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Dance Studio 411

This is Dance Studio 411 where we answer your real life questions about your toughest studio life predicaments. Parent problems, teacher turnover, student challenges, policy dilemmas and so much more! Let's talk about what's keeping you awake at night and what you can do about it. Here are your hosts Suzanne Blake Gerety and Jill Tirone.

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Back to Basics: Making Money In Your Dance Studio

Oct 15, 2024

Episode Description

In the podcast episode "Back to Basics: Making Money In Your Dance Studio with Tiffany Henderson," Tiffany provides clear and focused strategies for increasing revenue in dance studios. The episode highlights two primary revenue streams: optimizing class curriculum and organizing successful holiday shows and recitals. Tiffany discusses how to structure classes to enhance their value and attract more students, while also creating memorable recitals that boost ticket sales. She emphasizes the importance of calculating and maximizing profit per dancer throughout the season, offering practical advice to help studio owners boost their financial outcomes while maintaining high-quality dance education.

Key Takeaways

  • Focus on Core Revenue Streams: Prioritize class tuition and recitals as the main sources of income for your studio.
  • Structured Teacher Training and Curriculum: Implement a clear, replicable curriculum and offer consistent training for your teachers to improve class quality.
  • Student Retention Through Skill Progressions: Tracking student progress and sharing it with parents is key to maintaining enrollment.
  • Recitals Drive Retention and Profitability: Recitals are more than just performances—they create emotional connections and traditions for families while generating significant revenue through ticket sales and costume fees.

Time Stamps

[00:29] Tiffany Henderson joins the show. As a seasoned studio owner and creator of Twinkle Star Dance, she dives into her journey and her current projects, including producing parades at Disneyland and studying psychology at the University of Pennsylvania.

[03:15] Tiffany shares the importance of going "back to basics" to reduce distractions. She references Warren Buffet’s Ultimate Concern exercise: focus on two top priorities and ignore the rest.

[05:37] Tiffany identifies the two core revenue streams studio owners should prioritize: class tuition and recitals. She explains how focusing on these can ensure steady revenue and business growth.

[10:59] Tiffany discusses strategies for setting tuition prices and ensuring profitability while addressing studio owners' common anxieties about raising prices.

[13:21] Tiffany emphasizes the importance of consistent teacher training, clear class structure, and replicable curriculum to ensure success in preschool and elementary classes.

[18:39] Tiffany introduces the Twinkle Star Dance passport system, which tracks students’ skill development, engages parents, and boosts retention.

[21:33] Tiffany explains why recitals are vital to student retention and the emotional value they bring to families. She also highlights how to maximize profitability by selling tickets and bundling participation fees with costume costs.

[27:17] A detailed breakdown of recital profitability, including strategies for selling more tickets (on average, 5 tickets per dancer) and optimizing costume commissions.

[29:37] Tiffany encourages studio owners to consider adding holiday shows, noting how even a small-scale performance can significantly boost profitability.

[34:00] Tiffany concludes by reminding listeners of the positive impact dance studios have on their communities, urging studio owners to focus on future thinking and the importance of the work they do.

Links Mentioned in this Episode…

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