- Mar 15, 2021
- 3 min read

057. Becoming the bandleader of your business with Keanna O’Quinn

Listen On: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

As you ladies probably know, being an entrepreneur can sometimes leave you feeling super scattered and all over the place. You’re managing clients, maybe a team, customer expectations, and outcomes… it’s all part of the territory of being an entrepreneur!

We sat down with Keanna O’Quinn, CEO & founder of Sonic Sommelier — a mindful approach to designing music experiences and bespoke branded soundscapes, using the science of sound. After years working at a luxury entertainment design company in NYC, Keanna noticed a void in the live music community, one where planners saw music as the background to the main event rather than something that can guide and elevate it. She chats with us about how the life of an entrepreneur can be a lot like leading a band of musicians.

LISTEN TO THE EPISODE

You don't want to miss:

Knowing how to read the room for networking & relationship building

How to create harmony with a team

When and where to share the spotlight

Business skills that translate from the centerstage to the corner office

Resources from this episode:

Watch Keanna on The SXS Show
Listen to “Smoke” - a song by Honey & Vinyl
“I Love Me From My Head to My Feet”: a children’s book by Keanna O’ Quinn

Don’t forget to leave us a review/comment. Let us know what need you’re filling with your business or a key takeaway from this episode... and don't forget to subscribe, so you never miss an episode!

Show Notes:

Keanna’s journey to entrepreneurship: Teach for America, an American Idol audition, Broadway, & working as an admin at a performing arts school
“Solve the problem of noise.” - lessons learned from her full time job with a luxury design entertainment company
Ways entrepreneurship mirrors being the bandleader of your own business: creating harmony, reading the room, and sharing the spotlight with others
Networking & building relationships with other
Where to connect with Keanna
SXS Rapid fire question round

About Keanna...

After years working at a luxury entertainment design company in NYC, Keanna O’Quinn noticed a void in the live music community, one where planners saw music as the background to the main event rather than something that can guide and elevate it.

“The bands weren’t listening to the room,” she says. “We should make deliberate music choices based on the people in it, reacting to them. Not the other way around.” Her desire to create this harmony sparked the founding of Honey+Vinyl in 2013.

Throughout her 10 years in the industry, she saw mismatched music and event concepts and began to dive deeper into how sound influences sight, taste and smell. Understanding the science behind how lighting, décor, food and timing interact with music drove her to establish the Sonic Sommelier™ service.

Grounded in professionalism, dedication, honesty and warmth, her boutique business grew from passion and a desire to fill a void in the live music community.

She also most recently wrote and self-published her first children's book!