Through Florida Ballet Arts - Professional Dance Alliance, you will be consulting one-on-one with me, MaryElizabeth.  Im a multi-passionate entrepreneur who has been in your shoes.  That's right.  I have sat where you are sitting now.  I have a proven record of business success and chances are, I have not only experienced firsthand, everything you have or will experience in your dance business, but have overcome the obstacles associated with this type of business.

 

     A little history:   In the year 2000, I took over a forty year old dance studio which, despite its long reputation of producing high level and professional dancers, was crumbling. Correction, it did crumble!  The former owner had closed the doors for good and had walked away from the business leaving it in complete ruin.  Within a couple of weeks of the closing of the school, I made the decision to unlock the doors and put everything on the line, including my professional performing career, to save the studio I once called 'home' as a child.  It was a big risk. The studio, under the previous owner, had plummeted down to only 18 students and at the time the former owner chose to close, the studio was only making enough to pay its teachers and nothing more; not even the rent.  (Which kind of explains why he decided to close...  After contacting the owners of the plaza where the studio had been located, I learned that he was 5 months past due on the rent and was about to be evicted.). By going in and unlocking the doors, I would have to build this studio from the ground up.  There was nothing left of the business at this point and the only thing going for it was maybe the good reputation the name drew before he ran it through the mud.  

 

     So here's what happened in a nutshell:  Within only my first four months as the new owner & director, I singlehandedly grew business by 320 percent, and in the next three months, by 416 percent.  Within my first five years, I successfully increased business by a steady 835 percent. For more than a decade as Artistic/Executive Director, I demonstrated my creativity, business acumen, and sharp attention to detail on a broad and diverse scale, consistently turning company visions into reality and earning great respect from the community through my expertise, commitment to excellence, and strong integrity.  The best part:  I did it all without ever accumulating debt.  That's right!  There were never any loans taken out for the business and I didn't have any capital going in either.  After all, I was a 24 year old professional ballet dancer with a newborn when I took on this business venture.  There were no savings to invest.  I went in without any financial muscle.  With my strong desire to preserve the history of the business and my vision for the future of the business, my muscle was my sheer determination coupled with some negotiating savvy and business sense.  Negotiating Savvy and business sense?  Where did that come from?  Maybe I inherited it.  Maybe I subconsciously learned it growing up.  Whatever the case may be, I used it to save a business and grow a business when the odds seemed to be against me (and I looked like a teenager so can you imagine how few people took me seriously when they first laid eyes on me?  The odds were really not in my favor!).  Now you may be thinking to yourself, "but there's too much competition near my studio for me to get ahead".  That's just an excuse you're telling yourself.  If you position your studio correctly, market effectively, put organized systems in place, follow through and DELIVER VALUE, you can be successful no matter how much competition is around you.

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     In addition to my extensive background as a professional dancer, choreographer, Master Teacher, and studio owner, I am also a licensed Realtor in the state of Florida who grew up in the Real Estate industry. My personal experience as a business owner dealing with commercial leases, coupled with my professional Real Estate experience, makes me an asset to potential studio owners who may need coaching and guidance in this area as well.  If you don't understand real estate jargon and are not familiar with contracts and leases, it's easy to become intimidated.  It's important to understand what you're signing your name to so that you don't find later that you've agreed to terms that you didn't realize you agreed to.

 

     When consulting one-on-one with me, you will learn what worked and what didn't work, taking the guessing out of the business and saving you time and money in the long run. You will learn how to make your standard business operations run efficiently, whether you're there or not. You will learn how to put on extraordinary performances without getting hit hard with performance costs. You will learn how to define your studio in order to attract the kinds of students and families you desire to your business. That's right!  You do not need every student!  It's important to realize that!  You will learn how to market effectively without draining your pockets.  You will learn how to create a solid program that keeps young children wanting to come back year after year and will learn how to keep attendance consistent for teens who are so easily swept away with the many wide ranging distractions competing with dance for their time and attention.

 

     You could instead, choose to attend seminars that will cost you into the thousands for you to travel, lodge, and sit in a hotel ballroom with hundreds of other studio owners, listening to a speaker who claims to have all the answers for your business while simultaneously teaching to a broad range of studios all at one time.  If you have the extra money to spend, go for it!  It could be a fun get away and tax write-off for you.  Or, for a simple hourly fee at a fraction of the cost, you could have one-on-one personal attention to your studio and will receive the personal, individualized consultation needed to overcome the hurdles you face.  While all business owners face obstacles, not all of their obstacles are the same; even within the dance industry, our obstacles vary because our personal and professional goals vary.  That is why individualized consultation is key.  It allows you to go deep rather than just getting general tips that may or may not be relevant for your business.  Think you're ready for some business consultation or coaching?  If you've read this far, chances are, the answer is "YES".  Let's chat about your needs and goals and together, we can determine if consultation is the best step for you!  I'm looking forward to connecting with you!  Look out for an email from me soon!