Top5 Tips to a Thriving Small Business

conversation. I'm Tara Thurber, Director of talent innovation. And joining me today to discuss her top five tips to a thriving small business is Heather Warner, the owner of Shoreline Dance Academy and Neptune City, New Jersey. Hey, Heather, how are you today?

for the school. And they put a sub in my regular classroom. And as soon as I got done doing that, I was like, right up to the superintendent. And I said, you know, my heart is with teaching kids dance like this is I got to find a way. And so when I went out on maternity leave with my oldest baby, the Art Center, where we were originally located was just being restored.

It was an old school building and watched it like they were raising money and raising money to create it, to turn it back into a space that were the arts could flourish. And they were going to create this art center. And I went in and asked the man I said, Do you have a dance school yet lined up? And he's like, no. And he says, This is very funny. He says, Well, do you know anything about you know, running a dance or business? I was like, No, but listen, I really don't. But I do

know that I can dance. And then I love to teach children and I think goes, Well, you can dance. I guess I'll be right back. I'll go get my tap shoes. And I ran around the corner, I living in the community at the time. And they come back with the baby carriage and the tap shoes kind of tapped away in his office. Give me a chance. Just give me a chance. I would love to do this. And and he did. He said okay, well, let's give it a shot. He said, You know, you can try to

make a go of it. I'll give you till December. And we'll see what happens. And then what really I'm so grateful. And looking back at he never given me that opportunity. I don't know if I would have taken the risk because he said, I'll give you till December, see how it goes. And if you can't work it out, you can't work it out. But at least she gave it a shot. And I thought, huh, it gave me enough of like, I ran home I'll never forget time my mother and father, I'm going to resign from

my teaching position. I had like, I had insurance. I had like job security, I said, I'm going to resign from that position. And I'm going to open a dance school. It's always been a dream of mine. And I said, and I have this opportunity and this chance. And if I don't try, I'm going to kick myself. And so I said I'm just gonna give it a whirl. So I get my eighth grade softball team at the time who I was coaching and I said, girls, listen, we're going to learn a

quick dance routine. I said, and then we're going to march and the Fourth of July parade in this community. And we're gonna hand flyers out, you're going to help me like try to get the word out that I'm going to open a dance school. And they did and they went and did it with me. And we did that the judges stand we did a little routine. And, um, and that started my first year and the school was so supportive when I went into to see the superintendent, they said, you know, you'll always be

welcome back. And I was grateful for that because I felt like okay, well you say, I can try, I'm gonna try this and, and come December we had grown we had 50 kids as we opened our school and, and I was able to stay and and from that point forward, I would have, I think that his name was herb and I look back and I'm so grateful because he helped me have the courage to pursue my dream and he supported me and so at any rate, I started there and we built the school as

a one room dance school. And through the years it we grew and grew and we had it turned into four rooms and, and our student body through the years it was me originally teaching everything I taught the ballet, the top, the jazz, I was everything. And then I thought you know, these kids need a little more like as much as I thought that that was great. That's like, you know, there's people out there that could really offer these kids a lot to help them be more well

rounded. So we ended up hiring a faculty a little bit at a time and we grew to as faculty are team of 12 teachers and about 300 or so students and that was as we made it all the way up until March of this past but this past year Yeah, and that's where we were. And so it was a, it was a wonderful time there. And then March happened. And, and I personally had four kids that ranged from kindergarten to

fourth grade. Everybody, they were a huge part of the life of the dance school, my whole world revolved around this dance school. As, as being, it was our It was our home away from our home, I guess. And that way for a lot of our kids too. And when March came, and we were, we were told, you know, everything has to stop. And it was like, oh, my gosh, like this would this is the world as we know it like what what? What do you mean? What do we do from here? And so then, then, we started on this

new journey. It's what it is.

