The Tech Of Business Podcast

This is the fifth and final episode of the incredible Founder Series. Has the Founders series inspired you to take a look at any of the platforms we’ve been discussing? Please share your feedback as a review on Apple Podcasts or by sending me a DM over on Instagram! My business is here to help you expand your music studio and music teaching business online. I know how much passion you have for music education and everything that I put out on the podcast, social media and in my broadcast emails is designed to inspire, motivate, and help you move forward. I know that there is a lot of material, and a lot of things that you could be doing. Sometimes we just really can't do this alone -- that's really what I'm here for. I am here regardless of what phase of your online journey you are on -- from getting your first client or creating your first program, to leveling up and building out your own private empire! This series was all about software to help you provide the best possible private lessons, whic

This is our fourth and probably most anticipated episode in the Founders Series. Many of your remaining questions about using these made-for-online-music-lessons software options will be answered in this episode. SaaS products, or Software as a Service products, really do require a test drive to determine if they are going to work the way you want them to. It’s easy to look at them “on paper” but until we’ve sat down in front of the screen and interacted with them, it’s impossible to know exactly how you will jive with them. And that’s what today’s episode is all about… using the software and being part of their ecosystem. Before we get into the episode, if you haven't downloaded the Make Money Teaching Music Online guide, be sure to click here to download it now! The software founders in this series are: Michael Grande with Rock Out Loud Live Sam Reti with Muzie.Live Rebecca Featherstone with Musicology Eric DeGrove with Blink Session Music To get started, we talk about $$$ Yup… What is the monthly fe

This is our midway point in The Founders Series. (If you haven’t listened to episodes 195 and 196 yet, I recommend jumping back to those before proceeding with today’s episode, they all kinda build on each other and I want you to be empowered to make the best choice for your online music lessons!) As a reminder, our guests in this series are: Michael Grande of Rock Out Loud Live Sam Reti of Muzie.Live Rebecca Featherstone of Musicology Eric DeGrove of Blink Session Music All of them have graciously given us so much insight already into how their software works to support the online music education community, especially your private lessons. Today, we’re diving a little bit more into the technical side so that you can begin to understand how software works and how to best take advantage of all the software updates. The two questions I asked our founders today are: How often does your software get updated? Talk to me about the way you've overcome bandwidth issues to provide a great environment for lesson

This is the second episode in the Founders Series. (Be sure to listen to all five episodes in order, to make the best choice for your online music lessons!) Remember when you first listened to a podcast? That feeling of having so much opportunity to learn, be entertained, be informed and gain knowledge… you feel like you’re on top of the world. It’s kinda the same thing when you hear about a piece of software that was designed specifically for music teachers like you. And I know, because I’ve seen it, as soon as we hear about one of these SaaS products, we are bound to hear about another and another and another… and soon, our heads are spinning. In this series, I’m taking you on a journey to not just understand what the tools can do for you and your students, but also to help you make the best choice based on what the software provides, the trajectory it’s on and some of the guiding principles. Our guests in this series are: Michael Grande of Rock Out Loud Live Sam Reti of Muzie.Live Rebecca Featherstone of

This episode is the Introduction to The Founders Series. This is a series of five podcast episodes with the founders of Musicology, Muzie.live, Rock Out Loud Live, and Blink Session Music. This is going to be one of the most powerful series that I have ever done on the podcast -- I'm so excited that you are here to be a part of it. Introduction Sam Reti is the founder of Muzie.Live, an all in one virtual music studio allowing teachers to save time, stay organized and conduct a high quality online hybrid or in person music lessons. Muzie.Live - Virtual Music Lesson Studio Michael Grande is the creator of Rock Out Loud Live, the only United States patented virtual platform that captures the entire tonal range of any instrument. Rock Out Loud Live has high definition audio and near zero latency provides a teaching experience unmatched by any other platform. RockOutLoud Rebecca Featherstone is the CEO of Musicology, a peer to peer video conferencing platform that is built to empower the non power user with in

When it comes to social media, it’s so easy to post things that don’t move your business forward and even easier to feel unsure of what to post. Let’s set the record straight with a few tried-and-true posts! There’s so many trends and so many things going on on social media that I am officially breaking my silence and sharing a few tips on posting… this is going to be run! If you’re wondering why I haven’t really talked about this before, it’s because I'm a techie and never let myself push too far outside of that box. Marketing felt so far outside… but I was wrong. I have thoughts and suggestions that are worth sharing (not to mention that I’ve been on social media longer than I have had my business and we’re already over a decade on that!) Here are three things that every music teacher can and should post on social media on a weekly basis and a couple of things to avoid. #1 Actionable Content My favorite thing to post and this is actionable content. We want to post things that people can actually do and

In this week’s episode, I have three amazing guests with me (all at once) to discuss something really special happening in January -- UMBS, The Ultimate Music Business Summit! Find more info here: Ultimate Music Business Summit Topics we discuss: Their experiences with:All things that go into being a small business owner -- learning everything that goes into entrepreneurship, marketing, etc. Thinking “business-ly” The mindset of applying business concepts to what we do as music teachers. Finding value in our skill sets, pivoting, and knowing what you can offer your tribe Shining a light on your products, services and offerings. Charting their own journeys, but not having to do it alone! The upcoming Ultimate Music Business Summit! This is the second one they’re hosting, and they’re planning to make it even better than last year, and more valuable for people, especially people like YOU who are building your businesses, teaching music, and working to serve your students really well and then ultimately to make

