Simply ask and you shall simply succeed

10 years ago on this day, I stood in front of 60.000 people opening up for Metallica. 

I also used to have really long hair and play in a heavy metal band. As a professional musician (at least that's what I would like to think I was) I formed a band which released 5 albums on a renowned metal label, travelled the world, ended up visiting and performing on 4-5 continents. Along the way, we made lifelong friendships and acquaintances, played with all of our idols and experienced what very few musicians can only dream of. One of the biggest highlights was supporting Metallica on not just one, but multiple European shows in 2007 and 2008. 

How did my band get to play for Metallica? Simply by asking. 

I never considered myself to be a good musician, but I had a creative need and always thrived to see progress. The magic was simply in writing good emails and by wanting to succeed, I was proactive, following up and chasing. I never took "No" for an answer and whenever I wanted something, I simply asked. 

The success we achieved as a group, comes from a combination of factors. Timing, team, product, differentiation and execution. The team, which I initially managed to bring together, had very strong candidates. Each with their own unique set of creative skills and strengths. Together we were an unstoppable force, which came from knowing that we created something special together. It belonged to us, as we were all co-founders. Executing on the product was our core competence, but selling it was a completely different story. My desire to bring the product to market in collaboration with all our business partners made us successful to some degree. It was not intentional in any way - it was an urge that kept knocking on the inside. This urge created the possibility of progress and progress is an advancement of opportunity. I always pushed for more shows, partnerships, sponsorships and in general and without knowing it, it was simply good old-fashioned outbound sales. 

What is sales? It's a way of asking. Simply ask and you shall receive an answer, but make sure to keep it short and be clear. Understand why the other person should care and what you want out of your ask. 

I am not sure why so many people feel challenged, whenever they want something in life. Just ask and don't be afraid to fail.