Music Studio Startup: Helping music teachers thrive as entrepreneurs

Today we’re talking about all things non-profit management. My guest, Erin Parkes, founder of the Lotus Centre shares so many insights from her experiences working with a board of directors, crafting effective messaging for different stakeholders, managing a budget, and even dealing with burnout. All while keeping the mission of her organization front and center. A full transcript and resources from this episode can be found at MusicStudioStartup.com/episode145. MSS Studio Launch Grant Competition Music Studio Business Building 101 MSS Entrepreneurs Hub + Mastermind Business Finance for Music Teachers

With the MTNA conference in March, I guess you could say I’ve been on a conference kick. We talked about Networking with Stephanie Bonte-Lebair in Episode 141, I shared my takeaways from MTNA in Episode 142, and then last week I did a live Networking Debrief workshop with a group of teachers and, together, we went through our own lists of people we want to build deeper relationships with and figured out next steps. (Teachers on the call identified some really neat opportunities that have the potential to seriously impact their businesses.) Today we’re covering another conference-related topic: how to get started speaking at conferences. My guest is one you’ve heard from before on the podcast - and maybe even heard present in person. Amy Chaplin has given over 35 presentations for state and national events and local teacher groups. Today she’s sharing with us some tips for writing proposals and getting accepted to speak at conferences. Here’s my conversation with Amy. A full transcript and resources from this episode can be found at MusicStudioStartup.com/episode144. MSS Entrepreneurs Hub + Mastermind MSS Studio Launch Grant Competition Music Studio Business Building 101 Business Finance for Music Teachers

Today I’m joined by Jennifer Foxx, a teacher who has been blogging and creating curriculum and resources for music teachers for over a decade. In our conversation, we talk about how she took the simplest route at first and started her business on Teachers Pay Teachers and has since strengthened her business by investing in platforms she owns, like her own website and email list. We also talk about the seasonality she experiences, how she thinks about pricing, and trends she has observed pre- and post-covid. A full transcript and resources from this episode can be found at MusicStudioStartup.com/episode143. MSS Entrepreneurs Hub + Mastermind Music Studio Business Building 101 Business Finance for Music Teachers Studio Launch Grant Competition

Last week I was at the MTNA National conference in Atlanta. Georgia. It was a whirlwind - as conferences usually are - and I think I’m still absorbing everything. I wanted to go over three things today: first - some personal reflections from MTNA, second - I want to share some of my business takeaways, and third - I want to invite you to a workshop next week. A full transcript and resources from this episode can be found at MusicStudioStartup.com/episode142. MSS Entrepreneurs Hub + Mastermind MSS Studio Launch Grant Competition Music Studio Business Building 101 Business Finance for Music Teachers

In my original interview with Stephanie, she talked about the role business networking played in the marketing of her business and she talked about it with such intentionality that I knew I wanted to learn more. So today we’re talking about everything, from how to choose events to network at, how to prepare, how Stephanie makes the most of her time at an event, her follow-up routines, examples of weak and strong calls to action and more. Get your notepad ready because you’ll want to take notes. If this topic of networking makes you uneasy, at least listen until you hear Stephanie’s definition of business networking. A lot of us have probably had an experience with someone who was “networking” that was so obnoxious that we found the very concept repulsive. I think Stephanie’s approach will be refreshingly different and one that most teachers can get excited about. People who are doing networking well are not obnoxious and you don’t have to become obnoxious - in fact, please don’t - to build your business through networking. A full transcript and resources from this episode can be found at MusicStudioStartup.com/episode141. MSS Entrepreneurs Hub + Mastermind MSS Studio Launch Grant Competition Music Studio Business Building 101 Business Finance for Music Teachers

Today’s conversation with Stephanie Bonte-Lebair is a rebroadcast of an early episode of Music Studio Startup that has always been a fan favorite. Stephanie is a classically-trained opera singer turned voice/presentation/sales coach. This interview blurs the line between an entrepreneurial music teacher sharing the evolution of her voice studio and a communication expert sharing a mini sales workshop. It’s one you’ll want to listen to more than once! A full transcript and resources from this episode can be found at MusicStudioStartup.com/episode140. MSS Entrepreneurs Hub + Mastermind MSS Studio Launch Grant Competition Music Studio Business Building 101 Business Finance for Music Teachers

Today’s episode is more of a public service announcement for studio owners who have businesses that are registered in the US. On January 1, a new reporting requirement from the US Treasury Department went into effect and it might impact you. I’m talking about the Beneficial Ownership Information Reporting rule or BOI Reporting requirement from the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), part of the Corporate Transparency Act. Today I’m going to share what I learned in my research of the ruling. I’m going to go through this in a Q&A format that traces the path I took and the questions that came up for me as I determined whether or not I would be eligible and then what the registration process entailed. Hopefully it’ll help you jumpstart your own research. A full transcript and resources from this episode can be found at MusicStudioStartup.com/episode139. Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer and I’m not giving legal advice here. This is strictly for informational purposes and it’s up to you to ensure your business is in compliance with all applicable laws. MSS Studio Launch Grant Competition MSS Entrepreneurs Hub + Mastermind Music Studio Business Building 101 Business Finance for Music Teachers

