Student Appreciation Day

One great way to add value in your business is to hold a student appreciation day... and summer is a great time to do it!  Doing something nice to show you appreciate your students and their parents doesn't have to cost a fortune, either.  Throw a party and have some fun!  Your students will love you for it!!

Here are few low cost ideas to get get your started:

-Reserve a pavilion at a local park and barbecue hot dogs.  You can get everything you need at a local wharehouse store like Costco:  Hot dogs, buns, ketchup, chips, drinks, popscicles, etc. 

-Play water games at a local park and serve popscicles or cold lemonade.

-Hire a face painter or princess charachter to attend the event.

-Check your local theater on pricing to rent out the theater.  Sometimes they offer discounts if you bring your own movie!!

Whatever you choose to do, make yourself available to your students and families.  Mingle with them.  Thank them for a great year.  Show them that you care.  I can't tell you how many families would say, ' I can't believe you actually feed everyone!  Thanks for doing this!"

Your students will appreciate the gesture, and loyalty will increase in your business.  A simple thank you goes a long way!

Shauna

Farmer's Market Approach

Earlier today, we took a detour by the farmer's market... incidentally one of my favorite things to do ... and it dawned on me that there are easily 4 things that we can all learn from a farmer's market to enhance our studio businesses....

1. Embrace your own personality/individuality I know that I say this repeatedly, but a lot of people still don't get it. Well honestly, most people still aren't getting it. One of the things that I LOVE about       Farmer's Markets is how each expresses itself. Some are super crafty. Some are really funky. Some are very homey. Some are extremely natural. Others are open. But I've never really found two that are alike. Sure they sell basically the same thing - local freshness but they each reflect the owner's nature. And I love that. Each industry and business owner can learn from this as well. In fact, I really started making serious money the day I stopped taking myself so seriously and let my hair down. I just started being me and let that
shine through every part of my business.  It's easy to do ... after all, it's just sharing your own personality, individuality and creativity with what you do!

2. Don't try to be something you're not.  This really piggybacks off of number one. If you learn how to tap into your own personality and individuality, you also need to let go of trying to be something or someone you're not. I've seen several farmer's market that seem to struggle more than others, and it seems (in part) to be because  they're trying to sell a lot of items that you'd find in a grocery store. Well, a lot of people prefer farmer's markets because they're the opposite of a grocery, but some owners just don't seem to get it. And if they're struggling, they actually enhance the problem at hand by being less of who they are by copying someone else.  Perhaps this is your problem too.

3. Go the extra mile and go away from generic. 
One interesting thing I saw today at the farmer’s market was an elderly gentleman who drove up to the side of the market. Instead of people just staring at him from within the market, they went to his door, found out what he needed, brought him the fruits and veggies in exchange for cash and then the man went on his merry way. You’d never see this sort of extra service from a main chain (or at least I haven’t).
Going the extra mile may look different from one company to the next. Just trust your heart and your intuition to guide you to do what you feel is right for YOU once again.

4. Be fresh … never get stale or lack flavor!
Especially in creative and industries like ours, it’s so very important to never ever get stale or boring or have a lack of ideas and inspiration. If you find yourself being cynical, burned out, or feeling “over it,” see what’s up with you. Do you need a break to rejuvenate and get back in the game? Maybe you need help? Or maybe you just need to move on?  I firmly believe that the idea for THRIVE came to me in part because I was getting tired of the same old thing and wanted a challenge. I’m the type of person who doesn’t do the same thing her whole life … and never thought I would do the same thing until the end of this life, so when I felt I needed a change, I decided to tweak things and stay fresh and full of inspiration.
Now, this doesn’t mean you must start another business or give yours an entire facelift, but it means you do need something. So … what would this look like for you?  

Try giving your business a farmer’s market makeover and see what happens!

Why I Dance...

What one of my clients has to say...

As an artist, I'm good at creative solutions. The trouble is, I'm not always good at seeing the problem. Shauna's seminars and mentoring have opened my eyes to the true problems--where and how marketing happens effectively--and that has enabled me to create the right systems to make my business more profitable in less time, leaving me more time with my family.

- Levi Sim, Logan, Utah

Are expenses killing your studio business?

I came across  this great read this morning and really enjoyed it so much, and wanted to share it with you too.

Basically the idea is that expenses can kill your business, while the right investments can actually
"make" your business. And I couldn't agree more. So enjoy this fabulous article find and I'll talk to
you later!

http://tinyurl.com/7bueo64

Invest in yourself,