5 Struggles of Owning a Dance Studio: Gaining Competitive Edge in a Saturated Market

I’ve owned my dance studio for nearly 25 years. Business in our town and surrounding community is competitive; parents have lots of options for dance programs and children’s activities. 

I’ve discovered the key to longevity is to focus on your area of expertise and your main sources of revenue. 

My area of expertise is dance. I developed a preschool dance curriculum that balances structure and fun. I train all of my staff so I know exactly what is being taught in every class from ages 2-6. 

We don’t offer acro dance or gymnastics because that’s not my specialty. Do one thing and do it well. 

My two main sources of revenue are dance tuition and recitals. I spend the majority of my time and resources making sure my classes and shows are the best they can be. 

Each year, I take inventory and make sure there are classes for the foundation of my school offered each day at various times - Twinkle Babies 2-3, Twinkle Stars 3-4, and Twinkle Stars 4-5/5-6.  

Twenty years ago, I split my preschoolers out into smaller, shorter recitals and haven’t looked back. Parents appreciate they can be in and out in less than 45 minutes. 

As we prepare for new season registration, place your attention and energy on what you do best. You can always grow or rebuild your business and it starts with a great preschool dance program.  

Want more insights and practical advice? Join me for a dance studio owner weekend getaway to Pinnacle Dance Conference and Retreat this July 20-21, 2024 at the Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain.

Check back next week for my tips and tricks to Keeping up with Trends.

Meet Tiffany Henderson 

Tiffany Henderson is an industry leader and dance business expert. Tiffany owns and operates multiple Tiffany's Dance Academy locations in Northern California. Her video-based teacher training system and curriculum, Twinkle Star Dance, is currently implemented in 300+ dance studios worldwide.

5 Struggles of Owning a Dance Studio: Hiring and Management

Congratulations! You are a Dance Studio Owner. You are now what I like to call a “Teacher of Teachers.” Your number one job is to inspire, motivate, and provide resources to your staff so that they can be successful. 

As a recovering one woman show, I do this by having the following set up in my business: 

• Systems 

• Annual Training 

• Weekly Meetings

• Office Hours  

Systems - I use Twinkle Star Dance, a video-based curriculum for my preschool and school-aged dance classes, with monthly themes, new skills progressions, and engaging class combinations.  

Annual Training - I hold annual training periods for all of my staff in January for recital choreography, in May to prepare for Summer camp and review curriculum for the new season start, as well as in September for fall curriculum updates and holiday show choreography. 

Weekly Meetings - I have a standing staff meeting every Tuesday via Zoom to cover curriculum updates, studio reminders and events, as well as tackle any questions or problems. 

Office Hours - I have set availability to meet one-on-one with my staff throughout the week. 

Want more insights and practical advice? Join me for a dance studio owner weekend getaway to Pinnacle Dance Conference and Retreat this July 20-21, 2024 at the Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain.

Check back next week for my tips and tricks to Gaining Competitive Edge in a Saturated Market. 

Meet Tiffany Henderson 

Tiffany Henderson is an industry leader and dance business expert. Tiffany owns and operates multiple Tiffany's Dance Academy locations in Northern California. Her video-based teacher training system and curriculum, Twinkle Star Dance, is currently implemented in 300+ dance studios worldwide.

5 Struggles of Owning a Dance Studio: Financial Instability

Welcome to March Madness in your dance studio. Where we are simultaneously creating for this season and planning for next season. 

Connecting with studio owners through the Twinkle Star Dance community, my Diamond Circle coaching clients, and Dance the Dream parade events, I find many of us struggle with the same five pain points as dance studio owners: 

1. Work/Life Balance 

2. Financial Instability 

3. Hiring and Management 

4. Gaining Competitive Edge in Saturated Markets

5. Keeping up with Trends 

Last week we chatted about struggling with work/life balance. This week I want to touch on something that often causes us to feel unbalanced which is Financial Instability. 

When your business is not yet profitable; you’re not categorizing your revenue correctly so you don’t know how much you can pay yourself; or you find yourself rebuilding your business after losing a performing company group and/or teacher it leads to feeling like your business is owning you. Trust me, I’ve been there. 

In my early days of studio ownership I decided to expand my one room studio location to three rooms, taking on an additional lease thinking I could sublet my first location. How hard can it be? Then the real estate market crashed and I had to drive home from teaching every night for three years and wave to my $3,000 per month salary. 

It’s safe to say, after decades of owning and operating multiple, successful locations, I have enough failures under my belt to offer some solutions. 

Financial Instability 

It is easy to get caught up in adding extra community events or outside performance opportunities to our calendars. This season I want you to focus on maximizing your two main revenue streams in your business: 

• Class Tuition Revenue 

• Recital Revenue 

Class Tuition Revenue - Focus on making your dance classes the absolute best they can be. Create or implement a proven curriculum that balances structure and fun. 

