There aren’t many people who can do mastering or engineering or mixing for a full-time profession.

One reason why is because of the way they self-brand and handle clients. The main thing for me is you need to be able to do just one thing, so people know who you are. You are an expert in that one area; you’re not just the “I can do anything” guy. You have a website that looks professional. The way that you answer emails is professional. You have a brand, and the way that you deal with clients on the phone is very professional. You listen to them; you work with them.

It’s not about you. It’s about them.

The way that you carry yourself on social media is critical. The perception of you as a person needs to come across as professional, because until you start acting like one, no one’s going to see you as one. You’re not going to get professional work, and you’re not going to get paid for what you do, not until you come across as someone people feel they can give money to.

So really consider personal branding. The way you present everything you do has to have a particular professional style, so people feel comfortable coming to you, knowing that they are in trusted hands and that you’re the man for the job.

That’s where I see a lot of people fail. They don’t have enough confidence in themselves. To be professional and get professional work, you need to act the part. It’s only when you raise your self-confidence to that level that people will see you as someone who can be trusted with their stuff. The way you label things down to the whole thread of your business needs to scream, “I’m a pro.”

It’s straightforward to do these days. When I first started, it was tough; you had to employ loads of different people to do this stuff for you. But now you can do a lot of that yourself, or go online and get people to do it for you.

So there are no excuses. Brand yourself up. Make sure that the way that you present yourself is bang on and that your customer service is through the roof. It’s only when you bring your professional game on that you’ll get paid.