Meet Halee Smith, creator and designer behind Rock It Music Gear

Do you remember what you were doing when you were 19 years old? I do somewhat, but one thing is for certain, I wasn't creating a business! It seems as though these days, young adults are much more advance and business-driven and start a business earlier in life. This is the case for Halee. Halee is a 22-year-old young lady who's started her guitar straps business at age 19.I met Halee at NAMM, she was taking the Two Rock Amplifiers for a spin and I snapped a few pictures. We immediately hit it off and started talking about all things NAMM and her business. She told me she started Rock It Music Gear when she was 10 and that she hopes to have a booth at NAMM someday. I was impressed by her and her accomplishments at such a young age. NAMM is truly a wonderful place where you find amazing and talented people just like Halee.

Halee is an inspiring young businesswoman and a breath of fresh air so for this month's newsletter, I wanted to feature her and her business and give you an insight into how she got started and where does she hope to be in the near future.

Below is a quick interview with the creator of Rock It Music Gear, Halee Smith.

How did you get started, what drove (or inspired) you to create guitar straps?

It started off about 5 years ago (2015) with an idea my guitar teacher and I had about making a guitar strap any color, So I thought of the idea to make it out of LEDs, got all the supplies together, and made us some. Fast forward to December 2017 I launched Rockit Music Gear.

How are the guitar straps made? Do you design them? Do you have a designer?

They aren't pre-made, I've put together all the supplies to make them, I do custom ones if people request, or if they have something they've created I can put it on a strap and have done a quite a bit of them. I'm also always on the hunt for cool materials to make them out of!

Where do you draw your inspiration from?

Music, guitar players, honestly just about anything that sparks my attention. My mind is always going and watching for it.

What has been the biggest challenge(s) in operating your business? How did you push through?

Keeping a balance of not giving away to much and asking myself if I'm giving enough? Am I taking the right opportunities? I struggle with that, So many people want everything for free but the point of endorsement or a brand deal is them offering you something in return so it's a fair/worth it trade. So picking genuine ones is hard. Especially since I don't want to come off like a jerk and I obviously love when someone is wearing my guitar straps. It's definitely a torn thing that I struggle with. I currently make every piece myself and I just hope it's appreciated and they appreciate RMG. But I have had some great people come my way.

What advice do you have for other young entrepreneurs?

Make your job something you want to do not have to do, that's the whole point of entrepreneurship turning what you love into your career (Don't forget that!). You will get burnt out quickly "hustling" (as my generation would say) doing something you don't love. Also don't overwork yourself. I know that can be hard and I myself have done this plenty of times.

Where do you see Rockit Music Gear in 5 years?

Hopefully, it's running itself so I don't have to wear all the hats and have its own building. Also, hopefully, a booth at NAMM, and I would love to see my guitar straps being worn by more of my favorite guitar players!

You can find her rocking guitar straps here! I personally love the Controllable LED Guitar Strap <3!