The George Clooney Method for Growing a Business

Here’s a true story about audience-building.


Read on if you want to attract more followers and turn them into clients…


Before he became the voice behind George Clooney, Dan Tyminski was a best-kept secret — a guy with great chops and a small audience.


He joined Alison Krauss’ band, Union Station, as a guitarist and vocalist in 1994. They scored a Gold record in 1997 with the album So Long So Wrong.


Around 500,000 sales. Nothing to sneeze at. But nothing compared to what happened a few years later.


Fast forward to the year 2000 in Hollywood.


At first, George Clooney wanted to sing the parts for his character Ulysses Everett McGill, leader of The Soggy Bottom Boys, in the movie O Brother Where Art Thou.


But the movie’s music director, T. Bone Burnett, wanted an old-timey sound, and Clooney didn’t have it.


So the filmmakers asked Clooney to lip-sync and hired Tyminski to sing.


Tyminski figured he’d earn a decent fee for the recording session. But he couldn’t have imagined what happened next.


The movie was a moderate hit ($70+ million in sales worldwide).


The soundtrack was a sensation.


More than 8 million copies sold (8x Platinum). A Grammy for Album of the Year. And a steady stream of income for the voice behind George Clooney.


(Here’s the scene where The Soggy Bottom Boys first perform “I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow.”)


When I saw him in concert last week, Tyminski said “I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow” paid for a new house, new cars, and college for his kids.


And it helped him attract a vast new audience — younger and more diverse — than he’d seen before.


He didn’t build that audience with clever social media campaigns, well-placed advertisements, or purchased email addresses.


He built that audience by leveraging other peoples’ lists.


George Clooney, filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen, the talk shows and news broadcasts that promoted the film — all have huge “lists” of followers…

…people who didn’t regularly listen to bluegrass…


…people who didn’t know Dan Tyminski and had never spent a penny on his music…


…until they saw the movie or watched the Grammys or saw the clip on a TV show when George Clooney was being interviewed.


Other people have lists of followers who would benefit from your products and services.


Your mission is to find them and leverage their lists.


Appear on their podcasts.


Get on their stages.


Offer a partnership: “I’ll promote your products and services to my list if you promote my products and services to yours.“


Other peoples’ lists (OPL) fueled Dan Tyminski’s rise to prosperity.


The strategy could fuel yours.


Speaking of strategy, how’s yours? Do you have a clear blueprint to turn your expertise into clients?


If something’s holding you back, if you’re feeling like a best-kept secret, let’s talk.


Book a complimentary Plan and Prosper Blueprint Session with me.


Most thought-leaders — authors, coaches, consultants, and professional service providers — already have the expertise. What they’re missing is a connected plan that turns that expertise into consistent, predictable growth.


In this complimentary 1:1 session, I’ll review your business, identify your highest-leverage opportunities, and hand you a personalized “Plan to Prosper” Blueprint — a clear roadmap combining the right strategy, the right tech, and the right team to simplify and accelerate your growth.


Click here to book now.