With the turn of the calendar, many of us are closing the fiscal years for our businesses and wrapping up our bookkeeping for the year in anticipation of the tax season ahead. I am a HUGE fan of a low-stress tax season and the way to accomplish that is to get started early and tackle one step at a time. Which is why I invited back to the podcast, Andrea Yahr, a certified tax preparer, to get us going. Andrea’s first appearance on the Music Studio Startup podcast was back in Episode 012 when she talked about Business Structures and Their Tax Implications. Today Andrea is back to talk about some tax basics for self-employed teachers, how to get a smooth start to the filing season (even if you feel behind already), and we also talk about some short and long-term strategies to consider to lower your overall tax bill. A full transcript and resources from this episode can be found at MusicStudioStartup.com/episode138. MSS Studio Launch Grant Competition MSS Entrepreneurs Hub + Mastermind Music Studio Business Building 101 Business Finance for Music Teachers

I mentioned before that we will, again, be holding our studio launch grant competition this year! This grant is to help new or new-ish independent teachers launch their studios. It’s one of my favorite things that we do and it’s been so neat to see the impact the grant has on getting these studios off to a strong start. Today I’m talking to our last MSS Studio Launch Grant competition winner, Anna Showalter. We talk about Anna’s studio, how she made use of the grant competition prize package, and also how she introduced some significant changes to her studio, including a 13% tuition increase and bi-weekly group lessons. A full transcript and resources from this episode can be found at MusicStudioStartup.com/episode137. MSS Studio Launch Grant Competition MSS Entrepreneurs Hub + Mastermind Music Studio Business Building 101 Business Finance for Music Teachers

It’s time for another quarterly check-in! Today I’m joined by Amy Chaplin, a fellow piano teacher and productivity nerd. Since it’s January, this review takes more of an annual review perspective as we look back on 2023 and look forward to 2024. I was looking forward to this conversation with Amy because I wanted an excuse to talk about apps and tools for organizing all the things life throws at us and I knew Amy would have things to say about this. The conversation did not disappoint. We gush over all our tools for project management, task management, lesson notes, and writing. And we talk about some of the tools we discarded in 2023. A full transcript and resources from this episode can be found at MusicStudioStartup.com/episode136. In case you didn't catch our other quarterly check-ins from earlier in the year, you can listen to them here: 2023.Q1 Winter: MSS Episode 112 – Amy Elmore on 3 Mindset Questions to Ask Before Setting Your New Year’s Resolutions 2023.Q2 Spring New Harmony Podcast Episode 001B – Goal Setting Tips for Music Teachers: Part B 2023.Q3 Summer: MSS Episode 129 – Podcast – Andrea Miller – 2023 Q3 Recap MSS Entrepreneurs Hub + Mastermind is open! Learn more.

Today I’m sharing part two of a two-part episode with my guest, Tony Parlapiano. Teaching piano has taken many forms over the years for Tony. From being a travel piano teacher and teaching students homes, to teaching online during the pandemic and then sticking with it afterward, to the studio we’re going to hear about today, that more closely resembles a college program than your standard 1:1 or group lessons. Over the summer, Tony was featured in our studio snapshot series. In that episode he alluded to his new online instruction model and I was very curious, but I knew it needed more time than we had then to really understand it, so that’s what we’re talking about in these episodes. In Part 1, we talked more about the pedagogical and practical structure of Tony’s program and today we’re getting into the marketing and business side of things. A full transcript and resources from this episode can be found at MusicStudioStartup.com/episode135. MSS Entrepreneurs Hub + Mastermind Music Studio Business Building 101 Business Finance for Music Teachers

Today I’m sharing part one of a two-part episode with a guest you’ve heard from before. Teaching piano has taken many forms over the years for today’s guest, Tony Parlapiano. From being a travel piano teacher and teaching students homes, to teaching online during the pandemic and then sticking with it afterward, to the studio we’re going to hear about today, that more closely resembles a college program than your standard 1:1 or group lessons. Over the summer, Tony was featured in our studio snapshot series. In that episode he alluded to his new online instruction model and I was very curious, but I knew it needed more time than we had then to really understand it, so that’s what we’re talking about today. The first part of our interview, which you’ll hear today, is more about the pedagogical and practical structure of the program and then we’ll get into the marketing and business side of things in the second half, next week. A full transcript and resources from this episode can be found at MusicStudioStartup.com/episode134. MSS Entrepreneurs Hub + Mastermind Music Studio Business Building 101 Business Finance for Music Teachers

