Winter... already!?

It's snowing here in New York (in October!  The horror!) and I am feeling less than motivated to prepare my lesson plans.

Nothing like a little Pinterest pretty to get inspired...or waste some time before I have to go outside!

This is what I feel like (except much less elegant):

Winter Wedding

Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company (with actual snow machines)

Business: Avoiding the Growth Trap

Just read a great small business article by Jay Goltz at the New York Times:

Avoiding the Growth Trap

Worth a quick read if you are a business or studio owner considering expanding your business to a second location or doing other "growing".  If you're like many small business owners, you are constantly looking for ways to improve your business or opportunities to expand.  It is hard to shut down that entrepreneurial spirit that may have even prompted you to open in the first place!

"It really comes down to priorities. Do you want to take outside capital and the “partners” that come with it? Do you want to take on more risk? More employees? More travel? More stress? More potential aggravation?"

Mr. Goltz also makes a good point that sometimes business owners get so caught up in growing their business and expanding that they forget to check if they are still making a profit!

"I have also figured out that business is not just about growth...it is also about making a profit, which many companies seem to forget as they grow themselves out of business. Business is also about understanding that bad things happen...choosing to over-expand instead of being prepared for this kind of stuff can put the company in jeopardy. "

Look before you leap, and really take a hard look at all the possibilities when you are considering expanding. Sometimes its the right move, but sometimes things may be better off left alone.  Figure out your priorities and you will figure out what is right for you and your business.

New Music Monday: Halloween Playlist

Tired of the playing the Kidz Bop version of "The Monster Mash"* or "Who Let The Ghosts Out"* for your halloween class yet?  Here's a fresh group of creepy and spooky songs just in time for the spooky season!

* Here's the link to that album in case you're not tired of it!


PRESCHOOLERS
Boogie Monster - Recess Monkey - your kids won't be able to sit still when this song starts playing
Harry's Haunted Halloween Circus - Ralph's World
Looking for Dracula - Charlotte Diamond
Dressing Up - The Wiggles

SOBuzz: New Season Wisdom 2011

Hooray!  We just finished our first month of our 30th season at my studio and everyone is starting to calm down and get into the pattern of the new season.  It is always a busy and exciting time when we go back to school and back to dance school... new faces and new classes!


Here's what I learned from the start of this season:

• Repeating the same thing as last year and expecting different results really is insane... I did labels again this year for the preschool classes only to have TWO stuck to the marley this year.  Note to self: you are insane.. no more labels please.

• No matter how long you have been in business, you have NOT heard it all.  There will always be a parent or student ready to supply you with a question that you are unprepared for.  This year's winner:  Does she need to wear tap shoes for tap class?

• Don't put any book/magazine in the waiting room that you actually want back in one piece.

• When decorating your studio remember - pink with never go out of style, but consider the few (or many) boys you also have at your studio.  Are you scaring them away with all that pink?

• While this may be your 5th year (10th, 30th, 50th!) teaching, to some of your students (and parents), it is their FIRST DAY of dance.  Take time to enjoy the magic of their first experience and memories in the making.

And my mantra from last year:

• You can't please everyone!

Hope you survived your first month back and best wishes for a wonderful season!