FINAL: Guest Post From Karen Loving in Reply to My Case Study...

Karen affirms her current practise, and looks to changes she is and can be making. There’s food for thought for other teachers here, especially those trying to survive in a small community…

***

Karen Loving

I thank you for the feedback it has been very thought provoking. I have been making notes all week and now I'm down to the wire of getting it together for you.

Yes I am content and I don't think I knew it; years ago when I was in a psyche class the prof asked what success truly means and I said contentment; so maybe I am successful. I do have a husband who shares our expenses, he wants to retire and I want to continue working and increase my revenue.

However my success drivers are $ and helping others find contentment and realize nothing is out of their reach - there is a choice in how you live your life, and I continue to give clients that encouragement through our work together, and live it myself.

My clients are mostly women over 55 who have been with me for 5-10 years (20% of my client base); and I want those who have the willingness to change and the commitment to do so; therefore, I think narrowing my niche to women over 55 who are alternative thinkers, tired of the tried and true.  Those who want to stay young and flexible by committing to learn about their bodies and how consciousness affects everything they do in life. That depicts me as well, I have always preferred to stay on the edge.

Because of my small community, I have taught yoga, group AT classes (Titled Healthy Aging not Alexander Technique), and also do CranioSacral therapy to broaden my base, I am now realizing that my Alexander Technique business is growing, and I feel that is because of Jeremy's blog advice. And yes some of my clients come for CranioSacral however, they get an Alexander Technique lesson at the end, my Alexander Technique clients get the reverse, after they work; a table turn and then we review the "work" we did at the beginning of the lesson. And yes they come back, and maybe it is the nurturing part, I'm  fine with that.

I have several mentors who are not Alexander Technique teachers and they give me great insight as to what the person who knows nothing about the work wants to hear...how to solve their problem. My website designer and social media consultant, held me to the language when I so wanted to use Alexander Technique jargon.  She said you want lots of videos and photos, very little text and a blog that teaches something. She definitely knows more than I do, as I get lost in my AT world, expecting others to know what I am talking about!

New clients can go to my website and contact me and I then get their email or I have sent out several Mail Chimp emails to ask my current clients to sign up for my blog, also new clients are asked to join my blog for ideas they can use between sessions. It is part of the lesson requirements.

I realize my free reading group is not a back end business, and am excited about the idea of Alexander Yoga, and I plan on implementing that in my next session, with the value added upgrade, don't know if the market can stand $185, so working on the numbers. My yoga classes pay my rent in both offices so that is perfect for me. If a yoga student is having difficulty in class I suggest they do some private AT lessons.

Stories that bind me are that I am someone who comes from the fear of "lack" and I left a high paying corporate job 20 years ago and took a path in the complete other direction, I thought the same money would come since what I am now doing is much more amazing and wonderful and I was going to change the world too! I found out otherwise and also blamed the Alexander Technique work as too hard to explain. (Wasn't my fault!!!), now I have found if I market from a place of fear I keep clients away, if I market consistently and not attach to the "results", business rolls in. Familiar? So I am continuing to keep from feeling that if don't see so many clients a week that I'm going to be standing on the street corner with a cup.

I feel I am too empathetic with my clients and share too much of my personal story, we always become very close friends as I feel my work is very intimate and clients open up, feel safe; they comment on my teaching space in that way quite often. I am creating that connection very well.

I am going to change the heading on my website to: I love people and want to see them move forward and grow into who they are and can be.

I love working with musicians and performers, we have a newly restored theater in our small town that will draw many traveling acts and I intend to offer my skills by advertising in their program and on their bulletin board that I am available, have recently been in contact with the young artist orchestras.

TOMORROW: Going on to WorkStep Three – Location. Where will BCLA be? Where will you be?

Your comment will get more feedback if you post it directly to my new FaceBook page at: http://www.facebook.com/AlexanderTechniqueCareerSuccess