Turning Passion into Progress: Jayme Hong on Empowering Music Creatives with Pivodio’s Personalized coaching

Thanks, Jayme, for joining us for the EdTech Mentor series. This is part of the Founders Edition, where we talk to EdTech founders about their experiences, backgrounds, and lessons they can share with the community. Can you start by telling us a bit about yourself and what led you to the EdTech space?

First of all, thank you for having me. My story starts in South Korea, where I was born and raised. My dad was an entrepreneur, and my mom was a music director at a radio station, so I had a mix of business and artistic influences. Growing up in a typical Asian household, grades and reputation were everything. But I was different—I loved singing. By the age of 12, I started busking, which wasn't common in Korea back then. My mom was more embarrassed by people praising my singing than by my grades. All I wanted was to be a singer, and it felt right, but the pressure to follow the path of my relatives, who were future doctors and engineers, was intense.

So, I moved to the States to study music and escape that pressure. In college, I had to choose between supporting my family financially or pursuing my dream. I chose my family and left music behind, diving into the corporate world. For over 20 years, I climbed the corporate ladder and did well, but something always felt missing. I kept asking myself, "Whose dream am I working for?" Then, fate intervened when I performed on stage again. My passion for music came rushing back, and I realized I'd wasted 20 years chasing the wrong thing. So, I returned to music, released a song on Spotify, and tried to be a full-time musician. But the reality hit—it’s tough to make a living in music. Even though the music industry is worth $60 billion, the average income for professional musicians in the U.S. is less than $45,000 annually.

That's when I realized I could use my business experience to help artists like me. And that’s how I founded Pivodio—to offer affordable, bite-sized lessons from industry experts, supporting artists so they don’t have to give up their dreams, as I almost did. My cousin Kurt, who always told me I needed a producer, became my investor.

That’s fascinating. You mentioned the term "forever aspiring musician." What advice would you give to those trying to follow their passion while balancing financial realities?

Great question. I have two pieces of advice for my 20-year-old self. First, don’t give up on your passion. Internal motivation is far more powerful than external factors. Let your passion guide you. Second, if you don’t see growth in a company or relationship after two months, move on. Life is too short for stagnation. You might feel like you’re learning by reading a lot, but sometimes that’s a distraction. Focus on learning within what you love.

That makes sense. It’s not always a binary decision—either you go for it or you don’t. You can pursue your passion alongside other responsibilities.

Exactly. It’s not all or nothing.

What’s your vision for Pivodio?

Pivodio exists for two reasons: to provide personalized coaching for creatives worldwide and to make six-figure incomes standard for professional artists. We started with musicians, but our plan is to expand to other creative fields like acting, dancing, filmmaking, painting, and writing. We’re also integrating AI language translation to eliminate language barriers. Think of Pivodio as a LinkedIn for artists but focused on learning. We want lifelong micro-learning to be as natural for creatives as breathing.

That’s a unique vision. What would you say has been your greatest achievement with Pivodio, and what’s your biggest mistake?

My greatest achievement is recruiting over 100 world-class experts who joined us immediately because they wished they had this guidance when they were younger. As for mistakes, there have been many, but the biggest one is getting too caught up in building solutions. The key is to focus on the problem. Everything starts with the problem, and it’s the users who decide if the solution works. My co-founder Yi and I use the mantra, "Fall in love with the problem, not the solution," from Uri Levine’s book.

Thanks, Jayme, for being part of the EdTech Mentor series, specifically the Founder’s Edition, where we speak with founders in the EdTech space about their experiences and the lessons they can share with the community. Can you start by telling us a bit about yourself and how you got into EdTech?

Thank you for having me. To answer your question, my background starts in South Korea. I grew up in a family with both business and artistic influences—my dad was an entrepreneur, and my mom was a music director at a radio station. From a young age, I loved singing, but I faced pressure to follow a more traditional career path, like becoming a doctor or engineer, which led me to move to the U.S. to study music.

