throughout a show day, from helping out even when it's "not your department," to staying organized and owning mistakes quickly. These lessons helped me start my career on the right foot and avoid painful mistakes I might have made otherwise. Gene didn't just tell me what to do, he s

"Gene has taught me countless small lessons that show up throughout a show day, from helping out even when it's "not your department," to staying organized and owning mistakes quickly. These lessons helped me start my career on the right foot and avoid painful mistakes I might have made otherwise. Gene didn't just tell me what to do, he showed me how to recognize these moments and apply them in my own way, so I could be the best version of myself."

A.Dannewitz: Kesha

C.Helder: Forge Productions

Z.Butler: Kenny Chesney

"Gene is rare, not only in this industry, but as a person. He's someone who has truly mastered the balance of technical knowledge and a genuine commitment to bettering people. From my first shows onward, his patience, advice, and willingness to invest in my personal and professional growth is something that has inspired me and stuck with 

"Gene is rare, not only in this industry, but as a person. He's someone who has truly mastered the balance of technical knowledge and a genuine commitment to bettering people. From my first shows onward, his patience, advice, and willingness to invest in my personal and professional growth is something that has inspired me and stuck with me to this day. Anyone who has the chance to learn from Gene will understand what a wonderful gem he is in this industry."

C.Helder: Forge Productions

C.Helder: Forge Productions

C.Helder: Forge Productions

"Gene is an incredible coach. His attention to detail is matched only by the patience he gives to members of the production community at every level. He listens well and gives advice based on what he hears. The thing I love about being coached by Gene is that the goal is always the same; serve the people you’re working with better. No mat

"Gene is an incredible coach. His attention to detail is matched only by the patience he gives to members of the production community at every level. He listens well and gives advice based on what he hears. The thing I love about being coached by Gene is that the goal is always the same; serve the people you’re working with better. No matter who they are. A Gene quote: “There are no rules. Just make it sound good.”

J.Cruz: Charlie Puth

C.Helder: Forge Productions

C.Helder: Forge Productions

"There are many people in our industry who are excellent at their jobs. (And Gene is one of them) However, there are not enough of them who see the value of the person as well as the value of their product/service. Gene sees both. He knows the importance of a healthy mind, in himself and in the people around him, no matter the job or even

"There are many people in our industry who are excellent at their jobs. (And Gene is one of them) However, there are not enough of them who see the value of the person as well as the value of their product/service. Gene sees both. He knows the importance of a healthy mind, in himself and in the people around him, no matter the job or event. Conversations with Gene have the potential to inspire and bring a paradigm shift in your life beyond audio."

"You can't build your reputation on what you're going to do. -Henry Ford"

Book Your Career Builder Session

B. Dillenback: Passion Community Church

B. Dillenback: Passion Community Church

B. Dillenback: Passion Community Church

"It was the middle of the Pandemic, I had been going nonstop for over a year and I was wondering if it was time for me to look for another job. Gene listened from a place of experience. I did not quit my job. Instead I had a very constructive conversation with my leadership, I received a promotion and a raise. Gene's coaching genuinely pr

"It was the middle of the Pandemic, I had been going nonstop for over a year and I was wondering if it was time for me to look for another job. Gene listened from a place of experience. I did not quit my job. Instead I had a very constructive conversation with my leadership, I received a promotion and a raise. Gene's coaching genuinely prevented me from "train wrecking" my career. It's amazing how much the right conversation at the right time can do."

D.McLaughlin: NeedtoBreathe

B. Dillenback: Passion Community Church

B. Dillenback: Passion Community Church

"Gene is not just one of the good ones. He is one of the best. Sure, he shares a lot of technical knowledge, but that is only part of what makes him special. He is the kind of person who regularly encourages people, shares life lessons, and gives honest correction when it is needed. Being around someone like that changes the way you grow,

"Gene is not just one of the good ones. He is one of the best. Sure, he shares a lot of technical knowledge, but that is only part of what makes him special. He is the kind of person who regularly encourages people, shares life lessons, and gives honest correction when it is needed. Being around someone like that changes the way you grow, both in your work and in life. If you can become even ten percent more like Gene, your career will be just fine."

D. Choy: House Right Productions

B. Dillenback: Passion Community Church

D. Choy: House Right Productions

"Watching the many artists he has worked with over the years, it’s clear how effectively he builds trust in his working relationships. That is a big part of why his career is what it is. What many people don’t see, however, is the impact he’s having behind the scenes in our industry. Gene is consistently investing in the next generation o

"Watching the many artists he has worked with over the years, it’s clear how effectively he builds trust in his working relationships. That is a big part of why his career is what it is. What many people don’t see, however, is the impact he’s having behind the scenes in our industry. Gene is consistently investing in the next generation of engineers, I’ve seen him speak at conferences and clinics, and his heart to help, paired with his gift for teaching, makes him a great coach and resource."

M.Potesta: Sons of Legion

B. Dillenback: Passion Community Church

D. Choy: House Right Productions

"Gene has coached me through different seasons of my career, helping me make decisions that shaped not only my work on the road, but also the way my family experiences my time away while touring.  Whenever I'm considering a new opportunity, navigating finances, or when I'm out on a tour and need the encouragement of a trusted friend, I ca

"Gene has coached me through different seasons of my career, helping me make decisions that shaped not only my work on the road, but also the way my family experiences my time away while touring.  Whenever I'm considering a new opportunity, navigating finances, or when I'm out on a tour and need the encouragement of a trusted friend, I call Gene.  His advice is thoughtful and reassuring. I'm very thankful for his investment, not just in my career, but in the health of my young family."

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