Entrepreneurism
Five Ways to Engage Your Network
Networking, networking, networking: it’s an essential tool for professionals in any industry. But where should you start and how do you know if you’re doing it well?
The Three-Box Solution for Innovation
Unprecedented. Fluid. Evolving. Uncertain. Pivot. We have heard these words many times during the past nine months and may be feeling paralyzed or overwhelmed—unable to even consider innovating our studio or association.
The Entrepreneurial Mind
"Failure is simply an opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently." —Henry Ford
Studio Strategic Planning
As creative, entrepreneurial-minded teachers, we are very good at studio organization—policies, scheduling, curriculum. Whether starting a new studio or revitalizing an existing studio, attention to these details is essential for success and largely under our control.
So You Want to Start a Podcast? A Podcasting Primer
Have you been curious about starting a podcast? Do you have a message to share and wonder if podcasting would be a good medium with which to do that? Whatever the case may be, today we’re pulling back the curtain and demystifying what it takes to start a podcast.
Smart, Single, Successful! Making a Living as an Independent Music Teacher
How can I make a living as an independent teacher?" To answer this question, three young professionals shared their stories at the 2011 MTNA National Conference during the session "Smart, Single, Successful! Effective Business Strategies For Young Professionals." We met Kristin Yost in a previous column, "Earn $100,000 As An Independent Teacher? Yes!" (April/May 2010). In the October/November 2011 issue, we met Becky Baker, a young professional in Indianapolis. In this issue, we'll meet the third panelist, David Husser, who has followed a different path to creating an independent studio. Veteran teachers interested in succession planning will find his story of interest too.
Smart, Single, Successful! Effective Business Strategies for Young Professionals
When I ask college students and young professionals what business topic they most want to know more about, it’s often, “How can I make a living as an independent teacher?”
Smart, Single, Successful! Common Threads
Excellence in business rarely happens by accident. Consider the three young professionals in recent columns that I characterized as "smart, single and successful."
Re-Imagining the Creative Process
We all seek innovation—for our studio, our association, the profession. How do we develop a fertile environment for the most creative ideas to emerge? In the book Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World, Adam Grant examines the evolution of innovative ideas, suggesting that there are practical ways that anyone can generate more creative and original ideas.
Quality First: Embracing the Power of Bundled Value
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 margins—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?
Possibilities in a Tough Economy
Whether a young professional just starting out or an experienced teacher relocating to a new area, a bleak economy treats everyone the same. It's hard to make a living.
Possibilities in a Disrupted Economy
Economic changes typically happen over months or years, not weeks or days. No amount of planning could have predicted an unprecedented, once-in-a-lifetime, disruptive event like the coronavirus pandemic.
The Why, What and How of Diversifying Income
How many times have you been advised “don’t put all your eggs in one basket” or told that “variety is the spice of life?” My tuition fees are part of my overall income “pie,” but other slices include a church position, adjunct collegiate teaching, accompanying and speaking engagements. How many ways can you divide the pie? And why should you?
Step-by-Step Guide to Launching a Diversified Revenue Stream
Diversifying revenue through coaching or other professional services, such as marketing consulting, website design or social media engagement, creates a sustainable business model for long-term success. Get started with seven proven steps.
In Search of Excellence
How do we define excellence in our profession? Certainly high quality teaching and performing are major components. So is professionalism, which was discussed in a previous column ("It's All Your Business: Towards a Higher Definition of Professionalism," August/September 2007 AMT ). I would also include high levels of quality in the business aspects of our profession in this definition. With the season of resolutions upon us, I challenge us to seek a higher level of excellence in the business areas of our profession during the coming year.
How I Made $100,000 My First Year as a Piano Teacher and The Mindset of a $100,000 Piano Teacher
Kristin Yost has long been a trailblazer in the world of independent piano teaching, offering innovative strategies for teachers seeking not only financial success but also personal fulfillment in their careers.
How Do I Fund Thee? Let Me Count the Ways
My beloved project. I envision thee in all thy beauty. But whereof is the funding?
Everything I Know About Leadership I Learned in Pedagogy Class
We are all leaders. We guide students in every lesson. We lead studios and classrooms. As entrepreneurs, we steer small businesses and navigate careers. As colleagues, we collaborate and share insights to lead the profession.
Every Lesson, Every Day
Professionally, how do you describe yourself? Fill in the blank: I am a ____.
Earn $100k as an Independent Teacher? Yes!
At a conference last summer, I was intrigued by the title of Kristin Yost’s session, “How I Made $100,000 My First Year as a Piano Teacher.” Yes, you read that correctly. Kristin did indeed earn $100,000 (gross income) as an independent teacher after finish-ing her master’s degree at Southern Methodist University a few years ago. And there was no magic formula or lottery winnings involved. In listening to Kristin’s story, what I noticed was how smart, savvy and strategic she was at utilizing some very basic business principles.
Designing Creative Communities: Your Town Is Your Canvas. Learn How to Make Your Mark
A Bias for Action
I am a strong proponent of strategic planning, but savvy business professionals also have a bias for action.
8 Recession Proof Business Strategies
If you have concerns about the recent ups and downs in the economy and how you and your music students are being affected, you are not alone. With foreclosures of family homes, job losses and shrinking budgets, there is reason for concern that music lessons may be the first casualty in family cost cutting. However, this is not a time for panic, but a time for action by music educators to re-evaluate themselves and how they market their studio programs to better fit today's society. It is a time for flexibility and adaptability as teachers make a solid plan to survive and thrive in difficult financial times.
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