What sort of music is popular in Italy right now?

Should I make music, keep growing my business, or do something else completely?

• I'm 26 years old, almost 27. Up until last year my goals seemed so clear. Then suddenly I realized how mortal I was and now I wake up every morning in a near-panic thinking about how little time I have left to do and achieve everything I want to. I'm going to have to pick and choose sometimes, aren't I? I am at a fork in the road: I am self-employed as a local SAT tutor with more students than I can handle, to the point that I've also added group classes to my offerings. The income is very good by my standards, even if I have to plow a lot of money right back into the business, and I only have to be in the office about 26 hours per week, although I have to spend plenty of additional time on e-mails, advertising etc. This leaves me a lot of free time each week, and at least a little spare cash each month. And I'm having a very difficult time deciding between using it for Music, or using it to grow my business (write training guides, hire employees, improve systems and marketing). Music was my first passion. It is much more fun right now than working on hiring guides, but sometimes leaves me feeling like I've been an unproductive bum after a good practice session. Because I understand how to build a business, sometimes I feel that entrepreneurship is my more important skill, more socially responsible (to eventually help create employment at a time when jobs are in short supply) Business over music leaves me feeling like I'm killing part of my soul, sometimes, though; for example, when I cut off my long, kurt-cobain dreads for the respectability of a crew cut, several people remarked that I seemed like a different person... just slightly... and I know they were right. That's sort of a ridiculous example, but it's true that the "image" you must project for music vs. the "image" for owner of a successful tutoring business are very different and somewhat contradictory of each other. That said, business is also a passion of mine, I love to read case studies and dream about being a big-time entrepreneur, but just a later-blooming passion than music by several years. Musically, my interests are: classical piano and really all classical music, folk guitar and folk songs, electronica/trance/house. I have thought about either recording original music and promoting it, or training in order to compete in piano competitions. On the other hand, the money of growing and selling the business would be very, very nice and feel rewarding to me. It doesn't seem like I can do both before I'm 30/35. There's just not time. Each path seems to demand complete attention, and sacrifice. What do you think I should do? What would you do?

• Answer:

  I don't see why you can't do both. Unless you genuinely believe you are going to 'make it big time' in music, then it doesn't have to be full time. On the other hand, you suggest you have a fair amount of slack in your business time. So work out what you need to do to be more than 'on top of' business, but not a slave to it, and plan your music around that. Don't obsess about appearance and trivia; you don't need a uniform to make music. If you're good, they'll take you in a leotard and top hat. If they worry about hair styles, you're mixing with saddos, not musos. Or get a hat  ;-) Don't overvalue entrepeneurship; it's a ultimately a selfish trade and one where if you don't do it, it'll still get done, by definition. And don't undervalue music, especially live music. The world needs more. What you can also do is keep your eyesopen for opportunities to combine your interests and skills. There may be risks involved in that - but depite your anxieties, you're young yet.