Epic Entrepreneurs

Music Is Fun Until You Forget To Invoice with Mari Hashimoto

• Bill Gilliland

Share episode

Want a candid look at how a working musician turns raw talent into a real business without losing the joy? We bring on violinist and violist Mari Hashimoto to share the unglamorous truth behind dreamy ceremonies and flawless gala sets—boundaries, pricing with confidence, airtight planning, and relationships that actually move the needle. If you’ve ever wondered why some creatives thrive while others burn out, this conversation lays out the blueprint.

Mari traces her journey from saying yes to everything to building a sustainable operation that respects her time and elevates the client experience. We unpack the most common misconceptions about performance work, then dig into the systems that make it run: clear proposals, contracts, repertoire planning, coordinator communication, invoicing, and tax readiness. As an introvert, she learned to network in a way that feels natural—listening first, following up thoughtfully, and collaborating with other musicians and local business owners to drive referrals and repeat bookings.

We also explore the EPIC framework that keeps her grounded: bring energy that lifts the room, keep learning so you never get stuck, plan in detail so the show feels effortless, stay inspired by a purpose bigger than yourself, and commit when it’s tempting to coast. Mari talks openly about balancing long drives between North and South Carolina, protecting rest days, and hiring the right help—an assistant today, a CPA onboard, and a bookkeeper next—to build a stronger foundation for growth. Along the way you’ll hear practical advice on knowing your worth, setting workload limits, and charging fairly so the art stays joyful.

If you’re a creative entrepreneur, event professional, or small business owner who wants sustainable growth without losing heart, this one is for you. Subscribe for more conversations on craft, systems, and the mindset that keeps your work alive—and share your top takeaway or boundary you’re ready to set.

Thanks for Listening. You may contact me or our team at https://billgilliland.biz/

All the best!
Bill

Thanks for listening. Please hit the subscribe button, leave us a 5 star review, and share this podcast. You can reach me at williamgilliland@actioncoach.com or at https://billgilliland.biz/

All the best!

Bill

Bill Gilliland:

Hey there. Welcome to this week's episode of Epic Entrepreneurs. I am your host, Bill Gilliland. I am the principal at Action Coach Business Growth Partners and also one of the founders of the Asheville Business Summit. And I am here today. A lot of times we we I don't know, everybody seems to be a friend at some point, but at but a lot of times we're interviewing businesses and people that I don't know that well. But actually, I've got a friend on the line here today, and that's and that's Mari, Mari Hashimoto of Mari Hoshimoto. She is a violinist and amazing. She puts together all kinds of cool stuff and helps uh other musicians get gigs. It's a pretty cool thing, but I'm gonna let her tell it. So, Mari, tell us about you, tell us about your business and how you're serving our communities.

Mari Hashimoto:

Thanks, Bill. So, um, like he said, I'm a musician. I play the violin and viola. I've been playing for over 25 years. I actually stopped counting at 25. Um, I always uh performed, but I didn't go full-time musician until about three years ago, two or three years ago. And I started playing for weddings, private events, uh private house concerts, nursing homes, corporate events, and just lots of other uh special events like conferences, galas, just anything you can think about, including uh benefit concerts.

Bill Gilliland:

Love that. I love that. Quick question: What's the difference between a violin and a viola?

Mari Hashimoto:

Oh, well, so uh I usually get the what's the difference between a violin and a fiddle? I can tell you. I know the answer to that one.

Bill Gilliland:

I know I know the answer to that one.

Mari Hashimoto:

Okay, well, so uh violin and a viola. So a violin has uh four strings, and a viola also has four strings. However, the violin goes a little bit higher than the viola. The violin has something called G D A E strings, and then the viola has one that's a little bit lower, it's C G D A. So it's just a tiny bit lower. It's almost like a baby cello.

Bill Gilliland:

Yeah, I got it, got it. I understand. I understand. It's good, it's a good one. So uh let's talk about business. So you've been in business for a few years. How what would you do differently if you had to start over?

Mari Hashimoto:

Um, if I started over, honestly, I would focus earlier on creating boundaries and probably systems. When I first started, it was a lot of survival mode. And so it even though I was organizing events to the best I could and performing for them, and they'd sound great, but it was the really what was happening in the back, like the planning, organizing, and also uh I would say yes to everything, to every single client I had. And so I was in total survival mode, and I think that led to a lot of stress, um, a lot of times not paying myself enough, and eventually to burnout. So I think since then I've gotten so much better. I've been able to say no to certain gigs or understand um what the fair pricing would be from the amount of work I'd do and how much work I could actually take on, because I've realized if I was stressed out and burnt out, you know, I couldn't help any of my clients at all. So that and that also really, I mean, honestly, understanding your limits too helped me keep my passion of music alive because there was a point where I I kind of questioned if I wanted to keep doing this and if music was still giving me joy. So I would definitely say from the start, like boundaries and uh systems.

