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Episode 256: Cheers to Business Mindsets for Studio Teachers

Well hello there, studio teacher friends!  Welcome to the Beyond Measure Podcast. My name is Christina Whitlock, and I pride myself in being your Anytime Piano Teacher Friend. I’ve been teaching piano for more than 30 years at this point, and I am thrilled to offer you this weekly shoutout of solidarity. Special thanks today to my SuperFriends who support this work on Patreon; I could not do this show without them. Buckle up today because we’re talking BUSINESS. Let’s get right to it, friends! You are listening to episode 256 of the Beyond Measure Podcast.

I know many of us are currently limping towards the finish line of another school year, and thinking about next year’s business decisions feels like THE LAST thing you want to do. Believe me, I’m right there with you. However, if you wait until July or August to start planning for the fall, I can PROMISE you, you’ll overlook something.

In case you haven’t learned this lesson already, it’s beneficial to take notes on studio matters while they’re fresh. My recitals are smoother BECAUSE I take extensive notes on what worked – and what didn’t – immediately after the fact. I know how to prepare better for our local music festival next year BECAUSE I took time to reflect on it in a timely manner. The same thing goes for the school year. The things you’re feeling now? The policies that worked – and those that didn’t? Changes you want to make for next year? It’s really important for you to document those NOW.  Many of us have lighter teaching loads in the summer, and it can skew our perspective on things if we wait a few months to start writing emails and policy changes.

So – I get it – the LAST thing you want to do is think about business this time of year, but I’m going to summon my Bossy Big Sister energy and encourage you to do it anyway.

I’d encourage you to make this fun.  Block out an hour or two on your calendar, and designate it as a staff meeting.  Yes, a 1 on 1 staff meeting with just yourself.  Treat yourself to a nice working lunch at your favorite place.

This would be a great time to look over last year’s studio policies and make note of any changes you’d like to make. Run numbers as you think about tuition rates. Start thinking about next year’s calendar. Draft your Welcome Back emails or Fall Scheduling emails. Whatever communications you typically send; use last year’s as a template and get a draft up and running for this year. This would also be a great time to take my Self-Employee Satisfaction Survey. Years ago, I released an episode on Being A Good Boss To Yourself. Part of that episode included a Satisfaction Survey so you could rank how well your boss (ahem) is treating you. I’ll link the episode AND the survey in today’s shownotes for you to check out.

There are LOTS of things you could put on your agenda for your upcoming Staff Meeting. You can decide how you want to spend your time. My goal for today’s episode is to offer a lightening round of sorts, covering a few business mindsets that have proven successful for me. Are you ready? Here we go…

First up: We need to make decisions based on what we *HOPE* will happen; not what we’re *AFRAID* of happening. Making decisions out of fear is not going to get you to where you want to go. I work with a lot of teachers who stop themselves from building the studio they really want because they are afraid of what might happen if they do. In reality, none of us know what will happen if we change policies, tuition fees, or scheduling.  We cannot predict the future. Yet – we borrow a whole lot of worry by trying to make decisions as though we can. If you only focus on what you’re afraid of happening, you are never going to achieve the studio you truly desire. Yes, you must know your community. You need to understand your ability to deliver what you’re promising. But you will never be satisfied if you don’t make decisions based on what you WANT to happen in your studio. Make decisions based on HOPES, not fears.

…which brings me to my second point for today:  No one is going to do it for you. No one is coming to save you or your business. There are lots of perks about running our own studios, but the reality is this: If you want a raise, you have to give it to yourself. If you want better working hours, you have to schedule them for yourself. If you don’t want to give makeup lessons anymore, you have to do the work of communicating that policy to your studio families. No one is coming to do it for you. I know there are a LOT of timid teachers listening to this show. Setting new boundaries and naming new rates for the value you provide is TOUGH. I know. You ultimately have to decide which is more uncomfortable: running your business in a way that is draining you, or asserting yourself to communicate new policies.  No one is coming to do it for you. You have to do it for yourself.

Third on my lightening round of business mindsets today? I want you to remember that running a business IS creative. Most of us, at one point or another, have complained that we didn’t get into this line of work to be businesspeople. We just like teaching music.  Right?  We talk about how much we HATE the business side of teaching. Truthfully, most of us came into this profession completely unequipped to handle the business end of things… but I don’t want you to confuse being unprepared with hating something. It’s kind of like when our students tell us they hate a new piece of music, when, really, they just don’t know it yet. Business is the same thing, friends. I don’t think most of us hate it as much as we feel unprepared for dealing with it. But I want to assure you today: Business is a creative pursuit. And WE are creative people!  Running a business is rooted in problem solving… fostering human connection… paying attention to multiple moving parts at the same time… communication. I would like to point out, those are all things we do quite well as music teachers. So: try to re-write the narrative that you hate the business side of teaching, because I happen to think a lot of our Teacher Skillsets are transferable to the business arena.

I’m going to leave it there for today, but I’d love for you to check out the shownotes for today’s episode because I’m going to link several business-related resources there. I’m going to link previous episodes for you to listen to – including Episode 117 about Being a Good Boss To Yourself. I’ll link the Self-Employee Satisfaction Survey for you, as well as some other goodies. If any part of you is intimidated by holding your OWN staff meeting, or if you’d like some additional accountability to make it happen, this is your friendly reminder that I offer 1-hour consultations and would be happy to guide you through a series of year-end reflections to make sure you are in good shape heading into the summer. Visit ChristinaWhitlock.com/consulting and we’ll make it happen!

Before we part ways, I’d love to invite you to grab the nearest glass and raise it with me now!

Studio music teacher friends from all around the world: today I encourage you to challenge the way you approach business in your studio. May we make decisions based on what we hope, rather than what we fear. May we remember that no one is coming to save us and we have no choice but to make these decisions for ourselves. And, of course, may we embrace the Creative Elements of running a business as we seek to better distinguish the difference between hating something, and feeling underprepared. I’m cheering you on, my friends. Whereever you are on the journey, we’re in this together!  Hear, hear.

I hope today’s episode was helpful. I’ve tried to compile a nice master list of business resources in today’s shownotes, so be sure to check those out at ChristinaWhitlock.com/episode256. I’ll be back with you next week, my friends!  Onward and upward we go.