Building a Cello Business in Times of Uncertainty

I have been building a business for many years now, though if you had spoken to me 18 months, I wouldn’t have spoken about it in those terms.

I didn’t think what I did would classify as “business”. More than a couple of exes have suggested that my creative endeavors and the business of them were child’s play.

But the pandemic has given me a completely different perspective on my skill set and my ability to thrive in uncertainty. I have begun to think of myself as a business person and to realize that I probably was one all along.

For all of my career, except for a short time when I thought I would give up and become a radiation technician (another story!), I have been the sole proprietor of small music business. I taught music lessons in my home and sometimes in schools and non-profit organizations to a variety of children and adults. I performed as a gigging and recording musician with all kinds of ensembles, wrote songs, and composed music on contract for various clients.

This work was sometimes unstable though in the last few years I employed a variety of tools to help me stabilize my income and ensure a steady stream of students, tuition, and performance monies each year.

In 2019 I had my best professional year ever. I surpassed my goal of having a full studio of students, raised my rates to what I believe I am worth, and began to have the economic freedom to choose which clients I could serve and which might be better served by a different teaching artist or performer.

Around this time, I also started to realize my dream of building an online business. I signed up to take a marketing course and began to build the outline of a program for cellists that I intended to sell.

While all this was going on, my marriage was crumbling and my teenage son was struggling in school. I was deeply unhappy in my personal life and building new skills in business, tech and marketing became a way for me to focus my anxious energy and build resilience.

When the pandemic hit, the performance side of my career came to an ungraceful end, all my performing and recording opportunities were wiped out overnight.

Lucky for me performance and recording were only ever a small part of my income stream and my studio of loyal students followed me online. With a daytime work schedule for the first time in years and dwindling domestic responsibilities (My son left home around the same time my husband did) I started to have ample time to improve my skills and think about course creation. Despite many people in the arts being thrown into uncertainty, my income was barely affected. I was thriving.

My journey to creating an online course started long before this however Almost 11 years ago, I first posted online hoping to find someone to help me create an online course. I thought I needed some kind of magical tech guru. The process seemed complicated. I had never even videotaped a home video before and though I had built websites, I felt that the skills needed to create course content and package and sell it in a meaningful and cohesive manner were beyond me. No one answered my call and my dream went unrealized for many years.

Sometime between then and 2017, the internet changed a lot. Many processes that were once reserved for nerds became quite accessible to those willing to spend a few hours reading tutorials and experimenting. Perhaps it was always this way and I had just lacked confidence. But whatever the reasons, the time was now!

I had a desire to create a total learning package. Something that would make me money for me while I slept. I wanted to share with a wider audience my wealth of knowledge and experience as a seasoned music instructor and the special gift I’ve developed for working with adults. I wanted to share my revelations about mindful practice and the ergonomics of beautiful cello playing and the necessity of creative improvisation to a well-rounded musical life.

I signed up for a marketing and business course. It was a bit of a long shot. The course was taught by someone called “Paul the Trombonist”, not exactly the kind of sober business name you might normally trust but for me, his experience building a thriving business doing something you love inspired me. With just enough headroom on my credit card, I signed up!

And then I did nothing…

For a year, I sat on this course material and got frustrated with myself for not having the time to delve into it.

My marriage continued to spiral, culminating with a few violent nights and calls to the police. But then, after two years of absolute chaos, I was miraculously set free. Last March I moved into my own apartment, my son moved in with friends, my dog went with my ex and later my parents took my cat. For the first time in almost 10 years, I was living completely alone.

And then the pandemic hit.

SPOOKY!

All of a sudden I had time and stability and very few distractions. In fact, I was totally alone.

I hit play on Module 1, lesson 1 of PTT’s course, and I was hooked. By August I was scheduling live streams, collecting leads, and making email automations.

A year later, I have delivered the core components of my course, CelloYoga™️,How To Play Cello with Total Freedom created a sales funnel, and am now learning the ins and outs of advertising on Facebook. I’m considering hiring a business strategist to help me with the next steps as the myriad of directions I could go next is exciting but overwhelming as a sole proprietor. I’ve sold 20 copies of the course through organic channels and continue to learn about network marketing.

As I continue to build my business, I am grateful for this quiet space. Sometimes it feels like the whole world slowed down just at the right time for me to transition to the next lesson in my life. While times are tough for many and I miss performing and interacting in a natural environment with my fellow creatives, I am reminded that opportunities exist and total standstills have their purpose.

One of my favorite songwriters, Sarah McLlaughlan wrote

“I used to think my life was often empty
A lonely space to fill
You hurt me more than I ever would have imagined
You made my world standstill

And in that stillness, there was a freedom
I never felt before”

It is this stillness that I hold onto and thrive within. I hope the same for you.