Since the early days of his career, Gregg Davis learned the importance of controlling his success.
That meant not relying on social media, a manager, or even your current success.
For independent creators, entrepreneurs and small businesses, social media makes it possible to reach thousands of people. But those followers belong to a platform you don't control.
In other words, you're buildng your business on borrowed land.
In this episode of A Seat at The Table, Jane Singer talks with Gregg Davis (DJ Self-Born), a veteran DJ and entrepreneur who has produced for Kanye West, toured with the Wu-Tang Clan, and built a million dollar music business.
Gregg explains why he combines digital marketing with decidedly "old-school" tactics: getting out from behind the screen, meeting potential customers, building relationships and going where the opportunities are.
His message: Use social media. Don't build your entire business on it.
From Social Media Followers to Real Business Relationships
Gregg remembers when MySpace appeared to offer musicians a way to build their careers entirely online. Then the platform disappeared — along with the audiences people had spent years building.
It taught him an important lesson: don't confuse access to someone else's platform with owning your business infrastructure.
Today Gregg uses social media, AI and YouTube. But he sees them as tools that support the business rather than replace direct relationships.
Sometimes one meaningful contact can be worth far more than reaching thousands of people who barely know who you are.
Why Offline Marketing Is Working Again
One of the more counterintuitive ideas in this conversation is that "old-school" selling may actually provide a competitive advantage today.
Gregg still believes in pounding the pavement.
When he moved from Chicago to Miami, he deliberately put himself in a market filled with hotels and resorts where he could personally approach potential clients. Today he is still walking into hotels, meeting decision-makers and pitching new services.
Why?
Because almost everyone else is sitting behind a computer.
Showing up in person has become unusual enough to help you stand out.
Combining Offline and Digital Marketing
Gregg isn't arguing that entrepreneurs should abandon technology.
Instead, he explains how the two worlds can work together.
AI can help research potential prospects and identify better leads. Social media can create awareness. YouTube can become a deeper content platform where people learn who you are and what you know.
Then personal contact can turn awareness into an actual relationship.
Gregg describes AI almost like an assistant: let technology do some of the research and busy work, then bring the human element back into the process.
Why Gregg Is Betting on YouTube
Gregg makes an interesting distinction between social media and YouTube.
He sees YouTube less as another feed to keep posting on and more like having your own television channel — a place where you can build a body of content that tells your story and allows potential customers to understand what you do.
For creators and entrepreneurs, that means thinking like your own media producer rather than simply chasing likes and followers.
Authenticity Beats Perfect Content
Gregg also challenges the pressure to make everything look polished.
Record the setup. Show the work. Capture what happens behind the scenes. Let people see you learning, solving problems and occasionally getting things wrong.
Those imperfect moments can make someone watching think: "He's like me. Maybe I can do this too."
As AI-generated and highly curated content becomes increasingly common, genuine human experience can become more valuable, not less.
Questions This Episode Answers
How can you build a business without relying on social media?
Build direct relationships, develop multiple ways to reach customers, create content you control and use social platforms as marketing tools rather than your entire business infrastructure.
Is offline marketing still effective?
Gregg argues that it can be particularly effective today because fewer competitors are willing to meet prospects personally, make direct introductions and build relationships face-to-face.
Do you need thousands of followers to build a successful business?
No. Gregg would rather develop a smaller number of meaningful relationships than have thousands of weak digital connections.
How should entrepreneurs use AI for marketing and sales?
Gregg uses AI to help identify and research potential prospects. Technology does some of the groundwork; he then builds the human relationship.
How can musicians and independent creators find more clients?
Go where the potential customers are. Gregg built his DJ business by targeting hotels, resorts and hospitality businesses where demand for entertainment already existed.
What should someone do if they're starting a business with very little money?
Identify the skill or passion you can build around, determine the basic tools you need to start, acquire what you can afford and begin. Then reinvest as the business grows.
About Gregg Davis
Gregg Davis, also known as DJ Self-Born, is the author of Self-Born: How I Made a Million Dollars as a DJ and Built a System Anyone Can Use.
The book isn't about how to mix records or operate DJ equipment. Gregg uses his experience building a successful career in music to explain broader principles of entrepreneurship: owning your tools, finding customers, building relationships, developing transferable business skills and creating opportunities from the ground up.
His central lesson extends well beyond musicians:
Technology can help you reach people. But ultimately, businesses are still built by connecting with people.
Key Moments
00:00 Building a business beyond social media
02:15 Why personal connections still matter
09:12 What MySpace taught Gregg about platform dependence
13:20 Building a foundation you control
16:51 Using AI without losing human connection
18:34 Building your own marketing infrastructure
25:07 Going where your customers are
29:20 Why it only takes one customer
33:04 What marketing is working now
37:56 Why old-school selling is making a comeback
44:12 Marketing beyond social media
45:45 Why Gregg is betting on YouTube
47:40 How to start building a business
51:52 Gregg's book Self-Born
Connect with Gregg Davis
DJ Self Born SELF BORN MUSIC, LLC
Instagram: DJ Self Born (@djselfborn)
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/djselfborn
Facebook: facebook.com/Rich.Blackman.507
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