Dance Principals United · 2026-06-03 · 22 min
Key moments - from our scoring
Substance score
33 / 100
Five dimensions, 20 points each
Dance Principals United tackles a fundamental mindset problem preventing studio growth: the passion-versus-business trap. Most studio owners enter the industry because they love dance, but this emotional attachment creates guilt around charging fees, leads to unprofitable spending on costumes and props, and ultimately causes burnout and resentment. Amanda and Rebecca explain how this undermines not just the studio's profitability but its sustainability - when owners get exhausted from undercharging and overinvesting, studios close and serve nobody. They emphasize the oxygen-mask principle: by running the studio as a legitimate business first, owners generate the money needed to pay staff better, offer more student opportunities, and maintain their own wellbeing. The hosts use concrete examples like their own over-the-top prop investments (including a five-meter pivoting table and king-sized bed for routines) to illustrate how passion-driven decisions can spiral. They stress that knowing your numbers - student count, class placements, and weekly revenue - is essential to making smart business decisions rather than art-driven ones.
Most studio owners grew up doing dance and had wonderful childhoods through it, so they don't feel they should profit from something that gave them so much joy - but this guilt prevents them from making money they deserve and leads to burnout and resentment.
Time blocking alone doesn't work; you must protect those blocked hours by turning off emails, silencing notifications, and setting boundaries so you actually spend time on marketing and growth activities instead of responding to client requests.
Student numbers (total enrollment), class placements (how many classes each student is taking), and revenue (money coming in) - knowing these week-to-week lets you track growth and catch problems faster than term-by-term tracking.
Turn marketing into a game by setting personal records - for example, trying to create eight social media posts in an hour instead of your previous six - to gamify the work and make it more engaging.
You can be making thousands per week but losing money if expenses aren't tracked, creating a major financial problem that's hidden until you calculate outflows.
Our reviewer’s read on each dimension, with quotes from the episode.
The episode covers three established concepts (treating business as passion vs. business, time allocation, and knowing financial metrics) with moderate depth but limited novel insights. The hosts share personal anecdotes and relatable struggles, but the underlying frameworks are standard small-business advice. While the weekly revenue tracking and class placement metrics are practical, these are not groundbreaking for experienced operators.
Number one is you treat it like a passion, not a business.
You're spending 95% of your time servicing current clients and 55% marketing your business.
The episode rehashes conventional small-business wisdom without fresh angles or counterintuitive arguments. Time blocking, knowing your numbers, and balancing passion with profitability are well-worn topics in business podcasting. The specific application to dance studios is contextual but not conceptually original. No contrarian perspectives or first-principles thinking is evident.
putting your own oxygen mask on first
what you don't measure can't grow
This is a co-hosted episode with no external guest. Both hosts appear to be dance studio owners, but the transcript provides minimal evidence of their scale, specific track record, or unique expertise beyond operating studios. No credentials, revenue figures, or details about their business achievements are mentioned, making it impossible to assess whether they are practitioners of significant caliber.
I'm Amanda Barr
I'm Rebecca Lou Brennan
The episode includes some concrete examples (22.5 hours teaching in a 38-hour week, three key metrics: student numbers, class placements, revenue) but lacks named case studies, specific dollar figures, or measurable outcomes. The discussion of costume spending and prop costs is vague ("$100 vs. $220 per costume"). Drop-off patterns and seasonal trends are mentioned generically without data. Most claims rely on anecdote rather than evidence.
A 38 hour week is normal... 22 and a half hours of teaching in it
revenue is how much money is coming into your business
The hosts have friendly rapport and ask follow-up questions, but the conversation lacks depth and rigor. Questions are mostly confirmatory rather than challenging (e.g., 'Is it the costumes, the props?'). There is minimal pushback on claims or exploration of edge cases. The episode is frequently derailed by personal anecdotes (birthday parties, unicorn parties, truck packing) that dilute focus and consume significant airtime without serving the stated topic.
What are mistakes you kind of see from this when, you know, people do think about it as a passion.
