If you have a passion for visual art and education, starting your own painting school could be a great way to turn your passion into profit. Nowadays, more and more people are interested in finding extracurricular activities for their children, and art classes are the type of service that can appeal to students young and old. If you’re interested in starting your own painting school, there are a few things you’ll need to do before you can get to work. From finding the right supplies to business strategies that help you focus on what you do best, here’s a quick checklist to follow so you can get your school launched as quickly as possible.
Register as the appropriate business entity
The first decision you’ll need to make when determining how to start up your painting school is what kind of business structure you want to use. There are pros and cons to establishing yourself as a for-profit company versus a non-profit entity. As a for-profit company, you’ll have to pay taxes on supplies and may have others judge you a bit, but you can still provide the same kind of service to your students. As a non-profit, you’ll have more rules and regulations to stick to, but might be eligible for grants and other donations that could serve as an extra layer of financial security for your school.
Ultimately, how you decide to structure your business is up to you. You may even decide that you want to pursue becoming fiscally sponsored by another business such as Fractured Atlas as you work to determine whether or not you really want to function as a non-profit entity or not. Make sure to read up about any local statutes that come with launching your own business to make sure that you’re following all appropriate guidelines as you get ready to teach!
Buy the supplies you’ll need to succeed
As an educator, you’ll need to be sure that you’ve got the equipment and supplies necessary to conduct classes. When it comes to finding a great painting kit for beginning students as well as those with intermediate painting experience, PaintLoose is an excellent resource. PaintLoose offers all-in-one acrylic paint sets featuring paints, canvas, brushes, and more. All of these tools will make it easy to teach your students the basics of painting, while also ensuring that each student has consistent supplies.
Another benefit of PaintLoose for art teachers is the ability to access different DIY projects. Especially if you need a little inspiration in order to spice up your class, PaintLoose’s easy-to-follow tutorials are perfect to introduce to your students. From leaf painting to abstract exercises, you’ll be grateful to have PaintLoose to help you plan your lesson plans each week.
Outsource the services you’d rather not deal with
Running a business is a lot of work. So is teaching. This combination can make it difficult to balance the administrative and pedagogical demands of running your own art school; however, it doesn’t have to be that hard! If you outsource the services that you’d rather not have on your plate, you’ll be able to focus on the aspects of your business that you most excel at.
One of the most common services you may want to outsource is accounting and payroll. Especially if you’ve hired other teaching artists, having payroll handled consistently and on-time can be a great way to keep excellent teachers. A business like Smartpayables can help you in a variety of ways. Offering check printing online and direct deposit services, Smartpayables makes it easier than ever to automate your payroll, so you can focus on attracting and keeping high-quality art educators.
