We had the good fortune of connecting with Maria Connors and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Maria, do you have a favorite quote or affirmation?
“You’ve done it before and you can do it now. See the positive possibilities. Redirect the substantial energy of your frustration and turn it into positive, effective, unstoppable determination.” – Ralph Marston There are many scary moments that come along with starting your own business. There are many potential risks, failures, disappointment, and some serious stress. I have found that if I turn my fears into courage and positive energy, I have the strength to push through instead of caving in, I can accomplish anything! Owning your own business requires a strong backbone. Whenever I feel like I will fail, I read this quote, and it helps me to remember to channel my energy into success.
Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
This is VIP’s Mission statement: Music is life. This is the fundamental idea behind VIP School of Music. Every tool gained from understanding the language of music, performance, and creation, can be applied to life. If one develops the skills and character needed to be a proficient and successful musician, every single one of these attributes can be applied to a multitude of life’s circumstances. Through music education we are given the personal tools that will help us to become better at living. The ultimate goal is teaching us how to be the best us, which makes our communities thrive, and can make the world a better place for all. At VIP we give students of all ages a comforting, kind, safe place to learn and express through music. We strive to teach music as a trade that can be learned and maintained throughout life. Anyone that takes time to learn music has developed a skill that can be utilized in many ways for the rest of life. Creating a business is never easy. The best way to push through the challenges is to not allow fear to take over. You have to push through all discomfort, believing in what you are trying to do so much that the fear disappears. You also can not be too proud to take help. If someone comes a long that wants to contribute to, and nurture your dream, allow them to! More than anything, I would like the world to know that VIP School of Music is built with my whole heart. I care tremendously for every person that walks through my door. I am here to serve you to the best of my ability. There will always be growth, as a musician, but also as a human. I will give it ALL! This is the legacy I hope to leave behind. LOVE.
Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Fortunately for me, I live in beautiful San Diego, so there are MANY options for this! If I had an entire week to spend with someone in my city, I would definitely start with the beach. Paddle boarding in Mission Bay, drum circles in Ocean Beach, Live music at 710 Beach Club in Pacific Beach, Winston’s in OB, something at the Belly Up in Solana Beach, and deep sea fishing off of Fisherman’s Landing to hopefully catch some blue fin tuna. There are endless places to eat and drink, so that is difficult for me to narrow down, but we would easily find awesome spots around each of these locations. We would have to get some really good and authentic Mexican food at some point though. We could take a trip out to the desert, or up to the mountains. The week would be filled with lots of outdoor activities, music, food, and relaxation.
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I have had the good fortune of many genuine supporters through my journey. My biggest shoutout goes to Daniel Hall. As my business partner, he has abundantly helped me with building the studio, making important decisions, providing new opportunities and experiences for our students, and he constantly reminds me that I am capable. I also must give tremendous love to Sue and Jim Battisti for allowing me to live in their home while I worked to build this business and my future. I would have nothing without you and I owe it all!! Finally, to my VIP instructors and customers. I am so fortunate to be surrounded by loving, kind, open, giving humans that allow me to be part of their village. You are all my family!
Website: www.vipschoolofmusic.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vipschoolofmusic
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VIPSchoolofMusic
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXIHF9HMGykMgAI9dAbz-Sg
Other: www.vipstudioone.com
Image Credits
Kyle Cascante Nilda Lampitoc Anne Marie Mercurio
Nominate someone: ShoutoutSocal is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.