Today we’d like to introduce you to Aldolphey Benzarelli.
Hi Aldolphey, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started my journey in Gary Indiana as a fan of hip-hop in the early ’80s and as an aspiring entrepreneur in the ’90s. I always knew I wanted to be a business owner but wasn’t sure of what industry. In the meantime, I figured I would go to business school to learn more about how to run a business. I originally wanted to attend Florida A&M University but out of respect for my family lineage at the school, I decided to attend Tuskegee University school of business. I got a great education while living the lifestyle of a rap star and graduated with a Bachelor’s in Business Administration in 1999. During my senior year I was recruited by Ford Motor Credit Company and upon graduation, took a management position with the company in Atlanta, GA. After several months in Atlanta, Ford transferred me to Nashville TN. This is where my love for hip-hop and my business savvy were married. One day I was hanging with friends I started kicking a freestyle about what was going on in the room. I guess it struck a chord with this one female in the group because she asked me, “have you ever thought about taking rap seriously to see what you could do with it”? This is the first time in my life I ever thought actually recording anything. I thought about what she said and I was rather amused with the idea because rap music was a lifelong love but I never considered it as a profession. I connected with a well-known producer in Nashville named Sonny Paradise who unbeknownst to me headed up one of the top hip-hop labels in town, Street Flavor Records. At the time they had two of the most popular rap artists in Nashville at the time, Pistol and Haystack. The offices/studio were in a high-rise office building on 19th and Broadway so I was felt like I was in the right place to begin my endeavor. During a meeting with Sonny, he presented me a package where that I could get the production, recording, mixing, and mastering for my album all done with Street Flavor. It was a great offer so I jumped on it and began working on my first album “Verbal Abuse”. I released Verbal Abuse in the fall of 2004 and wasn’t completely satisfied with the results so I figured I would work on a mixtape to give the people some free samples of what I could do. I began to venture out and collab with other artists and DJs. That sparked my mixtape series “I.S.L.M. (It Sounds Like Money)”. The other thing I noticed as interacted with these artists was that there wasn’t anybody handling their business (publishing, distribution, copyrights, etc.). I also had an introspective moment regarding myself regarding I’m spending all this money but can’t make any tax deductions–as I learned in business school–because I didn’t have a business. That’s when I established BENZARELLI & ASSOCIATES LLC. This is when I mashed the gas pedal to the floor and went full steam ahead into the music business. I started doing more appearances, shows, marketing, and recording. Artists and producers began to take notice of my professionalism and began to contact me for advice. At this time, I began to sign artists and producers to management contracts, helping them with all the aspects of the “music business”. I received quite the shock in the 2008 during the American economic crash. Due to financial difficulties of Ford Motor and my seniority with the company, I was separated from the company. After several months of consideration, I decided to build a recording studio in my home, which I name “The Rehabilitation Center”. This is where I taught myself to record and developed by engineering/producing skills. After putting out several high-quality projects and the word spread throughout the city, people began to ask where were we making the music. They were quite surprised to hear that I was recording and mixing the music in my own studio. Here comes the clientele and serious demand for what I was doing. That was about 10yrs ago. After living eyeballs deep in the entertainment lifestyle for about 15yrs, the demands became to taxing so I took a step back. I began to focus more on coaching upcoming artists, producers, and engineers. I also got licensed in health/life insurance because I saw a need in the entertainment market. Here you have a bunch of self-employed people, most of whom have families but they don’t have any healthcare plans, retirement plans, or a way to pass on their legacy. Once again, I saw a need for a service in the market and filled it. I began to reach out to my former sponsors and business partners to build my agency though business consulting, estate planning, and constructing employee benefit plans for businesses. BENZARELLI & ASSOCIATES LLC still works with entertainers but has broaden its client base vastly.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. It was all fun in the beginning but the more people began to see the entertainment game as a get rich quick route or a way to become popular the more treacherous, dangerous, and unrewarding the job became.
We’ve been impressed with BENZARELLI & ASSOCIATES LLC, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We are full-scale business administration company and life/health insurance brokerage. We walk with clients step-by-step through the entire business process; establishing the business structure, formulating processes/procedures, establishing employee benefit plans, daily business operations, and succession planning. We work with individuals and families in the same manner. B&A can also meet an individual, business, or family at any stage they are in existence in to provide support, assistance, and structure to take them to the next level.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I have taken many risks in life. Here are some I’m willing to discuss. The chance I took when purchasing my first home against the advice of family members which I turned into several income streams. The chance I took when I decided to get to making music as a profession which I leveraged into a company and built numerous relationships that I still maintain today. I did many other things that didn’t work also. What I will say is that I’m not a woulda, coulda, shoulda, type person. I have tried and succeeded, I have tried and failed but I have no regrets. I would advise people to take calculated risks. Do as much research as you can before you pull the trigger but if it’s something you are passionate about and you lose sleep over, just go for it because you only get one life so live it to the fullest.
Contact Info:
- Email: benzarelli@gmail.com
- Instagram: @benzarelli
- Facebook: Aldolphey Benzarelli
