First Show of the Year!

We'll be in the Westcott Community Center this Saturday and Sunday for our first show of the year! Come and see our new designs, sample some of the fun foods and check out this awesome collection of local artists throughout the neighborhood.

How to Price Your Wine and Paint Classes

I had a question that I thought might help you when you are approaching local venues to pitch your class.

It's good to go in prepared, not only with your sample work, but also with a plan of how you can work together to price the classe so both you and the venue you want to teach in, will benefit.

Here is a question that Dominique asked about pricing that I thought would be helpful to anyone getting ready to approach a new place:



Q: I am starting to reach out to local wineries and wine shops to pitch them on my class. How should I price my services knowing that they will incur costs by providing their wine?
I would like to create tiered pricing packages for them...do you have any idea where I should start? I would like to make $45 per person, because I am an experienced teacher, and I will be providing all of the supplies.
   
A:  It sounds like you are off to a good start with contacting potential locations to teach. You are correct to assume that the venue wants to get something out of the class as well.
The way I approach this is to figure out how much total I need to make from the class, to cover expenses: materials, supplies, travel and my pay. I then determine a per person rate from this total.

Then I look at what the going rate is for these types of classes-in this area it's $30-$45 per person. I want to make sure my price is in line with other classes in the area.
I know that most venues want to make at least $5.00 per person and possibly more, depending on what they will provide. Some places charge a room fee, but others will take a per person rate.

I work with a restaurant where we negotiated a rate of $10 per person and they provide appetizers, pizza and a drink from the bar.

You will have to be flexible on your per person rate and work with the venue to come up with a price that works for you both, but know what YOU need going into the negotiation. You will also want to establish a minimum number of students to make sure you cover costs and make it worth your time.

You also want to ask the venue if they will do any promotion or advertising of the class as well. Some may let you put up a sign or post it on their social media page.

To create pricing tiers here are some possible options:

• Venue gets $5.00 per person and provides a drink and space (also talk up that people will likely order more drinks and food once they are there)
• Venue gets $10 per person and provides one drink and food (appetizers, lunch, etc...)
• Venue charges you the standard room rental fee is for the room (typically $50-$100) and guests buy their own food and drink from the menu or bar.

$45 is likely going to be the top price that people will pay, so you will want to be flexible and work within that as the total price charged per person for a 2-3 hour class.

Hope this helps and good luck!

*Don't forget to start creating your own mailing list of students from each event you hold. I'll send out a post on fun ways to do that soon!

ps: I'm making something special for you to answer all of your wine and paint/social art making questions. It's in the works and I can't wait to share it!

Home Painting Parties

I recently was asked a question about taking painting classes into people's homes. I think this is a great business model for your wine and paint business for two BIG reason's I'll explain below.

Q: Thank you for providing so much helpful information about starting a wine and paint business. I am a retired art teacher, who also worked part time at a Muse Paintbar so I am already at ease with the instructional part of the business. I purchased materials, easels, aprons, canvases, paint, brushes, etc. I thought I might like to do this in private homes (I come to you), but I am not sure if people are comfortable with painting in their homes. I could do small groups in my house but I have crazy dogs that jump. So, I am not exactly sure how to go about it.
 
A:  Yes, teaching in homes is totally doable and a great business model for two reasons that I love.

1. There is no overhead to pay for the space, which saves you money.
2. The Host does recruitment of students for you which saves you both the time and expense of promoting the class.

Here are a few things to consider when teaching in people's homes:

Space:
Hosts need to know what to expect as far as space considerations, tables, chairs and flooring concerns (you don't want to get paint on a pretty white carpet for example.) I typically set up in people's dining rooms and that works out well using the table top easels and plastic table cloths. Hosts will need to know what YOU provide and what THEY need to provide, so make sure this is clear. (A written agreement is always good for this.)

Pricing and Supplies:
I charge a per person rate for home parties, the same as if I'm hosting them in a public venue. My rate is $35.00 per person and I provide all of the art supplies needed including easels and aprons. I also have two 6-foot tables that can be used for seating or art supplies.

You may want to charge more if you have to travel longer distances, to account for the extra time and mileage expenses.

You may want to consider a deposit to secure the date, especially if you're booked solid and rely on the income from each party.  Be clear about what happens to the deposit if the class is cancelled by either party.

I require a minimum number  of guests to run the class and insure I cover my costs.  As far as maximums go, the host needs enough space to comfortably seat all of the guests so that can vary based on the house you're teaching in.

Getting started:
A good place to start is by having a friend host your first party and then work to build more parties from that first class. Once people attend one and have a great time, they are more likely to book a class. That's how I started.

If you ever attended a Pampered Chef Party or Lia Sophia or Tupperware even, you can take some cues from them as far as marketing goes. You want to give incentives to people in your first class to book the next class. Bring a calendar with you and if they sign up for a party in the next 2 months, they will get a special gift on the night of their party, as well as getting a free class themselves.

I also do a giveaway to sign up for my mailing list. This can be a small prize, like wine charms, a wine stopper or a bottle of wine, but the idea is to get all of the students onto your mailing list so you can contact them again in the future.

I take photos during the party and send out an email to the group following the event to keep the excitement going. You can also ask for permission to use the photos on social media or your website to promote your home parties.

I teach in-home parties for both painting and jewelry making and in 2017 these were one of my biggest money-makers. I would definitely encourage you to give it a try.

If you're not interested in hosting classes in people's homes and need more ideas about where you set up shop, visit this post.

I hope this gets you thinking about the possibilities of hosting your own in-home events. As always, if you have questions, just reply to this email and ask away!

Happy Creating!
Kelly

ps: if you're ready to start teaching your own sip and paint classes, you can get your parties started ASAP using my quick-start guide. Grab it below and join our group of merry art makers.

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