Phil Olson

Joined Board in March 2026

Phil Olson is an entrepreneur, musician, and author based in Burnsville, Minnesota. He co-owns Tried and True Digital Marketing with his wife Laura, a boutique agency founded in 2021 that helps small businesses grow through: SEO, GEO, AEO, and Google optimization, paid advertising, and social media strategy. He is also the owner and operator of Oslo Studios, a private guitar and bass instruction studio with close to 25 years of serving students across the Twin Cities metro and beyond.

Phil is the author of The Awesome Guitar Series, a four-volume

instructional series that has sold on Amazon in 12 countries. The books present his non-traditional approach to the instrument, featuring his innovative DCAGFE system — Daily Chording Activity Guarantees Future Expertise — which expands on the traditional CAGED method to help players of all levels unlock the fretboard.

Phil holds a Bachelor of Arts from Gustavus Adolphus College with a major in Political Science and a minor in Music Performance, along with a Recording Engineering degree from the Dick Grove School of Music in Los Angeles. His musical roots include a decade of touring in rock, metal, jazz, and fusion bands. He also worked for 13 years in the corporate world at IDS Life/Ameriprise before turning his passion for music and teaching into a full-time career.