Today I decided to bridge the conversation from email marketing into what we're talking about in next week’s episode, which is an amazing interview with three other people! Before we get to that, as always I want to invite you to a quick call with me http://callwithjaime.com and let’s jam! Were you feeling overwhelmed when I talked about email marketing and email list growth over these past few weeks? Some people reached out and said that they were, and others mentioned that it's just easier to keep doing the lessons they’re doing and to go back to in-person lessons because that's what families are asking for. Do you want to keep doing things in a way that other people are running your business for you? I don't want that. I want you to be taking control of your business. I want you to say “no, I don't want to go back to in person” or “no, I am not teaching only one on one lessons.” Instead, let’s hear what you WANT. I want to teach a group program. I want to have an online course. I want

Sometimes the best podcast episodes come from your questions! I am thrilled to bring this episode to you that includes me answering questions from the Expand Online community about email list growth, opt-ins, and more! Have questions you want answered? Book a call with me: http://callwithjaime.com Join the community let’s continue the conversation! Let’s get into the questions: First up there were a few questions about specific software tools. Four tools I get asked about the most are ActiveCampaign, ConvertKit, Flodesk, and MailerLite. I recommend most of my clients use ConvertKit. It’s a robust system that’s designed for creatives- a win-win situation. I recommend ConvertKit most often because of the integrations that it has with other tools. Integrations are vital versus the alternative of transferring content manually from one place to the next. My second recommendation would be ActiveCampaign. This is what I personally use here at Expand Online. I use it because it has more automation and customer relati

Email marketing is a subject that I covered in depth earlier on in the podcast… I would recommend after you listen to this episode that you head back to the series: https://techofbusiness.com/series/email-marketing/ The episodes are 58, 59, 60, 61, 62 and 63. This episode is about using your email list in order to accomplish your online music studio goals. It's not a matter of just having an email list, it's a matter of using that email list effectively…what it means for you and what it means for the recipients! {Before we get into things… remember to book your free no-pitch call with me: http://callwithjaime.com) A few definitions: Email list is a list of email addresses (name, email address, and maybe some more info). Email marketing is the mechanism for sending emails out. EMS (email management system or email marketing system) is the tool that you're going to use to send your broadcast messages or your automations out to people who have said YES to your freebie or another product that you are

This episode is a follow up and continuation from last week where we talked about the landing page or sales page. A landing page can be used for a free or paid opportunity, anything that is transaction-oriented. And the page that comes after that landing page, well, that’s valuable real estate, so let’s make the most of it! If you want to discuss your specific landing page(s) and thank you page(s) or anything elsethen be sure to book a call with me at —> http://callwithjaime.com Just as with everything else on your website, make sure to hang your hat at the door and step into the shoes of the people who are there on your website. In this case, the person who completed a transaction with you. They might have just signed up for your program, or signed up for your freebie, who has just signed up to have a call with you, or a lesson with you. Let’s validate their decision to entrust their music education with you. The top of this page is super simple… something like… “Congratulations! You're in!” or “You&#

What does it look like to take someone from “I’m interested to I’m in????” The short answer is a great program landing page or sales page. This episode takes you through that page using the niche and positioning we talked about last week. Before you get too far be sure to book your call with me —> http://callwithjaime.com The page on your website that we are discussing  is the information page to help someone make a decision. It should be a concise page where someone can learn about the exact program that you want them to sign up for. Briefly, this page needs to contain all the details that you think are going to help them say, “yes” or help them say, “oh this isn't quite right, but I like this teacher” or “I need to learn something else first before I can come and actually succeed with this program”. Give enough information so that people can make a good decision about your program. It's okay for people to come to that page, read it and say, “no, this isn't right”. And if that’s the case, we a

The fact of the matter is parents want the absolute best lessons that they can get for their kids within their budget and their means. And the best way for them to know that you’re the perfect teacher for their kids is with niching and positioning. Before we get to that, as always I want to invite you to a quick call with me http://callwithjaime.com :) Let’s start off with a definition: a niche is the particular segment of the population that you are building your programs for. Your niche can really be anything... the narrower that you go, the more defined you can be seen as an expert in the industry. Every business that is sitting on Main Street in your hometown, that is a niche business because they chose to set up shop on Main Street and by default, offline businesses niche by geography. In the online space we get to niche by other factors. We can niche by: the age of our students, the specialty that we teach the other things that our students might do. anything really! A niche is a way to separate yours

