How to Run a Preschool Dance Studio: The 7 Step System to Create, Grow and Expand Your Preschool Dance Classes

By Emma Franklin Bell

Whether you are an experienced, established teacher who has been running a studio for a decade or a new teacher embarking on your first dance studio, this practical, helpful and insightful book is for you.

Jam-packed with tips, tools, strategies and solutions, How to Run a Preschool Dance Studio reveals the insider secrets to running a successful,

• Language: English
• Publisher: Emma Franklin Renison Bell
• Release date: Mar 7, 2015
• ISBN: 9780646935805

Book preview

Preface

Congratulations for deciding to buy this book and having a desire to take the action steps to achieving the success you want in your preschool dance studio!

In the following modules I have put everything on the table for you, I really open up about everything I did, created and developed. I share with you all the elements I used and what made my preschool dance studio work so well so quickly.

A bit of background…

After 11 years in small business and 20 years in the dance industry I took a chance in 2012 and decided to write my own preschool ballet program, Fairy Footsteps. I created, set up and built a ballet school from scratch. Within 3 months the school had a second location and a second teacher with more classes expanding as time went on. We were featured in the media and had over 300 students go through the program in the first 18 months.

I was running the administrative side of the business from Sydney, NSW where I lived while the dance school operated in Perth, WA. I had an abundance of raving testimonials, no outstanding fees and no complaints. Mid 2014 I decided to sell the ballet studio to pursue other opportunities. The ballet studio still continues to grow and has expanded to further locations.

People started to ask me how I managed to run the studio the way that I did, so I started to write a newsletter around business and life based on what I’d learnt. If you’re interested to sign up you can at www.emmafranklinbell.com. Before long I distilled what I had done down to seven steps, which became the book you have in your hands – How to Run a Preschool Dance Studio.

To be perfectly upfront and honest, just like a wonderful restaurant, a fantastic show or a five-star hotel there is never one magic thing that makes these experiences successful. There’s not a magic pill, silver bullet or quick fix. For something to beautifully and seamlessly work, it’s a combination, a cocktail if you like of a number of key things that make it work. So you wont be finding the answer in a few hints and tips or wacky tricks, it really takes all 7 steps.

These 7 modules cover the thought, the process and the sophistication needed to create, grow and expand into a school that works for you and allows you to run a business that’s got passion, profit and purpose! This book is also now a successful program delivered as a 1-to-1 course of private mentoring sessions.

To Your Success,

Emma Franklin Bell

Foundation Chapter

It’s important to start anything in life from a really solid foundation. If we launch in with both feet and we don’t really know why we’re doing something, sometimes later down the track we can find ourselves in a bit of a rut wondering why we started.

There are 7 key things that need to be touched on before we jump in to something new. We really have to come to the understanding that any new project is going to ask of us more than facts and figures but also a strong and wise mindset. I have identified that these 7 key areas need to be touched on before we dive in to the mechanics of running a studio. Being aware of these things will start us off in good stead so we can then pump up the volume and turn our business ideas into reality!

The 7 Foundational Keys:

Responsibility

Acceptance

Why

Values

Commitment

Action

Vision

Your Responsibility

It is essential for us to come to a point in our lives where we realize – if it’s going to be, it’s up to me!

When I was in my 20s I thought that somehow magically it would all just work out I don’t really know how I came up with this idea. I thought the man would just come along – he didn’t. I thought the magic job would arrive – it didn’t. I thought University would have the answers – it didn’t. I wound up at 28 thinking Geez, the only way to really get moving, make something happen and get going is to take 100% responsibility for my current situation and quite simply – start making it happen!

The moment we take ownership of our situation and our skills is the moment we are liberated. Taking 100% responsibility for our lives shifts us out of any sort of victim role, pushes the inner persecutor in us away and allows us to rise above drama and become true leaders on our own personal march towards our dreams!

