Meet Fiona Flyte | Artist/Coach/Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Fiona Flyte and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Fiona, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Whether they realize it or not, most singer/actors ARE running businesses, they just don’t realize it. We often think of ourselves as independent contractors and freelancers, but not as business owners. Early in my career, I discovered that traditional “day” or “survival” jobs like temping and working in food service, were not the only options for supporting myself. This is when I started my concert business and my voice studio. I was legitimately running two different music related businesses, but I still wasn’t really thinking in terms of owning my own business.

The big shift came in 2019 when I booked my dream role singing the Mother Abbess in a touring production of The Sound of Music. I was on stage singing to sold out audiences of 2k people. It was my dream job, but I was losing money. The hard truth to face was that when I returned home from this artistic high, my bank account would reflect quite the opposite.

This is when I decided to stop always putting the art first and the business last. I jumped online, started studying social media and online business in earnest and began teaching what I’d learned to my fellow performing artists.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I believe in art and artists. I believe we have tremendous influence and can be the catalysts for massive positive change. I believe in art as inspiration, activism and activation. I also believe that artists should be well compensated for their time, energy and expertise.

Yet like most artists I fell into the traps of imposter syndrome and perfectionism. I never believed I was “good enough.” I didn’t know how to market myself or be effective on social media. I was scared to shine my light too brightly.

Still, standing on that stage in front of 2k people singing my heart out and realizing I was only making minimum wage, caused a tidal wave of frustration that led to my shift from teaching aspiring performers how to act and sing to teaching established performers how to build actual businesses.

I didn’t want another incredible artist to suffer the way I had, with the stress and reality of life as a “starving artist.” Now I help artists to take personal responsibility for both their success and their bank accounts.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Los Angeles is an incredible city with so much variety. There are endless things to do during a full week.

I would start with a walk at the beach, up and down the boardwalk, from Venice to Santa Monica and back again. Lunches on Abbot Kinney, the Third Street Promenade and Brentwood.

We’d definitely head over to Griffith Park to soak up the California landscape and check out the shops and restaurants in Echo Park and Silverlake.

I’ve got kids, so a trip to Disneyland and California Adventure in the middle of the week would make everyone happy too.

But mostly we’d hang out and chat while walking and window shopping down the different L.A. neighborhood streets.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There’s no clear path to becoming an artist, which causes a lot of parents to try and discourage their children from a career in the arts. My parents never did that. I’m insanely grateful for their support both emotionally and practically over all of these years. They both believed in me and my abilities. They came to all my shows. They celebrated my dreams and desires.

Website: https://www.profitableperformer.com/reel-magic

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fionaflyte/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FionaFlyteBizCoach/

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/c/FionaFlyte