Why & How To Make Friends w/ Your Pro GM Peers
We all need a little help, sometimes
Starting out as a pro GM can be pretty daunting. That’s why you will want to leverage camaraderie with your peers if possible. Few folks know what it’s like to deal with the freelancing grind in your field! Here are my recommendations:
Seat Fill for other pro GMs
This is going to teach you a lot but also develop a positive relationship with a peer. Not only are you able to have a peer that you can bounce ideas off of for your advertisements or community, but you’re able to learn from what they’re doing. My recommendation is that you do this at least once a week with someone whom your brand aligns with and you personally get along with.
2-3 hours a week playing in another game helps you learn good seat filler behavior and what you’d expect of folks for your games.
You can share and collaborate on ideas with your pro GM peer.
You’ll get a first-hand experience with issues at the table which you can (ideally) help resolve.
You’re going to improve as a GM through inspiration.
Feedback for ads
Putting together an advertisement can leave you with a lot of unanswered questions. If you’ve built rapport with someone and likewise are providing them with value to their business - you have access to someone who would help you out with their opinion. Not all advice is created equal, but when you’re starting out a different set of eyes for unfiltered opinions can be invaluable.
An Unofficial Channel
It can be lonely “at the top” or in this case: when you run a business. You would be ill-advised to complain about players to other players. That’s an incredibly toxic scenario and highly unprofessional. Instead, I recommend that you confide in your pro GM peers that you trust if you need to get something off your chest. Make certain to ask for permission to have that sort of conversation - but if it’s cool, then it’s a great stress relief. They can also provide you with candid advise if you find yourself in a decision making jam.
You should join isFriday’s Patreon
I have a modest group of 20’ish Patrons who chat about pro GM business in the vein as described above. It’s a moderated space and it can be a great think tank to help run your business.
Join here - $5 a month to support me and help your biz!