In the world of entrepreneurship, ideas often arise from unexpected intersections of passion and purpose. For Rohan, the light bulb moment for Unbreakable Musicians came from recognizing the powerful parallel between the journeys of musicians and entrepreneurs.
“After pursuing music, I saw how beneficial the career path of music is for mental health, purpose, discipline, and personal fulfillment. Yet, unlike entrepreneurship, musicians don’t have easy access to incubators and places to network and increase their chances of success.”
Driven by this realization, Rohan set out to create a platform that would help musicians connect, collaborate, and build their careers in a way that mirrored the entrepreneurial journey—full of resilience, opportunity, and support.
Together with Rahul, Unbreakable Musicians was born, aiming to even the playing field for musicians. “If you tell your parents you want to be a doctor or lawyer, they will most likely support you. But tell them you want to be a musician, and it’s a different story. We want to change the societal perception of music as a career.”
The Startup Journey: Milestones and Roadblocks
Like all startup stories, Rohan and Rahul’s journey with Unbreakable Musicians has been filled with both triumphs and challenges.
For Rahul, a major challenge was figuring out how to develop a product with a strong network effect without immediately raising funds. “Since our product’s success is largely driven by the number of users on it, we didn’t want to raise thousands of dollars for a product that didn’t have an active user base. So, we created a MVP on Discord, allowing us to build a community on a cost-effective platform.”
This lean approach paid off, leading to a significant milestone when they hosted a rap event sponsored by Boost Collective, a music distribution company that provided over $25,000 in services to the winners.
Rohan echoed these sentiments, noting that creating traction with a product has been one of the hardest roadblocks to overcome. “Traction is something that can only be created by pure value and product-market fit. You can’t buy your way into it. Our solution has been to build a community for musicians through a lean startup model.” Their success is evident in the 20+ people who have paid for exclusive benefits through their Discord and the dozens of positive messages they’ve received from members.
The Mill’s Impact
Rohan and Rahul credit The Mill with being instrumental in helping them take their startup to the next level.
For Rahul, “The Mill gave us structure and connections that were crucial to our business development. We became an LLC during our time in the Startup Summer program.” Rohan added that “The Mill was the college experience I wish I had. The entrepreneurs there were welcoming, proactive, and inspiring to be around. It made me feel at home.” Their time at The Mill also helped them hone the mindset and discipline needed to grow Unbreakable Musicians into a thriving community.
Advice to Fellow Founders
As Rohan and Rahul reflect on their journey, they offer invaluable advice to aspiring entrepreneurs.
Rahul stresses the importance of making sure your startup is built for the right reasons. “Do it for the internal reasons, not for external validation like status. Build a business because you resonate deeply with the cause.” Rohan takes a similar stance, urging others to pursue entrepreneurship out of passion, not just for money. “Entrepreneurship is grueling and painful, and only those who truly love it will last. For me, it was about providing value to musicians and making my dream possible.”
Unbreakable Musicians is a testament to the power of passion-driven entrepreneurship, and their story is just beginning. Through dedication, resilience, and a commitment to their community, Rohan and Rahul are paving the way for future generations of musicians to take their place in the spotlight.