Jonathan Poneman
Sub Pop Records
Seattle, WA USA
"At the end of the day, you're going to live and die, succeed and fail by your wits. And I think the important thing is to have the courage of your convictions and to have a sense of humor."
Career Roadmap
Jonathan's work combines: Entrepreneurship, Music, and Accomplishing Goals
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Take Roadmap QuizLife & Career Milestones
My path in life has been direct
1.
As a kid, he says he was not very coordinated, wasn't good at sports, but found guitar and rock and roll to be a saving grace.
2.
Played with several bands, wanted to be a pop star; eventually, he accepted that that dream wasn't going to work out.
3.
Says it's important to realize that, "if you fail, that's just a chapter in your story; it's not the story in and of itself."
4.
After that, he got into radio; started to realize he also enjoyed the business side of music.
5.
Decided he would do one successful thing in music, then he'd probably get a conventional job.
6.
Went into business with his friend Bruce Pavitt developing Sub Pop Records.
7.
They never imagined how huge the label would get-thought Nirvana would sell maybe 200,000 records, not ten million records.
8.
Says if you stop thinking of happiness and passion as "options" and start thinking of them as "necessary," you'll take steps to creating a fulfilling life.