Six Questions for…Jerry Harvey
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Jerry Harvey has toured the world as a sound engineer for the likes of Van Halen, Kiss, k.d. Lang , The Cult, Morrisey, Luis Miguel, and Linkin Park. He is currently mixing the Glee television show on tour.
But when he’s not making musicians sound better, he’s focused on his business, JH Audio, with develops and sells in-ear monitors that can be used with iPods and MP3 players as well as by the pros. Harvey, who started the business with his wife and business partner Brittany Harvey, invested $750,000 in the Apopka, Fla., startup. It now has 11 employees and projects 2010 will hit $2.5 million dollars. Its customers include Lady Gaga, Alicia Keys, and Aerosmith.
He tells BusinessNewsDaily about his biggest mistake as an entrepreneur and the best concert he ever worked.
BusinessNewsDaily: What made you decide to improve on something that already existed?
Jerry Harvey: Seems like the technology had stagnated since I left the market and I am always striving to be the first to bring to market the best technology in the world of IEMS (in-ear monitors).
BND: How did you go about finding a better way?
J.H.: This is just a natural progression. From my 15 years of developing product I always have the next product I will put to market in my head.
BND: Who did you turn to for advice when launching your company?
J.H.: Basically there was no advice. Brittany (my business partner) and I turned to each other and said “we need to do this, let’s go.”
BND: What advice do you have for would-be entrepreneurs?
J.H.: Listen to your instincts, choose the people you work with wisely and make sure that your heart is in it.
BND: What's the biggest mistake you've made as an entrepreneur?
J.H.: Trusting a venture capital investor’s attorney when taking on an investment.
BND: What's the best concert you ever worked?
J.H.: Monsters of Rock, Donnington, England ’87. Iron Maiden was the headliner. I was with David Lee Roth. The band before us was Guns ‘N Roses. The first time I ever saw them. I was on stage left and just before the GNR set a nervous Axl Rose came to the side of the stage and hurled. He then ran out on stage and killed it. It was one of the best rock band performances I ever witnessed. That performance was being filmed and was used in the Paradise City video.