4 Challenges Of Every Music School Owner, Actually All Small Businesses
Nov 08, 2019
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So you know you can teach music...congratulations!
It’s only the first step.
Offering your services and successfully running a profitable business is a whole other problem. This is the problem most music teachers who want to grow a successful business face.
It feels like a massive tangle of problems:
How do I get clients? How do I maintain the ones I have? How do I manage running the business while teaching. How to make sure you have enough cash left at the end of the month so you can actually pay yourself something.And it costs energy, time and what little money you have. Not to mention sanity!
Does this sound familiar?
There’s actually a deeper reason behind it all. It’s the belief that you know what you’re doing.
That’s it.
Most teachers have never been trained to think like a business person. So they follow what the crowd is doing or saying. Unfortunately, they don’t know either. Sometimes, they get lucky and something works. But because there’s no understanding of the big picture, it runs its course and doesn’t work anymore.
It’s like dentists. There’s a bunch in my family and friends. Graduating with honors from a top dental school only enables you to work for someone else. It’s the same with music teachers.
Therefore , it requires a shift in belief. You have to stop thinking in small tactics and address core problems. It’s like putting tiny band-aids on gigantic wounds. You’re not going to stop the bleeding.
I suffered this mentality for years. I kept diving from one program to another thinking, this one trick should do it. From now on, I’ll be successful, mwah ha ha ha!
But it’s NOT about what your "click-through-rate on an ad" is. "Postcard marketing" is not the answer. It’s not about “Yelp vs Facebook vs Google.” It’s not even about your makeup and billing policy.
The real answer is that you need a framework for thinking about business and delivering results for your students.
I’ve been the President of a local business support group for the last two years. One thing I’ve seen over and over again is that every business has the same challenges. It doesn’t matter if you’re a dentist, a real estate agent, a life coach, a graphic designer or a yoga instructor.
Everyone who is in business, either solo-preneur or bigger, has the same challenges.
I wish I knew this years ago. And now you will have it.
Here’s the four areas every business needs to master to become a success:
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A steady flow of new prospective clients (leads)
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Cashflow and pricing
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Time management
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Your process - curriculum - secret sauce
It’s actually simple.
But it’s also interesting how many music teachers are stuck on the 4th point. Curriculum is important but it’s much more than that if you want to make a real livable wage from your teaching.
Now that you know this, you can take stock of where you are and start to dive deeper into each area that needs improvement.
I’ve made it my life’s mission to help people learn life skills through music. But I can’t do it alone. I need energized, passionate and purpose-driven educators who are reaching as many students as possible to join me.
If you would like help growing your business, and are an awesome educator who believes in the power of music to change the world, then I invite you to book a Breakthrough Strategy Session with me.
NOTE: Please DO NOT book a call if you are just looking to get 3 more students on your roster. I'm looking for educators with vision who want to make a bigger impact and are coachable, open-minded and in integrity.
And note, It’s not just about my curriculum. I can help you with all of the 4 challenges.
Are you a music teacher working with young children?
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