Bill Gilliland:

I I love that because you wouldn't want music to not give you joy, right? You know, a lot of people do get into a career or something and something they really liked because it was a maybe a little hobby or a little more than a hobby, but um yeah, and then they don't like it anymore. That's a bad deal. So, what are some of the other learnings you've had as an owner?

Mari Hashimoto:

Um honestly, I'd say communicating better and networking and building relationships. Um, as you know, I'm an introvert. I'm actually an introvert, even though I sound very animated right now. But um, and being a musician, I think it's comfortable for me to go in the practice room or you know, in the workshop or studio and just hide, you know, and practice. And I think as a business owner, I've had to learn how to communicate uh better with others, being able to network, and honestly, like I feel like my growth came from building relationships with other people and just understanding the community I'm serving because when you connect with others, you understand what they're looking for, you actually gain a better understanding of what you're offering to.

Bill Gilliland:

Love that. Yeah, I love that. Yeah, I mean, the the introvert-extrovert thing is about energy, it just you just gotta know that it's gonna take you more energy and maybe more recovery time if you're gonna get out there in the world and and do the thing. But I you know, I think we all have that a little bit. We're all just like, hey man, I I could just go into my office or go into the like you say, the practice room or something, or yeah, you know, take a walk, something where I don't have to I don't have to talk to anybody. So definitely. Yeah, it's it it it's good. So what do you think some of the common misconceptions are about running a business?

Mari Hashimoto:

Um I think a lot of people think that if you have a great idea and you can just rush into it and start a business. I've honestly I've learned uh I mean I feel like I knew it was gonna be hard, but I didn't realize how hard it was gonna be. And I've had other people tell me, oh yeah, just like show up and play music. That's all you need to do. But there's so much more that goes into it. And I think people don't realize how difficult it is because you have to be committed, you have to have your own, you have to be good at your own time management. There's nobody telling you what to do, you gotta kind of figure it out as you go. And so I think that's that's something that I've discovered as I, you know, gone on because I have to tell myself what to do next.

Bill Gilliland:

Yeah. Yeah, you can show up and play music, but you still have to get paid.

Mari Hashimoto:

So somebody's gotta get an invoice or gotta, you know, there's gotta be, yeah, there's a lot of things you gotta pick up, and then there's taxes and everything else that goes with the attribute your growth to um honestly, I feel like relationships, just creating relationships with other people from networking, like I said earlier. Um I I want to make sure that you know, no matter how big or small the performance is, then that it feels special for the client. And I think this genuine care uh has led to a lot of uh referrals and repeat bookings, and I think just just connecting with the people, the community, um, that definitely has helped me grow. Um I would also say, like, I mean, I guess on the back end things on the business side, um improving my systems, just updating my repertoire, collaborating with other professionals, other musicians, um, and just connecting with other, you know, even if they're not in the music field, just connecting with other business owners too.

Bill Gilliland:

Love that. Yeah, I love that. Yeah, I can't know enough good people, right? So, how do you balance your personal life with your business life?

Mari Hashimoto:

Oh god. Um it's it's a work in progress, I will say. Um, a lot's changed when I moved to Greenville, South Carolina this past May. Uh, there's a lot of performances I still do in North Carolina, so I actually spend a lot of time in the car and um uh lots of driving. Um, but I think for next year I've been planning uh a little bit more intentionally about my schedule and how much you know travel I'm gonna have to do. And so I've been trying to figure out, I haven't come up with it yet, but I'm trying to figure out an ideal schedule for me for next year, like what that would look like, what days I would want off, what days I just you know want to relax, do nothing with the violin. Um yeah, but I mean, I guess for now, right now, I think what's helping me the most is honestly my dog uh tells me when I'm like done at the computer.

Bill Gilliland:

I love that. The dog comes and gets you. Yeah, you're like, yeah, that's enough, Maury. Come out. Let's go. Yep, that's right. We gotta play. Yeah. So be epic, as you know, is an acronym. Let's let me, I'm gonna give you the acronym, and then I want to get like a real quick fire answer. Like yeah, words are a sentence. So boy. So the B stands for bring energy.

Mari Hashimoto:

Uh be positive and optimist. Um I it's infectious, I think, to your friends, team, colleague. And if something happens, you know, something bad happens, just keep going. You're you're learning and you're growing. Things are gonna get better.

Bill Gilliland:

I love it. How about the E in Epic for education?

Mari Hashimoto:

Um always strive to learn, like keep learning. There's all you're or else you're gonna be stuck. You know, there's there's gonna be a day you're just you're not gonna know how to move forward. And I think knowing just continuously learning, just fostering that love of learning, or if you don't love to learn, then maybe a wing willingness to learn, maybe.