But you should train yourself to know them and to actually know them without looking them up.
Computed from the transcript - who did the talking, and the words that came up most.
Ever feel like you're doing everything in your studio… but growth still feels frustratingly slow? In this episode, Amanda and Bec unpack some of the biggest reasons dance studios get stuck - a few of them might hit a little close to home (in the best way possible ). From treating your studio like a passion project instead of a business, to spending way too much time answering emails instead of marketing, this chat is packed with practical mindset shifts and real talk for studio owners who are ready to grow without burning themselves into the ground. There's also a detour into unicorn birthday parties, giant comp props, and the possibility of needing two trucks for competition season… because obviously. If you've been feeling overwhelmed, stuck, or like you're working nonstop without seeing the results you want - this episode is for you.
Transcribed and scored by The B2B Podcast Index.
Meeting created at: 13th May, 2026 - 11:02 AM1
Speaker 1: Hello, friends.
Speaker 1: I'm Amanda Barr.
Speaker 2: And I'm Rebecca Lou Brennan.
Speaker 2: And welcome to Dance Principles United, the podcast.
Speaker 1: Together, we are passionate about helping studio owners with the business of running their studio.
Speaker 2: Join us as we talk everything from marketing systems, studio culture, motherhood, life, and everything in between.
Speaker 1: This is the Dance Principles United Podcast.
Speaker 2: Well, hello, friends.
Speaker 2: It's Beck here from the Dance Principals United Podcast.
Speaker 2: I am joined by the beautiful Amanda.
Speaker 2: Hello.
Speaker 1: Thanks, I'm good.
Speaker 1: How are you, my love?
Speaker 2: Super awesome.
Speaker 2: Super awesome.
Speaker 2: It's BB's birthday today.
Speaker 1: Oh, beautiful.
Speaker 1: What did she tell me?
Speaker 1: Tell me what's on the agenda for her birthday.
Speaker 2: Well, she's very spoiled.
Speaker 2: We're taking her to Barangaroo Crown with two of her friends for the weekend.
Speaker 1: I didn't know you were going to Crown.
Speaker 1: I knew you were going somewhere nice.
Speaker 2: I want to go somewhere nice, Amanda.
Speaker 2: So she gets to go somewhere nice.
Speaker 2: So just at a Crown for two.
Speaker 1: Nights, seeing a show or just going to dinner or.
Speaker 2: She's got the whole itinerary, let me tell you.
Speaker 2: So day one is art gallery, opera, bar and shopping.
Speaker 2: Day two is Newtown, Paddington markets, thrifting.
Speaker 2: Oh, okay.
Speaker 2: And day three is Bondi Beach Walk.
Speaker 2: Oh, okay.
Speaker 1: So going out of the city and stuff as well.
Speaker 1: She just wants to do the whole shebang.
Speaker 2: The whole shebang.
Speaker 2: We've got the restaurants chosen, we've got all booked.
Speaker 2: The entire itinerary is sorted.
Speaker 1: And a nice girls weekend.
Speaker 1: I love that.
Speaker 1: I know.
Speaker 1: I love that.
Speaker 1: Hey, canop we just off topic?
Speaker 1: I haven't told you this, but I want to tell you this.
Speaker 1: I booked Sassy's birthday party last night.
Speaker 2: Oh, yeah.
Speaker 1: It's a unicorn party.
Speaker 1: They dress like little Shetland ponies up with wings.
Speaker 1: What?
Speaker 1: And put unicorn horns on them at this farm near us.
Speaker 1: And they get to, like.
Speaker 1: She does a unicorn trick show where she teaches it to, like, jump over things.
Speaker 1: They get to, like, you know, brush the ponies, all of that kind of stuff.
Speaker 2: That's so amazing.
Speaker 1: So cute.
Speaker 1: Oh, my God.
Speaker 1: I know this is totally off topic, but I was like, how good is it for people to be thinking, like, outside the box?
Speaker 1: I think not just a normal kind of party.
Speaker 1: It was making me think of studios and how they could be, you know, a little bit different.
