About five years ago, my band was still in its beginnings of making music. We felt so lucky to have grown up in Montreal, the cultural capital of Canada, where the music scene is so innovative and lively. We jammed and created relentlessly before deciding to try to make it for real. We worked hard (individually in odd jobs, and as a band playing various events) to save up enough money to record our first LP. We promoted it with a launch party and a strong presence on social media as well as in the live music venues around the city, like La Vitrola, Casa del Popolo, Quai des Brumes and Brutopia to name a few. It was a huge success and our following continued to grow. But in this fast-paced, ever-evolving world, that’s not enough. You have to keep the hype up. We had used all of our money, and despite steady album sales we were far from being able to go to on tour or record another album. This is where my background in finance came in handy.