Tag Archives: SOBuzz

SOBuzz: Getting Ready for Fall… Painting!

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For a studio owner, getting ready for fall classes means a lot of things… piles of paperwork, phone calls and emails to return, attendance sheets and class signs to prepare.  For me, it also always means painting the studio! It seems like every year I end up painting one or more of the rooms.

Maybe it's just me, but I get very anxious when selecting a new color to paint the studio. Perhaps it's because I will be spending the next two or three years (if the paint is good) staring at the wall color, who knows?  Although I do fine choreographing formations, I'm not a very good visualizer of the end product.  I need something more.  I used to get a bunch of little samples, tape them to the wall and deliberate for a week, asking everyone who walked by whether "summer white" looked nicer than "classic beige".

But wait, there's a solution!

My favorite tool to use before painting is Sherwin William's "Color Visualizer" tool.  You can upload a picture of any room and "paint" using their colors.

Now I can digitally "paint" my rooms and change them around as much as I like before purchasing paint!  Hooray!

If you are still having trouble choosing a color or narrowing your choices consider the following:

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Marketing for New Season

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I can't believe that our studio's opening day is less than four weeks away!  Our last summer intensive starts this Monday and then we have a break before starting up in September.

This is a list of what I do to market my studio, including the failed ad attempts – hopefully it will help someone!

FREE – The best advertising is free in my opinion!

  • Internet Presence:  Make sure your studio shows up when you search "dance near ZIP CODE" on Google! Update or add your studio to Google Places, Bing, Yahoo, etc.  Check out this post for a way to see if your business is visible.
  • Facebook:  If you don't have a Facebook page yet, get one!  Post on your studio's facebook wall at least once a week if not multiple times.  For extra credit, mix up your posts between photos, videos and regular "Classes start soon – not too late to register!"
  • Twitter:  If you have a large Twitter following, that may be the way to go.
  • Email:  Keep an email list of everyone who has ever asked for information for classes.  Send email blasts once a month or so.
  • Demo Classes: Offer free demonstration classes and see if you can get them listed in local community calendars or websites.

Continued after the jump…
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Recital Crunch Time!

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To all my N. American studio owners and dance teachers… are you ready for recital yet?  At my studio, the recital is four weeks away!  Some of my dances are ready, others… ehhh it will be interesting to see how they pull together. 

How do you stay organized for the big day?

Here is my quick list for what I prepare as a teacher:

  • I type up all of my baby dances to have them on hand.  Why is it that the simplest dances are the easiest to forget?
  • A list of all of my students for each class as well as their line-up if they are too young to remember where they stand.
  • My ‘backstage kit’: filled with bobby pins, safety pins, shout wipes, band-aids, extra makeup and a little sewing kit
  • Extra props, headpieces, tights and accessories
  • Gifts for my assistant teachers
  • A comfortable outfit for setting up and then a dress to change into for the show
  • A back up CD of my music
  • Snacks and lots of water (and usually a large coffee in the morning)
  • My camera!

I am sure I am forgetting some things…

What do you pack when getting ready for recital day?

SOBuzz: Online Dance Directories

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As a business owner, your online presence is essential.  In addition to your business showing up in Google searches, here are a few online directories that will make your studio even more accessible.  Most of these sites are free or have a free option. 

GENERIC
http://www.superpages.com/ – the online Yellow Pages
http://theusaexplorer.com/ – a huge directory listing businesses by town and city
http://local.yahoo.com/ – city guide
http://phones.whitepages.com/ – the online White Pages
http://citysearch.com/ – city guide
http://www.yellowusa.com/

DANCE-SPECIFIC
http://dancestudiosusa.com/ – dance directory
http://www.getyourkidsoffthecouch.com/ – collection of kids activities
http://www.dancedirectory.com/ – ballroom dance directory
http://www.dancedirectoryplus.com/

You might also want to do some research and see if your city or town has its own online directory.  My city has an online kid’s directory that lists dance studios, gymnastics facilities, karate, etc.  Also check your local newspaper, radio and TV station websites for business listings. If you offer birthday parties, there might be an online directory for kids parties – make sure your studio is on the list!

Also, many of these are specific to the United States – for other countries, you might need to do a bit of googling to find directories specific to your country.

Anything others you can think of?

SOBuzz: Dance Class is Cancelled… Get the word out!

