Oh No, I’m Sick! Now What?

As I write this blog post, I’m fighting a terrible sore throat, cough, and runny nose. All sorts of worries are running through my head…will I need to cancel this afternoon’s lessons? What about the class I’m teaching later this week and the recordings I need to make for my students? Not to mention the performances that I have scheduled.

Getting sick is often a huge hindrance for studio owners, because in many cases, not only do we own our own businesses, but we run them single-handedly. If we can’t work. we lose income — it’s as simple as that.

So how do you handle your business when you’re under the weather? Here are a few considerations just in case you find yourself in my boat this winter.

I take all illness seriously, even the common cold. If I don’t take care of myself, I’ll just get sicker and stay that way longer, and if I continue teaching, I run the risk of spreading those germs to my students. So in most cases, I play it safe and cancel any lessons I have scheduled while I’m sick. But that doesn’t always mean losing income completely; there are a couple of alternative solutions.

• Reschedule. This is always my first choice, since the student will still receive his or her lesson as usual (just on a later date) and I still receive my income. Of course, with our busy schedules, finding make-up time can be difficult, but I use Sunday afternoons and open time slots when possible.
• Find a sub.Maybe you have other teachers in your studio, or you know of other teachers in your area looking to pick up a little extra work. I have hired subs in a few rare instances, and while it’s not my favorite alternative, this ensures that your students still receive their lessons and you still receive a little income (I keep a small percentage, just as I do with my subcontractor’s work).

On those days where I decide not to teach, I find other ways to be productive and keep my studio chugging along.

• Learn new music. I’ve got a huge stack of brand new piano music that I just haven’t had the chance to tackle yet, and now is the perfect time to do so. Just don’t forget to disinfect the piano after using it!
• Clean out the ol’ email inbox. All those unanswered emails that piled up throughout the week have now been replied to, and that’s a great feeling. I may have been a little cross-eyed last night from all those hours staring at the computer screen, but they were worth it.
• Tackle boring administrative tasks. There are many such items to do both on my computer and in my office that don’t require much thinking at all: sending out invoices, schedule reminders, writing holiday thank you cards, and other such tasks. Even when my head isn’t so clear, I’m able to cross a lot of these items off my list.
• Above all else, REST! I always make sure not to go overboard. I take plenty of naps, drink hot tea with honey and lemon, and used my voice as little as possible.

Battling sickness can be frustrating and downright maddening for us business owners, but unfortunately, it’s bound to happen from time to time. Let’s raise our cups of tea and toast to a (hopefully) healthy winter season!