This is a huge question going around in the online circles I frequent, and I thought it was something worth sharing on the podcast… Whether schools are back in session in your community or are just about to head back, school and safety are on the forefront of everyone’s minds, particularly parents! Before we get to the good stuff, I am going to pop http://callwithjaime.com in right here -- you know, it’s my favorite way of connecting with you and if we haven’t connected in a while or ever, grab a time on my calendar! Now, do parents really want online lessons or online programs or to sign their kids up for an online course or a membership site or a portal? What do parents really want for their kids’ music education? In the scheme of things, they would love for their kids to get the best education! It doesn't matter how that education is delivered. Parents want whatever is best for their children; plain and simple… but there are absolutely other factors that go into it as well. Parents may have to juggle

The idea behind the teacher series is to showcase teachers who have already expanded online, what they’re doing, why they chose to make those decisions and all that fun stuff. This episode is with Dr. Kathryn Parsley. She came into online teaching when vocal performance opportunities dried up at the start of the pandemic. I would love your feedback on this episode, so connect with me on Instagram @jaimeslutzky and book a call with me http://callwithjaime.com Let’s start off with Kathryn’s eloquent “elevator pitch”: I am Dr. Kathryn Parsley, the practice coach and I helped classical and opera singers rewrite their inner critic beat “stupid singer syndrome” and learn to practice today for their amazing future career. Kathryn’s zone of genius is helping singers learn to practice in a way that suits them best and she rattles off her “elevator pitch” with so much conviction and so much authority that people are just going to listen. They're going to say I believe you! I know that you are going to help me in th

August Teacher Series – Episode 3 with Joslin Romphf Dennis. The idea behind the teacher series is to showcase teachers who have already expanded online, what they’re doing, why they chose to make those decisions and all that fun stuff. This episode is with Joslin Romphf Dennis, a voice teacher who is in the process of launching her first online group program. I would love your feedback on this episode, so connect with me on Instagram @jaimeslutzky and book a call with me http://callwithjaime.com Joslin started teaching online, much like most of the online music teachers, in March of 2020, because of the global pandemic. She lives in British Columbia, Canada ( probably only 10 minutes from my brother and 25 minutes from my childhood home!) Already looking at what we did in March 2020 she thinks “wow, we really did a thing, we made that happen and did it without a lot of the new stuff that's come out now and the amazing tools and resources that are available.” The online landscape has evolved so much since

August Teacher Series – Episode 2 with Dorla Aparicio. The idea behind the teacher series is to showcase teachers who have already expanded online, what they’re doing, why they chose to make those decisions and all that fun stuff. This episode is with Dorla Aparicio, a group piano teacher who is sharing her methods with other piano teachers through an online program! I would love your feedback on this episode. This series and anything else you would like to share, so connect with me on Instagram @jaimeslutzky and book a call with me http://callwithjaime.com About Dorla Dorla Aparicio is originally from Costa Rica and has lived in Texas for about 35 years. She has been teaching piano for about that same amount of time both privately and for a while at a local college in Fort Worth. Dorla greatly enjoys group piano lessons and has made that the focus of her studio. Dorla’s online course is teaching other piano teachers how to effectively teach group piano lessons. They can either apply these principles to onlin

August Teacher Series - Episode 1 with Stephanie Chevalier. The idea behind the teacher series is to showcase teachers who have already expanded online, what they're doing, why they chose to make those decisions and all that fun stuff. This episode is with Stephanie Chevalier, who is doing some really cool things out of her home in Baltimore Maryland. I would love your feedback on this episode, so connect with me on Instagram @jaimeslutzky and book a call with me http://callwithjaime.com Stephanie is a piano teacher and voice teacher and a performer. She had her european opera debut in 1999 and sang for 10 years at the Kennedy Center with the Washington opera. She has taught at various music schools including Levine School of Music in DC and Charleston Academy of Music in Charleston, South Carolina. She lives in Baltimore, Maryland and teaches out of her home. She has been on the online space for a while mainly because she had many students that were military and would go overseas or would leave and then

181: Focus for online growth Let’s talk about focus… focusing our efforts on the right things and keeping the blinders on, that is! This conversation is about personal experience as well as experiences with past and present clients -- and no, I’m not calling you out... I am sharing the fact that this doesn't go away. We all have priorities; we all have goals. And I know that our driving force is student success, studio profitability and work life balance. It always is. We want to make sure our studio is doing what it needs to for ourselves, for our employees or contractors, for our patrons or students or clients. It is often difficult to make sure that we're spending our time and focusing on the right thing. Let’s talk about focus in a few areas: Being deliberate It’s really hard to focus our efforts on a task if we are not clear about the reason for doing so. Here’s an example: If you are working on growing your Instagram following and creating connections and engagement, but you don't know how t

My goal is to help you see beyond the limits that you have set for yourself. When we're in a space of expansion, there is so much opportunity! This podcast episode is split into two sections: why we need a growth mindset as we are expanding online how to create that growth mindset from wherever you are right now Growth Mindset By the official definition, a growth mindset “describes people who believe that their success depends on time and effort. People with a growth mindset feel that their skills and intelligence can be improved with effort and persistence. They embrace changes, persist through obstacles, learn from criticism and seek out inspiration in others successes. So what does that mean? It means that it's okay to fail. It's okay to try something and not like it and say no, thank you. It's okay to try something, have it exceed your expectations and then for you to double down on it. It's okay to hire somebody and to decide that you actually really like the job that you hired the