Dance studios are known for creating comfortable, safe environments where dancers can experiment with self-expression. However, many of us feel unprepared to support students as they come into their identities as members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Samm Wesler is no stranger to leading diversity and inclusion training. As a gay woman who grew up in studios, she knows firsthand how language can shape the development of LGBTQIA+ adolescents. In the podcast, Samm shares how to lead a diversity and i...
Jun 08, 2021•28 min•Season 3Ep. 50
Encouraging healthy habits and preventing injuries is key to building strong minds and bodies in your dance studio. Dr. Lisa Schoene is a Dance and Sports Podiatrist and a Certified Athletic Trainer who is passionate about keeping dancers in tip-top shape. In this episode, Dr. Schoene shares her expertise on nutrition, emotional support for your dancers, injury prevention, and the importance of self-care for studio owners. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Running a dance studio is hard work, and growing your s...
May 26, 2021•24 min•Season 3Ep. 49
Cory Sterling is the founder of the heart-leading law firm Conscious Counsel and the author of the book The Yoga Law Book: Legal Essentials For Yoga Professionals . He's worked with hundreds of clients in the dance, health and fitness industries. In this episode, he discusses the legal essentials every dance studio should be aware of. The idea of "the law" can be scary, but Cory helps break through the fear and makes the concepts accessible. Learn what you can do today so your dance studio is pr...
May 11, 2021•23 min•Season 3Ep. 48
Planning is the key to not feeling overwhelmed in your marketing and program offerings! In this week’s episode, Meagan Ziebarth and Colleen Rubio of Resourceful Dance share their best marketing strategies to capture the attention of busy parents. Meagan and Colleen offer their easy-to-follow framework to help you better market, and communicate, your summer dance programs ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Running a dance studio is hard work, and growing your studio is even more of a challenge. No matter if you'r...
Apr 27, 2021•29 min•Season 3Ep. 47
Alison Jones is the Founder of Dancewise Studios, the home of some of the most inspirational dance classes of a wide variety of different dance styles since 2005. Alison teaches students of all ages and was one of the first studios to be certified in authentic street dance in the UK. In this week’s episode, Alison shares some of the special, and unique, things she’s doing to showcase how grateful she is to have her clients stick with her during the lockdown and the pandemic. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ru...
Apr 15, 2021•30 min•Season 3Ep. 46
As a dance studio owner it’s not if you’re going to need a new dance teacher, it’s when! In this podcast hear tips from Suzanne Blake Gerety and Jill Tirone on how to source, find, and hire teachers for subbing, guest teaching, on short notice, for the long term, and every situation in between. You’ll hear how you can easily get in the habit of consistently sourcing great talent so you never feel anxious or stressed about who will teach your classes. Use these strategies to build your business a...
Mar 26, 2021•22 min•Season 3Ep. 45
Kim Black is the Owner of Miss Kim’s in Burlington, North Carolina. She was selected as Dance Teacher Magazine's Dance Teacher of The Year in 2020 and is a Preschool Dance & Creative Movement presenter. Kim opened her studio during the pandemic and while most instructors would be shaking in their boots, Kim was confident she could fill her space... and she did! Six months after opening her doors she had 400 dance students. How did she do it? She credits the strong support of the DanceStudioO...
Mar 22, 2021•25 min•Season 3Ep. 44
In this episode, Jill Tirone and Suzanne Blake Gerety highlight key data that every studio owner should know to position their studio for growth in 2021 and emerge from the pandemic. They share insights on enrollment trends, performances, website analytics, social media metrics, and local marketing to set you apart and be ready to bring more dancers back to class. This information is based on current survey data gathered from thousands of studio responses throughout this dance season. Get a comp...
Feb 17, 2021•26 min•Season 3Ep. 43
In this episode, Molly Stroud of Jackrabbit Dance shares the three areas of focus you need to ensure studio growth in 2021. Tune in as she shares why it is more important than ever for studios to focus on customer service, automation, and tracking key metrics to thrive. Through the use of reliable, cloud-based dance studio software, Jackrabbit Dance’s mission is to help studio owners take control of their businesses, so they can get back to focusing on their passion -- teaching. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~...
Jan 14, 2021•21 min•Season 3Ep. 42
Get expert advice from Jessica Scheitler of Financial Groove on the PPP loan forgiveness application. This is a follow up to her Tips For Tracking PPP Loan Spend podcast episode . Jessica speaks candidly about the confusion many studio owners are facing over bank communication regarding the timing of when to begin the process. Her advice? Have patience. This year has taught us how quickly things keep changing. You'll hear how to be ready and what to get lined up for documentation when the time i...
