Entrepreneurship for Music Teachers - Piano, Guitar, Violin, Voice

Phone Productivity Hacks

August 13, 2018

automation, organization, productivity, systems, time management

I have a love hate relationship with my phone. It helps me do so much, but it will also suck my life away if I let it! Over the years I’ve test a lot of phone productivity hacks. Some work for me, others don’t. These are a few of the ways I currently set up…

Episode 009 – Sean Murphy on Managing an In-School Studio of 100+ Students

July 25, 2018

in-school lessons, increasing income, marketing, organization, saxophone teacher, studio management, summer, systems, time management

Summary Sean Murphy is a saxophone teacher who managed to teach 112 students on a weekly basis by teaching in schools, during the school hours. In our interview, Sean shares his scheduling strategies, communication tips, and how he keeps his income up in leaner summer months. Takeaways Starting out Sean’s personal network led him to…

Online Productivity Hacks for Google Chrome

July 23, 2018

automation, Chrome, focus, organization, productivity, studio management, systems, time management

Last week I shared some of my favorite computer productivity hacks. Today I’m sharing web browser productivity hacks. Most apply to Chrome, but I know some (if not all) of the Chrome extensions I mention also have versions for other popular browsers, such as FireFox and Edge. 1. Turn off browser notification requests If you…

Episode 008 – Scott Stratton on Retirement Options for Self-Employed Musicians

July 18, 2018

financial advisor, personal finance, retirement

Summary When I graduated from college and was first starting my music school, I knew saving for retirement was a thing I should be doing, but I really didn’t know how to get started. Today’s guest, Scott Stratton, is a financial advisor and blogger behind FinanceForMusicians.com. In this episode he explains some of the retirement…

Computer Hacks to Make You More Productive

July 16, 2018

automation, organization, productivity, studio management, systems, technology, time management

Computers help us do a lot of things faster (like contact a whole group of students at once by email or automate our billing processes) but I’m convinced most of us could save even more time on these tasks by incorporating some new tools and strategies into our workflow. 1. Learn to text from your…

Episode 007 – Tara O’Brien on Manufacturing and Marketing a New Teaching Tool

July 11, 2018

Kickstarter, manufacturing, marketing, Note Match

Summary Today you’re going to hear from a piano teacher who noticed a problem and decided to do something about it. Tara O’Brien tells us the story of how developed a tool called Note Match to help her students learn to read music faster. Tara’s first Note Match prototype was hand-drawn on a piece of…

Summer Reading List for Entrepreneurial Music Teachers

July 9, 2018

books, entrepreneurship, focus, goals, online marketing, productivity, studio management, systems, time management

If you want to up your game as a business owner and your summer schedule affords you some extra reading time, check out five of my favorite entrepreneurial books: 1. The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber I first read this book in high school and it’s been a huge influence on how I’ve thought about…

Episode 006 – Wendy Racer on Designing a Studio for Profit

July 4, 2018

branding, studio decor, studio management, systems

Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play Music, or wherever you listen to podcasts! Summary Wendy Racer is an interior designer and the owner of Way Interiors. In this episode, she shares her five profit-boosting interior design tips for music teachers and studio owners! Takeaways 1. Keep the look of your website, business card, and studio…

Summer Accelerator Program

July 2, 2018

Episode 005 – Emilee-Mae Feely

June 27, 2018

Facebook groups, marketing, multi-teacher studio, online marketing, startup, travel teaching

Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play Music, or wherever you listen to podcasts! Summary Emilee-Mae is an entrepreneur and piano teacher. We could have talked for hours about all of the music-related businesses she runs, but we limited our discussion to her travel piano school, Plume Piano. She’s only been running the business for a…

Music Studio Branding Lessons from Magnolia Market

June 25, 2018

branding, customer service, marketing, student experience, student retention, systems

Full disclosure: I have never seen an episode of Fixer Upper and couldn’t tell you much about Chip and Joanna Gaines beyond their names. My sister, however, is a huge fan. When she heard I would be in Waco, TX last week to speak at the Texas Music Teachers Association Convention she insisted I go…

Episode 004 – Shannah Compton Game

June 20, 2018

budgeting, Certified Financial Planner, new teachers, personal finance

Summary If you’re in the first few years of your career, money can be a complicated topic. You may be trying to balance bills and student loan payments while still investing in your business. On top of that, if you’re self-employed, you have to figure it out all on your own! In today’s show, you’ll…