We recently connected with Jodie Fox and have shared our conversation below.

Jodie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today. Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken to sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?

I remain incredibly grateful to be a business owner and reflect daily on how fortunate I am to work in the music profession. Teaching piano, voice, and guitar to students ages 5 to 95 years old is always interesting and keeps life full of variety because no two days are ever the same. As a self employed person, I enjoy being available to meet the needs to my clients while still creating a balance in my personal life.

Before building my own business, I worked a regular corporate job. I was told when and where to work, how to dress, which holidays I could take off, when to eat lunch, which clients to help, and how many sick days were permitted per year. I sacrificed four years of my life to a draining nine to five job and answering to the demands of an unappreciative boss only to earn a salary that barely covered basic living expenses. I knew there had to be a better way.
So I quit that job, booked a solo trip, and travelled around Europe for three weeks. During my adventure abroad, I took the opportunity to savor my time here on earth, to take stock of what is important to my personal and professional growth, and promised myself I would never again put my spirit in a cage for the sake of a salary.

Safe to say I work harder for myself because 100% of my effort is invested in helping my clients achieve their goals, instead of being micromanaged by a supervisor. I can work as late or early as I wish, take a sick day, book a vacation without worry over approved PTO, take a long lunch or, on busier days, skip lunch if I choose. In my opinion, being self employed offers a level of delicious freedom that, once tasted, one can never return to the confines of a regular job and truly be satisfied. Of course not everyone may agree with this and that’s alright, we all walk our different paths. But I’m a fourth generation entrepreneur, so being a business owner must be in my blood!

Jodie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I began my musical journey at the age of five with piano lessons and became instantly hooked – I was in love with music! In middle school and high school, I learned to sing as well as play the flute and tenor saxophone. As an adult, I’m proud to be a self-taught guitarist and ukulele player.

After earning my Bachelor’s degree in Theatre with a focus in vocal performance from Indiana State University, I went on to receive my Master’s Degree from Hamline University. With several years of teaching experience, I can say I truly enjoy helping students of all ages and abilities achieve their musical dreams. I am lucky beyond measure to teach piano, voice, and guitar lessons to some of the most amazing people on the planet. Our lessons are safe places where mistakes are welcome, the space is infused with tons of positive energy, and so many moments filled with laughter. The most important aspect of my brand is: I love what I do!

I perform live at various venues locally and sang for one season with the Naples Philharmonic Chorus.
What sets me apart from other music instructors/music schools is I not only teach but I also compose and record my own original music. I built a small recording studio and have been helping my students write and record their music as well.
My original songs can be heard on Spotify, Pandora, YouTube, Apple Music and Bandcamp

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

Before becoming a vocal coach, I worked as the Musical Director for a local production of Little Shop of Horrors. One of the main characters was having trouble with his solo. His mother asked me to work with him on his voice outside of rehearsal so she booked me for an hour. I was ecstatic- it was my first private student! The session went well and he began regular private voice lessons with me.

This young man was able to apply what I taught him about vocal warm ups, placement, breath control and he absolutely nailed his solo. The night of the show he even got a standing ovation!

Soon after, with only word of mouth referrals, my music business quickly ballooned from one client to over sixty clients within a short amount of time.

What did your parents do right?

Contact Info:

• Website: www.JodieFoxMusic.com
• Instagram: @JodieFoxCostello
• Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2tZI8LmNSbLf3ckum34OVA?si=kMQ486KbR5yiE4ip7nxbRQ

Image Credits
Stephen Orsillo