CHAPTER 2: Your Quick Start Guide
OK I promise you, this is going to be the last thing you have to print out for a while. Below, you’ll find the “Quick Start Check List”. This is a bird’s eye view of the steps you’ll need to take to get your studio up and running.
Print this out! You’re going to find that it follows the book pretty closely – especially the first few sections.
There are a lot of things I could have included on this list but decided not to. For example, I could have put “Know your Instrument” as a building block. It certainly is essential! But that’s obvious right?
Instead, I chose to include things that I think are either completely essential, or that are sometimes overlooked. For example “I live in a place that I enjoy with an economy that will support my teaching”. This is a really important factor to consider before you start your teaching practice. If you live out in the boonies, you might find it harder to attract a ton of students than if you live, say, in a suburban neighborhood with good schools and a lot of families. (Then again living away from a major city center means less competition for students – so there are always trade-offs!)
As you can tell from the checklist, a lot of what we’re going to focus on involves setting up your professional presence (website, image, etc.) and learning how to attract the students you want. Knowing how to do these two things is the most important part of getting a start in your teaching practice, and for most people the biggest hurdle.
That’s really all there is to know about the checklist – print it out and have it handy and the rest will be pretty self-explanatory as we move along. But before we get going with that, there’s one thing we should talk about that isn’t listed here, but is still an important starting point: your vision.
Your Studio Vision
Don’t worry, I know the word “vision” is scary for some people, and I won’t get too abstract here, but its really important to start off knowing where you see your practice in five or ten years time. You don’t want to spend a lot of time climbing this ladder only to realize you put it on the wrong tree.
Where you teach from is a perfect example. It would be a bad idea to teach from an area with a low average teacher income if what you want is a lifestyle that gives you plenty of flexible “high-standard-of-living” free time.
Or are you great with advanced serious students? You’re going to find that certain school-district areas cater more toward this type of teacher. On the other hand, if you work well with adults, you’ll do better living in proximity to your area’s work centers.
How about expanding your practice? Could you see yourself hiring another teacher in 5 or 10 years time to help you out? If so, you’re going to want to live in a space that supports that kind of setup (and where it’s legal to do so as well) or you’re going to want to find an area where you can lease cheaply enough to make this effective.
Your biggest hurdle in getting started, is simply to start. So in thinking about your five and ten year vision, the absolute worst thing you can do is over-think everything – There is never a “perfect” time to start. One of the most successful teachers I know started out teaching in his one-bedroom apartment on an electronic keyboard. He now owns one of the largest music schools in the country. Imagine if he had never even started because of such less-than-optimal teaching conditions!
My point is just this: there is plenty of time in the next 5 or 10 years to course correct, but it helps to make sure you’re pushing off in the right general direction. Of course not everyone has the luxury of choosing their space or location – start either way! Just know what you want in the future.
My Thinking Ahead Exercise
Here’s an exercise I use when I’m thinking about the years to come: Get a piece of paper, close your eyes, meditate, go into some sort of zen-like state, and just imagine what your ideal studio would look like in 5 or 10 years here. Don’t limit yourself. Think BIG. And write it all down without any self-judgment – just get it out.
Now, take some time and reflect on this. Are there any major structural changes that need to be made before we get going?
Here are examples of structural changes: “I’m planning to teach pre-college piano but dislike working with children.” “I want to be paid well for my teaching but don’t live near anyone who could afford it.” “I really dislike where I live now and don’t want to be stuck here.” “I want to teach yoga but only know how to play violin.”
If things like this pop into your head, you might to well to do a major course correct before we get going. Here’s how to handle each: “Instead of teaching children I’ll move to an area with affluent adults who want lessons.” – “I’ll have to save up and relocate to an area I enjoy with a higher median income.” – “I’ll have to save up and move to an area I enjoy!” “I’ll have to do some soul searching and maybe find a good yogi.”
If I can be a bit self-help book for a minute, writing down these 5 year goals has been a major positive force in building my business. I suggest doing this and reviewing it every month or so. It keeps you focused on what matters.
If you want to check out my favorite resources for thinking and business building, you can always check out the No Boss Ninja Resources Page.
Don’t read them now though, that would distract you from the most important task: getting started with your teaching! For that, we need to start checking off tasks as soon as possible, and that means moving on to the Building Blocks of your teaching practice.
Go On To Chapter 3