Speaker 1: It was just.
Speaker 1: It was a very interesting.
Speaker 1: But it's all just in a farm, so there's just a really beautiful setup in an old shed.
Speaker 1: Right.
Speaker 1: But they have this beautiful big purple tree in the middle of it that they've obviously invested in.
Speaker 1: Yeah, but it's Just like one small investment has changed, like, the whole look of a shed.
Speaker 2: Yeah, right.
Speaker 1: You know what I mean?
Speaker 1: I just.
Speaker 1: I don't know.
Speaker 1: There's something to it.
Speaker 1: Like, I haven't quite got my idea for dance studios yet, but I'm like, just putting a little bit of money into something to change the whole vibe of it.
Speaker 1: Because, let's be honest, it's probably just an old horseshed that's probably smelly and probably, like, I haven't been there yet, but in the pictures, because it's got this big, beautiful purple tree.
Speaker 1: Tree.
Speaker 1: It looks amazing.
Speaker 2: Oh, I can't wait to see that.
Speaker 1: I know.
Speaker 1: So off topic, but, yeah, just why we're talking birthday parties.
Speaker 1: Very important.
Speaker 2: That's so good.
Speaker 2: That sounds amazing.
Speaker 2: At first, though, I did think you meant the hobby horse kind of thing.
Speaker 2: And I imagined, like, people coming to your house dressed as unicorns.
Speaker 2: I'm like, that's really random.
Speaker 1: You saved that.
Speaker 1: I love it.
Speaker 1: That's not what we're here to talk about.
Speaker 1: We are not talking about birthday parties and our children's birthday parties, but we are talking about five reasons your studio isn't growing.
Speaker 1: We speak to hundreds of studio owners every single week, and we see some common patterns.
Speaker 1: Right.
Speaker 1: Of reasons why people can't grow their studio to be the business they want it to be.
Speaker 2: Absolutely.
Speaker 2: And yeah, we chatted about this expo.
Speaker 2: We thought we would chat to all of you today because lots of people really loved it.
Speaker 1: Absolutely.
Speaker 1: What is reason number one, Bec?
Speaker 2: Number one is you treat it like a passion, not a business.
Speaker 2: Which was totally me for the first time.
Speaker 2: 15 Years of running my studio.
Speaker 1: Absolutely.
Speaker 1: And all of us got into running a studio because we love dance.
Speaker 1: Right.
Speaker 2: And what dance can bring to kids and all those amazing things.
Speaker 1: Absolutely.
Speaker 1: And it was like, oh, my God, can you imagine just getting to dance all day?
Speaker 1: Like, that was literally my thought when I was 16.
Speaker 1: Like, I just get to dance all day.
Speaker 1: This is great.
Speaker 1: And that's what starts us treating it as a passion, not a business.
Speaker 1: What are mistakes you kind of see from this when, you know, people do think about it as a passion.
Speaker 1: Is it the.
Speaker 1: The costumes, the props, the, like, what is it the biggest thing?
Speaker 2: Yeah, all of those things.
Speaker 2: I think not feeling like they deserve to make money off it is the biggest one.
Speaker 2: Because they feel guilty because they think that parents shouldn't have to pay for it.
Speaker 2: Almost like, I don't know how well.
Speaker 2: But, yeah, that.
Speaker 2: That guilt seems to be a big factor.
Speaker 2: And I think it's because we Genuinely love what we do.
Speaker 1: Absolutely.
Speaker 2: We grew up doing it, and aboard us a beautiful childhood.
Speaker 2: And so then we don't think we should make money off it, you know, and I think that's probably the biggest struggle.
Speaker 1: Absolutely.
Speaker 1: I just had an interesting conversation with a studio owner before, and were talking about, you know, putting your own oxygen mask on first.
Speaker 1: You know, she was talking about that she wants to bring dance to her community, and, you know, as a regional studio owner, that she thinks it's important.
Speaker 1: Important to bring the arts.
Speaker 1: 100 Agree.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I agree with that as well.
