Hidden Gems: Meet Alyssa Oliver Cone of Young Hearts

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alyssa Oliver Cone.

Hi Alyssa, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Young Hearts is TRULY a family affair and has grown its values as such, understanding the typical trials that come along with a career in the music industry and with full love for how wonderful life spent traveling and making music with friends can be! Young Hearts was a dream of Ashton Cone and a close friend of his from college while at Lee University in Cleveland, TN – created as an avenue for their friends to get paid while doing what they love. It’s grown from a small operation with just a few players and singers to a thriving multi-band production company in less than a decade, adding members from Atlanta, Chattanooga, and Nashville. I was a founding member of the group, but became consistent a year later as a singer and administrative assistant. Ashton and I began to lead the company together shortly after we married in Fall 2017.

Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
We don’t believe any entrepreneurial endeavor has ever been easy, and we’ve had our fair share of bumps along the way. The wedding/corporate industry is personal, so we’ve learned much as we’ve strived to keep our clients happy.

COVID-19 and the pandemic were rough on us as a business, band, and family. We celebrated every small win and tried to stay connected in supporting each other through each loss. We started this band to create a home for our musician community to thrive, and that was taken away seemingly overnight. However, our industry events were some of the first to be able to play music again since most of our events are private. As you can imagine, we were elated to begin making music again. So even the extra “red tape” that came with each show, in each state and their different regulations, couldn’t keep us from being grateful for a very full 2021.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
https://youngheartsmusic.com/

You want that event to succeed when you host an event, whether it’s a corporate party, a wedding, or an arena full of teenagers that need to be entertained. You know you want your event to be more than just a gathering of people. You want it to be an experience. The music that drives your event will be the difference between your guests sitting in the corner, glancing at the clock and mindlessly stirring their drinks, or dancing the night away, singing at the top of their lungs to all their favorite songs.

When you host an event, you need a band with a love of old classics and a passion for modern hits. You need a band who knows how to play off the crowd, delighting everyone from the 5-year-old with boundless energy to the 85-year-old who still has dancing feet. It would help if you had a band of old souls and young hearts.

That’s where we come in. The Young Hearts Experience is fueled by energy and audience involvement that is guaranteed to keep your guests moving – and buzzing about it for months to come. Young Hearts features members who have appeared on many stages, including NBC’s “The Voice” to the 2013 Presidential Inauguration. In addition, our members have individually performed for “America’s Got Talent,” The American Heart Association, Dave Ramsey conferences, cruises, music festivals, weddings, corporate events, and parties of all kinds. Young Hearts is one of the youngest bands you can hire with this experience and talent – and we promote all your favorites, from Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald to Justin Timberlake and Bruno Mars. With the creative collaboration of young, talented, and passionate musicians who have traveled the world, you are assured of an amazing and lasting experience.

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting?
If I’m honest, our biggest hurdle was staying consistent in those seasons where it was just Ashton and I handling it all. From booking, production, publication, marketing, client communications, band communications, transportation of gear, curating music, creating the full show, paying musicians, and trying to dream up what we wanted the future culture of our little business to be like! I say none of this in pride, but with true conviction that we’ve been there. And organic, sustainable growth takes time.

While most days we just felt like we were fighting fires, there were a few moments when we would look around and remember how blessed we are to spend our days helping our friends do what they love. The more we focused on those moments, moments became days, and days became seasons. Perspective is everything in those building years. Every bump in the road is an opportunity for personal growth, and business is simply a reflection of the character of those in leadership. Most times, if you lead with kindness and honesty, you are met with the same.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.youngheartsmusic.com
• Instagram: @young_hearts_music
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/youngheartseventband/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1P4Zv2Ajp0

Image Credits
Hannah Photography https://www.hannahphotography.co/ https://www.instagram.com/hannahphoto.co/