The year 2020 was transformational for all studio owners, and for me it was doubly so: my first child was born just before the world began to shift into pandemic-mode. I was trying to make sense of business while also navigating the wild and wonderful course of new motherhood. Turns out it was the perfect time to pause and consider a few questions: Should I keep doing this studio thing? Was it this version of my dance studio that I wanted to own? Had I built what I wanted?
Being a studio owner was the only career I ever really imagined for myself, and I had wanted it since I was 5 years old. But during the pandemic pause four years ago, I wasn’t sure that I wanted to own my studio the way it was. We were doing well enough, but students weren’t progressing like I envisioned. We lacked a cohesive mission. Things felt disjointed. I liked my studio, but I wanted to love it. I knew that if I was going to take time away from my baby to work, I needed to love it. Over the course of the next two years, I began envisioning a new version of my business, enacting changes that would revitalize every area of our programming, especially concerning our youngest dancers.
I set to work repairing the studio’s foundation: I wanted and needed all my programs to better serve our students and their families. I considered how I wanted my studio to look, feel, and function. I thought about the programs I never really enjoyed but felt like my studio “needed” for one reason or another; those were easy to let go of. The next thing I did was start an Elite Training Program, a track of training catering to upper-level team dancers. It was an instant hit! But I quickly realized this program was being built on a major foundational flaw: our students needed more skills and training to be truly prepared for this ambitious programming.
This led to the bold decision to completely change the structure of our Young Children’s Program. If I wanted students to grow into our elite programming with the right level of preparedness, they needed better direction from us. It was imperative to fully involve our younger kids in all three foundational styles—ballet, tap, and jazz—instead of allowing parents to pick and choose, which resulted in some students taking, for example, a 30-minute jazz class (with no tap or ballet study) per week. This is where the FUNdamentals Program was born: a class curriculum of 90-minute combo classes for ages 4 to 9. This program—a strong technical foundation with plenty of fun mixed in—would allow young students to seamlessly progress into either our Elite Training Program or our Studio Program (a parallel track to elite training, but with a lesser commitment).
The FUNdamentals Program’s success derived from its combo structure: previously, parents were hesitant to sign their child up for three separate classes with three separate times and three separate costumes. By bundling ballet, tap, and jazz together, we could offer a simpler schedule and eliminate decision-fatigue. The registration conversation was never so easy! Now, with roughly the same enrollment size than before this program’s inception, our units are up 27 percent. Retention from last year is up 12 percent. Attrition is at an all-time low: for the first season ever, we haven’t had a single mid-season kindergarten student drop. Top-line revenue has grown 33 percent. By consolidating our younger kids’ classes into the FUNdamentals Program and nurturing these students down a consistent training path, we are not only seeing these enrollment and revenue benefits, but more efficiency in payroll expenses. It’s win-win-win.
Yet the biggest perk has been my reignited passion for studio ownership. I feel a pride I never felt before. In revitalizing my studio’s programming I’ve crafted a better learning environment for my students, my clients, and my own family (my husband and I have since welcomed baby number two). Walking into the studio every day now feels like coming home. I’m supporting my family and feeling excited about it all—confirmation that student progress, scheduling simplicity, and an environment of fun make a solid foundation indeed.
That COVID pause was the catalyst I needed. If you have been wondering if you still love your studio, why not try a similar introspection? Have you built what you truly want? If not, get out your shovel and start digging!
