I recently came across an Instagram post by a reasonably attractive guy who had created this really aesthetically appealing poster advertising a rather interesting service: he offered himself as a companion for upcoming festivals and events.
The pricing was broken down into hourly rates, half-day and full-day options, after-parties, and even full packages. At first, I thought, That’s actually genius.
Then I started thinking about it a little more.
I’m an old-school raver and a genuine festival lover. Music events have always been more than just going out for me. They’re almost a form of meditation. I can get completely lost in the music, the atmosphere, the people, the dancing and the overall energy of it all.
The frustrating part is how many events I’ve missed because of work.
And there are so many incredible festivals and events coming up this summer that, realistically, if I went to all of them, I’d probably end up broke.
But then this idea hit me:
What if I could actually get paid to go?
Why not turn something I already love doing into part of my business?
I already put effort into how I look when I go to these events. I love putting together an outfit, looking good, dancing, meeting people and being part of the atmosphere. I genuinely enjoy being social and creating a good experience for the people around me.
So why couldn’t someone actually pay for my company?
And that’s where my brain starts going into overdrive.
Because then I start thinking about the business side of it.
I don’t have a huge social-media following. I’m not constantly posting on Instagram, TikTok or X. I haven’t built an online persona around myself, and I certainly don’t have a team of people creating content for me.
So how do you even start something like this?
Do I hire someone to handle the marketing? Do I need someone constantly taking photos and videos? Do I need a social-media manager? A photographer? A videographer? Someone editing content every week?
Because honestly, that alone could become a full-time job.
I look around at people my age and see how much social media has evolved. People are building entire businesses around TikTok, Instagram, X, subscription platforms and personal branding. Some people have turned themselves into actual brands.
It’s wild when you think about it.
And I’m starting to realise that maybe the opportunity isn’t necessarily about having thousands of followers right away. Maybe it’s about creating something that people actually want, presenting it professionally, and then building an audience around it.
I already have a website launching within the next couple of weeks, which is exciting — but then comes the next question:
How do I actually get people to find it?
A website sitting on the internet isn’t a business. It needs traffic. It needs visibility. It needs content. It needs people talking about it. And once again, I find myself looking at this enormous list of possibilities and thinking, Where the hell do I even start?
At the same time, I don’t want to lose sight of why I’m doing any of this.
My mental health and wellbeing have to come first.
Music, festivals and dancing genuinely make me happy. They’re one of the places where I feel most like myself. I don’t want to turn something I love into another source of stress just because I’m trying to monetise it.
But perhaps there’s a way to do both.
Perhaps I can build a business around something that genuinely makes me happy, while still maintaining boundaries, protecting my time and making sure I’m doing it for the right reasons.
And honestly, I think I have the potential to take my business much further than where it is now.
I’m at a point in my working life where I know I need to elevate what I’m doing. I don’t want to just keep doing the same thing and hoping it eventually grows. I want to think bigger.
I believe we all have the potential to become world-class at something.
The challenge is figuring out what that something is — and then having the courage, discipline and patience to actually build it.
Right now, I have a million ideas running through my head.
Festival companionship. Events. Content. Personal branding. Social media. My website. Networking. Photography. Video. Marketing. Potential collaborations. Maybe even building something much bigger around the whole concept.
It’s exciting.
It’s also completely overwhelming.
But maybe I don’t need to figure everything out at once.
Maybe the first step is simply putting the idea out there, seeing whether people are interested, learning what works, and building from there.
Because who knows?
Maybe the crazy idea of getting paid to go to the festivals I already love isn’t so crazy after all.