Speaker 1: However, if you're not looking after yourself and putting your own oxygen mask on first, I'm like, if you treat it as a business rather than a passion or a community service, you know, you can then give so much more.
Speaker 1: You.
Speaker 1: If you have the money, number one, you can give more opportunities to your students, you can give more opportunities to your staff.
Speaker 1: You can pay your staff more.
Speaker 1: But it also allows for so much more than that, because we see so many stew owners that get burnt out because they're not making the money that they deserve, and then they shut down, and that's not serving anybody right, and they resent it.
Speaker 2: That's the biggest thing, because they've put so much.
Speaker 2: And then if kids leave, they're like, how could you leave?
Speaker 2: And I've put so much time and effort into, you know, and it becomes about them, and it needs to actually not be about them.
Speaker 1: Absolutely.
Speaker 1: And I think that's a big thing.
Speaker 1: The other thing we see a lot of studio owners do when they're kind of, like, really, like, you know, it's a passion rather than a business, is that, you know, spending so much time on, you know, costumes.
Speaker 1: I think we've all been there, like, not just the time or the money, but, like, oh, I've only charged the parents $100 for this costume, but I found this beautiful one that was 220 per costume, and I just.
Speaker 1: I have to have it because of the art and the, you know, blah, blah, blah.
Speaker 1: Look, we've all done it.
Speaker 1: We all do it all the time.
Speaker 1: Let's be honest.
Speaker 1: Yeah, sure.
Speaker 1: You still do it.
Speaker 2: I'm still doing it.
Speaker 1: Absolutely.
Speaker 1: But, you know, you're not doing it with every single.
Speaker 2: I'm much smarter about it, and.
Speaker 2: And I make sure that things even out.
Speaker 2: If not, you know, obviously go in my favor, but.
Speaker 2: Yes, yes, I think you still do that.
Speaker 2: I mean, go at the props.
Speaker 2: I have this year.
Speaker 2: Amanda, you would die.
Speaker 2: You die.
Speaker 1: How big are we Talking.
Speaker 1: Are we talking like fit in one truck?
Speaker 1: Not sure.
Speaker 2: This year might need two trucks.
Speaker 2: That's how bad it is.
Speaker 2: I'm not kidding.
Speaker 1: I can't deal.
Speaker 2: Pete Evans, this is totally off topic, but Pete Evans has a 5 meter table that pivots in the middle and goes around in a circle.
Speaker 2: Then Locky Thomas has these risers.
Speaker 2: And then Kyle, who's done this is all senior routines.
Speaker 2: Kyle has a bed, a king sized bed that breaks in half and I have to fit that into.
Speaker 2: And there's a table.
Speaker 2: There's a table.
Speaker 1: If you are not watching this on YouTube, my face is like, what the fuck?
Speaker 2: It's really out of control this year.
Speaker 1: So two trucks you reckon to comps?
Speaker 2: Potentially.
Speaker 2: Justin thinks we might need two.
Speaker 1: I, I think we need a total reel on you packing the trucks before each comp and what it takes.
Speaker 2: Intervention is what we need.
Speaker 1: I feel I may have tried to do that previously.
Speaker 1: I'm looking forward to being at nationals with you and you getting all of these to Gold Coast.
Speaker 2: Justin's already agreed to drive the.
Speaker 1: Truck to Gold coast except if you need two.
Speaker 1: Oh my God.
Speaker 1: Okay, so promise me real on you packing.
Speaker 1: Well, not you.
Speaker 1: I presume it's not you packing a truck.
Speaker 2: But I do help pack the truck and I think that is important to do that stuff.
Speaker 2: This is totally off topic.
Speaker 1: Getting the truck ready for a comp and what it takes.
Speaker 1: And I feel like it might be like, you know, like the clown car where lots and lots of things keep jumping in.
Speaker 1: Is that the vibe we're going for in the real.
Speaker 1: I'm gonna drop this to Justin and make sure he does this.
Speaker 1: Okay.
Speaker 1: So that is an example of a passion, not a business.
