The Biggest Business Mistake of Alexander Technique Teachers: 2nd Letter To BodyChance Students

Imagine you are a new Alexander Technique student, full of energy and passion, planning a future as a teacher. These are my letters to those real people in Japan today…

Letters To BodyChance Students

SUBJECT: The Biggest Business Mistake Made By Unsuccessful Alexander Technique Teachers.

Dear Seito-san,

In my last letter, I broke the news that by deciding to become a BodyChance teacher of Alexander Technique, you are simultaneously deciding to become a small business owner. One day you are going to open a shop! (i.e. your studio).

Wake up every morning and say that to your Self: “I am becoming a small business owner.”

The statistics for the survival of small businesses are appalling. They vary, but what seems common is that within 5 years around 80% of small businesses will fail. So your chances for success in business are already low. The odds are stacked against you. But 20% do succeed, and at BodyChance I am dedicated to making sure you are part of that 20%.

So what is needed to survive?

The answer is simple – passion. What is passion? It is energy. It is the ability to fail 100 times, and still say “Let’s see if there’s another way I could do this.” It’s possessing the conviction that come what may, you will never give up. People with that passionate determination succeed in business.

I know you already have passion. You must do. Why else would you commit your Self to spend so much time and money being educated in a profession that is still in it’s nascence? So great – you have passion. What’s next?

How will you direct your passion?

This is where most Alexander Technique teachers fail. It is where most small businesses fail. You make a fundamental marketing mistake: you assume your potential customers have the same passion that you do. WRONG!

Take some time to look around at web sites of Alexander Technique teachers and one thing will strike you clearly: they are all selling Alexander Technique. But here’s a question they forgot to ask: is there a market for Alexander Technique? The answer is no, there isn’t. Not in the same way that there is a market for doctors for example, or bread. Most people, repeat MOST people, have not heard of Alexander Technique, and certainly do not care one little bit about it. You are unlikely to receive any of their hard earned money.

There is a much better question to ask. This question sounds almost the same as the one above, but it is fundamentally different. This question will lead you towards success, not failure. Write this question down, and start asking it every day:

“Is there a market for the kind of problems that Alexander Technique can solve?”

Is there? What? What problems did Alexander Technique help you with? Start making a list, and watch out for my next letter on your next step to becoming a successful small business owner.

cheerfully

Jeremy

BodyChance Education Director

PS. It took me 36 years before I started BodyChance, so I have already made enough mistakes for both of us. Keep reading my letters to save your Self a lot of time and angst. You can graduate from BodyChance with people already clamouring to take your sessions…