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.

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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

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