A new cohort of our Business Building 101 course is starting this week! If you’re launching a studio, rebuilding after a move, or just want to build a more intentional, financially sustainable business, this course is designed to help you do exactly that—with clarity, structure, and support.

And today’s guest is a perfect example of what can happen when you combine a fresh start with the right tools.

Mimi Zhang is the 2024 grand prize winner of our Studio Launch Grant competition. As part of her prize package, Mimi received a $1,000 startup grant, gift cards to Alamo Music and Alfred Publishing, and enrollment in the Music Studio Startup Business Building 101 course, and more—all of which she put to great use as she launched her studio in a brand-new city.

When Mimi won the grant competition, she had just finished grad school, moved across the country, and was starting from scratch. In less than a year, she grew her studio from just three in-person students to nearly 40, added group classes, implemented strong business systems, and started building the studio she really wanted.

In our conversation, Mimi shares the strategies that helped her grow quickly and sustainably, the mindset shifts that made a big difference early on, and how she’s continuing to evolve her studio now that the foundation is in place.

A full transcript and resources from this episode can be found at MusicStudioStartup.com/episode167.

Music Studio Business Building 101: Summer 2025 cohort starting this week!

MSS Entrepreneurs Hub + Mastermind

MSS Studio Launch Grant Competition

Business Finance for Music Teachers

Today's episode is part two of a super interesting two-part conversation with Sam Reti, a music teacher and a visionary behind the popular online music lesson platform Muzie.Live. If you haven't listened to the first part, I highly encourage you to go back and listen to that one too. In this episode, Sam shares how a college class at Berkeley, countless Uber and Lyft rides and a whole lot of Chipotle burritos helped launch his first business. And why learning when to quit was just as important as knowing when to keep going.

We talk about how the first app idea morphed into a second, and then a third, which is the music we know today. We talk about the decision to bootstrap instead of raising investor money, how Sam adapted when his original business idea didn't pan out, and what he's learned about growing a customer base organically in the music education world.

Sam gives an honest behind the scenes look at startup life complete with all the messy, unglamorous realities you don't usually hear about. Here's my conversation with Sam.

A full transcript and resources from this episode can be found at MusicStudioStartup.com/episode166.

MSS Entrepreneurs Hub + Mastermind

MSS Studio Launch Grant Competition

Music Studio Business Building 101

Business Finance for Music Teachers