The first quarter of the MSS Hub Mastermind program starts in just a few weeks. So if you’ve been curious about joining, now is a great time to get plugged in and start your year off strong! Today I’m talking with my guest about her journey from book idea to selling the first 1000 copies. We talk about how she tried to publish through a traditional book publisher and ended up self-publishing, how she bootstrapped the first print runs, why she doesn’t expect to make a profit by selling on Amazon, and even how she made people angry with her marketing. And if you're the kind of person who likes to hear the numbers, you're going to love this discussion because Crystal lays it all out there. A full transcript and resources from this episode can be found at MusicStudioStartup.com/episode133. MSS Entrepreneurs Hub + Mastermind Music Studio Business Building 101 Business Finance for Music Teachers

Happy new year! Today I've got a quick announcement about a live event we're holding TOMORROW morning (Thursday, January 4) as a kickoff to 2024. A bunch of you have already responded to the email about this event and registered, so I know it’s going to be a fantastic group. In tomorrow's kickoff we'll talk through some of the questions I use to review the last year and guide my own annual planning. Whether you’ve been doing annual reflections forever or you’re trying to figure out how to get started, I think this will be a good time of encouragement and motivation as we get in gear for the new year. A full transcript and resources from this episode can be found at MusicStudioStartup.com/000-january-2024-announcement. >> Register for the 2024 Kickoff Event << MSS Entrepreneurs Hub + Mastermind Music Studio Business Building 101 Business Finance for Music Teachers

Most teachers agree that one of the greatest indicators of whether or not a student will progress in music is not their innate talent. It all comes down to practicing. Today's musician entrepreneur, Christopher Maloney, realized that there was a gap in where his adults were and where they wanted to be in their musical skills and that gap could only be traversed by practicing and, ideally, practicing more effectively. So he decided to tackle this challenge. Not in the form of a practice app, but by creating an online program, specifically for adult students, to teach them how to practice. Today we'll hear the startup story of that program, Practice Warriors. A full transcript and resources from this episode can be found at MusicStudioStartup.com/episode132. MSS Entrepreneurs Hub + Mastermind Music Studio Business Building 101 Business Finance for Music Teachers

Today I have a return guest on the podcast! I did a two-part interview with Thomas Grayston, the developer behind the NoteRush note-reading app in episodes 021 and 022. In those episodes, we talked about how he turned NoteRush from a side project to a full-time gig and then we talked about the first steps a teacher might take if they have an app idea of their own that they want to bring to market. In today’s conversation we get to hear all about the v. 2 release of NoteRush and we get to revisit some of the same topics we talked about 4+ years ago and hear how Thomas’s perspective has changed - or not - on these topics. A full transcript and resources from this episode can be found at MusicStudioStartup.com/episode131. Schedule a complimentary mini-session with Andrea Previous episodes with Thomas Grayston Episode 021 – Thomas Grayston of Note Rush on Developing and Launching an App (Part 1) Episode 022 – Thomas Grayston of Note Rush on Developing and Launching an App (Part 2) MSS Entrepreneurs Hub + Mastermind Music Studio Business Building 101 Business Finance for Music Teachers

Today, I’m deviating from our usual interview format to discuss a challenge that I’m sure all of us have experienced at one point or another and is especially common this time of year—managing life when it becomes overwhelmingly full. In this episode I break down the process and strategies I follow in my own life to get through these times and calm the chaos. A full transcript and resources from this episode can be found at MusicStudioStartup.com/episode130.

A quick episode to wish you a happy thanksgiving and share a resource to aid your year-end tax planning. A full transcript and resources from this episode can be found at MusicStudioStartup.com/2023novemberannouncement

Today I'm continuing the pattern of quarterly check-ins that I've been doing all this year kind of on accident. Previously, I did these with Amy Elmore as we were launching the new Harmony podcast together. But today I'm solo, and I'm going to be recapping my quarter three: what I've been up to, what was challenging this quarter, and what I'm looking forward to in quarter four. A full transcript and resources from this episode can be found at MusicStudioStartup.com/episode129. MSS Entrepreneurs Hub + Mastermind Music Studio Business Building 101 Business Finance for Music Teachers

Today I’m joined by David Smolover, a serial entrepreneur who has led an inspiring career in music education. You’ll hear about how he started the National Guitar Summer Workshop that has served up to 6k students, how he made his way into publishing instructional materials (both digital and physical), and how his response to a random cold email led to the start of the guided practice app that we’re diving into today. A full transcript and resources from this episode can be found at MusicStudioStartup.com/episode128. MSS Entrepreneurs Hub + Mastermind Music Studio Business Building 101 Business Finance for Music Teachers MatchMySound 50% off code: MMS50 (case sensitive)