Andrea, Author at Music Studio Startup

114 posts, 4

Andrea is a piano teacher, website developer and the founder of Music Studio Startup.

2018 Year-End Reflection

January 14, 2019

focus, goals, introspection, reflection, studio management

If the calendar turned to 2019 and you immediately felt behind because you didn’t have a plan in order for the new year, let me assure you, you are not behind. In fact, I’d say you’re right on schedule to be thinking about it now. December is a crazy busy month. I wrote last year…

Guest Appearance on “Beyond the Music Lesson” Podcast

November 19, 2018

branding, communication, podcast

In October (right around the time my life got crazy prepping for the move!), I had the honor of being a guest on the Beyond the Music Lesson podcast. We talked about how having a cohesive studio brand isn’t just about having a logo and matching pencils. A really effective brand goes deep and impacts…

Moving – Part 3: Ending Well

October 29, 2018

moving, organization, studio management, systems, time management

Recap On Sunday my studio had its farewell pizza party and performance. It was so much fun and I would do it again in a heartbeat. It was decidedly not fancy: I supplied the paper goods and ordered pizzas, a parent volunteered to bring drinks, and a couple of other families brought cookies. It was…

Moving – Part 2: Making & Communicating Plans

October 22, 2018

moving, relocating, studio management

Recap Last week I made arrangements for a casual piano performance and pizza party for my kid students and sent an email to coordinate a date for a slightly classier piano dinner party with my adult students, which one of my students will host. The other big decision I had to make was when my…

Moving – Part 1: Decision, Decisions, Decisions

October 15, 2018

moving, relocating, studio management

I’m moving! From Maryland back to Missouri! I’m sharing this for a a couple of reasons reasons: I want to keep up with the blog as much as possible, but because my time and energy is going to be more limited for the next several weeks, I’m throwing my original blogging calendar out the window…

Quick and Easy Halloween Studio Promo

October 8, 2018

advertising, Halloween, holiday, marketing

Halloween is just around the corner. For some (present company included) this means dressing up and enjoying a bonfire in the driveway with neighbors while passing out candy. For others it means turning off the porch light and going to bed early. And for the most disciplined among us, it means teaching the night away,…

Managing Lesson Inquiry Mayhem

October 1, 2018

communication, new students, productivity, studio management, systems

Fifteen years ago, 95% of my prospects called via phone. Probably a landline. And they left messages on my parents’ answering machine. Those were the days. 😉 Today, prospective students can get a hold of us through direct email, phone, text, website contact forms, Facebook messenger, Instagram, NextDoor, casual conversations in the driveway… so many…

FAQs on Follow Up

September 24, 2018

communication, customer service, new students, studio man

I’ve been blogging about moving potential students through the sales funnel and (quite often) a part of that process is following up. There’s nuance to each follow up situation, but these are some of the questions I get asked about most frequently and some general guidelines on how I approach follow up communication. Should I…

Four Phrases to Enroll Students Faster

September 17, 2018

communication, new students, sales, studio management

Most prospective students move pretty seamlessly through the sales funnel, but every once in a while they just get stuck. A coaching client came to me earlier this year, frustrated that she had a lot of strong prospects who had called inquiring about lessons, but they weren’t turning into students. They continued to say they…

Episode 014 – Attorney Shawn Bartley on How to Protect Your Studio, Get Paid, and Keep What You Earn

September 12, 2018

contracts, entrepreneurship, increasing income, legal, studio management, studio policy

Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play Music, or wherever you get podcasts! Summary Shawn Bartley is a business lawyer in Maryland. In our discussion, he shares practical steps we can take to protect our music studios, collect payment, and minimize our tax burden. We discuss what to include in teacher and student contracts, what records we should keep…

Developing a Studio Vision and Mission

September 10, 2018

focus, introspection, mission, vision

I’m in the process of completely re-branding my studio and part of that process, for me, means coming up with a new vision and mission statement. The value of mission and vision statements is a heavily debated topic. The more cynical among us might say they’re just marketing fluff for faceless corporate entities or cheesy…

WEBINAR: The Nice Teacher’s Survival Guide for Tough Conversations

September 3, 2018

communication, studio management, studio policy, webinar