And, you know, you shoreline Dance Academy, you know, you made the transition from 100%, in person service to a digital experience during COVID. And, you know, when this first happened, what were your thoughts? Were there? Was there like immediate damage control? Or did you have to brainstorm option like, what was going through your mind?

our school. So I'm watching the different districts and they're starting to go, they're going to shut down for a week or for two weeks, or they're going to go remote or, and I'm thinking oh my gosh, this is becoming more reality. We may have to shut down, we may have to shut down and then it happened. And we had to shut down and I was like, Oh my gosh, what do we do? What is our plan? How are we going to move forward? Like how do we do that? We didn't, you know, we use music and mirrors and, and

human connection. And that's how that's our business. And, and so our never forget on that Friday, I said to the school, I started preparing. On the back end, I'm thinking okay, maybe it'll be a one to two weeks till this levels out. And we come up with it, you know, and things will be okay. So we were about to have picture week. And so we said picture is gonna be postponed for a week or two, you know,

stay tuned. And I told the teachers Listen, let's find a way so that we don't stop instruction, like, okay, it's Friday, how are we going to teach Monday, when we can't come in here, the art center really had shut down. So we couldn't go in there to do anything. We're a tenant in that building with other artists. So it was, so we started to try to brainstorm and I thought, okay, I've seen people do things on Facebook Live, like, maybe we can start to figure out how to do that.

And we had a meeting, does anybody know how to do Facebook Live? Can we set small groups up? Like, how do we do that? And, and we started working collaboratively. And like, we pieced it together, and then quick, did a tutorial like a little quick video out to our students and said, Guys, you know, for the next week or two, we're gonna see each other this way. And we just started to go one step at a time and not knowing what that big picture

was going to look like. It was just how do we move forward to Monday? And then what do we now it's Friday, what do next? And so we just started to evolve that way. And and there's when the learning process began, you spend so much time you still lesson plan and plan the structure of your class and what that class would look like and what you cover in the class. And now I became trying to figure out how are we going to reach the kids? How are we going to

teach these kids? And how are we going to to be able to be there for them. And so we had to learn how to use the social media and the internet and play different platforms. And I was talking earlier about about zoom like zoom is, you know, for people who are not in that that type of business where that's a tool that's utilized a lot. It was trying to train and teach and talk to people about how do we use a zoom platform? And how do we how do we get you know, some of our students on board with

that? And then if they didn't, you had to have a backup, what if they couldn't do zoom or they couldn't do that you had to have a second way to reach them because you didn't want to leave anyone out. So then you had to come up with multiple ways to reach your different learners and how they could actually

connect. And so then one week at a time, we just started to evolve where we became first we're filming and then there's where the challenge lies there when you're filming and you're in the business of human connection.

classroom. It's structured around feedback, like you observe something, and then you give the kids feedback, and you help them grow. So that was challenged. And a lot of parents wanted the recorded option, because that's what suited their schedule, because the kids were thrown into this world of zoom with school. And so then you had to try to figure out, Okay, how are we going to evolve where we're going to meet the needs of

our clients. And but also try to maintain our not our product, but but our, but our mission like to teach children. So then we decided to alternate, we would go from live one week to record the other. And then one of my staff members started creating a library of archived videos where you could go back and watch every single video, and then we thought, let's open

these up. And now kids don't have to take just their one class, but they can take any classes, shoreline offers, like they can go to the video library and start taking from maybe Miss Chelsea or Miss Mary was Emily or Miss Cathy, or has had all the different teachers when they write, maybe we're only in one

class with one teacher. And I started to try to find a way like how do I hold on to these kids, and keep them engaged, and, and try to keep them connected to our schools so that if I, if I put all my teachers out there as an option for them to be able to take these classes, then they'll start to learn the many different facets of shoreline? And maybe that'll help them feel a bit of a connection, you know, so I don't know. So we started that way.

