3 Books That Helped Me Become a Better Teacher and Business Owner

When I first opened my studio several years ago, I knew I was going to need a lot of help. Teaching would be the easy part; it was running a business that overwhelmed me.

Having never taken a business course in my life, I dove into blogs and books that could help fill in the missing pieces of the puzzle.

Many of the books I’ve read have had a profound influence on the way I run my business, but there are a few that have positively affected not only my studio operation, but also my teaching. Here are three that I’d recommend to any teacher and studio owner.

1. The Art of Non-Conformity (Chris Guillebeau) I first discovered Chris’ writing via his blog. His essays about living the life you want to live without conforming to rules or social expectations really stuck with me, so of course I purchased the book the day it came out. The underlying message is that “you don’t have to live your life the way other people expect you to” — which I applied directly to my teaching. For so long, I compared myself to other teachers, including their studio size, skill level, teaching methods. Reading this book caused me to stop comparing and create my own rules.
2. Evil Plans (Hugh MacLeod) The author defines an evil plan as “a crazy, out-there idea that allows you to ACTUALLY start doing something you love, doing something that matters.” I devoured this book in one sitting, and it gave me the push I needed to put my evil plan into action. I put in my resignation at my full-time job so that I could expand my part-time studio, and haven’t yet looked back.
3. Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh) I found out that I had a lot to learn from the founder and CEO of a multi-billion dollar online shoe retailer, mainly in the arena of customer service. My students and their families are everything to me as a teacher and business owner, and I took away from this book countless ideas for providing them with even higher quality services.

Have you read any books lately that have helped you grow as a teacher and/or studio owner? If so, please share them in the comments; I’d love to add them to my own reading list!