You’re a dancer with a great concept for a product for your fellow dancers—and you have no idea how to get it manufactured. Here’s how the founders of Apolla worked with a business incubator to turn sketches into a dance business with a sellable product.
Whether you have a financial person do your taxes or handle them yourself, it pays to be alert to opportunities to cut your tax bill. Here’s what to know (and discuss with your tax pro) before you file.
Change is unavoidable in today’s business environment. Sometimes you initiate the changes; sometimes they’re beyond your control. But one thing you can successfully manage is the way you communicate about them. Arts consultant David Gray tells what he’s learned from experience about managing the message.
Tribeca’s Downtown Dance Factory has seen a 491 percent increase in student count over 10 years, becoming one of Manhattan’s largest studios. The owners’ mindful approach to growth has allowed them to create a business where their work/life balance is just right, too.
Brenda Way of ODC/Dance in San Francisco projects an enviable vision of staying power in a city that both celebrates its artistic culture and starves it of space. She and co-artistic director KT Nelson have created a thriving dance center in SF’s Mission District—with two buildings that house school, theater, gallery and even a health clinic for dancers.
Like many artists who eventually choose to transition into nonperforming careers, Robert Hartwell had a dream to coach students. He started a small business with his own savings (and big personality) that within three years was generating $1 million in annual revenue.
This longtime dance studio owner radically reimagined her business when she took to heart two simple pieces of advice: Don’t work for free; and let your clients see your success.
The harsh reality of the real estate market in certain urban centers can limit the growth of dance schools at just the time when customer demand is at its highest. Here’s how one popular Brooklyn community dance center found a solution.
“Leading is hard,” says Rachel Moore, President & CEO of The Music Center in Los Angeles. “It takes thought, intentionality and humility, and sometimes it requires the moral courage to make necessary changes. While those of us who guide arts organizations wake up every day with the goal of contributing to the human spirit, we must step up our efforts as leaders.”
That’s because this “lean” planning method is a no-fuss tool you’ll want to use to make sure your dance business can adapt and thrive.