And then it went on to the zooms, and then you go to the dark, the kids would all have their screens off, because they and then you'd have to try to say, Please, are you still there? Please turn it on. So I can see you How do I help? And then we went to the struggles of the faculty and how they, how did they How are they dealing and feeling through all this was not anything they've ever done, and it's not their job as they know it? Yeah. And that became that became the next hurdle.

a time was was the right way to do it. Because you're not worried about that big picture of, you know, trying to get to that it was the journey that you that you began to make those changes?

full hour that you're there. It may be a time where you're reading those kids a book, and you're doing an activity with them, and you're talking to them and you're asking them about you know, our older kids, you're starting to help them sort through their feelings, and then maybe we can set them we could add the arts to it where you're setting movement to their feelings, and then they're creating pieces that way, but you're starting to learn new

ways to reach the kids. But to keep to keep being that this was where it was so important to weekly, keep showing up for them, like just going up and whatever it is that they needed, even if it was just to see your face, and to know that you're a constant in your presence in their life. And that even though everything else is falling crazy, that that you're going to continue to be there for them. And that's something they can

count on. And I think that helped in feedback from a lot of our kids and parents letting them know that that you were a presence in their life that was going to stay constant for them. And that what a lot of them held on to. And I think it's really important and it really it really helped. It not helped but it really made us reevaluate our roles in our jobs like

And, and that's another thing to touch on, like, how do you maintain a community, when you're that contact is is missing? Or you're told, you know, everything. First we go with lockdown. So now you're that's, one way. But as you as we move forward and restriction started to lift a little bit, how do you how do you do that? How do you have like we're touchy feely? Absolutely do and yeah. And you're told six feet apart? And no, contact. And so then that fear sets in for the

kids too. Because how do you do that? How do you dance and operate like that? And, us, my faculty, and I, like, our hearts are on our sleeve. Like, that's just who we are. And so how do you show that emotion and connection with the kids when you're, you know, you're told you're not supposed to? Or it's, it's risk to do that. So that was mostly I had to learn to share our feelings with our kids and or let them know like that. I don't know that it's okay.

Like, here's different ways we can, we can show one another how we feel and share that passion. And that was in something else. We're still learning how to do like, it's just it's been it's evolving, I guess.

that. It's a feel that every business, whether you're, you know, in actual like person to person contact or just being in the same room of somebody, how do you maintain that, and, and be able to still have that positive morale and the positive vibes that that are shared together, when you have to make sure that you know, everything, first and foremost, everything was shut down. But now coming out of it, how do you create and maintain the human contact, when you're not allowed to hug each

other? You're not these kids aren't allowed to, you know, hold each other's hands during a dance. I mean, that was something that was was shown to in, I guess, this the spring recital, where the kids, you know, in past dances, I'm sure they they had partners, and they got to hold each other's hand or do a spin together. So how do you kind of how do you manage that without lessening the importance of the dance itself for the individual themselves,

our skill set, evolved. But because you were you had to keep moving forward, you had to force yourself to figure out how to do different things that you really have no idea how to do and one of the things that worked so well. And we we've learned to carry on this year. Now as restrictions have started to lift a little bit. Our kids had to we did an activity online where the kids had to create a section of a dance. And then

they submitted it to us. And then we tied them all together and created one full piece. digitally. So then that was but it was compiled by all of the things that they contributed as as a group. And then we had a watch party, where we all got together and for the first time saw one another working toward a common goal like that and had a chance to give each other like feedback and support and they filmed it in different

locations. Like some people went, I said, find your favorite places, some people were the beach and some people were in a field or wherever they could go or they felt free to be able to express themselves. And you learned how to how to lift one another up, and how important it is to to do that for one another. And then that has helped us with our culture and our school so much like to go back to how do you lift up the human spirit of the people that you're around? And there's many

ways to do that. But before you just that was the one way to do and this is how we did it. Right. I learned so much about like, how to really be present for one another. And, and I've I've also felt like that I've missed talking to my clients, I miss talking to you face to face and asking about their families and what's going on in their life and just just being there. And a lot of times we would do like zoom but a lot of people back and watch it later when it

