Opening a dance school is the most affordable way to start your own business with a minimum starting capital. The profitability of a school or studio (on average in our country) is 40% at the beginning and more than 50% after a year of operation. The initial investment is approximately $ 500, except for the purchase of your own premises.
Dance school as a business pays off after a year and a half or two. Before the opening, it is important to gather information about competitors, popular dance styles, the "density" of studios in the city. It is recommended that you draw up a business plan, and, of course, collect a complete package of all necessary documents.
How to open a dance school: documentation
So, to become the owner of a dance studio, we need to draw up a training program, overcome all instances, and recruit interested students. But first you need to prepare the appropriate documentation:
- documents on renting or buying a room;
- permissions of controlling authorities;
- checking account;
- Documents from the tax.
Determine the format and direction
In order to open a dance school, you do not need to be a dancer: it is important to find the right economic approach to solving the problem. First you need to decide which direction the studio will adhere to. "Exclusive" schools are gaining popularity, where they teach only one kind: salsa or go-go, Arabic or Japanese dance, erotic or folk. In such institutions, the price of one lesson ranges from 300-600 rubles. You can recruit fewer students (respectively, fewer teachers).
Classical dance lessons cost half as much, so the entrepreneur should take care of the maximum occupancy of the institution. An exclusive school with its narrow but more affluent segment will require a more prepared room, equipment of the appropriate level, a stable teaching staff with high qualifications and wide popularity.
In addition, the owner will have to hold constant open events: representatives of the business class (even the business elite) prefer to attend exclusive schools, and these are people who need fame. You can open a regular dance school in an inexpensive room, adapted for such occupations, and at first you can get along with a simple tape recorder.
Choose a room
Exclusive schools are aimed at regular customers, for whom dancing is one of the components of the image and lifestyle. Choosing an audience for such students should be very careful. The most suitable option would be a spacious room in a fitness club or business center, which already has excellent wooden floors, powerful ventilation, large mirrors, comfortable locker rooms. Even better, if the building is built and designed specifically for dance classes, however, not all novice entrepreneurs can immediately afford such costs.
An exclusive school is visited by active people for whom comfort and prestige are the most important components of life. A simpler room would suit those children or adults who learned about the school from advertising and came to classes by chance, so to speak, for intelligence. But in that, and in another case, the classes or halls in which they teach dancing should comply with all sanitary standards and requirements.
Space requirements
The studio must have the following premises:
- dance floor - about 80 m;
- dressing room and shower - 15 m each;
- hall and lounge - 20 m each.
Starting a business in the city center is expensive and not always cost-effective: in such places, there are usually many similar establishments. If you try and find a room in a residential area, you can avoid competition and expand the circle of students by:
- housewives who are not averse to learning the technique of oriental dance;
- older people, among whom the enthusiasm for classical dances is becoming increasingly fashionable;
- teens wanting to learn club dancing.
It is recommended to take care of convenient parking: then it will be possible to count on people from other areas.
If the goal of the school is to educate children, you should think about the room in which parents will wait for the little dancers. In it you can install machines with hot coffee, drinks, snacks in vacuum packaging. Yes, this is another expense item, but the profit will be considerable. Especially when you consider that most children come to classes immediately after school, not having time to have lunch.
Equipment
Regardless of the dance direction, the studio needs musical equipment. It should create a “live” musical picture, but at the same time occupy a minimum of space. Novice businessmen can purchase a small mixing console or computer, two subwoofers, several satellites. Install sound equipment where it will not interfere with the dancers.
Before opening a dance school, you need to consider lighting. It should not blind your eyes, but twilight will not contribute to creating a comfortable environment.
If you intend to use the halls not only for classes, but also for demonstrations or other events, the sets of lighting / sound equipment should be different. It will be necessary to correctly distribute the sound across the hall and stage, think through competent lighting, etc. Usually, ready-made sets of equipment are purchased for concert halls in specialized stores.
In addition, training go-go, ballet movements or sports dancing will require machine tools, poles.
Staff recruitment
How to open a dance school? How to make her successful? Of course, pick up the “right” trainers and teachers. Stable staff is the key to success. It is no secret that many people prefer to choose a teacher rather than a school premises. A dance teacher should naturally be a professional.
Typically, former or current dancers work in studios. However, for successful occupations one personal skill is not enough. The coach must know the psychology of different age groups, be able to find an individual approach to each student. He must clearly understand who is being trained: young people who dream of winning prizes in international competitions, adults who are shy of their bodies, but who dream of learning how to manage it, or children who go to class by the will of their parents?
A social dance teacher (as schools for all comers are increasingly called) should be prepared for the fact that after 3-4 weeks people who don’t have a sense of rhythm, ear for music and elementary plastic will begin to dance with him. Otherwise, the business is doomed.
Alternative to private dance schools
For those who are thinking about how to open a dance school, but do not dare to take the first independent step, there is a great alternative: the Fred Astaire Dance International Russia franchise. Patented by Fred Aster, it is in demand in Russia today due to its main idea. Patented school employees urge people to dance to be happy. They are sure: if a person knows how to walk, he can be taught to dance.
This approach allows not only to answer the question of how to open a dance school with high attendance, but also to save people from complexes, to let them relax, to love themselves. This, as a rule, causes a storm of gratitude to the teachers. And it has long been proven economically: a grateful customer (in any business) is the most solvent.Word of mouth and happy students, not professional dancers, are the best advertising of a dance school, the basis of its successful functioning.
Choose a name
There is one more nuance that a businessman should pay attention to. Before the first student enrollment, he must decide what to call the dance school. Title should:
- clearly reflect the content of the training (e.g. Clubdance, Sex r'n'b, Scotch dance);
- evoke confidence and positive emotions. This is especially true of schools of the "classical" type, where they teach different directions. A good name is a good advertisement for a dance school. Compare: Golden Heel, Fit Continent, or Body Music? And for which group is the school intended? Only by answering this question, you can choose a successful and harmonious name;
- it’s good if the very name of the school reflects its advantageous features, for example, “Dancing for all”;
- giving the name of the owner to the school is risky: if the business does not work, you can become the owner of the reputation of a failure for a long time;
- The name should be easy to read and always positive. Middle-aged people will not go to dance in “InDance”, teenagers and young people will prefer the catchy and fashionable “Terra Latina” or “Top Dance” to the “Golden Heel”, and the word “Fidgets” is still considered the best option for children.
To summarize
After calculating the cost of the "entrance ticket" to the business, resolving the issue of the premises and determining the staff, you can collect a package of documents and go to the authorities. After some time, a properly organized school will be able to make a profit of about $ 3,000.
Naturally, the amount of income, as well as the entry fee and the cost of maintaining a school or studio, largely depend on the region and the skill of the entrepreneur. However, the growing popularity of dance culture makes such a business a profitable investment and makes many business people think about how to open a dance school.