In college, I made the tough decision to prioritize supporting my family financially over pursuing music full-time. I spent 20 years climbing the corporate ladder, but deep down, something always felt missing. After performing again years later, I realized I had given up on my true passion, music, and I was determined not to make that mistake again.

That's when I founded Pivodio to help other artists like me by offering affordable micro-lessons from industry experts, giving them the support they need to pursue their creative dreams without giving up.

That’s a fascinating story. You’ve mentioned “forever aspiring musicians.” What advice would you give them to balance their passion and financial realities?

Great question. Two pieces of advice: First, don’t give up on what you love. Let internal motivation guide you, not external pressures. Second, if you don’t see yourself growing in a job or relationship after two months, move on. Life is too short to stay stagnant. Learn what you love and focus on it.

It’s great to hear that passion and career don’t have to be mutually exclusive. Can you share how you recruited your first group of, well, mentors—coaches?

Yeah, good question. We're still figuring out the right title, but for now, we’re calling them coaches. When I started, I didn’t have any connections in the music industry, so I did a lot of cold outreach. I reached out to remarkable experts, and many joined because they loved the idea. For example, we have Jonathan Bartz, who has worked with Steven Spielberg on soundtracks like Kung Fu Panda and Indiana Jones, and another coach who conducted Phantom of the Opera over 4,000 times. So, we’ve attracted world-class talent simply by sharing the vision.

That’s impressive. It shows that when you're solving a meaningful problem, people resonate with the idea. You've mentioned producers a lot—can you explain their role in an artist's work and what other types of coaches you're recruiting?

A producer is essentially the person behind the scenes who helps shape the sound of a song. They work with songwriters, handle sound engineering, create instrument tracks, and sometimes even write melodies or lyrics. Producers play a huge role in defining an artist's sound. As for other types of coaches, we have a variety—conductors, performers, songwriters, and producers. We’re focused on connecting aspiring artists with active professionals, not just educators, but people who are currently working in the industry. We're building an ecosystem where artists of all levels can support each other.

That sounds great. What would you say is your biggest challenge right now?

Our biggest challenge is making the most of what we have. We're still early stage, and the product isn’t fully developed. My focus is on creating what I call “initial happiness” for our users—getting them to experience Pivodio’s value as quickly as possible. It’s about simplifying the user experience so they can easily connect with a coach and get the guidance they need without any struggle.

And what does the current business model look like? Are you going for subscriptions or premium services?

We recently launched a membership model, similar to Amazon Prime. Regular members pay full price for lessons, but if you become a Pro member for $10 a month, you get discounted rates across the platform. However, right now, the main focus isn’t on pushing membership but on building an initial user base and understanding what users really want.

Are you targeting a critical mass of users or a smaller cohort? Do you have an estimate of your potential market size? You’ve mentioned musicians, but could you give us a sense of the overall market you’re aiming for?

Yes, there are about 50 million people globally playing guitar and 32 million on Reddit joining various music-related subreddits. About 60% of the population has pursued some form of artistic journey, whether it’s music, painting, or another creative field. We’re focusing on aspiring artists and helping them improve. Our goal is to support all creative individuals, whether they’re enthusiasts, hobbyists, or aiming for a professional career, by making access to expert guidance easier and more affordable. It can be really inspiring to get a five- or ten-minute lesson from someone who works with artists you admire.

How do these micro-learning moments work? Are they live sessions or pre-recorded? What does the user experience look like?

Currently, it’s an asynchronous, message-based format. Users can send videos of their performances or ask questions to their chosen coach. In return, the coach responds with a video, typically within 24 hours, offering feedback. Sometimes, coaches send text responses if it makes more sense. We keep it short to make it affordable and effective, so learners can receive targeted, personalized feedback quickly.

That sounds like a great use of time—getting direct, specific feedback. How many questions can users ask, and are there any usage limits?

Yes, we limit the response length to five minutes, whether it’s text, video, or audio. But users can ask as many questions as they want within that time. Coaches spend 10 to 15 minutes reviewing and responding, which allows for highly targeted feedback without needing a full hour-long session.

Can you describe the role of your co-founders and how you distribute focus and energy within your team?

