3 Lessons from a “Failed” Dance Business

Today, my two children- 10 and 7, were asking questions about purchasing a home. We rent a very nice townhome, but they are anxious for us to own a home.

Why?

We’ve promised to get a dog when we buy a home.

This led to a discussion about self-employment. FYI, when you are self-employed, there are some added challenges to qualifying for a purchase. In this same conversation, I began to share with them the journey of how I went from being a performer to a dance teacher to a web designer.

There are parts of this story that I thought you might be interested in as well. Primarily, why the original version of Dance Nerd- “Dance Nerd Apparel & Goods” didn’t work and why my current business model does.

I think it will be helpful for any dancer who is considering a freelance business model— performing, teaching, and/or choreography.

Reason #1: I was running my business like a hobby instead of a business.

Do you know the difference? I hadn’t fully committed to dance-themed apparel as my full-time job. Even though I knew better, I was still running on the idea that if I “built it, they would come.” Although I definitely had supporters (Love you and thank you!) I didn’t have enough for an income. I was waiting on success to happen to me; I didn’t use a business plan for success. Ouch.

How can run your dance brand as a business instead of a hobby?

Know what you need to succeed.

For example: A hobbyist says, “I want to teach dance classes and see who is interested in coming.”

A business owner says, “I need 10 people in my 5 classes each week. I also need to teach 10 private lessons at x amount per lesson. If I don’t have this many people, here’s my plan to find new students.” You can substitute classes for gigs if you are a performer.

Reason #2: I did not do enough market research.

There are very few dance-themed apparel companies. There are many dance wear companies that sell apparel and there are individuals on sites like Etsy who sell dance-themed apparel. Most sell t-shirts with the same winning phrases and typical ballerina illustrations.

When I started Dance Nerd Apparel & Goods, I was teaching at a college. My students graciously caught my enthusiasm and purchased my products. My dance community also bought in. But, then it stalled.

I was planning for a teen-adult marketing strategy, but moms of younger dancers were asking for youth sizes. My marketing became muddy as I tried to match demands in both directions- older and younger audiences. I wondered if I should focus on youth whose parents were more likely to spend on their behalf? Or should I stay true to my original intentions, but know that my audience would be significantly reduced. Why? Because it can be harder for adult dancers to spend money on themselves.

How can you ensure that you do enough research?

Sell before you create. Towards the end of the apparel brand’s life, I started doing pre-orders to gauge interest. I knew for sure whether or not a product was worth my time and effort— no hard feelings. My work became less about what I hoped people would respond to and more about dealing with the reality of my audience.

If you ask people, “Do you like this yes or no?” you are going to get misleading feedback. Yes or no is not enough evidence upon which to build a brand. A “like” ≠ a sale. A sale is equal to sale. A sign up, a deposit can point you in the right direction and save you time, money, and energy.

How can you apply this? Sell a book of lessons or pre-registration for your workshops or classes. In dance, we are so often encouraged not to do things for the money, but for the love.

I can tell you from the bottom of my heart, with all the love in the world, that you will get burned out if your needs aren’t met.

Money is not the enemy. Not only is it a need, but it is also a way to gauge if your ideas are getting out there into the world.

If you aren’t receiving the interest you want, you don’t need to quit. You need to tweak, revise, and reconsider your offering until you do have what people want.

What do people constantly ask you about?
Do they really want your Zoom class?
Or are they more intrigued by the costumes that you create?

You will find satisfaction when you match what you are good at with what people need. Work to find the thing that makes you different.

Reason #3: I was inconsistent.

I worked hard everyday, but I didn’t show up for my audience everyday. I ran ads and then not fully understanding their effectiveness (they were actually performing well) I would drop ads. I’d get hyper focused on social media and then forget about connecting with my mailing list. I had a great website…and then revamp it thinking that it would make all the difference without reviewing my analytics to understand where I was succeeding.

How do you avoid the trap of constantly preparing and not consistently executing?

It really goes back into point 1, you need a plan that you can follow.

If you are going to run ads, set a monthly budget and follow through. Performers, don’t be afraid to run ads for your work!

Pre-plan and schedule your social media.

If you have a mailing list, set a time each week, bi-weekly, or monthly to connect with your subscribers. If you don’t have a list, get one started!

Review your analytics. Before you make changes to your websites, find out what is actually working by going to your website’s analytics. You can find your most popular content and decide what to promote. You’ll learn what people are most interested in or what you need to fix to get more attention.

Now that you know what didn’t work, here’s why my current model is working.

Web design began out of necessity. I needed a website to promote my dance career. I poured hours into learning how to build. Then, I learned how to really sell from my website. After that, I applied it to my husband’s business. A few years later, I did it as a gift. Finally, I realized its potential as a business.

• I offered the service to a select audience for free or low cost to see if there was interest. I immediately received feedback and gained clients. Clients told their friends and my business grew organically.

• I mapped out the salary I wanted and needed to earn. I figured out the number of hours each day I could afford to invest in my work. I set up systems to manage clients and packages that met their needs.

• I figured out how to target my audience which includes small businesses, nonprofits, and personal brands. Today, my clients are meeting their sales goals, publishing books, founding online schools, and appearing on shows and podcasts.

I offer web design for dancers because I believe that dancers can create thriving businesses for themselves. Dancers have the power, through education, to manage careers and carve out the lives we want to lead.

Post-Covid, I hope many more dancers will see and understand this.

Are you interested in building your “successful” dance brand online? Contact me for your consultation.