Dec 10, 2020•24 min•Season 2Ep. 41
Passion-driven and caregiving roles are some of the most susceptible to burnout. In this podcast episode, you'll hear from Suzanne and Jill, where they share the six causes of dance studio owner burnout and how to prevail. With chronic stress, we often don’t realize we are about to "hit the wall" until it’s too late. This episode is full of actionable ideas and support that will help carry you up, over and through a period of burnout. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Running a dance studio is hard work, and gr...
Nov 24, 2020•24 min•Season 2Ep. 40
In this episode, Josh Olson of Dance Recital Ticketing shares how studios are pivoting to sell tickets in this pandemic environment. Hear how to set pricing for your event and considerations for live-streamed or pre-recorded with a watch party. Josh has expert advice and must-hear tips on how you can make your re-imagined performance an audience event to be remembered using their virtual platform. Having an in-theater performance with reduced capacity requirements? At Dance Recital Ticketing the...
Nov 12, 2020•20 min•Season 2Ep. 39
The challenges that dance teachers face from this pandemic are many. The ones impacting preschoolers most include less movement, more screen time and a multitude of distractions at home. This is taking a toll on their behavior and listening skills when they come to dance class. In this episode, Andrea Trench, Dance Educator and creator of Discover Dance shares tips to create an enriched learning environment in your classroom and reach and teach multiple learning styles (VAKT) through see, say, d...
Oct 16, 2020•21 min•Season 2Ep. 38
Dance studio owners want, and most importantly need, to be found online through local search. In this episode featuring Matt Horner, founder of Class Manager and Stage Stubs, he shares the easy things you can do and enhance to improve your online presence. Starting with your Google My Business listing, you'll hear how key it is for new customers to see what people love about your studio. Plus Matt shares the fundamental basics that every website needs to get right and how you can make those easy...
Oct 06, 2020•24 min•Season 2Ep. 37
Dance students who take voice or piano gain extra skills to progress in dance. It is a win for the studio and the student. And the new reality is dance studios may need to add additional revenue without adding cost or risk. In this episode featuring Sam Beckford, creator of OnlineMusicLessons, you'll hear how his program allows dance studios to offer music lessons to their student base simply by referring students to a unique link and getting an ongoing 15% monthly commission on all lesson reven...
Sep 16, 2020•23 min•Season 2Ep. 36
In this episode, Tricia Gomez, Global Director of Rhythm Works Integrative Dance and creator of the popular Hip Hop In a Box shares candidly how we can develop our soft-skills to become the best teacher and studio owner that our students need now. In this time of change, let’s chat about looking for hidden opportunities to enrich your staff, finding an untapped population of new students, and creating new virtual, in-person and blended programming that’s suitable for all abilities and levels. ~~...
Aug 14, 2020•27 min•Season 2Ep. 35
In this episode Cynthia King, Owner and Director of Cynthia King Dance Studio of Brooklyn, New York shares how she has created engagement with new students through virtual meet and greet events over Zoom. You'll hear how she has created an innovative solution to build enrollment during a time when traditional in-person open house events are not possible. Cynthia shares technology tips on how to set up a simple booking process for parents and their children. Gain useful tips on how she demonstrat...
Jul 22, 2020•25 min•Season 2Ep. 34
In this episode Sean Dever shares how to best determine your studio pricing and strategy given the current economic conditions. With many schools needing an online and in-person tuition model, Sean gives tips on how often you should raise prices and by what percentage. He shares how to roll out new pricing and what percentage of customers you can afford to lose if you raise tuition to meet your financial goals for studio health. Learn how you can build new client engagement and grow enrollment w...
Jun 09, 2020•26 min•Season 2Ep. 33
Thinking about virtual dance camps? Need some tips for success to keep dancers engaged and enrollment coming in? In this episode we're joined by Kelly Pfeiffer and Lindsey Alesh who are the dynamic sister-duo who own Megleo's School of Dance in Illinois. They had over 60 preschoolers in their first virtual "Moana-themed" camp. Listen as they share ideas for days, times, fees and how to keep those young dancers engaged as you plan your virtual and hybrid programming. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Running a d...
May 19, 2020•18 min•Season 2Ep. 32
Get expert advice from Jessica Scheitler of Financial Groove in this episode on how to best track and prepare for your PPP loan forgiveness. She provides useful tips for studio owners as we navigate our dance season and the timing of funding. According to the PPP fact sheet, the loan proceeds are used to cover payroll costs, and most mortgage interest, rent, and utility costs over the 8 week period after the loan is made; and Employee and compensation levels are maintained. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Run...
