What is it and who is it suited to?
Planning and preparation
Franchising
Marketing
Rules and regulations
Start-up costs
How much can I earn?
Tips for success and useful contacts
Tips for success and useful contacts
Hopefully by now you have all the tools to make your dance school a success. However, if you get stuck along the way, there are plenty of organisations out there to help you.
These include the Imperial Society for Teachers of Dancing, the International Dance Teachers Association and the Royal Academy of Dance – as well as Startups’ own site.
Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing
http://www.istd.org
International Dance Teachers Association
http://www.idta.co.uk
Royal Academy of Dance
http://www.rad.org.uk
Zumba Fitness UK
http://www.zumbauk.co.uk
If you are still unsure about whether you could start a dance school, use these top tips from entrepreneurs who have opened their own.
Lianne Weston-Mommsen, Starz Academy UK:
• “You get most people word-of-mouth so reputation is key. Your customer service must be excellent – address queries and issues immediately and don’t put customers under pressure to buy stock.
• There is always room to improve, so listen to your teachers’ feedback and never think you know it all. Listen to other people, because what works on paper might not work in reality.
• Launch in new locations – but then stop and grow what you’ve got. Fill your existing classes rather than opening more. Recruiting area managers can help deal with the most time-heavy bits of your business.
• Consider your business like a spider diagram. What can come out of your central bubble? Get the first bit right before you roll out other ideas. Learn from your mistakes so that you can be more efficient second time around.”
Denise Hutton-Gozney, Razzamataz Theatre Schools:
• “Research your market and remember, location, location, location!
• Follow best practice – make sure your health and safety policy is up to date.
• Recruit a fabulous team. Never go for second best.
• Be organised and try to have fun along the way.
• Get a mentor (I went to The Prince’s Trust). They can seem nosy but they’re there to help you. They provide great advice and are much cheaper than turning to consultants! Mine also put me forward for some awards.
• Everyone loves a star. If you can get someone high profile in to launch your business or judge your competitions, it does help.”
Viktoriya Wilton, Inspiration2Dance:
• “Stay on top of your cashflow and make every penny count.
• Get out of your comfort zone.
• Don’t be scared. Fear is the only thing that prevents us from doing something. You might be surprised how easy it really is!”