4 Ways to Grow and Evolve Your Dance School Business

If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always got. – Henry Ford

Owning a dance school business is not easy, and it can be tempting to stay in your comfort zone especially when things are going well. Falling into the trap of doing the same things over and over can have a detrimental effect on the growth of your small business because if you are not changing, you are not growing. While every dance school business has unique obstacles to overcome, the truth is that there are always improvements you can make to grow bigger, better and more successful. The best businesses and ideas come from being adaptable, challenging the status quo and getting comfortable with being uncomfortable. 

Whether you are a new dance school owner or a seasoned professional, making a plan to “scale up” your business and implementing it can take it to new heights. By considering the following ideas in this blog, you can set yourself up for long-term success and grow your dance school business. 

The experience of having outgrown a business practice, or way of doing things can feel unpleasant if you don’t know which way to turn. Remember that this feeling is a clear signal to you that something needs to change. If you analyse the problem and brainstorm to find better solutions, you may even discover that the best ideas can often come from feeling stuck. Take a look at how you are performing in the following areas currently and think about how you can make changes to help focus your intentions and make sure your dance school business is growing and evolving. 

Get Clear on Your Marketing:

You may already have a marketing strategy in place, but it’s important to regularly review what’s working, what isn’t, and what you can do to improve. How do you currently use marketing and why? Is it to share class updates with parents, showcase performances, or recruit new students? Ask yourself if your current strategy is aligned with your business objectives. Outlining objectives for your marketing and social media provides you with the direction and framework in which to grow your dance school by tailoring your marketing to your business goals. 

For example, if your goal is to recruit new dance students but you mainly use social media to post news, you likely need to change your approach and experiment with posting more engaging content, videos, and information. If your socials are full of visuals, videos and not much else, consider creating information packs to help get potential students over the line when they are making a decision about where to go. If you are an old school kind of business owner and like to stick to word of mouth, or perhaps you prefer to avoid technology and the headache that comes with it, make a decision to put yourself out of your comfort zone and experiment with it. 

There are multiple ways you can switch up your marketing and there is no one size fits all when it comes to owning a small business. The key is trial and error. Invest some time into researching different marketing techniques and make small changes to begin with. Whether that be increasing your posts from once a week to twice, or filming some rehearsal sessions to give potential dance pupils an idea of what your dance school offers. These things can seem small but add up. All it takes is one post or email that could be the difference between someone registering as a new customer or deciding to go with a competitor. 

Invest in yourself:

One of the most important things you can do to grow your dance school business is to invest in yourself. After all, you are the one running the show. If you are not looking after number one, how can you expect your business to thrive?

Focusing on personal development will allow you to build new skills, become more self-aware and gain different perspectives. It’s worth going on this journey if you own a small business, in order to help yourself build the resilience needed to navigate the inevitable challenges that come with running your own dance school. It’s helpful to start by identifying the areas where you specifically want to grow and get better. If you are uncomfortable with public speaking, consider joining a local speaking group. If you would like to be more business minded, invest in an online course or program. Perhaps you feel like you are doing too much, so invest a few hours a week into self-care to reset so that you are able to give more of yourself to your business. 

Remember, growth comes from being outside of your comfort zone, and you will gain confidence from setting goals and working towards them. Honouring the commitment to becoming the best version of yourself will lead to increased confidence, knowledge and self-belief that will have a compounding effect on how you run your business. You’ll be less afraid of failure, more likely to take healthy risks and make better decisions. 

Level Up your Communication: 

The success of your dance school business depends heavily on how well you can communicate to current and potential customers. From the emails you send to parents, information conveyed on your website or social media, and how you talk to pupils, staff members and parents can either help or hinder your business growth. The key is to make the whole process as easy and informative as possible in order to recruit and retain pupils. 

What information do you currently have presented for people to see and make a decision on? What questions repeatedly come up from parents about your classes? Do you get a lot of pointless questions that can be avoided if you change how you communicate? The ideal situation is for customers to be able to find out the answer to their questions before they contact you. We are always communicating with whatever we do, or don’t do. If you only post on social media every few months or rarely update your website - these are forms of communication and people will wonder if you are still in business and potentially decide to go with a competitor over you. 

Your goal with owning a small business should always be to gain as much information and feedback as possible so that you can use it to improve and grow your business. How do you currently ask for feedback from customers, if at all? 

Review the methods of communication you currently use for feedback and see where you can make changes to gain a deeper understanding. Send out regular surveys to parents, talk to them directly or hold brief feedback sessions after classes to get better insight from your pupils. Any way you can gain insight, will be beneficial to your long-term success. 

Diversify Your Income:  

Owning a dance school can be tricky financially, with revenue usually peaking during the beginning of term registration and dipping at other times throughout the year. It’s a smart idea to diversify your income streams in order to contribute to the overall growth and success of your business, helping you to get through the slower periods and allowing you to invest more money back in.

There are a multitude of ways you can expand the financial security of your dance school business. Consider hiring your school space to other dance teachers or performance groups for rehearsals or classes. Invite renowned dancers or choreographers for special masterclasses and workshops that you can charge extra for. Passive income is money you earn that requires little or no effort to maintain. An example is creating a digital dance course and then selling it over and over.