was convenient. So you're losing a lot of that human connection. And and I'll tell you a quick story where again, it just everybody realized howimportant everyone realized how important human connection was, we taught a partner dancing online. And we used to the special persons dance in person, which was a beautiful moment where they a dancer could invite whoever they wanted to, to come waltz with them that the show and have this time with them a memory to

create. And this year, there was last year, there was no show, there was no chance that so we taught the waltz style dance on zoom. And, then I I'll never forget it, I said, we'll all meet at the beach. And, um, and I said at this time, and you come with your special person, and we're going to just be together and dance together

outside. And it's the first time we had all seen one another really seen one another and it's when you could be outside, I don't remember what the number was, but we could be outside. Well, as I sit on the boardwalk, and these kids started coming forward with their special

person. And then we it was just one little teeny speaker and one of my teachers, you know, we ran the speaker around like we went way back in our like, we used to have speakers and lights and all the way back to like just the core of the connection and it helped me see like, half of like to reevaluate like what it is we're doing, like what drove me to have the dance school in the first place. Forget all the lights and the bells and the whistles and all the things it goes back to that like that,

what that feeling inside. And that feeling inside of that we have the love, we're lucky enough to be able to share with others. And when I saw these people come down to dance together and on the beach, and we're lucky where we live obviously, we're all y'all are lucky to live in a community by the beach. The sun, just put it was a cloudy day, the sun came out through the sky, and people were waltzing together with their special person to our

little rickety boombox. It was like the best thing ever, like, and I just would never forget that sort of the moment where I was like, it is worth everything, to be able to find ways to continue to move forward with this passion or dream that I had years ago with creating this space where people felt safe to be able to express themselves. And there are many ways you can do it. You just are learning different ways to do it. And it's just a journey. And I'm one that I guess I'm

grateful to be on. Because I'm learning as we go.

continuing to learn. Because, you know, such as your business and other businesses, I mean, people had to learn how to communicate differently, people have had to learn how to just work differently, learn new technologies, learn things that they never even imagined need, they would even think they would be interested in learning. But instead of being the interest aspect, it was they had to just fall into it headfirst, so that they could continue to keep moving forward.

job structure changes. But you want to keep that encouragement, because if they feel valued, and they feel that encouragement they feel then they'll feel driven to want to, keep moving forward. And it's an important role to play. Like, where are you you just can't you have to not only be present for your clients, but you've got to be present for your team to because they're, they're counting on you. It goes from the top down.

And, and so that's a it's an important, job, I guess to say but on the flip side, you can't be afraid to learn from others either. Like I learned over this, where I learned so many strengths and talents that my faculty had that I didn't even

know that they had. And, and it just and then as they recognize their strengths and talents, it's empowering, where they start to feel like I am part of this and they find they find that connection and it makes them driven to want to come to work and to be there and then that trickles into your clients and your your your student in our case our student body and so you just want to keep nurturing that motivation and even though we've had to change, if you don't lose sight of your

passion, and you keep going back to why did I start this business in the first place, then you you'll find that drive to move forward, because you're not willing to give up. Like, there's no way like the flip of the coin would be to not have shoreline right now. And I can't see, I can't see that in my vision right now. It's just, and so I will do every I just, I've been determined to do everything I can to find a way to keep it.

Keep that place alive for for not just me, but all our kids, our faculty or parents, it's a it's a community and I, after created after building it over 16 years, I think people are counting on us. And so you just you know, it's a it sits on my shoulders, but I'm grateful for it. Because it fills my spell my god, it fills my spirit, I'd be

lost without it. So I'm ready to learn more and figure it out and find ways and now looking at our business now it's nothing like it used to be like, and we have we have, it's crazy. You have digital monitors and iPads in every room and you're going live and you're teaching and you're communicating, kids are talking to the TV screen to the kids that are at home to the people that are in the room like it's

just nuts. And then then you're trying to figure out, how do you how the how do you teach something when they cannot be in the same room? Like how do you teach a dance where it has maybe there's a we just did a production number that has 60 kids in it? Well, you know, you

