Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Michael Herndon. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Michael , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

I began my own business as a private guitar instructor 9 years ago after having worked in the same capacity but for someone else’s locally owned studio. I had worked there 10 years, was well loved and had a large client base. It became clear that with changes being made within the business I would not be able to teach in the manner I wanted nor have any control over scheduling. I parted ways with the business and spent the next weekend contacting people to build my website.

Running my own business proves to be a challenge particularly in the administrative Arena. It’s not a joke that musicians are not always organized or business minded. Regardless I considered the new business to be an extension of my creativity. I was able to consult with parents and students more in depth and I was able to tailor my lesson plans uniquely to each student’s needs/ goals.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My musical Journey was almost preordained. I played violin from the age of 8 to 13. Although my parents were not musicians there was always music in the house and I learned to appreciate a vast array of styles. After the violin I began self-instruction on guitar which soon turned into formal lessons for classical guitar. After which I studied guitar and music at the college level.

The most crucial concept regarding my teaching is that it must feed the soul of the student and teacher alike. Of course this is not 100% the case but with proper and close attention one can learn how to communicate with anybody at any age. I consider music to be a healing component, a balm for depressed youth and a vital mode for self-expression in a world where the Arts continue to lose the fight against the of sports, video games and everything else.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Of course with the pandemic in 2020 everybody was pivoting. I decided to make my business advertised throughout the entire United States instead of the comparatively smaller local area. Because everybody was living on zoom and similar platforms I was able to gain a number of clients from various states which never would have happened had I not made the change to online lessons. Even now I have many of those students that I was connected to First during the pandemic. As with everything, with a little bit of troubleshooting and an open mind it was very easy to make online lessons work as effectively as in person lessons.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I think all private business owners face challenges to their resilience on a weekly basis. For me it can be dealing with a difficult parent, difficulty collecting payment. There is of course the difficulty in getting your students to practice. I felt particularly resilient during covid especially since my Pivot to online teaching was very successful.

Contact Info:

• Website: [email protected]
• Instagram: Michaelherndon827@yah
• Facebook: Mike Herndon Guitar Lessons
• Linkedin: [email protected]
• Twitter: Michaelherndon827
• Youtube: Acoustic Aesthetics
• Yelp: [email protected]
• Other: Tictok: Barathum77

Image Credits
All pictures by Michael Herndon