6 Ideas for Creating a WOW Recital Program
If there’s something I’ve learned about recital programs over the past twenty-two years of owning a studio, it’s that a recital program can be so much MORE than a guide to the show! It can highlight your students’ achievements, congratulate them on an awesome season, display their photos, celebrate the community around your studio, and […]
3 Ways to Address Bullying
In my experience coaching dance studio owners, the word bullying can paralyze even the most experienced entrepreneur. It’s a word that means there is a serious cause for concern, and it’s a word that is sometimes mistakenly used when conflict would be a better choice. To say the least, knowing how to define and address […]
5 Ideas for Increasing Your Studio’s Profitability
As a studio owner, you already know that generating revenue is one of the keys to growing and stabilizing your business, but the true key: your studio’s profitability. The reality is that every great mission needs money in order to do the meaningful work that fulfills its purpose! And it’s important to understand the difference […]
5 Tips for Taking Action on Your Goals
As you settle in to the new dance season, you may have been talking to your staff or students about setting goals for themselves (I know I have been!). Every kickoff meeting or first class has been an opportunity to set new expectations and begin following through. But have you checked in with yourself lately […]
4 Leadership Skills Every Studio Owner Needs
Leadership is at the heart of everything we do as studio owners. When you chose this journey of entrepreneurship, you chose to stand up in front of others and say, “Here is my vision, and here’s why you want to be a part of it.” When you opened your doors, you did so in part because […]
7 Ideas for Your Studio’s Key Messages
As you are preparing for the new season of dance, you’re probably putting together ideas for your marketing plan and looking at the BIG picture of where your studio will be over the next nine or ten months. You may be considering which programs need the most marketing when you should focus on each one, […]
3 Tips for Successful Meetings
Does it ever feel like all you do is go from one meeting to the next, and the next after that? Maybe you’ve noticed that your staff doesn’t seem as receptive as you had hoped, or they seem to forget what was discussed as soon as the meeting is over. Well, I’m here to tell […]
5 Quick Ways to Recharge During the Busy Season
There is no doubt that this time of year for studio owners can be hectic and, let’s face it, a little crazy! With recital on the horizon, class placements being prepped, and audition details coming together, it’s not surprising that you may begin to physically feel the effects of stress of the busy season. I […]
6 Best Practices for Interviewing Job Candidates
When I first opened my studio over 20 years ago, I had a big learning curve when it came to all things human resources-related—interviewing, hiring, firing, payroll, benefits, and everything in between! One of the biggest lessons I learned right away is that hiring great people for my team was a lot of WORK, especially […]
3 Keys to High-Level Customer Service
As a studio owner, your customer service is an essential part of your business … perhaps even THE essential element of this time of year, as you prepare for the recital, summer, and next season. Communications with your dance families can make or break their understanding of the way your studio works during this busy […]
4 Ideas for Boosting Employee Morale
It’s that time of year again! That time when we start to see our students feel the “mid-year slump” … which means they’re in need of some extra TLC and motivation in class as we push through the remaining cold weather months. But did you know that your employees are probably feeling the slump too? […]
5 Ways to Build a Strong Studio Culture
Attend any type of business event or seminar and you’ll probably hear the word “culture” quite a bit! So what does it mean exactly, and how, exactly, do we build a strong studio culture? By definition, corporate culture is a collection of values that the organization believes in and follows. They are the values that […]
7 Dos & Don’ts for Staff Performance Reviews
It’s the midpoint of the season, a time when many studio owners put their leadership into high gear and offer performance reviews for their employees. Whether you have a carefully-developed system in place or you simply meet informally with each person, performance reviews open up the opportunity for you to check-in on your team’s progress […]
4 Keys to Growing Enrollment in the Spring Semester
Growing enrollment seems to be a hot topic at almost ANY dance studio seminar I speak at or attend! It seems like even studios who have maxed out many of their classes are still looking to increase their leads and prospects for future enrollment, which I think is super smart. My studio itself, like so […]
Coaching Your Team to Success: Top 6 Ways
When coaching studio owners, one of the most common topics we discuss is people. Specifically, dance studio faculty and staff. There are so many factors to consider when hiring people, onboarding them, integrating them into your studio culture, and holding them accountable for a job well done. One of those factors that I think sometimes […]