Bill Gilliland:

Yeah. Well, I love uh I love that. If you're stuck, do some education. That's been my experience, you know. Take a class, listen to a podcast, something to learn, read a book, whatever it is, you know. Do you love P stands for planning?

Mari Hashimoto:

Planning. Um, for me, planning is the backbone of everything I do. So if I I mean my performances might look effortless, but behind the scenes, there's been a lot of practice, a lot of organizing, figuring out what to play, all that. Um, so a lot of my business, you just have to plan things out because nothing happens like on the day of it. It's like all the planning up to that. But in other ways, I think planning, like planning for the future, like my goals in the next year, you know, in the next three months. It's something I I frequently find myself doing, a lot of planning.

Bill Gilliland:

I love it. I stands for inspiration.

Mari Hashimoto:

Um, I think finding the reason to your business are goals. Um, like, why are you doing this? What is this for? Um I guess it's almost like goals, but um, I feel like it's it's a backbone of it. Like if for me I my goal is to play more music, but behind the scenes, I I want to play more music because I know it helps people connect, helps people uh um feel better in certain situations. There's so many things that music does for people, and so that's that's my inspiration, I guess.

Bill Gilliland:

Like yeah, so you've got a bigger purpose than just to play music for you. Yeah, yeah, I love it. Yeah, and the C stands for commitment.

Mari Hashimoto:

Um I'd say like showing up fully, even things get hard, even if things get hard. Um like today, I wanted to sleep longer, but you know, I had to get things done, or I wanted to take a nap. But there's always things, you know. I I came up with a goal that I want to achieve, and you know, I have that inspiration we just talked about, the the reason behind it. And so I I want to be committed to that goal and keep working towards that.

Bill Gilliland:

I love that. I love that. So, what words of advice would you offer other business owners who are looking to grow?

Mari Hashimoto:

I would say definitely be open or willing to learn new things. Um connecting with other people, honestly, I I think it's a lot of your growth can happen from connecting with other people because you're learning from other people and you're sharing your you know ideas, and maybe they might bring in an idea that you've never thought about. Um and also I'd say other things would be um like coming from especially from a musician, maybe to other creatives too, and obviously business owners too, but I think understanding your worth, know your value, and stay consistent is very important too. Um, especially for me, it's so easy to just say yes to everything, but uh you you want to be sure, like don't be scared or afraid to charge fairly for your time and expertise, is honestly what I've learned kind of the hard way, but the I would definitely share that to everybody.

Bill Gilliland:

Yeah, pay, yeah, get paid what you're worth. Yeah, yeah, it's it's a hard, it's a it's a hard thing. So um so what's the next big thing?

Mari Hashimoto:

Well, I so I I wanted to do a rebrand this year, didn't really go to plan because of my move, but I've been ever since then though, I've been focused on having a stronger foundation. And so I just onboarded an assistant. I'm so excited. Um, and he's been helping me with some day-to-day business tasks. Um, and I recently just connected with a CPA, he's absolutely amazing. And I'm looking for a bookkeeper now, but I'm trying to get everything organized and uh just make sure everything is good from the bottom level, the foundation. That way, you know, as I have that better system in place, as I grow and get more uh different services to offer and other musicians to onboard, then I'll be ready for it.

Bill Gilliland:

Yeah, well, I think that's fantastic. I mean, what you're doing is offboarding, you know, outsourcing the things that aren't your genius. I mean, your genius is the violin and and the violin playing and getting people together and you know, making music. I mean, that's your genius. And so uh, yeah, I love that. I love that. So, what's the best way for someone to get in touch with you?

Mari Hashimoto:

Um, so I always have my phone on me, so definitely uh they can call my business number, which is 828-423-0413. Um, but I also have a website, violinmari.com, or they can find me on my Instagram, Mari Hashimoto Violin.

Bill Gilliland:

Love it. All right, I'm gonna set you up for the joke. So, what's the difference between a violin and a fiddle?

Mari Hashimoto:

Okay, so a violin has strings and a fiddle has strings.

Bill Gilliland:

I love it. Yeah, violin has four strings. Yep, four strings. I love it. Strings, yep. Strings, I can get it in there. I can get that in there. I love it. A little twing. It's been good catching up, Maury. Thanks for being on. Appreciate what you're doing and in our communities, you know, Greenville, Western North Carolina, both communities. And um, yeah, we certainly know you're going to continue to be successful and keep being out there and keep making music and being infectious. I love it.

Mari Hashimoto:

Thank you. Thanks for having me today.

Bill Gilliland:

Yeah. Hey, and until next time, all the best.