Speaker 1: But I know you love it and you make money other ways and I think that it's really important that we know that.
Speaker 1: Yes, it's okay to do those things sometimes.
Speaker 1: That five meter table, it's gonna look great.
Speaker 1: Yes, it is gonna look incredible.
Speaker 1: But we've got to make sure that we're making smart decision business decisions, not just passion led decisions all the time.
Speaker 2: Exactly, exactly.
Speaker 2: All right.
Speaker 1: What else do we see studio owners doing that's like, you know, really focusing on that passion rather than the business, I guess and we.
Speaker 1: And regarding their time.
Speaker 1: Or is this number two?
Speaker 1: Am I getting the wrong way?
Speaker 2: I think so, yeah.
Speaker 2: Number two.
Speaker 2: We're going on to number two.
Speaker 1: I'm sorry.
Speaker 2: That's all right.
Speaker 2: So number two is you're spending 95% of your time servicing current clients and 55% marketing your business.
Speaker 2: And I say this to all of our new people all the time.
Speaker 1: Yep.
Speaker 2: You know, how much time do you actually spend?
Speaker 2: And that never ends.
Speaker 2: Like, you know, I have the pause email on my phone.
Speaker 2: Not that I answer the emails, but I like to see what's happening and coming through.
Speaker 2: And it's never ending.
Speaker 2: Absolutely.
Speaker 2: There is always going to be parents emailing you, asking questions and you can make yourself.
Speaker 2: And it's going to be a bit controversial.
Speaker 2: You, you can make yourself feel very busy by constantly just answering those emails.
Speaker 2: I'm so busy, you know, cause it's that back and forth and so then you feel good that you've been so busy all day and I've been totally productive.
Speaker 1: I've done a lot.
Speaker 2: Yep.
Speaker 2: But you're not actually spending time moving the needle.
Speaker 2: That's why we meet with our SGC members every Monday and say what are the three things you are going to do to move the needle in your business?
Speaker 2: In other words, to market your business instead of just spending it looking after your current peeps.
Speaker 1: Absolutely.
Speaker 1: It is so easy to do this right.
Speaker 1: Like, and I think sometimes we go, oh no, I spend time marketing.
Speaker 1: You're like, do you really, you know, like obviously we have to work inside our current business.
Speaker 2: Yep.
Speaker 1: You know, most studio owners are teaching whether it's a lot or a little different, depending on different people, you know, they're still doing some sort of hands on, whether that's doing the invoicing, answering the emails, doing the like, whatever that is, ordering the costumes, cutting the bloody music, like whatever that is for them.
Speaker 1: however, they really need to flip that if they want to grow their business.
Speaker 1: You know, I don't want to say that you know, have to go 50.
Speaker 1: That's not a reality.
Speaker 1: But spending 95% of your time on your current clients is really stopping your growth as a business owner.
Speaker 1: You really need to look at it across the week and try and just like change that up a bit.
Speaker 1: Spend more time marketing to new students, getting the marketing out, learning new ads, you know, dealing with inquiries, chasing old leads.
Speaker 1: Like all of these things are actually going to make a difference to the growth of your business.
Speaker 1: Absolutely.
Speaker 2: And you know, we talked about being strict on your time and that's the thing.
Speaker 2: Like we're so, it's so easy to get distracted by that email coming in.
Speaker 2: It's so easy to get, you know that, oh, that parents calling me, I'll just quickly answer it.
Speaker 2: And that's why we don't actually get anything done.
Speaker 2: So putting in, okay from 9 till 11 on a Wednesday morning, I am not answering any emails or answering any phone calls.
Speaker 2: You know, I always say it's not life or death, guys.
Speaker 2: We're not brain surgeons.
Speaker 2: You know, dance.
Speaker 2: It'll be all right if that parent gets answered at 11.
Speaker 2: And saying, okay, I'm going to do my social media for those two hours is just so important.
Speaker 2: I can't begin to tell you how important that is.
Speaker 1: Absolutely.
