Business advice for music teachers

I'm a minnow in an ocean of sharks. That being said, I have a thriving micro-business. I'm grateful, especially in the age of Covid-19.

From time to time piano teachers call me for advice and a consult. I admire their courage to reach out. Here my notes from a recent meeting with a young piano teacher with amendments. 

Notes from out meeting:
 

1. Call city hall. Most cities and town have small business programs. Here are sources of inf. for the city of Hamilton Ontario. Lots of resources here. Embrace the label "small business owner".  https://www.hamilton.ca/starting-small-business https://investinhamilton.ca/hamilton-business-centre/
2. Check your webpage from someone else's phone. This teacher was unaware there were security problems with theirs. 
3. Customers buy benefits, not features, so consider purchasing happy pictures of piano students from a stock photo shop for your landing page. Take your mug off your landing page. 
4. Flyers worked last year for you. Start this year in August.
5. Canada Post worked in October, so try 4 months: August to October, then January. January for the "I got a keyboard for Christmas crowd".
6. Online small business training through night school. Mohawk or similar institution https://www.mohawkcollege.ca/ce/area-of-study/business
7. Work on your visibility status in the elite arts crowd in Hamilton.
8. YouTube channel of RCM repertoire.
9. Blog for website on helping your child practice. Be the expect in your town. 
10. Study webpage and blogging strategies. This is an ongoing process as the search engines change things up regularly.
11. Continue to work on your USP: Unique selling proposition. Otherwise you are a commodity. 
12. Know your numbers KPIs: Key performance indicators. This are numbers, mostly about calls and $$.

Good luck and call me in a year. 

​David

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