Reach Out

The best things in my life have come from just reaching out to people.

It's amazing how far you can get if you just ask and keep asking until you find the right person or place. Sometimes, you get really lucky and find someone amazing straight away. This happened when I reached out to the mastering engineer on some of our favourite power metal records. With one e-mail, we found the right person to help us make our first album.

Other times, it requires more attempts and more back and forth.

The thing is, reaching out and asking is one of those activities where the risks are really small and the rewards can be huge. The worst that can happen is that you get a "no" or that you don't get a reply at all. In that case, you're out of ten minutes of your time, but nothing more.

When it works, though, a ton of good things can happen.

I've found that getting a little time with an expert can easily cut the time I spend "figuring things out" by 90%. It isn't even about someone else doing the work for me. Often, the little tips and pointers you can get from someone over a single cup of tea can save you hours and hours of research.

"Try this first" is very valuable knowledge.

It’s something you can easily find out by reaching out.