REVIEW: “Center Stage” By Andree Mohr, Matt Ackermann, And Paul Saganey

This is a review of a business book. Specifically, it’s a review of how to write business book if you want to reach business owners in a space where your personality is an advantage in reaching them. 

If you want to write a business book to reach business owner/operators in a space, Center Stage: How To Become The Star Of Your Practice is an excellent template. 

And if you work in financial services, as I do, this is the kind of book you probably shrug your shoulders at the first time you see it, but then you pick it up and find yourself saying, “Hey, this is actually pretty good.”

Since I am positive you’ll find other finance industry reviews of the core ideas and implementation guides though, I want to focus on how well this book is structured. This is a stealable format. And, I’d hate so many less of these types of books if people just understood the simple concepts Mohr, Ackermann, and Saganey followed. 

(side note: If you want the video version of this post - try here):

Here are FIVE key ideas from Center Stage with an explanation of why they’re so well presented for the author’s target audience. 

But before I start, while I do give the book 10/10 stars for business book formatting, and 5/5 stars for financial advisors looking for practice management books, I need you to know I’m giving co-author Matt Ackermann 1/a bajillion stars because I know how much of a music nerd he specifically is and I was hoping for at least a bit more winks and nods than we got. Mohr and Saganey, you are spared, my beef is with Mr. Ackermann alone, let me make that clear. So.

What follows is mostly for people writing business books.

And also, it’s a little “just for Matt Ackerman.” I trust you’ll be able to tell what bits are for which audience.

Big Idea #1: Know your overarching, highly relatable, but slightly quirky unifying metaphor (aka what makes your fans YOUR fans). This book uses the music industry. That means you get rock stars, industry stories, and - even for artists that aren’t your thing - lessons from their success you’ll want to apply to you. 

The biggest way this shows up, in the middle of the book, is in the reminder that these artists have fans that exchange money to support what they’re creating. Fans want to belong. There’s always a transaction in the relationship, but the relationship is the identity that matters. 

This reminder - that you need to do something worthy of earning (paying) fans, is crazy basic, BUT, why not think about this in terms of KatyCats, Beatlmaniacs, Monsters, Beliebers? 

Oh and because I can - part of me wants to write an essay just on lessons from, say, Kiss Army vs. Riot Grrrl about this. There are non-rockstar (and less relatable, I get it) options worth discussing too.

Big Idea #2: the people behind the scenes matter as much as the people in the scene. The story of Mike Gomez, the head production rigger for Elton’s John’s three-year, three-hundred date farewell tour, that Elton John may or may not even know exists as a distinct human is WILD. 

You don’t just need fans. You need specialists to help you. Gomez is maybe a bit much (I hope Elton hung with him at least once), but it makes the point. 

Extra point I would have liked to make - how about a Steve Albini reference?! OK so he wasn’t a stage production crew, but as the engineer behind so much of the sound of the 80s and 90s, he’s a legend in this concept. 

Big Idea #3: if you stop getting better you start getting worse. Or, as they put it, “There’s no end to better.” 

You are a work in progress. Like Taylor Swift. But not at all like Taylor Swift. But you can both shake it off. Like the star she is, and like the wet dog you are. 

What’s missing here? You get I’ll be doing this for all of these now, right? How about a mention of Taylor Swift’s transitional producer and co-writer extraordinaire Max Martin? He’s been top of the charts longer than Taylor, and she studied with him for clear and obvious reasons. 

Big Idea #4: know the math of your business. All math is the same, but all businesses run on different mathematical processes. “You don’t double by doubling” should be a an expression every creator understands on multiple levels. 

I appreciate the Beatles reference here deeply. The move to the studio focus. The move to being out of the touring game. It’s legendary. 

I admit, my suggestion here is small, but what about acts that don’t double or experience existential growth, but just sustain? Acts that just don’t… die? I’m thinking of The Slackers, and especially my conversation with their perennial front man, and when I introduced him to tech customer consulting guru Christina Garnett - her reaction to what he’s built says it all.

Big Idea #5: make the business plan (and write the contract) that gives you the most upside optionality you can. Of course he uses RZA and the Loud Records deal as an example. I have a ton of respect for this. 

I have a ton of respect for the Wu reference, and this point - where’s the Supreme Clientele reference here?! If it’s all about the clientele, it’s supremely important, and therefore, it’s just a missed opportunity to shoutout one of the greatest albums ever created that never would have happened if RZA hadn’t engineered that contract. My 20th anniversary Supreme Clientele notes are here for the record. 

Big Conclusion: I’m a fan of any Professional Slash Artist, who can mix their art and interests into their professional pursuits, and if more people could write with this level of ambition, the world would be a better place.

BRAVO Andree Mohr, Matt Ackermann, and Paul Saganey for this contribution. I genuinely loved Center Stage: How To Become The Star Of Your Practice.