teaching studio

[australopithecus]

Hello all,

Long-time lurker here. I've really appreciated the free advice that so many of you offer.

I've seen the question of how to make a living as a ceramic artist posted a few times, as well as a few questions about starting a business selling ceramics supplies and equipment.

I'm wondering about making a living running a teaching studio. Ideal would be to offer throwing and hand-building classes in sessions (6-8 weeks), as well as some special offerings (e.g., seasonal classes, sip-and-spin, etc.). I have some idea of the startup costs, but am curious to hear about:

1. How long it can take to fill classes, and how many classes to reasonably offer.

2. How long it can take to become profitable.

3.  Necessity of hiring assistants/instructors.

4. What "making a living" doing this really means.

5. Costs and time associated with maintenance of equipment; is this a real pain in the butt?

Thanks for your time!

[neilestrick]

1. It depends on your location and advertising capability. Social media makes it a lot easier than it used to be, and right now there is high demand for pottery classes. The more you offer, the more work it is for you but the more money you'll make. A lot depends on your kiln capacity and shelving space. You need X amount of classes/students to cover your costs (rent, utilities, staff, etc) and you go from there. I would have to double or triple the number of classes I offer in order to make it truly profitable, because I have a small studio (I have other revenue streams so it's not my only focus). It takes a lot of shelving for students to store their in-progress work on, plus space for greenware, bisqueware, and finished work.

2. Totally depends. Lots of variables.

3. Depends on how much work you want to do yourself. To make classes profitable, you have to offer a lot of night and weekend classes, which can wear on you pretty quickly if you're also working during the day. Friday and Saturday night parties are a quick way to make a few hundred bucks, but it gets old working nights. I have two night classes a week, and it feels like I'm there 4 nights a week.

4. You can totally make a good living if you can fill enough classes.

5. Kiln element life depends on how hot you're firing. If you're doing bisque and cone 5/6, about 130-150 firings from a set of elements. If you're only doing low fire, then 250+. You should learn to change elements and maintain the kilns yourself as it'll save a lot of money and reduce down time. Wheels don't need much work at all.

There are a ton of variables at play here, so answering these questions with any precision is impossible. Opening a studio in small town Indiana is going to be a completely different experience than opening a studio on the north side of Chicago.

[oldlady]

contact similar businesses in other cities to ask what you need to know.   other cities so you do not irritate the competition where you live. 

those businesses had the same questions you do so they should be helpful.   first ask if you can make an appointment to speak to them by phone at their convenience.  plan your questions in advance and have a space to write an answer so you can refer to the replies later.

[GEP]

When launching a business, it’s not very useful to ask “how long before it becomes profitable?” Because that answer will be different for every business. It depends on a lot of factors. 

What’s more useful is to say to yourself “I have $xxxxx in starting capital. How long will that last before I need the business to generate a profit?”

The former is a passive attitude, and the latter is a plan.