Apr 23, 2020•37 min•Season 2Ep. 31
In this podcast with Katie Groven of Dancer-Fitness.com you'll get tips on how to help students stay safe and strong while dancing at home. Hear some practical exercises that don't take up much space or require special equipment. Katie offers guidance on three key areas to focus on to strengthen to help avoid injury when our dancers are ready to come back to class and go full out again. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Running a dance studio is hard work, and growing your studio is even more of a challenge. No...
Apr 20, 2020•19 min•Season 2Ep. 30
You are not alone when it comes to navigating this unprecedented and ever-changing period of business disruption. In this episode we highlight the growing resource list of time-saving and idea generating information available to you. We look forward to supporting and encouraging you so that you can get back to doing the work you love! Dance Studio Support Resources: http://www.DanceStudioOwner.com/support ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Running a dance studio is hard work, and growing your studio is even more...
Mar 20, 2020•20 min•Season 2Ep. 29
In this podcast featuring Frank Sahlein, of 3rdLevelConsulting, you’ll hear tips and best practice advice on how to keep your dance studio business running in the event of any sort of emergency that is out of your control. Learn what a contingency plan entails and what you should be thinking about as a business owner so that you can keep your operations underway even if you have a sudden loss of income, students, staff or accessibility to your facility. Whether you’re facing a natural disaster t...
Mar 16, 2020•35 min•Season 2Ep. 28
Who owns the choreography? Studio owners and teachers typically don’t know! In this podcast we tackle the tricky, yet important topics of choreography ownership and copyright infringement. Should you be concerned about copyright infringement if you run a summer dance camp called “Frozen” or “Trolls”. Hear what considerations you should keep in mind for running a theme that ties into the success of popular movies and much more. This episode references helpful information including: Martha Graham ...
Feb 20, 2020•25 min•Season 2Ep. 27
You wear so many hats as a dance studio owner! We want you to focus on what matters when it comes to being the leader, manager and awesome #danceboss of your studio. In this episode, you’ll hear how to calculate what your time is really worth and where to focus your time, energy and resources in the most effective way. Plus learn how to keep growing as a business owner both in your skills and mindset even in the midst of a never-ending to do list! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Running a dance studio is hard...
Feb 06, 2020•24 min•Season 2Ep. 26
Backstage organization is key to a successful dance recital, especially when it comes to keeping dancers safe. Parents today seek up-to-date information on their child and want reassurance that they can be notified in case of an emergency. Joe Naftal grew up backstage at his mother's dance studio and he knows that technology can help make life easier and your business better when it solves an important problem. In this episode you'll hear tips on how to keep your recital organized and running sm...
Jan 23, 2020•24 min•Season 2Ep. 25
Stay ahead of trends, be informed, and use this information to better your business in 2020 and beyond. In this episode Jill Tirone and Suzanne Blake Gerety highlight what they see happening at studios and in the industry around social media, customer communication, dance programs, studio culture and more. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Running a dance studio is hard work, and growing your studio is even more of a challenge. No matter if you're just starting out—or perhaps you're a well-established owner; we...
Jan 09, 2020•21 min•Season 2Ep. 24
Finding ways to stay artistically inspired as a dance teacher and studio owner can be hard especially when most of the day is spent doing all the things that take away from time to be creative. In this episode you'll hear from Lizzie Makenzie who has been dancing, teaching, coaching and choreographing in the Chicagoland area for over 20 years. She's the co-founder of Extensions Dance Company and Extensions Dance Center. Lizzie shares tips on how to stay inspired to choreograph recital routines. ...
Dec 05, 2019•21 min•Season 1Ep. 23
Extreme flexibility is becoming the new normal. We're inundated with images on social media of dancers sitting in oversplits or contorting themselves into circus-like positions. But is it safe? As a dance studio owner, you want to make a positive impact on the lives of our students and do it safely. So if you're looking for more clarity around what to stretch, when to stretch and how to stretch, this podcast is for you. In this episode, Christine Jones of mUvmethod covers: Flexibility and Mobili...
Nov 21, 2019•34 min•Season 1Ep. 22
There are so many details that go into costuming your dancers. Parents don’t see nor do they understand the time you put in receiving, sorting and distributing costumes to your students. In this podcast you’ll hear how to gain back some of your precious time so you can put your focus on the things that matter most. Josh Black, Managing Director for Nimbly, shares how one of the biggest problems studio owners face has inspired a new innovation that promises to reduce your stress and save you load...
Nov 13, 2019•25 min•Season 1Ep. 21