Many of the top businesses in the world started from a kitchen table at home.
If you’ve been dreaming of teaching piano, why not make your dream come true, right from the privacy of your own home? Whether you wish to grow it into one of the top notch music studios in your community, or want to keep it small and make a part time living with your instruction, anything is possible if you put your mind to it.
Start with the dream. Write it down on paper. Think big … or keep it small. Project out a year, two years, even five years down the road. Where do you see yourself? Because part of success starts with knowing where your ending point is, and backing up to put the pieces together to make your dreams come true.
Then get started by teaching piano from your home. Discover what you enjoy, what clients you’re good with, and what works for you. Use this to grow as you move forward.
And use these tips to make the process a little easier.
Set up a professional studio inside your home
Even if you’re teaching from home, you still are a business. People come expecting a high quality service. Make sure you have a neat and tidy workstation for every student who comes into your home. The right first impression sets the stage for expectations from every student you have. It should be a quiet place where you both can concentrate without interruption.
Ensure you have the right equipment
If you’re teaching piano, it goes without saying that you’ll need a high quality piano that sounds great to the ear. Besides that, you’ll need a good computer or tablet, a fast internet connection that can stream videos and other teaching tools. You’ll need music stands, music, and other specific instruments depending on how you’ll teach. You’ll also need the appropriate system to invoice your clients, and produce content you’ll be sharing with your customers.
Create realistic payment terms
The reason most home businesses stay at home is they never think like a business. Creating a healthy business means getting paid for the work you do. You can start by looking at how other instructional studios make money, then use that as your guide. Asking students to pay in blocks of five, ten, or even twenty lessons at a time is an easy way to get your students to commit to longer terms, You can also offer different options and plans – how about both individual and group lessons? Be sure to review these and make changes as necessary at least once per year.
Create a cancellation policy
If a student has already purchased a plan, and started working their way through the classes, expecting a full refund shouldn’t be a part of the procedure. You’ll have an easier time enforcing the rules if you create a cancellation policy first, and hand it out in your original member’s terms welcome packet. This way you both understand how the process works in every situation.
Promotion
If you want to grow your business, you’ll have to market it to bring in new customers. That means you’ll need a solid marketing plan in place. Marketing is something every business works at for the life of the business – it’s always necessary to be bringing in new customers to replace the ones that move away. Create time in your calendar each week to perform the necessary steps to keep a steady flow of customers coming through your door.
What other tips have you learned as you’re creating your own piano teaching business at home?
