Learning from Creative and Talented People
 

I want to share an incredible night with you and tell you about the amazing people who made it so special.  Last Tuesday, I performed at Gigi’s Kitchen Bakery & Cafe, in Brentwood, TN., which is a nice suburb just south of Nashville.  Our family friend here, Grant Gaston, who has been very instrumental in helping me with my career, not only put the night together, but also invited many of his friends to attend (Thanks, Grant!).  He is good friends with the restaurant owner, Gigi Butler, who in her own right is one of the most creative people I’ve ever met.  She not only has a past here in Nashville as a country music singer, but also has been very successful in business.  At one time, Gigi owned more than 100 Gigi’s Cupcake stores, with 1,500 employees in 24 states, selling over 1 million cupcakes!!!  If that doesn’t make her name sound familiar to you, you may know her from the reality TV show she was on, “Undercover Boss”.  On the show, she dressed as a hippie to go undercover in 5 of her cupcake shops. She found inconsistencies in her stores from recipes to the way people were greeted.  Her takeaway was, “If you don’t have consistency with the brand, you’re done.  You’re dead.”  Since then, she has enjoyed the success of selling her stores to start new ventures – Gigi’s pies and now Gigi’s Kitchen Bakery & Cafe.  I love studying others in business, like Gigi, and am always able to learn from them and apply their knowledge into my business of being in the music industry.  Her creativity is beyond, and she is successful because she has created a recognizable and consistent brand.  That is my focus for my CQ music brand.  Thank you, Gigi, for your business wisdom and for having me sing at your amazing restaurant.