Speaker 1: And so, you know, spending some time making sure that you set yourself up for success, you know, we are big fans on of time blocking and really making sure that you have certain times in your week that are scheduled and planned for certain activities in your business.
Speaker 1: But also being really clear with your boundaries.
Speaker 1: Like, you know, turning your emails off at those times, putting focus mode on, like shutting that, telling your staff you're not available, whatever that is.
Speaker 1: Because if you don't protect your time, no one else will.
Speaker 1: Absolutely.
Speaker 2: I love that you did the sample timetable.
Speaker 2: That could be good to give to people if they want.
Speaker 1: Absolutely.
Speaker 1: I can put that.
Speaker 1: I might put that on Instagram.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 1: Because you know, that showed a 38 hour week.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I loved it.
Speaker 1: And a 38 hour week is normal.
Speaker 1: Working a normal full time person does most business owners would do more than 38 hours.
Speaker 1: I think that's, you know, 38 hours is very standard.
Speaker 1: And this has 22 and a half hours of teaching in it, which I think is pretty like, you know, you got it, you got to do that.
Speaker 1: Right.
Speaker 1: A lot of studio owners do 22.
Speaker 1: Because I have so many studios that go, I just teach so much so I couldn't possibly have time for anything else.
Speaker 1: But I think if you're intentional about it's so, so good.
Speaker 1: So we put this out as like 38 hours.
Speaker 1: And you know, you teach for 22 hours, but you do business operations meaning, you know, whether that's, you know, invoicing or accounts payable or whatever, you know, 10 hours, you know, we did.
Speaker 1: But that should also include things like staff check ins.
Speaker 1: It should include, you know, events, it should include marketing, it should include inquiries.
Speaker 1: You know, we've had time in this sample thing for every day to like chase leads and get back to inquiries, which actually makes a difference.
Speaker 2: Yep.
Speaker 1: As well as time for personal development.
Speaker 1: Because we know that as business owners we need to be constantly ups down and skilling.
Speaker 1: We expect our dancers to be constantly training and upskilling and honing their skills.
Speaker 1: We need to the same as business owners.
Speaker 2: Yep.
Speaker 2: I love that you've put.
Speaker 2: Just looking at it, family time.
Speaker 2: And on a Friday, you finish them at 12pm and they have the whole night off.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 1: And I think Wednesday morning.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 2: I think this would be great for you guys to see.
Speaker 2: So check it out on Instagram.
Speaker 2: Absolutely.
Speaker 2: And, you know, use it if you need to, but I do think it's got a lot of great stuff in there.
Speaker 2: And the thing with time blocking is, guys, you've got to stick to it.
Speaker 2: You can't just, you know, have the time blocking there and then not actually do it.
Speaker 2: But, yeah, I. I think you've done a really good job.
Speaker 1: Or get distracted.
Speaker 1: Like, that's the big thing.
Speaker 1: Like, oh, I'm gonna start doing the Facebook posts.
Speaker 1: I just gonna scroll Facebook for a little while.
Speaker 1: Like, it's such a.
Speaker 1: We all do it.
Speaker 1: Me too.
Speaker 1: We're all guilty all the time.
Speaker 1: But it's about, like, you know, being intentional.
Speaker 1: I was chatting to someone yesterday specifically about social media.
Speaker 2: Yep.
Speaker 1: And, you know, I said, like, most of us are competitive people.
Speaker 1: Most definitely.
Speaker 1: I'm looking at you, Beck.
Speaker 1: You're a very competitive person.
Speaker 2: Talking about.
Speaker 1: And I think, as competitive people, that we should make a competition with ourselves, you know?
Speaker 1: And one of the.
Speaker 1: I was actually speaking to Tanya from Dance on Cue, and she's like, I'm so competitive.
Speaker 1: She's like, I even do things like, how long do you reckon it's going to take me to.
Speaker 1: Oh, no, wait, it was Christina.
Speaker 1: Sorry.
Speaker 1: Let me get it right.
Speaker 1: She's like, how long do you think it's going to take me to, like, clean the dishes?
