Today we’d like to introduce you to Becki Chesnes.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Contrary to many professional musicians, I didn’t grow up within a family of musicians. But we did always have music around in our house. I remember dancing in the living room to music as a young girl and attending the opera with a friend’s family when I was 5. By age 8, I was absolutely enamored with my grandparent’s baby grand piano. When 5th grade came around, I insisted on playing the flute in band because my aunt played it (and she was the coolest human ever…still is, by the way!). And my lifelong love for music and flute-playing began. Fast forward through 8 years of practice, lessons, and ensemble training, and I was a major in music industry and flute performance at the University of Southern California. I still remember the first time I set foot on USC campus. It was like going home. I remember the excitement of finding hundreds of other students interested in making music their life’s work too!
When I graduated from USC in 2006, like most music graduates, I pursued various performance gigs and started building a private teaching studio. I was lucky to get my start at the Fitton Center for Creative Arts in Hamilton near Cincinnati. I started teaching flute lessons and often my students would come in with flute maintenance issues. After years of trial and error, rather than have them take their flutes to another repair shop, I started fixing their flutes myself. After fixing a few, I figured I should get some formal training in flute repair! So, I spent some time up at the Vermont Guild of Flute Making with the founder of Landell Flutes, Mr. Jonathon Landell. And then, I officially kicked off a flute repair business out of my house. I used to fix my student’s flutes on the dining room table! Shortly after that, I decided it made sense to acquire some pre-owned flutes, fix them up and resell them. After about 6 months of doing all of this from home, things were getting unruly – repair in the dining room and sales/lessons in my upstairs spare bedroom. It was time to expand!
In 2016, I struck a deal with the Fitton Center to rent a 140 SF space in their basement. It was my 140 SF of paradise. I finally got to set up a real repair bench and decided it was time to become a dealer for some of the flute makes I loved! I contacted Altus Flutes because their US distribution facility was within driving distance in Nashville, and I remembered playing on several Altus Flutes during high school and college. Lucky for me, KHS America, the Altus parent company, took a chance on me. From there, my teaching studio continued to grow and so did the repair and sales business.
By 2018, the business had grown so much, I needed a lot more space. I looked at so many spaces in the Cincinnati area! Most were too big and/or out of my budget. After a year of scouting, I got a call from the Hamilton Economic Development Department. They had a space in mind in the Main Street District of Hamilton that they thought might fit what I was seeking. I raced over to D Street to check it out. I barely managed to lease the space before another company! That space is the current location of TFS. There are four rooms – one for rehearsals with piano, one for product inventory as the showroom, one for lessons and classes (and laughter, fun, critical thinking, amazing flute sounds…), and the repair room where flutes come back to life!
Once I had space for more flutes, I formed additional dealer relationships with Wm S Haynes Co and Verne.Q Powell Flutes, two of the most legendary flute companies in the business in addition to innovative Guo Flutes in Taiwan. And more on the way thanks to funding from the Small Business Administration.
I am incredibly grateful for all the help I have received and continue to receive to make The Flute Shop everything it is! I could not have made it through the pandemic without my fiercely loyal students who hung in there with remote lessons off and on over the last two years. I’ve got some big growth initiatives planned for 2022, and can’t wait to see where those take TFS.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I grin thinking about the idea of a small business start-up with a smooth road to success. Like 99.9% of other startups, The Flute Shop has had its challenges. Getting small business funding in the US is frustrating and nonsensical. I’m happy to say that I think the Small Business Administration is moving in the right direction. I have had success with them recently, and it is such a relief.
I also still self-fund much of the working capital TFS utilizes through a corporate role. Working a full-time job at another business and running your own business is exhausting!
Other challenges have been finding my target customers. In such a niche industry, that can be difficult. I have been lucky that folks have found me through word of mouth and Google. I continue to pursue new marketing strategies for faster growth.
I always tell people that having a business startup is similar to having a really demanding baby. It needs what it needs when it needs it with no apologies! But it is also the best thing I have ever done; I have an absolute blast being a boss lady and crafting my company’s future.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a true flute specialist, meaning I only work in the flute performance/teaching/repair/sales market and no other instrument groups.
I am a freelance flutist, so I play various gigs I get hired for with orchestras and bands and for weddings. I also perform at least one recital a year, free and open to the public. I am itching to get back into a recording studio, so that is in the plans for 2022!
I am also a private lesson instructor providing one on one instruction to all levels of flutists. The curriculum at The Flute Shop is diverse and custom for each student depending on their goals. I specialize in embouchure correction/development. I know how the right development and head joint choice can dovetail together to create a unique sound for a musician. I’m very proud and flattered that my private lesson students see value in spending an hour with me every week. I love the process of getting to know all of my students and letting them get to know me. We have a lot of fun, and I hope my students look forward to their time with me each week.
And I am really proud of how I operate The Flute Shop. I like that the business is a size that allows me to focus on each client personally. The goal is to improve each client’s life through music in a personal way the way they want. My clients are the center of everything at the shop.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
For anyone who wants to start a small business… go for it! Make a plan and live out your dream! It will be a lot of work but will bring you rewards you can’t envision in the beginning.
For anyone who has a small business and is struggling, don’t forget about the network of small business owners out there who are your kindred spirits! Reach out to them to lift you up! You got this!!!
Contact Info:
- Email: Becki@tfscincy.com
- Website: TFSCincy.com
- Facebook: www.Facebook.com/TFSCincy
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTI1Eas2ZyUOnQAFef4MPpQ
Image Credits
Lowry Photography
Lemon Grenade Creative
