studio management Archives - Music Studio Startup

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…

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…

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

September 3, 2018

communication, studio management, studio policy, webinar

Using a Sales Funnel for Music Studio Diagnostics

September 3, 2018

advertising, marketing, online marketing, promotion, studio management, systems, time management

If you’re not sure why you’re not getting new students, the sales funnel might be just the diagnostic tool you need. It can show us a lot, including how we can improve our processes to get more students. What is a Sales Funnel? The sales funnel is the path people follow to become customers. At…

Episode 012 – Andrea Yahr on Business Structures and Their Tax Implications

August 29, 2018

business registration, business structures, entrepreneurship, studio management, taxes

Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play Music, or wherever you get podcasts! Summary Andrea Yahr, accountant and tax preparer, explains the different business structures (sole-proprietorship, LLC, S-Corp, C-Corp) music teachers can choose from, and when different structures might make sense. She also clear up some often misunderstood information around self-employment taxes and shares loads of resources. Takeaways Business…

Writing a Better Welcome Message

August 27, 2018

branding, communication, customer service, goals, marketing, new students, student experience, student retention, studio management

Last week’s blog post spoke about the tremendous value that comes from communicating well with students and (especially) their families. Today’s blog is an example of how we can practice good communication at the beginning of a new term (or anytime a new student joins our studio), with a strategically-written welcome message! At first glance,…

Avoid Policy Enforcement Problems by Building Bonds with Studio Parents

August 20, 2018

customer service, new students, student experience, student retention, studio management, studio policy

The topic of enforcing studio policies comes up a lot. I hold to the idea that sticking to a policy is a good and necessary thing. (Even if the idea of doing so makes us squirm at times!) I even teach a popular webinar on the topic on how to do this gracefully! But really, avoiding policy…

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…

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…

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…