Let’s start with a slightly uncomfortable question.
Are you paying rent on a space that only makes you money part time?
Because your landlord is not offering a “closed on Tuesdays” discount. 😅
Every month, you pay for 24 hours a day. Lights on or off. Brushes drying or not. Kiln running or silent. The lease does not care if you needed a break.
But your revenue does.
And this is where most studio owners quietly lose thousands without realizing it.
You did not open your studio to chain yourself to it.
You want:
You do not want burnout as your main product line. 🔥
So you shrink your hours. Thirty six hours a week feels reasonable. Sustainable. Healthy.
But here is the problem.
If your studio is only open 36 hours a week, you are operating at the low end of industry averages. Fewer hours means fewer opportunities for customers to spend money with you.
That means:
In other words, fewer dollars.
And you are still paying for the space all 168 hours of the week.
Imagine this.
You close two extra days a week to protect your energy. Totally fair.
But what if those two days could generate even a modest $600 to $1,200 each through structured events?
That is potentially $5,000 to $10,000 a month left on the table.
Not because your product is weak.
Not because your marketing is broken.
But because your doors are locked. 🚪
This is not about grinding harder.
This is about being strategic with the asset you already pay for.
Before you panic and think, “Great, now I have to be open seven days a week,” relax.
Expanding your hours does not mean swinging the doors open wide and hoping for the best.
The smartest studios test new hours with events.
Want to open Tuesdays?
Start with:
Want to test Wednesdays?
Run:
Let your customers adjust gradually. Train the market instead of shocking it.
Once those events gain traction, those “test days” can naturally transition into regular open hours. By then, you are not guessing. You are responding to proven demand. 📈
That is how you grow without burning out.
The more hours you are available to accept money, the more stable your revenue becomes.
And stability is not just about income.
It is about predictability.
The more consistent your schedule, the easier it is for customers to form habits around visiting you. Habits are gold in a retail and event driven studio. Habits turn into community. Community turns into repeat revenue. 💛
Training the market takes time.
Events are your shortcut.
Holidays are your accelerator.
You already pay for the space. The goal is to maximize the value of every hour it exists.
Here is the deeper question.
Is your studio structured to support you as a legitimate source of income?
Or is it absorbing massive energy while delivering low returns?
For studio owners, entrepreneurs, and women owned companies who want a real business that can support retirement, long term wealth, and the ability to live life on her own terms, this is not just about hours.
It is about:
At pyop accounting, we believe your business’s job is to support you as you support it.
That means making your studio a main source of income and a worthy investment.
Because life is too short for low returns on big energy. ⚡
If you suspect your studio business open hours are quietly costing you thousands, it may be time to look at your calendar like a CFO, not just an artist.
And when you do, you might discover that the easiest revenue increase is not a new product.
It is unlocking the door. 🔓
Please follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Please make sure to check out our blog and our website link below. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell to be notified when we post. You can email me at donna@pyopaccounting.com.
Donna Bordeaux, CPA with PYOPAccounting.com
Creativity and CPAs don’t generally go together. Most people think of CPAs as nerdy accountants who can’t talk with people. Well, it’s time to break that stereotype. Lively, friendly, and knowledgeable can be a part of your relationship with your CPA, as demonstrated by Donna and Chad Bordeaux. They have over 50 years of combined experience as entrepreneurial CPAs. They’ve owned businesses and helped business owners exceed their wildest dreams. They have been able to help businesses earn many times more profit than the average business in the same industry and are passionate about helping industries that help families build great memories.