I initially started on my own, which was challenging because I wasn’t a technical founder and didn’t have a network in this space. I found it difficult to find the right co-founder—it’s like a marriage. I had one bad experience with a co-founder early on but decided to keep going. Eventually, I hired a developer, and over time, one of the developers stood out by pouring his heart into the project. I made him my co-founder after he proved his long-term commitment. I’ve since added another co-founder from Y Combinator, who brings strong technical leadership. Now we have a solid founding team.

That’s a great approach—letting the co-founder relationship grow organically. It shows that you can adapt, even after a bad experience. Do you have an EdTech company or founder that inspires you?

I really admire every founder at every stage. Starting a company takes courage, but surviving requires a whole new level of resilience. While there are big EdTech unicorns I admire, I’m more inspired by everyday entrepreneurs who grind it out without the spotlight. I also have huge respect for educational YouTubers and podcasters, who spend years sharing knowledge and building their channels with little recognition. They are often the unsung heroes who inspire me as I build Pivodio, especially since many of our coaches come from similar backgrounds.

I think on platforms like YouTube, you see a lot of people who are genuinely and altruistically motivated to share what they know. But it takes a lot of consistency and discipline to engage an audience, especially in niche areas like a specific instrument or conducting. I agree—sometimes the ones we should admire the most are those quietly working behind the scenes without much recognition. Let’s shift to your team. You mentioned your co-founders, but what specific skills or qualities do you look for in the people you work with?

Great question, and thanks for throwing me a curveball. For me, especially when it comes to the founding team, it’s simple—we have to like each other. Building a company from scratch is incredibly stressful and requires a lot of dedication. If there’s no chemistry, it affects productivity. So I really prioritize whether I genuinely like the person. It might sound basic, but it's so important. You can buy skills, but you can’t buy compatibility. It doesn’t mean someone is a bad person—it’s just about whether we work well together. That’s key.

Absolutely. Liking someone is often tied to shared values, work ethic, or a similar mindset. What might seem like "chemistry" on the surface is often much deeper. I think we covered the advice to your 20-year-old self earlier, so let’s move to the final question. If you had an unlimited budget for marketing, let’s say $100 million, what would you prioritize? How would you use that money?

$100 million feels surreal right now! I don’t think I’d spend much on traditional ads. Instead, I’d focus on buying expertise—really nailing brand positioning. Brand positioning is harder than I expected, so I’d hire experts to help perfect that. Content marketing is another area everyone does, but not everyone nails. I’d bring in people who understand our brand and can set the right metrics, like defining our North Star metric. We rely heavily on marketing since we’re not selling deep tech—we’re selling a community and inspiration. Marketing is crucial for us.

I agree. For a company like Pivodio, the focus should be on community building and brand association. That’s where the real difference will come from. Can you explain the rationale behind the name Pivodio?

I was searching for a cool name, something simple yet meaningful. Pivodio is a made-up word—it's a combination of "pivot" and "audio." Later on, as we expand into other art forms, the "audio" might evolve to "studio," so it could stand for "pivot studio" or "pivot audio." The idea is that experts help pivot artists toward maximum results. Plus, all the good names were taken, and I ended up loving this one!

That makes sense. One last question—what revenue streams can aspiring musicians look for, especially those working part-time or doing music as a side gig? You mentioned your experience with Spotify and the disappointment there. What advice can you offer about alternative revenue streams?

I’m probably not the best person to advise on this since I took a different path and started my own company. But there are options like sync licensing (licensing music to films or TV) or teaching private lessons. Joining Pivodio for extra income is another possibility. Actually, this Thursday, we’re hosting a podcast with one of our experts to discuss additional income streams for aspiring musicians. One of the key takeaways is that sync licensing, for example, is highly competitive, like winning the lottery. It’s important to pursue it but also diversify income streams. Pivodio is all about providing actionable, realistic advice from practitioners, not influencers.

Exactly, getting advice from actual professionals, not just influencers. That’s a valuable lesson—there’s no single formula, but with the right guidance, there are always options. Thanks so much for your time, Jayme!