The Pros and Cons of Studio Ownership (Part 1)

To teach dance classes to young children, youth, and teenage students is a very challenging job, however to teach classes and run a dance studio is quite another. Both Dance Teacher and Studio Owners wear many hats, often more than most people in the education field, however it's days like today I often think that perhaps I should go back to working as an independent contractor (or "Dance Teacher" working for someone else) and give up studio ownership altogether. Afterall I would certainly make more money, work fewer hours and have a lot less grief overall.

As a small business owner I work countless number of hours each day, and it seems for every task I cross off the daily "To-Do list" there are another three tasks added for tomorrow, and of course everyone always has something else for you that will just take "a moment of your time". What exactly is a "moment" of your time anyway and how does one measure this? I wish there was a definition for a "moment of your time" and people could only use this saying if it meant it would require no more than 30-60 seconds. But it always amazes me how just a moment of your time can surprisingly take so long.

Another frustration to running your own studio (or any small business for that matter) is when the time comes to issue pay cheques to your teachers/contractors who are paid "by-the-hour" and yet they are making as much or most often quite a bit more than you do every single month, and yet they work half the hours you put in on a weekly basis. How does that work? How do some people end up with more time on their hands and more money in their pockets? Are they the smarter ones? I am more and more convinced that being over-ambitious is actually a curse, and perhaps health and happiness is really all about taking home a pay cheque without the additional stress that goes with the workaholic tendencies of running your own business..or maybe I should just say the "control-freak-issues" that go along with it. When I was working for other studios I certainly worked fewer hours as a "dance teacher" and I was of course paid much better since I received a "by-the-hour" pay cheque, and while I still had no shortage of stress and frustration with the job, it was no where near what I deal with today, and since opening my own studio 7 years ago. I cannot believe it was 7 years ago already!! Where does the time go??

I also love that I can make all of the decisions for my studio and have full artistic creativity in every aspect, and I do not need anyone's approval or permission, however I hate that I am the one that has to take care of all the issues that arise on a regular basis, and there is no one else to dump things on once in a while; instead everything seems to get dumped on me. I often tend to back down to any upset teachers, students and/or parents in order to try to keep everyone happy, but it's an extremely difficult task and a vicious cycle to break once you get started. I'm slowly learning that no matter what I do I will never keep everyone happy all the time, and I just have to accept it..I cannot win!!! So instead of feeling defeated and deflated every day, I will move forward with a new knowledge and self-awareness that I am in control and I need to do whatever I happen to feel is right, while sticking to my own rules, regulations and policies, afterall I did make these for a reason but implementing them all the time can be another story in itself. From now on, I need to remember to follow them at all times, without being persuaded by the negative energies that may arise from time to time amongst students/parents, and recognize that unfortunately this will happen in any job, no matter what career I choose to do for a living, but more so in this specific industry, which of course is only natural in the dance studio environment..with many high strung girls, paying parents, etc.

Oh the drama..and believe me, there is a lot of it...especially with the pre-pubescent age group. Tonight we had three different incidents with crying; first there was an 8 year old who "lost her other shoe" followed by a very upset 10 year old who "had something in her eye" and finally an extremely upset 13 year old who couldn't quite get her sentences out, but finally managed to explain to me that she had got in trouble for rolling her eyes at the Ballet teacher and was sent out of class because of her disrespectful behaviour, which she swears was not meant to be rude..sniff* I cannot seem to keep up with the fast-paced, emotional roller coaster these girls take me on day after day, but one thing is for certain, no day is ever the exact same day twice, and there is always something exciting going on, you just have to remember to stop and acknowledge it once in a while.