Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in music education but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Nick Pantano, Founder of Sound Space, located in Atlanta, GA, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Sound Space is a private music lesson studio located in Atlanta's Riverside neighborhood. We teach lessons for guitar, bass, and piano. We have students from ages 5 to 65. We focus on finding people who are looking for an "age-neutral" environment and want a "fun first" approach to learning their instrument.

Tell us about yourself

I grew up taking private music lessons from age 12-18. I worked in the store I took lessons at when I was in high school and then got a job working at a restaurant called Muss & Turners once I graduated. After spending time working in the restaurant, I felt like I was moving away from who I really was. I loved the company I was working for, but I was not a "life-er" in the restaurant business. My best friend was already in school for music and was teaching guitar lessons. I was looking at my life vs. his and realized I needed to change my path. So I went to music school. I knew the odds of "making it" was low, so I was always thinking about what else I would do. After I got my first job teaching, I was hooked. I fell in love with it. Unfortunately, I could see the company I was working for was starting to fail. I was aboard a sinking ship. I knew I didn't want to quit teaching, but I didn't trust that working for someone else wouldn't eventually result in the same outcome. So, I decided to start Sound Space. If it were mine, then I would always be in control of when/where/how we make changes to keep the company alive and growing. What keeps me going is the lightbulb moments. Every time someone genuinely "gets it" in a music lesson. That is the fuel that any good teacher thrives on.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

That is a tough question for me. I tend not to look/care much about accolades or "accomplishments." For example, I am not much for award shows either. I would have to say, getting to the point where I can hire others. Sound Space started as an escape plan and a way to secure some level of stability in my future. If that's all it ever was, then it would have served its purpose for me. But getting to hire other people and provide a positive working environment for them has been pretty cool. When the pandemic hit, I had several friends who were working for some of the bigger chain stores. The way they were being treated was appalling. It reeked of out-of-touch corporate policymaking. At the end of the day, music teachers are subcontractors. It is a partnership and should be treated that way. I have made it a point to provide a place to work that lets teachers be themselves and be treated properly as subcontractors.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

Always working. I am pretty good at compartmentalizing my time, but it's hard to turn the brain off when you truly enjoy what you do. It's a double-edged sword situation. I love coming up with new ideas, and I'm always thinking of new ways to make my/our lessons more dynamic, but the burnout factor is a very real thing no matter how much you love what you do.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. For the most part, don't listen to everyone. I have a few people whose opinions and ideas I take seriously. But pretty much everyone who told me "something I needed to hear" or something they thought they knew better than me has failed. Literally, everyone who ever came at me with a "you know what you should do" kind of attitude had a business or a group or a big project that ultimately failed.
  2. Do what you love, and the money will follow is a great mantra to get ideas off the ground, but make a plan and execute that plan as closely as you can to how you made it. Trust yourself/planning. You were probably right.
  3. Embrace the mistakes. No one actually knows what they're doing. Part of the beauty of life and entrepreneurship is that everyone is making it up as they go along.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.soundspaceatl.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SoundSpaceATL
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soundspaceatl/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/soundspaceatl

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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