Speaker 1: 15 Minutes.
Speaker 1: Right.
Speaker 1: I'm going to do it in seven.
Speaker 1: Watch me go.
Speaker 1: Like, you know, she does things like that.
Speaker 1: So were talking about bringing that into, like, social media, for example, and going, okay, well, last time, in an hour, I did six social media posts.
Speaker 1: So I'm going to do eight today and beat my personal record.
Speaker 1: Watch me go.
Speaker 2: I'm like, it's fun, right?
Speaker 2: It's fun.
Speaker 2: Gamifies it.
Speaker 1: Absolutely.
Speaker 1: So if you're one of those people, maybe that might work for you.
Speaker 2: Absolutely.
Speaker 2: Absolutely.
Speaker 2: All right, number three.
Speaker 2: You don't know your numbers.
Speaker 2: Nathan.
Speaker 2: I actually spoke about this in the podcast with him about numbers and all of the things, but I think it's so empowering.
Speaker 1: Yes.
Speaker 2: To know your numbers.
Speaker 2: And it's crazy how many studio owners.
Speaker 2: And I was one of them.
Speaker 2: So I'm not judging you guys.
Speaker 2: Don't know how much money is coming in per week.
Speaker 2: Don't know how Much money is going out per week and just kind of.
Speaker 2: I don't know how it works, but it just works.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 2: You know, it's so.
Speaker 2: It's crazy.
Speaker 2: And.
Speaker 2: And that's completely normal.
Speaker 2: If you're someone thinking, yeah, I don't know those numbers, and that is normal.
Speaker 2: We see so many studio owners.
Speaker 1: Yes.
Speaker 2: Like that.
Speaker 1: But you should train yourself to know them and to actually know them without looking them up.
Speaker 1: I think that's so important.
Speaker 1: I always think about the weight loss thing.
Speaker 2: Right, right.
Speaker 1: And I'm not a big gym junkie or haven't been on heaps of weight loss challenges or anything like that.
Speaker 2: Yep.
Speaker 1: But I know that, you know, they're very big on measuring the growth.
Speaker 2: Right.
Speaker 1: Because it reward, like, it makes it exciting, it gamifies it, like were talking before.
Speaker 2: Yes.
Speaker 1: And if you, what you don't measure can't grow, whether that's your weight or how many reps you did or whatever that is.
Speaker 1: Right.
Speaker 1: So if you want to grow your business, it's important that you know your student numbers so that you can actually see the be rewarded and go, oh, that felt good.
Speaker 1: Let's, you know, do a little bit more.
Speaker 1: I think it's so important.
Speaker 1: So what are the three numbers, Beck, that you feel like as an absolute minimum, every studio owner should know every single week?
Speaker 1: Yep.
Speaker 2: Well, one student numbers, two class placements.
Speaker 2: So how many classes is everybody doing, essentially?
Speaker 2: So you might have a hundred students and they're doing a hundred classes.
Speaker 1: Yes.
Speaker 2: Or you might have 100 students and they're doing 300 classes or 321.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 1: Like a random number.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 2: Because they're each doing three.
Speaker 2: Three classes each.
Speaker 2: So that looks very different, money wise.
Speaker 1: Absolutely.
Speaker 2: And revenue is how much money is coming into your business.
Speaker 2: Now, if you want to go next level, you should really know revenue and then how much money is going out.
Speaker 1: Yes.
Speaker 2: Because you don't want to.
Speaker 2: It's great to know how much money is going in, but if you also don't know how much going out and you're sitting above.
Speaker 1: Yes.
Speaker 1: That can be a massive problem.
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's a major problem.
Speaker 1: Absolutely.
Speaker 2: And knowing it week to week is so much better than knowing it by the term.
Speaker 2: Like, I just, I. I think when you're dealing with big numbers, you know, if you're getting $5,000 in a week, that's very different to saying, I'm getting 50, 000 in for the term.
Speaker 2: Like, it just becomes so much more confusing.
