How I Bought Back My Time as a Music Educator: A Journey with SAMii

Every so often, I get inspired by a good book, a refreshing walk, or even just a coffee break, and I feel the urge to share a bit of my journey with fellow music educators. Today, I want to talk about buying back your time, inspired by the book “Buy Back Your Time.” Let me take you back to where it all started for me.

The Beginning: A Vision for More

Back in 2015, I realised that my passion for music education needed to expand beyond my small group of students. I wanted to build a platform—a school that would empower other music educators to teach various instruments, not just drums. I was already teaching drums, but I knew music education needed to encompass more—guitar, bass, keys, vocals, the works. So, I transitioned from being a solo entrepreneur to managing a team of educators. I found myself not only teaching but also handling schedules, payments, and all the administrative tasks that come with running a business.

Scaling Up: The Challenges of Growth

As my vision grew, so did the workload. I was managing multiple venues across Adelaide and beyond, covering rent, insurance, clearances, and much more for each location. My administrative duties multiplied exponentially, and I found myself bogged down in tasks I didn’t enjoy. The joy of teaching was overshadowed by the weight of managing a business. I created ETI Music—Education Through Inspiration—a programme that brought some of the biggest names in music to run workshops and courses. We had members from Pink’s band, Justin Timberlake’s band, and more. Despite these successes, the admin was relentless, and the business ran close to the line every year.

The Need for Admin Help

I hired an ex-student to help with admin tasks, but it didn’t quite work out. She was great, but admin wasn’t her passion, and the demand soon became overwhelming. So, I looked overseas and found some virtual assistants who were more suited to the job. Yet, despite all this, the system was still cumbersome. We were piecing together Excel sheets, Google Drive forms, and manual processes. I needed something more streamlined—something that didn’t just create more work for me as I tried to manage people and systems.

Enter SAMii: The Solution

I realised what I needed was to buy back my time—not just as a music educator, but as someone trying to keep the joy in teaching. That’s when the idea of SAMii was born. SAMii isn’t just software; it’s a smart, automated process that takes on the boring admin tasks that educators hate. SAMii handles scheduling, payments, and all the nitty-gritty that takes us away from our true passion—teaching.

Before SAMii, I’d written off thousands of pounds in unpaid lessons, dealt with parents not paying on time, and grappled with the complexities of upfront payments and refunds. With SAMii, those issues are a thing of the past. SAMii ensures that you get paid every week for every lesson provided—no more chasing invoices, no more unpaid lessons.

The Value of Time

The inspiration for SAMii ties back to the concept of buying back your time. As music educators, we aren’t business administrators at heart, but we end up doing the admin because it’s part of the job. SAMii simplifies that process, freeing up time and energy to focus on what we love: teaching. The goal is to ensure that music educators can hold a professional torch without the stress of the business side dragging them down.

Try SAMii Today

If you’re curious about how SAMii can work for you, I’m offering free demos. We’ve launched a new version this year, and we’re ready to help you and your students transition smoothly into Term 4. We’re even offering to onboard your students for free—a service that normally costs $700. There are no contracts, no lock-ins, and no subscriptions. 

I’ve built SAMii to be as straightforward and effective as possible because, like you, I just want to teach.

Check out the links below for a SAMii demo and a podcast about “Buy Back Your Time,” the book that kick-started this whole journey for me. My partner Michelle recommended it, and it’s been a game-changer. As music educators, we’re also entrepreneurs. We solve problems and run businesses, and it’s crucial that we learn to manage our time effectively.

Enjoy your day, and remember to spend your spare time doing what you love—not writing invoices.

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