Enterprenuer
Ola Sars, a serial entrepreneur, based in Stockholm, is active in the music-tech sector.
He is the CEO and Founder of Soundtrack Your Brand.
This music platform for B2B has the fastest growth rate globally. It was co-founded with Spotify back in 2014.
He was also the co-founder and chief operating officer of Beats Music before Apple acquired it.
His conviction that music is an undervalued art form and that there are significant opportunities for value growth and improvement in the music industry drives Ola’s tireless efforts to transform the music market.
He has worked tirelessly to unlock that intrinsic value through his many start-ups in the music space.
Ola has been featured in Rolling Stone and Billboard.
She is also a frequent contributor to technology and music publications.
Ola was named in Billboard’s 2021 International Power Players List.
What is the story of the idea for Soundtrack Your Brand?
My background lies in music streaming. I have built several consumer interaction companies in this space, including Beats Music which was purchased and turned into Apple Music.
Beats were made by businesses and brands that were interested in music streaming.
I received many requests from them. It became clear that Spotify and Daniel Ek, a fellow Swede, were also experiencing the same demand when we discussed the idea.
The soundtrack was created when we decided to form a joint venture to pursue the global “Audio for Business” market.
How do you stay productive?
My family is my priority, so I get up at a reasonable hour and start the day with a focus on them.
We meet up, have breakfast, go to school, walk the dog, and head off to work.
My morning routine of spending time with my family gives me peace of mind.
It helps me focus before starting my busy day as CEO of a global high-growth scaleup.
Even if it is snowing, raining, or freezing outside, I still walk to work every day. My walk takes around 20 minutes.
I review our strategic and tactical focus and then plan what I will be focusing on throughout the day to help us grow our business.
During this walk, I am not allowed to be disturbed. I always follow the plan and write down my daily execution plan when I get to the office.
It’s written on paper. This allows me not to open my computer without a plan of action.
We all know what happens when you open your computer.
My work environment is global, so I plan my day to be able to serve multiple time zones while maintaining a consistent daily workload.
Morning tasks include team and internal tactical work.
I deal with more strategic perspectives and external stakeholders in the afternoon and evening.
I set strict requirements for meetings. This applies to my team and me.
Discussions that do not have a clear objective or logic will be rescheduled. They should be completed in 30 minutes.
My 20-minute walk home from work takes me to the office at 4 p.m.
During this walk, I review my daily execution plan and update it.
Then, I plan for the rest of the tasks that need to be done before closing the lights.
It is just as important as my morning walk.
After picking up the dog from the dog daycare, I return home around 4:30 p.m., and it’s family time.
My wife is home, the kids have returned from school, and we try to get a good meal together.
Next, I’m ready for soccer practice or other activities almost every day.
I train my youngest team three to four times per week. My workout is included during this time slot.
This helps me keep my head clear and my stress levels under control.
After finishing the family routines, I log in to spend my day. Most of the topics are US-related.
I can work from home and be 6 hours ahead of EST, which allows me to have a productive evening.
While my primary focus is on completing my daily execution plan, I allow myself to have more open meetings with investors, journalists, and partners in the US.
I believe in sleep, and all science supports its importance for a productive workday.
I try to get to bed by 11 p.m. every night to ensure that I have 6-7 hours of quality sleep. This is a must for a productive day.
How do you bring ideas to life?
Although ideas are lovely, filtering them out and prioritizing the ones that will make a difference is what makes a thinker a doer.
Through my many years of experience, I have lived by the maxim “Execution IS Everything.”
Rarely are ideas truly unique or game-changing.
Rarely are you the only person who has considered that idea.
It isn’t easy to find and cultivate the best idea for your business at each stage of your life.
It will help if you plan your ongoing ideation.
This is done by first defining the key challenges that I want to address, then designing for opportunities in my calendar to encourage and foster thinking about those issues.
I don’t believe in unfocused or random thinking.
Specific frameworks can help your brain become creative.
If I’m faced with an organizational problem, I will read about it or network on it.
Then I will take some time to reflect on it in a new environment, such as a walk or at the gym.
Execution planning is the key to identifying a solution.
This is where 80% of success in problem-solving ideas comes from.
What’s your favorite trend?
Incredibly, the “Audio Trend” is so popular! Everyone has talked for a long time about “eyeballs,” but now think about “Airtime” and “Mindspace.”
Audio is being consumed in entirely new ways. Think about the many ways people listen to audio all day.
This could be done through headphones in their homes, at work, in their cars, or at a local cafe or restaurant.
Audio impressions have been shown to affect the brain in many ways significantly.
The window of audio experiences is much larger than any other input to your brain.
It is possible to experience audio simultaneously with other activities.
What habits make you productive?
Travel should be avoided to the maximum extent possible. Digital channels can do almost anything.
What’s your advice for the Noob?
Keep your eyes on the things that you love and make them an asset in your life.
What is one thing we can all agree on?
Businesses and individuals will pay 5x or more for legally licensed music if they are educated about why this is important.
Consumers are now paying between $10-20 per month for multiple TV and movie streaming services and their regular internet/cable providers.
Sometimes, you only have to pay $5 for one streaming music service.
Or worse, it’s free with ads that only the provider makes a profit from.
Businesses understand what it is like to be taken advantage of, and they don’t want the same.
What do you recommend as an entrepreneur?
Your imagination can be structured and made into a routine.
What’s your rich strategy?
My professional career is centered around finding an exciting industry and offers excellent opportunities for improvement.
Learn everything you can about the ambition to become the best in it.
The soundtrack is my fourth start-up in digital audio/music. Don’t lose heart in a market thesis you believe in.
How do you overcome Failure?
As an entrepreneur, I’ve had many failures. My rule of thumb is always to have a plan for failure if you’re going all-in.
This is what I do. The program doesn’t make failure the end of the road.
You will be able to return. You will fail at times in your mission.
But, you can view these failures as learnings that are part of a giant game to win.
Can you share a business idea?
I want an app that offers a complete solution to micro-transportation.
I use many micro-mobility options, such as electric scooters and bikes.
I would love an aggregator service that allows me to access these mobility options.
What’s your recent best buy?
My friends and I enjoyed a great night at Radhusbaren, Kungsholmen Stockholm, enjoying great food and great wine.
What are your favorite Softwares or Apps?
Calendly. Calendly is an excellent productivity tool. I don’t have any PA and plan my schedule.
Which book would you recommend?
My vote goes to “From Great to Great” (James). C Collins, It is still very relevant, both small and large.
What’s your favorite quote?
“Don’t cry about money, Ola” (My Italian-American neighbor while I was living in NYC as a Swedish immigrant child).
TL;DR by Ola Sars
Execution is everything. Although ideas are lovely, it is essential to learn how to prioritize them and focus on making them come to life.
Plan your day. Start each day by identifying what you want to achieve and plan your day around those goals.
Consider failures an opportunity to learn from your mistakes and make a comeback.
Your creativity should be structured. It should be a part of your daily routine.