Speaker 2: I feel like knowing that weekly amount is where it's at.
Speaker 1: Absolutely.
Speaker 1: I totally agree.
Speaker 1: And you know, that way you can see the growth week to week.
Speaker 1: You can see if you have a big drop off.
Speaker 1: You know, at the moment we're recording this, it's week two of term two.
Speaker 1: I'm trying to think.
Speaker 1: It is week two, isn't it?
Speaker 1: It's week two of term two and a lot of studio owners have just experienced some drop offs.
Speaker 1: Yep.
Speaker 1: You know that dreaded term one drop off that happens from kids that have tried it and it's not for them.
Speaker 1: Winter sports started all of that.
Speaker 1: It's pretty standard in most studios that they have a bit of a drop.
Speaker 2: Absolutely.
Speaker 1: And sometimes that takes until like week two to kind of like work out.
Speaker 1: Exactly.
Speaker 1: Who hasn't come back, all of that kind of stuff.
Speaker 1: But if you don't look at that until the end of the term, how do you know what's happened?
Speaker 1: You know, you need to be looking at that every week and going, okay, how can I fix this today?
Speaker 1: Not wait and see what happens?
Speaker 1: Let's fix this.
Speaker 2: Oh, God.
Speaker 1: Our numbers are down from last week.
Speaker 1: We've dropped 10 class placements.
Speaker 1: Okay, what do we need to do to fix that today?
Speaker 2: Yep.
Speaker 1: You know, let's do another marketing push.
Speaker 1: Let's get that back.
Speaker 1: Like, and I think it's really important to be checking those numbers very, like, consistently every day.
Speaker 1: One day a week.
Speaker 2: Yep.
Speaker 2: And that's exactly what happens on Tuesday of this week, because it was a long weekend, is Lisa sent the numbers through exactly what you're saying.
Speaker 2: We've had some drop offs.
Speaker 2: And I was like, right, team, we've got a bit of work to do.
Speaker 2: And they're like, yep, we have.
Speaker 2: So we know that we're not waiting until the end of the term and going, oh, crap.
Speaker 2: We haven't made the money that we thought were going to make because we didn't really look at it.
Speaker 2: We know every single week.
Speaker 1: Yep.
Speaker 2: What's happening, where the classes have dropped, you know, where we've gained.
Speaker 1: Absolutely.
Speaker 2: Times we've gained.
Speaker 2: So it's just great.
Speaker 2: So important.
Speaker 1: And it's like the power, you know, when you know your numbers, it gives you the power to make educated decisions in your business.
Speaker 1: You know, if you don't know them, how are you making good decisions about, you know, your marketing, where you're focusing your time, you know, whether you're getting that choreographer out, if you can afford this, like, you know, numbers give you power.
Speaker 2: They do.
Speaker 1: Because once you kind of know that you can make good decisions and you can keep growing your business and you can get excited about them.
Speaker 1: So the biggest thing would love to, you know, encourage you all is to get excited about those numbers.
Speaker 1: It'll really help you grow that studio.
Speaker 2: And empower yourself to know them.
Speaker 2: You know, you're going to feel so much more powerful because there's so many people that dig their head in the sand and don't want to think about it and don't want to look at it because they know it could be scary.
Speaker 2: But if you empower yourself and do it is a game changer.
Speaker 1: I promise you.
Speaker 1: Absolutely.
Speaker 1: Absolutely.
Speaker 2: Hey, guys.
Speaker 1: Amanda, back in your ears.
Speaker 1: Hey.
Speaker 1: This podcast went for longer than expected, so we've cut it into two.
Speaker 1: Hope you've enjoyed part one, but make sure you jump back into the feed next week to hear part two of five reasons your studio isn't growing.
Speaker 1: We hope you enjoyed this episode of the Dance Principles United Podcast.
Speaker 1: If you'd love to learn more from us, we have a special offer just for our podcast listeners.
Speaker 1: Go to the link in the show notes right now to get two weeks free in Dance Principles United Tribe.
Speaker 1: We would love to see you there.
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