Starting your own dance studio can be an exhilarating, overwhelming and terrifying experience all at the same time. There is a lot that goes into starting a dance studio from finding locations to getting licenses and registering with the government to marketing your classes. The good news is that once you get through the initial nerves, it’s actually quite easy to set up your own studio. To help you get started, we have prepared this useful guide on how to start a dance studio:
Register As A Business
If you operate a business, it may make sense to register that business with the government. Having your business registered will help you with a number of legal issues and will allow you to collect taxes on your income. If you don’t have a business registered, you can’t collect business taxes. To register your business, you’ll need to visit your local tax office, which will cost you somewhere between $100-200 depending on where you live. You’ll need a business registration number, address and contact details. When you register as a business, you’ll also need to decide what type of business you’ll be operating. If you plan to teach classes for all ages, you’ll need a different license than if you only plan on teaching adults. Once registered, you can pay for a business license from the government and have that last forever!
Find a Location
One of the first things you will need to do is find a location for your studio. You’ll need to find a location that is both accessible and has a minimum size. If you can’t find a location with a minimum size, then you may need to limit your class sizes to make sure they don’t get too crowded. Once you have a location, you’ll also need to decide on how you will pay for the location. While some studios like to rent or lease their location, others prefer to buy. If you want to buy, you’ll need to make sure you can afford to pay for the property as well as the ongoing costs of running your studio. You’ll want to make sure the location you choose has enough room to expand as your business grows.
Know Your Audience
Knowing your audience will help you choose locations and determine what your classes will be like. If you’re located near a large university, you may have a large student population that is looking for dance classes. If you choose a location near this population, you may be able to find a lot of students willing to pay for your classes. If you choose a location near a retirement home, you may have a large number of retired people looking for dance classes. If this is the case, you may be able avoid the cost of running a studio and instead only charge for the studio space you’re using. If you know where you’re located, you can target your classes toward specific groups of people and make it easier to find customers.
Build a Brand
Choosing a studio name is an important part of building a brand. You’ll want your studio name to reflect who you are and the type of studio you will offer. A good name will help people remember you, encourage them to visit your studio and encourage them to stay loyal customers. As you are thinking about your studio name, make sure you consider how it will be pronounced. You don’t want your name to be hard to say or spell, you also don’t want it to be too long. If your studio name is too long, it will be harder to remember and it will also make it more difficult for people to find your studio on a map. Once you have your studio name, the next step is to choose a logo design to help people remember your brand. Your logo design should both help people remember your brand and make it easy for them to find your studio on a map.
Market and Promote Your Studio
Once you have your studio location chosen and your business registered, you’ll want to kick-start your marketing campaign. There are a number of ways you can market your studio and the best way will depend on the resources you have available. If you have a Facebook page and a Twitter account, you can start posting ads and retweets promoting your studio. You can also use Facebook ads to target people who are interested in dance and may be interested in your classes. While ads are free, they are also very targeted and may not bring in as many customers as other types of advertising. The next marketing method to try is to approach local newspapers and ask them if you can place ads with your studio’s name. Newspaper ads are a bit less targeted than Facebook ads, but they are also a bit cheaper.
Get Paid and Stay Profitable
Once you have your marketing campaign kicked off, you’ll want to keep it going. You’ll want to update your Facebook page and Twitter account with new ads and retweets each day. If you have your own website or blog, you can write blog posts and posts on your site that are related to your studio and related to dance. You can also use your blog to share your studio’s stories and help build your brand. Be sure to track your marketing campaign and keep track of the type of customers you are getting. If you notice that a lot of your customers are from a particular area, you can tailor your marketing efforts to focus on that group of people.