Meet Carmen Guinto: Owner of Bach to Rock Alpharetta Music School, Small Business Consultant, CPA, Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Carmen Guinto and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Carmen, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
After recovering from a year-long illness, I wanted to take a new path in life and career. Therefore instead of going directly back to corporate America, I began researching opportunities where I could put to use the many skills acquired in my professional career to somehow contribute back to society in a more positive and uplifting way, while also engaging in something I found personally interesting and rewarding. We wanted this potential business to be child oriented as well, as my wife and I met a bit too late in life to have children of our own. Music, rock music in particular, has always been an important part of my life. So I did the research and learned that public schools have been cutting music education for years, and there was unmet demand in my community for a private music school. Being a CPA, the next obvious step was to run the numbers, so to speak, to see if such a venture could make a profit. When the numbers looked promising, we researched the choice of opening our own school from scratch, or going the franchise route. Opening a Bach to Rock music school, a fast growing national chain of music schools, hit all the right “notes” so to speak! We opened Georgia’s first Bach to Rock music school in October 2016, and have become North Fulton county’s fastest growing music school with over 200 students. 

What should our readers know about your business?
B2R Alpharetta provides in-person and online music lessons for students of all ages and skill levels living in Alpharetta, Milton, Roswell and beyond. Instruments we teach include guitar, piano, drums, voice, strings & more. We have an extensive Band program, where kids form bands and play live gigs in the community. We do fabulous “Rock Star” birthday parties, and finally we run a highly popular Rock Band Summer Camp program where kids form bands, learn a song, and take the stage to perform it, all in a single week. There’s been challenges every step of the way in driving the business to the point of self-sustainability, and we’ve met them. Covid has affected everyone and everything, but we are going to survive that too, we’ve been fortunate to have been able to teach virtually during the crisis. What am I most proud of? That’s easy – knowing that my school makes a real difference to all who are part of it. Its also what sets us apart from other schools. I am proud to have the privilege of employing 15 highly creative and talented young musicians and educators. I am proud of my team of Directors, Lucy and Haley, and the great job they do running and growing the school, and of being able to see and support their development into talented young businesswomen and entrepreneurs. I am proud of the positive energy that you can feel as soon as you walk into the school, which comes from a culture created by happy, smiling, dedicated individuals at all levels. But I am most proud of the significant difference we have made in the lives of our young students. It never fails to bring a tear to my eye whenever I see our young students perform live, from a 5 year old playing Jingle Bells on piano, to one of our many student bands jamming out on AC/DC! Hmm, 20 plus years of successfully helping large companies earn extra millions, not a single tear. Seeing a student get on stage for the first time and perform, and the resulting smiles from students and parents alike, tears every time. Its proof positive that we make a difference every single day.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We’re at a stage of life where drinking and hanging out are no longer priorities! We’ve lived in metro Atlanta just 6 years, and what we have discovered, and are still learning every day, is that we are surrounded by exceptional natural beauty – and a lot of great weather to be outside enjoying it. There are tons of great little spots in the metro area itself, and the mountains are less than an hour away! We are trail runners, so Leita Thompson Park in Roswell, Settles Bridge in Suwanee and even Webb Bridge Park in Alpharetta are fabulous parks, so we would bring our trail running friends to each. You can get to a portion of the Appalachian Trial in less than an hour from our house, and hike to a vista where you can see the Atlanta skyline 50 miles to the south. That’s a must visit several times a year, especially in fall. Near Dahlonega on the way to that trailhead there’s a place called Appalachian Outfitters where you can rent a kayak and paddle for 6 miles down the Chestatee River, an easy paddle but tons of fun! One shout out for food – Alpine Bakery in Alpharetta Silos Plaza, right next to our school. Best pizza around!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
If it wasn’t for the support and encouragement of Nancy, my wife, best friend and life partner – I literally would not be alive today. She was there for me every step of the way during my year long bout with the Big C. In many ways, I think her job during that time, supporting me and watching me go through the process, was much tougher than mine! Once that hurdle was cleared, we decided together to make some changes in our lives, primarily to actively reduce stress and be more healthy. Not sure how opening a small business is stress reducing, but it is! We thrive being our own masters and escaping the corporate grind.

Website: https://alpharetta.b2rmusic.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/b2ralpharettaga/
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/cguinto
Twitter: n/a
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/B2RAlpharettaGA
Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/bach-to-rock-alpharetta-alpharetta
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/BachtoRockAlpharetta