Mr. Man has not changed much since he last became a Top Pro winner. While he is still passionate about teaching, Mr. Man has become more mature and wiser, not only because he is now his own boss, but also because of his new role as a father. His knowledge of the market and industry has been instrumental to his success and transformation from a piano teacher to the owner of several music centers.
【Top Pro 2024】Mr. Man on the Passion for Music & Teaching
Updated: Jan 12 2024
【Top Pro 2024】Mr. Man on the Passion for Music & Teaching
An Unmanned Music Center with Limited Expenses
While there are many choices on the market, Mr. Man runs a series of “unmanned music center” that requires no staff on site, not even a receptionist. The centers run on an O2O (Online to Offline) model that allows students to schedule their lessons in advance by picking the time slot and teacher online and then just arrive at the center at the scheduled time. This arrangement can save both teachers and students the hassle of administrative work and spend more time on teaching and learning.
The idea of an “unmanned music center” was inspired by Mr. Man’s own teaching experience where he and his students were constantly struggling with the restrictions of fixed time schedules and arrangements offered by traditional music centers. While teaching at a traditional music center lacks flexibility, the alternative of working as a freelance piano teacher means an unstable income, that’s why he came up with the idea of an “unmanned music center”, a solution that offers the best of both worlds.
An Innovative Model that has Earned Rave Reviews
An “unmanned music center” can minimize daily expenses and provide more flexibility for both teachers and students. Mr. Man shared, “Everyone loves the idea, but it is more important to build trust with all the teachers.” Establishing good collaborations has helped Mr. Man expand his business and he now has branches in both Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. His music centers offer a great variety of lessons, including singing, saxophone, piano, harp, cello, viola, violin, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, ukulele, flute, and drums.
The involvement of the teachers has definitely contributed to such diversity, but the pandemic was the catalyst that brought everything together. He recalled, “Many music teachers were having trouble recruiting students during the pandemic, so I decided to invite them to join my new venture.”
Despite his wish to help other colleagues, Mr. Man is never sloppy when it comes to hiring and places great importance on reliability. While credentials and teaching experience matter, Mr. Man likes to rely on referrals and hire those who have a passion for teaching.
“Everyone loves the idea, but it is more important to build trust with all the teachers.”
Becoming a Role Model
Seeing himself as a full-time piano teacher and a part time businessman, Mr. Man still teaches piano from time to time and tries his best to share his passion for teaching with his colleagues.
Since he is completely new to running a business, Mr. Man doesn’t dare to slack off and has joined various networking groups to seek resources and assistance. In addition, an unmanned music center doesn’t require too much capital, meaning Mr. Man has one less thing to worry about and can give his full attention to operations.
Ever being the owner of several music centers,Mr. Man still teaches piano from time to time and tries his best to share his passion for teaching with his colleagues.
Tips from the Expert
When asked about the secret to his success, Mr. Man said that there was no mystery, all he did was monitor market trends closely and conduct extensive research. He explained, “I don’t mind sharing my business model because it’s no rocket science, what matters the most is building trust, maintaining a good reputation, and seeing things from the client’s and partner’s perspective. Even till this day, I am still very hands-on and would personally attend all my client meetings.”
