Invest in Yourself

My family and I go to the Farmer’s Market on some Sundays starting in Spring, and I just love being in the market, reminding me of my toddler days of running a pretend store. Shopping in the Farmer’s market helps our local farmers, and we get to shop outside in the sun, and taste all the delicious local produce. I have a lot of respect for these Farmer’s Market sellers, who are proud owners of their own small businesses.

Speaking of our local community, I started my own piano business in the hope that friends and neighbors in my area will benefit from a teen who enjoys teaching, cares for them, and hopes to keep music in their lives. 

I had enjoyed playing the piano since I was introduced to it at 6 years of age, and performing in front of audiences felt natural to me too. I would however be nervous waiting my turn to play pieces such as ‘Valse Caressante’, with increasingly sweaty palms. My teacher taught me to always have tissues on hand, to keep my palms as dry as possible. And another important tip was to decompress when at the piano by wiping down the keys. It just worked like magic, I would wipe down the keys, unwind a bit, and get revved up to perform. I even performed at the Carnegie Hall in New York in the summer of 2023, with a supportive family, dressed in a beautiful gown, and armed with a lovely musical piece. It was my first trip to New York as well, so it was a trip worth remembering. What made it additionally memorable is that it felt like I had my fun with performing, and now I wanted a new challenge. 

Teaching is a learning opportunity for the teacher and for the student, said my grandma who is an accomplished Professor of Physics. So my next step looked like Piano Teaching, but with my own studio. I am an owner of a small business, where I manage all aspects of running the business: customer outreach, developing my business, creating the curriculum, managing the payments and my bank account and most importantly keeping my students motivated. 

Owning my small piano studio since early 2023 brought me customers from the ages of 6 all through the ages of 70+. I have had more than 15 students since then, and it has taught me the important qualities of empathy and patience. What I have also learned is the power of compounding. My investment in myself and my business grew with compounded results with consistent investment over the years. My money went into a bank account, and it gathered interest and every year I saw my money grow from my own business as well as with how I saved and spent. 

Owning my own business has taught me that investing in myself and my community can be fulfilling and a great learning opportunity.

Ria Kumar

March 31, 2025