Quality First: Embracing the Power of Bundled Value

By Jonathan Kuuskoski | American Music Teacher, December 2024/January 2025
Fri, 08 Aug 2025 15:49:30 -0800

When building a business, it is so easy to chase quantity. Adding up the number of additional students, gigs or classes you need to take on to hit a target income goal is pretty simple. The hidden problem, though, is that our time is inherently limited. Rather than focusing on the volume of output, we should focus on healthy &lt;em&gt;margins&lt;/em&gt;—what you take home after all the costs of doing business are covered. If you need to generate, say, 25% more income without working 25% more hours, you need to figure out how to position added value that will justify what you believe is a fair price. This is especially true while bridging an income gap or improving your personal savings rate. There is one fundamental question to consider when exploring how to build and sustain margin: What are all the types of value you can offer?