can't have 60 kids together. So you're teaching them like and anywhere that you can, you've got 12 kids over here talk because they're there and then you're just telling them, okay, this is what and they're, they're getting smoked, so smart, because they're having to learn how to do things they never did. I tell them all the time, like looking back last year, we did our virtual recital. And your girls were there for this song. But this was so cool, because they had

only been online. So these kids were in dance routines with one another where they haven't seen each other since March. Here we were June or July, I don't even remember when we were finding something outside. But it was like bake stepped out of their car. And they're like, Oh my gosh, I'm gonna go like dance with my classmates. And we had line transitions and formation changes. And here these kids I stood in cry cuz I thought, Wow, how resilient are these children, they learned all of

this online, they showed up. And then it was so beautiful, because you could just see their joy as they're like passing each other in a line. Like on the stage. It was like, there's a person here, like he was like, it was so awesome that he thought and then to encourage those kids, because I'll tell them I said it's your strength, and your resilience and your motivation that just drives us.

And I just feel like, you know, where you guys have been to where you have come you started and you showed up on day one you showed up for for your team and, the children and then it trickled down and out trickles out. And then it comes back. And it comes to this nother aspect of showing up for one another and being there for one another. Because that's where it that's where it all starts.

order to do that. This was so humbling. You see how many people rally to support a vision or a mission or in the human spirit that was experienced over the last year. Several months for us, when you're open just to seeing what's around you like that, it

is extremely humbling. Not only do we like, build this new space where people work their tails off to make that happen so fast every word would be, we got to get this done for the kids, we got to do this for the kids and the community did that the the inspectors, the permit people, like everybody just started moving fast. And then when it got open, and we had to find new ways to do performances, or different ways it was everybody would say, Well, what can we do for the kids? How can we help?

How can we do this? And, these are people that didn't work with my business, it was just wanted to help one another. And it's that human, I guess, spirit that that, like, wants me to makes me want to give back like, I don't know, as we move forward, and we're lucky to be able to be open now. And we're open in different capacity. But we're open and we're dancing. And so I always tell the kids, you got the gift of dance, and you can use it to give back, let's find

ways to give back. And it's life lessons we're learning together. But you just have to be open to it and open to change. I mean, this whole, our world has changed. And I don't know that it will ever go back the way it was.

pretty tough. But when you can show the bigger picture now and look at all the changes and we're moving it forward in different directions. But I think to you know, the school and your your business has shown

that to children. And you've shown that change, you've shown the everybody adapting to the change, and it's teaching them it's teaching everybody else that's watching two parents included other businesses included to see what you've done with showing up for one another evolving adopting, and, and also, which I know is is hard, even for me to say but being able to maintain the internal motivation for yourself, but then the internal culture for your employees to then expand

out to the students to then the parents to then the community. It's all intertwined, and it's all connected too.

unless you take those risks. And you have to be encouraging to the people around you to let them know that if you fall you fall, but I'll catch you and we'll try again, like you try again. So we find what works and then we're gonna build this again, like, you just you go back to that passion and that drive you had from the beginning and you just dig deep and say I'm we're gonna we're gonna build this again, because it's worth it. It's worth it for a

million reasons. And as long as you have that, that drive behind you and you are clear headspace where you know that, that the end or even there will probably be no eggs, it's going to continue to evolve, but the process is worth it, the journey is worth it, then then you find these little small gifts along the way. And then you just grow from that, like you're we're in a different place emotionally and mentally than we were a year

ago. But you know what, we're way more in tune with each other's feelings and not just with my faculty, but to the students that you get. You can't just smile at them anymore excuse me that they can't can't even see them. How do they know that? You're showing them love? And if you could they can they see your eyeballs? That's it. I mean, it's crazy. So you've we get more in tune with communicating like how do we with relearn how to communicate?

thriving is communicating. I mean, overly communicating and now being able to do more outreach or just to put your voice out there to let others know that you are here, you know, and that they can lean on you and you might be needing to lean on them, it's about asking for help, it's about talking and communicating these feelings instead of just bottling it all up, because you have to, you have to now in order to have any sort of connection.