Your Acceptance

In life, as we know, there are many, many things out of our control. There are also no guarantees in life except for death, taxes and change – everything else is unpredictable. Once we are able to accept life and circumstances for what they are, (even though we may not always agree with the situation), we can learn to accept it, take ownership and decide the best course of action. Relinquishing the need and the urgency to control everything around us is a much more peaceful and relaxed state. This relaxed state is what we need to aim for when we live in a world of expectation, rush, demand and stimulation. Take the time out to accept what you have now, where you’re going and what your plans are. As the saying goes ‘work with what you have, where you are now’ and in time you will move closer to where you want to go.

Your Why

Taking the time out sometimes to remember ‘why’ we started our dance studio or why we want to start a dance studio/business in the first place is really important. Not only for our sanity but to reignite our passion!

Remembering our early days, our achievements and our journey allows us to see we’ve come a long way and done an awesome job! It also helps us soldier on when things can become challenging. Here are 3 simple questions to get us thinking about our ‘Why’:

Write down your answers to these questions. Writing helps ideas and thoughts to sink into our brain and we are more likely to remember them and think about them and act on them.

Take me back – Why did you start dancing? How did it make you feel?

In the beginning - What was it that led you to want to start your own school/studio?

The Art of Dance - What is it about dance and teaching that you�re passionate about?

Your Values

One of the most important things in our lives is to know exactly what we value. Our values guide us to where we want to go in our lives. Sometimes we can wind up feeling fed up, confused or frustrated and often it’s because we haven’t stayed in alignment with our values.

Values are deep and important to us on a personal level. They may be things relating to health, friends, partner, excellence and so on. Whatever they are, I encourage you to write down 5 important key things/areas that you value in your life. It’s good to rewrite them every year.

Here’s an example:

I value my strong, healthy body and looking after my health and wellbeing

I value my 5 longest, oldest friendships

Write down your 4 most important values here.

MY CORE VALUES

1.

2.

3.

4.

It’s important to read our values everyday to remind ourselves that we are sticking to what we believe in.

Your Vision

As the Bible said: ‘Without vision the people will perish.’ Without your own sense of where your dance studio is going and what you want to achieve you may end up somewhere you’d rather not be. A vision needs to be a few clear, strong goals that you work towards.

Vision Questions

Remember: Write down your answers…

If you imagine you are running your school in three years time, how does it look?

How many students do you have?

What’s the main focus of the school? Dance style and student type?

Are you in other locations?

How many teachers do you have?

What is your school known for?

As a teacher/studio director what are you known for?

How much revenue is the school doing?

How much net profit are you making?

What’s your personal weekly salary? Has this increased in three years?

Your Commitment

You are the only one that can take you from where you are today reading this book to where you want to be in the future. Every decision and choice you make at any moment will impact your outcome. Making a solid commitment to read, think, listen and take action on things that you believe are effective is crucial to your overall success. I encourage you to sit up, open up and get ready to absorb and commit to the learning in front of you.

Your Action

After people commit, it is most important that they follow this up by taking action. Taking action is way easier said than done, there are lots of things that stop us, restrict us and immobilize us from taking action. Before we know it, we haven’t done it.

We’ve stopped and not followed through on what we said we would and yet the most powerful thing at the end of the day is taking action. If people hadn’t taken action we wouldn’t have the motorcar, the airplane, the mobile phone. If people thought about how cool the idea was but then didn’t act on the idea humanity wouldn’t move ahead.

People who take action, get up, get the resources, take the training, make the phone calls, write the plan, meet up with that person, and then continue to take action. They never stop. They are do-ers!

Action is the most important thing that we can do, because it means we actually DO IT!

Don’t be stopped by someone; don’t listen to people who tell you, you can’t do it. (Maybe don’t tell everyone your ideas – keep them as secrets and slowly but surely work away at them, only tell a few people that you trust!)

Most people who have gone on to do great things have been told, It won’t work You’ll never make it Nobody will read that You’ll lose money and so on.

You need to rise above that and take action today.

Clarity Moving Forward

It’s really crucial to take the time out to do these exercises in this