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Check out part 1, our post on when to close.
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So now that you decided to close, how do you get the word out quickly and efficiently, making you and your studio seem super-organized? Here are the ways (in order) in which I post information about closings when necessary.  My whole process can be done in 10 minutes.

Studio Answering Machine:  Change the answering machine at your studio phone.  Make sure your message includes the date and clear information about closings. Many phones allow you to change your message remotely.  Make a copy of the answering machine instructions and keep them at your house or take a picture and keep them in your phone.  I also keep have a copy in my purse in the winter.
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SOBuzz: Snow Days… When to Close?

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If you live in the northeastern US – well, ANYWHERE in the US this past month, you probably just got hit with some bad or unexpected snow.  My friends in the southern states also just dealt with high winds and flooding and all of us in New York are experiencing the brunt of winter’s worst…  So whether its snow storms, flooding, or high winds…how do you decide when to close the studio or cancel a performance? 

When to close?
One easy way to decide when to close is looking at your local school districts.  Generally they have their information up early in the mornings.  I decide my closings for morning classes by 8am.  If the local schools districts are delayed by 2 hours or closed, I cancel morning classes.  With one hour delays, I will check the main roads myself and then make a decision.

For afternoon and evening classes, it is a tougher decision.  I base my decision on the evening weather forecast and how far my instructors have to travel.  I have a few instructors who commute 30-60 minutes to teach and ofter their area gets hit worse with bad weather.

Canceling a Performance
This is one of the hardest calls to make, but is it really worth it to put parents and students at risk to hold a performance for a small audience? No performance– no matter how many hours– is worth that risk.

Should I Offer a Make-Up Class or Refund?

The view from my  window is depressing these days

For classes that clients pre-pay for, such as semester, monthly or yearly tuition, it is good business etiquette to offer a make-up class if you are not giving a refund.  If you offer multiple classes of the same level, you could allow students to attend a second class during the week to make-up their missed class.

For classes that are pay-per-class, no make-up class is necessary since no one is out any money.

We have found that if we plan snow make-ups on a separate day or during spring break, the attendance is poor at best.  So we built in one extra week into the season for the inevitable snow day that happens each year.  We do not make-up the first snow day.

For canceled performances, if you can re-schedule, find a way to do so.  If you can’t, you will have to refund ticket holders.
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Keep an eye out for our next post for suggestions on how to get the word out to your students and parents when you need to cancel dance class.

What was the last reason you had to cancel class?

SOBuzz: A Competitor Who Stole My Ideas

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Fantastic article by Therese Tucker (as told to Kathryn Hawkins) over at BNET:  "How I Beat a Competitor Who Stole My Ideas".

As dance studio owners, we have all been there.  You just put out a new ad (website, sign, brochure, etc) and two months–or maybe even two days–later you see a competitor using the same wording for their own business (class names, discounts, etc).  I've personally had a competitor copy and paste all of the wording from my website (which took me days to write) and pass it off as her own idea on her website.  How irritating!

What can we take away from this article for dance studio owners?

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Studio Owner Buzz: Music Licensing FAQ

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Musica comprimida - Compressed MusicAfter just receiving my ASCAP licensing fee invoice for 2011, I thought it might be a good idea to do a post about music licensing.  I dove into researching the topic and came up with the answers to my own questions along with some interesting other facts.

Full Disclosure:  I only researched copyright laws of the United States, so if you have any information about international music licensing, please comment!

So without further ado, here are some frequently asked questions about music licensing (after the jump):
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The Search for Portable Ballet Barres, Part 2

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Click here for  Part 1

After much deliberation, I decided to order an 8-foot portable double barre from the Ballet Barre Store. I liked that the barres were advertised as lightweight and easy to put together.  I also was pleased to see they have a 30-day return policy — I would just have to foot the bill for any shipping it needed to be returned.

Both barres are adjustable, and the higher barre can go up to a height of 45 inches.  Compared to similar style barres, the $135 price tag was fairly inexpensive. I did a bit of research on the company behind the barre, Vita Vibe.  They also have a 5-year warranty on their products for full replacement or repair, which makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

After placing the order through their site using PayPal, I received the barre in about a week (but it was during the Christmas rush, so its possible your order would get to you sooner).  The package was long a slim and barely fit in my station wagon!  For those of you ordering longer barres, it might be wise to ship directly to your studio if possible.

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