they needed to be there. And so our prime example was one time when that was all over, the teacher clicked off and says to me, I'm so glad I did that, like I didn't, how much I needed that I needed that too. And, and then it goes back to that human spirit, like, we really do need one another. And it it, you can feel each other's cup, you know, in it, and, and then you never burn out. It's just you just got to be willing to just go, you have to roll with that. And things will open up.

move on. And I think, you know, small businesses aside, all businesses should really need to open up those doors of communication. And I feel like this was a perfect segue into that to changing the ways that people were working and to changing the ways that people were relating to one another. Because now it's it is different, and people are getting more creative. And people are yearning for that.

and my attention. And I felt this summer as I was trying to build this new studio on this new school and get this place open and moving for the kids. But I needed to be present for my own kids. And I felt I was really dropping the ball. And, um, and one more day, I'll go to the coffee pot, I spend more time at that coffee path. And I go to my coffee pot in my kitchen and there's a letter

there for one of my kids. And the letter from one of my kids is something that just I will forever go back to, um, it was through her eyes of what this whole experience has been like. And what she said is I've, learned the importance of not giving up, I've learned the importance of, really pursuing a dream and a passion and, and I've seen the outcome and I and I just want you to know, I'm so proud of you. I'm proud to be

your kid. And as I'm reading this, I'm like, Oh my gosh, I hear or there was a lesson happening that I didn't even realize. But I needed it just as much I guess as she did. And so she learned the value of hard work and commitment and dedication but then also wanted me to know that it was so great to let me know that like, I know

why you're doing it. You're creative in my I'm lucky because I'm creating a space where she'll be able to be part of it and other children can be part of but I was so afraid she was gonna write and be like you're not around. But it wasn't she saw things I didn't realize she

saw. And so anyway, I'm learning that every as we're going through this as adults, yes, we're faced with so many challenges, but how we, how we respond to those challenges and are what we're dealt with on the daily like day to day our kids are watching and how learning how do they navigate through things. So I keep reminding myself of that as I go because there are days where you're just like, you're like how am I getting having a juice today?

But the bigger picture just I keep looking at the bigger picture and think okay, and and then I'm grateful because I got these little voices behind me that, you know, just, I don't know, just motivates you to just keep.

my mind. That's an important I guess that's an important role, I guess, a tip.

starts. And the people that are around us will see it, the people within us have it and we have that strength to be successful. It's just a matter of you following through following with our passions, and, you know, being able to lead by example, and to share that.

back. And I don't know, to, to know that. That I don't know that. Everybody, through this process, I've learned that there's so much good out there. And and to tie it back to that little letter. She also wrote in there. And I'm just I'm so grateful for the man who owns the plaza where you moved because you know, he just gave you a chance to find a new home for sure. Call the man I was like, listen, I want to thank like, not just thank you from

me. But But kids are seeing what you did to like, it's just again, like they're the human, the human spirit all around it this past year is just, I don't know, when I opened my eyes, and it pushes me to do better. It just pushes me to try harder. I'm learning that as I go. So I think as we move forward, I think that our businesses will get stronger. Yeah, we were before. We're more in tune with, with what's around you, I guess I don't know how else to respond.

I think if you if you're looking at a tip, as a, as a business owner, what I found to be the most valuable thing is to, even if you're only a team of you're in a partnership, and there's one other person or even if you're a sole proprietor, and it's just you, anyone who you come in contact with or that you work with, or that you're that you have a business relationship with, or anything that's part of

your business. I think it's just so important that you help them know that you see importance and value and marry in their voice, their vision, they're their passion. And I think that helps drive that rapport and relationship and then it just helps your business grow. And I think that's what's been a key to our school with with shoreline is taking the time to cultivate those relationships, and nurture those relationships. Because when people feel valued,

it goes a long way. And then it makes me feel more and more grateful for the people that I have around me.