For example, the Twinkle Star Dance program introduces young dancers to ballet, tap, jazz, and creative movement. They learn the basic steps while following directions and imitating movement in a positive environment. Engaging music is used to get these little guys inspired. The use of props such as Twinkle bears enables the young dancers to use their imagination, creativity and, most of all, have fun!

Recital Revenue - I’m a big proponent of two shows per season - Holiday and Spring. Dancers pay a recital participation fee for each event that includes the performance, costume, tights, action photos, wide angle video, and dancer ribbon or medal. 

Notice I did not say tickets. When it comes to recital tickets, be sure to have tiered pricing, reserved seating, and do not sell out! Depending on the size of your theater consider having smaller, shorter shows so you can sell more of the higher price tickets. We plan for every dancer to sell 5 tickets on average based on previous show data.  

Want more insights and practical advice? Join me for a dance studio owner weekend getaway to Pinnacle Dance Conference and Retreat this July 20-21, 2024 at the Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain.

Check back next week for my tips and tricks to combat Hiring and Management. 

Meet Tiffany Henderson 

Tiffany Henderson is an industry leader and dance business expert. Tiffany owns and operates multiple Tiffany's Dance Academy locations in Northern California. Her video-based teacher training system and curriculum, Twinkle Star Dance, is currently implemented in 300+ dance studios worldwide.

5 Struggles of Owning a Dance Studio: Work/Life Balance

It’s Tuesday and I’m in the thick of March Madness in my dance studios. I’m creating and setting new choreography for our recital’s opening number; I’m taking inventory of classes and planning my new season schedule; I’m also hiring, onboarding, and training new teachers, staff members, etc. 

Not to worry, I’ve survived many a March before this one and I know this too shall pass. I look down at my to-do list and add “book flights to Cabo” for July after our last show so I have something to look forward to. 

Connecting with studio owners through the Twinkle Star Dance community, my Diamond Circle coaching clients, and Dance the Dream parade events, I find many of us struggle with the same five pain points as dance studio owners: 

1. Work/Life Balance 

2. Financial Instability 

3. Hiring and Management 

4. Gaining Competitive Edge in Saturated Markets

5. Keeping up with Trends 

After decades of owning and operating multiple, successful locations, I have enough failures under my belt to offer some solutions. 

Work/Life Balance 

First, ask yourself, do you feel like your studio is running you or are you running your studio? If your studio is running you, I want you to do the following: 

Set Boundaries - Make a list of your non-negotiables and stick to it. When my children were young this looked like picking my kids up from school each day and not teaching Thursday evenings so we could sit down as a family for dinner. 

Full Time Job - Hold regular office hours in a designated office space. Identify your most productive times of the day and prioritize the one thing you need to accomplish each day. 

Utilize Systems and Delegate - There are so many wonderful platforms that make running a small business easier to manage today. Put systems in place, hire the right team, and manage the process. 

Community - Connect with like-minded studio owners at live events so you have people in your corner throughout the season. 

Want more insights and practical advice? Join me for a dance studio owner weekend getaway to Pinnacle Dance Conference and Retreat this July 20-21, 2024 at the Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain.

Check back next week for my tips and tricks to combat Financial Instability. 

Meet Tiffany Henderson 

Tiffany Henderson is an industry leader and dance business expert. Tiffany owns and operates multiple Tiffany's Dance Academy locations in Northern California. Her video-based teacher training system and curriculum, Twinkle Star Dance, is currently implemented in 300+ dance studios worldwide.

Wish You Were Here?

Wish You Were Here?

March is a crazy time of year for dance studio owners. 

After the madness of dance convention weekends, I find myself at my desk Monday morning treading water while simultaneously hiring new teachers, scheduling the new season, and setting recital choreography for my 3rd “final” edit of music. 

Before we take a breath, it’s 4:00 pm, the lobby is buzzing with excitement, and evening classes are starting. My dance studio business is always booming in the spring months, which is why I’m adding summer retreat to the top of my to-do list. 

The Benefit of Live Events

Live events are a catalyst for so many amazing opportunities; my dance studio owner friends, a steady stream of new marketing ideas, and overall business growth. While the digital world enables us to connect with other studio owners online through social media, there is nothing quite like having a shared experience with someone in an intimate setting. Sitting down with another person for a meal or cocktails, grabbing a quiet moment for a one-on-one conversation, or finding a like-minded community deepens the joy I find in running my dance studios.

I like to look for events that will inspire both personal and professional growth. In my multiple decades of owning dance studios, I have learned an incredible amount of information and strategies to continue to grow my business, discovered systems and resources to streamline my studios, and gained connections with valuable vendors and industry experts.

Make a Commitment and Show Up

My challenge to you is to take time away from your dance studio this summer, get away from your studio, and attend a live studio owner event. Buy a ticket, put it on your calendar, and show up. Eighty percent of the opportunities in life are a result of simply showing up. If this is intimidating for you, grab a friend and make plans to go together!

Attending studio owner conferences has dramatically impacted my business and greatly enriched my personal life and it can do the same for you. Maybe we’ll even see each other at Pinnacle Dance Conference and Retreat July 20-21 at The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain.