In not so distant times, in our country there were a large number of various leisure facilities for children and adults, in which classes were free. And then it was difficult for us to imagine that you can make money on this. Of course, over the past two decades, the situation on the educational services market has changed dramatically. Some people, keen on some business, want their hobbies to bring good profit, others find time and money in order to learn something new. However, in general, the market for educational services remains relatively narrow.
According to experts, it is most profitable to open language schools and leisure facilities (clubs, early development centers, courses) for preschool children. Does this mean that any other non-linguistic schools and studios designed for an adult audience are obviously unprofitable enterprises? In fact, it all depends on the degree of your passion for your hobby and involvement in your business.
The main success factors of your institution: the right direction, the high level of teaching, the convenient location and the appropriate time for classes, competent promotion and ... the opportunity for some time (at least the first six months) to work at a loss. The choice of direction depends on your interests. As a rule, such schools "grow out" of the hobby of one person who is so keen on him that he decides to turn him into his work and into his main source of income. Such a hobby can be exotic (for example, making sugar flowers, rag dolls or decorating cakes) or it can be quite ordinary, but it requires a certain training base. The latter include drawing.
Fine art studios exist in every city. But many do not even suspect their existence. Some of these schools have miraculously survived and are barely making ends meet, working on the basis of municipal institutions. Some of the studios soon after their opening significantly expanded their "specialization" and relied on children's audiences. However, as the experience of a few successful entrepreneurs - owners of art studios shows, the idea of such a business is quite viable in itself. But you need to start not with the preparation of a business plan, search for premises and registration of the company. First of all, it is necessary to develop a training program and test it on the “test group”. The program in this case is of fundamental importance.
Of course, there are a large number of ready-made programs for the course of design drawing, pastel drawing, the basics of composition, landscape, animal painting, graphics, watercolors, general painting lessons, pencil drawing, etc. And they are all built on the same scheme. But if possible, it is better to expand the proposed choice. For example, you can teach children, adolescents and adults the basics of animated drawing, etc. The only difficulty is to find artist teachers who can conduct such classes.
Experts advise to focus not on long courses, but on short-term classes. For example, in Moscow art studios one course may consist of five lessons of an hour or two each. Moreover, the cost of one such lesson is 1000-1500 rubles in the capital. For those who want to study drawing in more depth, courses are offered for a month, six months and a year (but the latter options are rare). All these disciplines are studied both in a group according to a pre-compiled schedule, and individually. In the first case, the schedule is drawn up in such a way as to take all the time from morning to evening. In the morning hours, usually children of preschool age are engaged, in the afternoon - schoolchildren, and in the evening after work - adults.
Well, if you have an art education, you can draw yourself and love to educate others. In this case, you will be able to draw up teaching programs yourself and test them on your students. If not, you will have to look for someone who can do all this. Obviously, the costs in the second case will be much larger. In addition, there is always a risk that your teacher will quit at any time and open his own studio.
How to evaluate the quality of the educational program? First of all, theory and practice should alternate in the classes (it is impossible to draw well, not knowing the theory, just as impossible, by studying theory alone, to learn how to draw), all theoretical points should be explained as simply and easily as possible. If your course involves about 5-10 classes, then after the first 2-3 classes, certain successes of your students should be noticeable. Which ones are better to determine in advance and voice them to your customers. Drawing courses need to be structured in such a way that, on the one hand, your students, who spent some time in your studio, can continue their studies, improving their technique, and on the other, so that anyone who wants to, regardless of skills and preparation, can join classes in studios.
Train people in different directions. Try to ensure that your program includes not only drawing, graphics and painting, but also applied art. For example, you can teach modeling, metal work, applications, patchwork, etc. Far from every direction is sure to turn into a whole course. Many of them may limit themselves to master classes and workshops. Focus on the creative component. Many art studios organize art therapy classes in conjunction with psychological centers, and they are very popular.
The choice of premises, of course, is of great importance. But if you plan to make more profit from the work of your art studio, then you will have to choose areas for classes based on the cost of rent and your income. The group deals from 3 to 10 people. But the average number of adult students in one lesson is 5-6. The cost of a two-hour lesson for adults is, depending on the region and program, from 250 to 1500 rubles. The cost of a subscription for several classes at once is 20-25% less than paying for each lesson separately. A certain part of this amount (up to 50%) is received by the teacher. Thus, if you work independently, then your profit will be at least 750 rubles per hour of classes (in the regions).
Most likely, you will be able to conduct only three hours of classes per day (one hour in the morning, afternoon and evening). Moreover, you should not count on a full load and a five-day working week from the very beginning of work. Thus, the area rented for an art studio should satisfy the following requirements (in order of priority): low rental cost, availability of conditions for classes (without the need to make repairs at your own expense and, ideally, purchase training equipment), convenient location - close to transport interchanges.
Since even to accommodate five people with easels, an area of at least 30 square meters is required. meters, and the repair of a large area and / or its re-equipment will cost a lot of money, the best option is to rent a room in a school, a leisure center, etc. Recently, “coworking” centers are gaining popularity when several people (usually tutors, teachers and even doctors, etc.) rent a suitable room into a pool and take classes there in turn. For example, from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. classes in this room with a speech therapist are held, from 10.30 a.m. to 11.30 a.m. drawing lessons are held, from 12.00 a.m. to 1 p.m. foreign language courses, etc. This form is still new and unusual for our country (especially for the regions ), but it has already been tested and has proven itself in large cities. True, for the art studio this option is the least convenient, since the teacher will have to move furniture, arrange easels, and prepare the props before and after each lesson. But it will significantly save on rent and quickly reach the level of self-sufficiency.
What exactly cannot be saved, it’s on easels, paper, brushes, paints, pencils, etc. Even if it is assumed that your students will come to classes with their materials, you need to have a “strategic supply” for the forgetful and beginners. Many studios open mini-shops where a large selection of products for painting in particular and creativity in general is presented.
Registering your business is best as an IP. Of course, if you plan to engage in vocational education and to issue diplomas to graduates, you will have to register as a NOW and receive a license for educational activities. But drawing in the studios, as a rule, is done as a hobby, so the most optimal legal form in this case is an individual entrepreneur.
In addition to standard advertising (leaflets, advertisements in newspapers, on local sites and forums, information in catalogs and on bulletin boards), various PR methods must be actively used. Organize exhibitions (of your own and independent artists), invite journalists to various events, hold open lessons, arrange and take part in competitions. If there is time and opportunity, make your own website or at least start a blog where you will upload photos from classes, schedules, tips and tricks for aspiring artists.
In the future, when your income allows you to invest more money in advertising, you can offer gift cards for a certain course for sale, order souvenir products with the logo of your studio (for example, one Moscow art studio distributes branded pencils as souvenirs).
The majority of visitors to classes in art studios are children of preschool and primary school age, as well as women from 35 years of age and older. Despite the fact that the studios work year-round, most of the potential students come in early autumn. In winter, many leave or interrupt classes, especially if the studio is quite far from them and the road takes a lot of time. In the summer, you should not expect a big influx either: children and adults go on vacation and on vacation. Thus, most students fall on the period from September to December and from February to May.
Sysoeva Lilia
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