The En Factor Podcast features conversations with entrepreneurs who have started, stumbled and succeeded.
Sean Green and Eric Heiert are the Co-founders of Safehouse. Sean has ten years of experience creating content and developing brands on the internet that he has perfected through his previous positions as the creative director at Twitch and a visual storyteller at Esports. Eric is a live stream event producer who has produced hundreds of digital events as a talent buyer, media coordinator, and program director. Together Sean and Eric created Safehouse, a livestream production that showcases interactive music performances online with a mission to empower musicians through a modern approach to discoverability and autonomy in the music industry through livestreaming. Since launching in 2016, Safehouse has hosted over 200 shows, featuring over 800 artists to nearly one million music lovers from all corners of the world.
Key Words – Music Industry, Live Streaming, Partnership, Engagement Â
Chapters
00:00 • Today’s Guests: Sean Green and Eric Heiert
03:04 • How Safehouse Got Started
08:26 • How Live Streaming Creates an Interactive Experience
11:08 • Helping Musicians Succeed Through Live Streaming
15:32 • Creating Community in a Digital Environment
21:07 • Monetizing Live Streaming and Approaching Competition
25:54 • Making the Leap into Entrepreneurship
30:46 • Building a Successful Co-Founder Relationship
36:20 • Learning from Failure and Building Resilience
42:33 • Advice for Entrepreneurs: Community and Iteration
Episode takeaways
- Sean and Eric combined expertise from two different areas—live streaming and music—to create Safe House. Entrepreneurs can often find compelling opportunities by applying knowledge from one industry to problems or opportunities in another.
- Safehouse became real when Eric insisted that they choose a date for their first show. Ideas can evolve endlessly, but setting a concrete deadline forces you to move from planning and discussion into execution.
- Sean emphasizes that a genuine community cannot simply be created by spending money. Entrepreneurs need to listen to their audience, encourage participation, and treat the relationship as a two-way conversation rather than simply telling customers what they should want.
- Especially in an emerging industry, other businesses don’t always need to be viewed as threats. Sean and Eric adopted a “rising tide raises all ships” mentality, collaborating with others and expanding their network rather than focusing heavily on competitors.
- A strong partnership doesn’t necessarily mean finding someone who thinks like you. Sean and Eric credit their different expertise, perspectives, and working styles with strengthening Safe House, while emphasizing that trust, communication, and the ability to work through disagreements are essential.
- Because there was no established blueprint for what Safehouse was building, much of Sean and Eric’s knowledge came from repeatedly producing shows, working with artists, and seeing what worked. Entrepreneurs entering new territory need resilience and a willingness to learn through experience rather than expecting to have everything figured out beforehand.
- One of Safehouse’s biggest challenges was determining whether its primary customer was the artist or the viewer. Entrepreneurs should continually evaluate who they are serving, what each stakeholder needs, and how their business creates enough value to keep those groups engaged.
- Sean’s closing advice is to treat each execution as an opportunity to learn and improve. Shortening the time between iterations helps entrepreneurs discover what creates value, where opportunities exist, and what constraints need to be addressed much faster.
The En Factor® Podcast
Conversations with Entrepreneurs
Hosted by Dr. Rebecca White
Our audience of aspiring and established entrepreneurs are inspired to persevere throughout their entrepreneurial journey. You will hear first-hand stories of success, resilience through failure, and how to become a master in your field.
