Learning the cello & building a business that lasts

Did you know that learning the cello can help you build a business that lasts?

It’s true. A lot of the skills that is required to build a business can be developed and strengthened by learning the cello. Keep reading to find out how!

First, a bit of background on how I discovered this with two stories.

I have been a cellist for about 2 decades now, and an entrepreneur since the age of 18. In that time my passion for the cello and for business slowly intertwined till today, where I strongly believe that a hobby of playing the cello could actually be a catalyst for greater success in your business! It is an essential atomic habit that can change the projection of your business.

Story of why I play the cello:

I first started the cello after watching my mom start it as an adult. I was a pretty rambunctious kid, and my mom would find herself tied to the banister with her bath robe ties in some kind of elaborate swing when she was done practicing. We were all pretty close, and after my older sister started lessons and I wanted to be like her, I started the cello when I was 5. We had been taking music since we were 3 years old in a fantastic program called Music for Young Children or MYC. So learning an instrument was the natural next step. We started taking lessons on a weekly basis, and practicing was a struggle for me for a long time. From age 5 till 13 I did not own the responsibility of practicing and I actually almost quit when I was 13. It was middle of February. At the beginning of March I would be playing in our yearly music festival, and true to form, I was not quite ready. My pieces were not memorized yet and I was so stressed I was honestly considering just quitting here and there and pursuing a career in Classical Ballet, which was my other main activity as a kid. But the next day I was sitting down with my cello, alone in my rose themed room and got lost in the music. I was playing a piece called Lights and Shadows by Rudolph Matz and it is what we call a character piece. It was about 6-7 movements, all telling the story of a different character. The first movement is very… second movement…. etc. and I felt heard. I was all alone, but I felt understood. My future without the cello in it flashed before me, and I could not imagine my life without the sound of the cello in it. The cello is my creative voice, and the way I feel most content expressing myself. It was directed my “inner voice” and that is why I created Inner Voice Institute of Music. So that I can give adults the opportunity to discover their own inner musical voice, that is lying dormant. It is SO POSSIBLE for you too to be musical and have a way to express your most intense feelings through music. So to come back to why I play the cello, simply it is about the sound. I cannot imagine my life without the sound. It is like liquid gold you can spin and sculpt in the air.

Story of Inner Voice Institute of Music:

So I have been a cellist for about 2 decades, and an entrepreneur since the age of 18. In those years my cello career and business career slowly came together into one. My first business was as a consultant for a skin care company. This gave me a taste of entrepreneurship and the freedom in building a business. Now something that is incredibly important to me is building a business that lasts. Because if it does not last, what is the purpose of it? If it does not last it cannot give you freedom. A business mentor recently told me that you need to look into the future by about a decade and ask yourself if you can see yourself doing the same thing you are doing now, then. And my answer to that question about 2 years ago was, no, I did not want to be selling skincare in a decade’s time no matter how incredible that business was set up! While I learn a lot about business, sales, marketing and brand building in those first few years, it wasn’t a business that was my own. I wanted to have a business where I was in control of the products, the goals, the sales periods and what it stood for. I will forever be grateful for that first business because of what I learned, but it just wasn’t the right one for me. I needed it at that time of my life to start developing the mindset that things that are worth it take time, effort, resilience and grit.

I always loved teaching music, having started when I was around age 15 and eventually started teaching lessons online in October of 2020 during the first year of the pandemic. By February of 2021 my studio was completely full, and for the first time I started becoming the teacher I always knew I was capable of being.

I kept the idea of being a business owner, not just self employed in the back of my head, and one day came upon some research in the online education industry. I realized that I was already doing this, just on a 1:1 level. What if I could expand the curriculum I had spent the last several years creating into a platform that duplicated myself? That’s where the idea to create a cello course first came about. So in September of 2021 Inner Voice Institute of Music was born, and in July of 2022 I taught Simply Sound Foundations of Cello for the first time. As my focus slowly switched to specializing in adult education, so did my focus on how the cello builds fundamental life skills + character traits came to light. I realized that I was teaching my students how to be patient, resilient, build confidence in themselves and their abilities, and build mental toughness. I realized that those were the exact same skills I needed as a brand new business owner.

From there I have been teaching adult students to develop life skills through the cello. It all starts with developing your brain health. So here is a list of character traits that when developed through the cello can directly impact the profitability and longevity of your business.

A few overlapping character traits needed for a successful business:

• resilience
• patience
• grit
• self discipline
• not quitting / playing the long game

The brain is developed in the same way muscles are strengthened. You have to put in the reps, push through even when you don’t feel like it, and over time the muscle fibres are broken down, repaired and end up being stronger than before. It is the same way with developing character traits listed above. The more opportunities and ways that you can learn patience for example will give you the muscle of extraordinary patience as you work your business.

I know what you might be thinking, why can’t I just learn those traits by working my business?

That is such a great thought because your time is so valuable. You want everything you do to be truly worth it, and I get that on a deep level being a business owner myself.

Let me explain. When you subject your brain to multiple methods of learning patience you actually grow in that area faster. It is the same as doing pushups to strengthen your pecs, as well as doing chest presses. They are two different movements that work similar muscle groups, but when put together, you are a well rounded athlete.

Here’s the best part about developing these character traits by using the cello AS WELL AS developing them by doing business: You get to have a habit that relaxes your brain and gives you an emotional outlet. Your 15 minute practice routine can be a way to ground yourself, give your emotions a way to flow and you’ll come away more creative and able to think clearer.

That is why this habit can truly make everything else better in your life, it can be the catalyst that starts the ball rolling in the right direction each day. Just imagine what your days would be like if you start it with a habit that develops your brain, resets your creativity stores, and energizes your focus levels! Spending your precious time on a hobby that actually makes you a better business owner is what you want, isn’t it?

Being able to run + scale a business over the long run requires having habits in place to prevent burn out.

If you work and think and breathe business every day, all day, it can be hard to stay energized. While there are seasons where this is necessary, there is absolutely a way that you don't have to burn out from this high work load. Burn out could mean a lack of creativity, difficulty with problem solving and every problem feeling like an unscalable mountain. Having a daily habit of cello practice gives you a quick way to both refresh and build your brain so that you have renewed mental capacity. In fact, it builds the part of the brain responsible for creativity, so when you sit down to work again you will find you are more creative even though it is the end of a long day, week or even season. As a business owner you know that your time is precious, so why not relax & refresh your mind in a way that actually develops core skills to build a business that lasts!

If this hit for you and you would like to explore it further with me, go ahead and book a free discovery call. I would love to chat with you to see if the cello can work in your specific season!

CLICK HERE to book the call!