Starting Your Own Mermaid Academy

The mermaid excitement has greatly expanded over the years and now includes mermaids in artwork, movies, books, and so much more. So much in fact, that theme parks and other places have started including live mermaid entertainment in the form of live shows. Some people have even started teaching others how to swim as mermaids through mermaid academies. If you're a great mermaid and have been looking to teach others, this article on how to start your own mermaid academy may be very interesting and informative to you.

Opening any kind of business can be a daunting challenge to take on, but with these steps put together, learning how to start your own mermaid academy is an easy process. We break it down step by step so you can easily get your business up and running, and start teaching other mermaids how to swim in no time.

The first thing you'll need to do is plan out your business. This means so much more than knowing you're going to teach swimming in a tail. You'll need to figure out startup costs, so all of your necessary equipment, the tails for the girls, as well as how much to rent a pool large enough to teach this skill, how many days you'll need it, a place that will allow it, how much you'll charge per mermaid per lesson, if you'll offer packages, a business name and logo, your target market, and more. This is probably the most logistical part of the entire process, because you'll need to get everything laid out before you can dive into this venture. Figure out a business plan, which will also help you to get funding for the business should you need it.

Create a legal entity to protect yourself if your business is sued. Life is unpredictable and while you'll need liability insurance, and waivers, you also never want anyone to come after your business for any reason. While that isn't preventable, you can protect yourself and ensure they won't come after you personally in case anything happens. This is a relatively simple step, but definitely necessary when operating a small business.

Register for your taxes. To do this, you'll need to apply for an EIN, which is another relatively simple application and is free. Once that is complete, you can go ahead and get everything registered tax-wise for your business. This is important to get set up before you start earning money from your business.

Get a business bank account. Whether you are applying for funding in the form of a business or personal loan or you are simply using your own savings, you'll want everything in a special bank account dedicated to your business. This will help you in multiple ways. First, you'll be able to set aside the amount of money you need to get started. You'll also be able to easily determine if the cost is business or personal, which is important when it comes time to looking back at expenses for tax season. Finally, you'll also want to consider a business credit card. This is also beneficial in the case of your business being sued. If everything is together, your personal assets may be in danger, whereas if they are separate, then your personal accounts won't be included.

Keep track of your business expenses with a spreadsheet or accounting software. This again is something that you won't notice the need for until tax season. However, being accurate and having everything organized is a much better option for your business finances, and will save you a headache come tax season in the next year.

Obtain any necessary licenses and permits. Because of the nature of this company, there may be special permits, waivers, and licenses that you'll need before starting the business. Look around to see what are necessary and make sure your business is covered. If you are operating without a necessary license, you may find yourself facing a hefty fine in the future or even having to close down your business due to violations. Make sure your business has everything it needs before opening your doors.

Get insurance. This is necessary for all business owners, but especially those with something like this where there is potential for injury with your students. Make sure you have all necessary insurance to protect yourself, your swimmers, and your business.

Create and market your brand. Nowadays, you'll likely stick to mainly digital marketing, as far as social media pages, perhaps even some PPC to help get the word out. With this type of business, it could be beneficial for you to put up videos on social media and YouTube as well. This will help show that you know what you are doing and would be a great choice for your future customers as a mermaid academy teacher. This also means creating a website. You'll need a website for setting up class schedules, allowing online payment, as well as scheduling private lessons and other things. It also is a great way to share more information about your experience and what your mermaid academy has to offer the public.