Unknown Speaker 0:02
Hello friends I'm Amanda bar. And I'm Rebecca Lu Brennan and welcome to Dance principles united the podcast. Together we are passionate about helping studio owners with the business of running their studio. Join us as we talk everything through marketing systems studio culture, motherhood, life and everything in between. This is the dance principles United podcast.
Unknown Speaker 0:27
Hey, friends, and welcome to the dance principles United podcast back my lovely, lovely friend, how you doing today? I'm super amazing. Always excited to chat with you and do all the things. It's been an awesome week. Amazing what's been going on? Tell me all the things about your week. I've chatted to you this week. It's been crazy.
Unknown Speaker 0:49
Expo. It's crazy.
Unknown Speaker 0:51
I went to Angelica on the weekend. And I'm gonna claim it and say that I think it was the best musical I've ever been to in my whole life. Big call. And I absolutely loved it though. And the friends that I went with, we just knew all the music. So we were singing along in the audience. And I just felt like it was such a fun, amazing show. Absolutely. I love that. Like, yeah, it's the vibes right? And sometimes that affects like, who you go with? What kind of mood you're in when you go to a show. Like all of those things come into play. Right? But oh my god, I loved it, too. Yeah, so good. What's happening with you tell me all things. I'm counting down to Expo. We had a big weekend. We've had nice 40s
Unknown Speaker 1:37
All the stuff going on. It's been crazy, but fun. It's always good to like be busy and crazy. I get bored if I'm not busy.
Unknown Speaker 1:45
Yeah, absolutely, I would invent things to do. And in fact, I do invent things to do Amanda.
Unknown Speaker 1:51
Like, like your beautiful new artwork setup that you've got going on behind. If you're watching us on YouTube, you'll be able to see that not many people watch us on Youtube. We have like a very small number of friends that watch us on YouTube, but you'll be able to see Beck's lovely new painting if you want to see my Easter hat.
Unknown Speaker 2:10
I do love doing a good Easter hat for the hat parade. Oh my god, I can't do that. I love it. I know you've told me this before and I couldn't think of anything. I'd like to do less than make an Easter hat. I really get a lot out of it or really.
Unknown Speaker 2:30
So if you want to jump over to YouTube, please make sure you do. You can press subscribe so that we have more than three followers on YouTube, we would so appreciate that. And you can see Beck's amazing Easter hat that she has created for is it fixes is that it is Phoenix's Easter
Unknown Speaker 2:46
theme.
Unknown Speaker 2:49
Really cool though, Amanda. I was trying to STC applicant this week because, yes, amazing applications for SGC. And she was saying oh my gosh, I feel like I already know you because I've listened to your podcast. So it's such a lovely moment. Because I think sometimes we record these and we're like people actually listening but they really are out there they are. We look at the numbers and people are definitely listening. So it's crazy. Thanks to all of you who are listening. That's always lovely. It's nice to hear that when it's you chatting to someone we've never met before. And they're like, oh, yeah, I listen to you all the time. Yeah, it's it's really good coming to Expo too. So be awesome. Amazing. Amazing. Well, we are here not to talk about Wonka themed Easter hats, although it isn't an incredible creation. But we are here to talk about solos, we had a really interesting conversation. We had our end of month q&a chat with our studio growth club members yesterday. And one of the questions that came up was about pricing for solos and it just kind of started an interesting conversation about solos. Because I love them hate them. We all have real big opinions on solos, right? And it's just an interesting thing. So I would love to know
Unknown Speaker 4:08
do you love doing solos? Do you hate them? Do you have like tell me all the things about how you feel about solos back? Love it I always have done it at my studio did them when I was little and absolutely love it. I love the one on one with kids. I love how much it improves them. I love that you can really like just get into their heads and really help encourage them in that space individually. And I think it makes such a difference to them. So I'm all about it. There are things I hate about it. Oh absolutely. What do you hate? Well, I hate
Unknown Speaker 4:45
just being completely honest as I am. I hate that we kids stuff in solos that they will never ever learn on contracts. Actually, I was talking to Karen Colicchio about this yesterday.
Unknown Speaker 4:58
And it's interesting though
Unknown Speaker 5:00
because it on the flip side of that it does teach them to work hard, like, you know, babies just started solos a couple of years ago. And she's working so hard on her tricks and on all the things and so it does teach them a good work ethic, but absolutely, never going to use any of those tricks on contracts ever. And that's, that's the part of hate. Because obviously, if one goes into a brawny or Fridays into Ariel, on a contract, or as a backup dancer or chorus, I don't think she will know. Unless she's a ballerina in a ballet company, she will never use what is the aerial at the end of the day, though? Probably not needed.
Unknown Speaker 5:42
And that's, that's annoying for me as a studio owner, but at the same time, what do you do? Absolutely. And the kids love it. Look, they love to throw those tricks and do those amazing things. Yeah, it's such a hard thing, like I loved as a teacher, teaching solos. Yeah. For those same reasons, you love the connection you love, you know, having that like closer relationship with the student. And being part of their journey as they go through and start doing, you know, they start by being really nervous at comps, and they get better and better. And all of a sudden, you know, they're winning, and they move up from the restricted to the open section, and they're winning championships or whatever that is not that they're called championships anymore. But you know what I mean? That was back in my day, now. They're winning the titles, etc.
Unknown Speaker 6:31
Yeah, yes. But I love teaching solos
Unknown Speaker 6:36
in our studios, as a studio manager, and as a business person, they don't make a lot of sense financially, of course. However, they do serve as a something to keep your high level clients happy. And sometimes you need to do that, right? Yeah, absolutely. They also make, I believe the standard of your troops higher because you higher level kids that can do better things, which can be a draw card as well. I also think,
Unknown Speaker 7:09
if you're smart about the way you do them, you can make good money off them. And I know you talk about this all the time, but putting them in time slots where you wouldn't have classes is alertly. Yes. So we do. Well, privates are starting at my studio from two o'clock on a Wednesday, because it's a bit of a sport day out here. So some of our kids don't do sport and do privates instead. And then literally, every day, we have all four studios with a 3pm, and a 3:30pm, private, and then pretty much from 7pm, when one of our studios starts to be free, because all the little people have gone home, we have privates all the way through. So it's kind of using your studio space when classes aren't on that I think you can make money off at the other thing we do is we'll have our circus and acro privates in the back of our big room. Because for an accurate private, you just need a long map, run. That's it. And for a circus priming, say little square. So we'll have a class going on with privates in the background. I find that really interesting, because that never occurred to me to do I guess, but it's so different to like, how they run gymnastics or something, right? Like everyone's just on an open floor, and they're listening to their coach separately. And it works really well for gymnastics, which in reality acros circuit, it's not that different. If you don't need the music playing and you're just working on technique style skills. Yep. Even our techniques to do the same thing, Amanda. So a turn private, or flexibility private student in the back of our bakery. I mean, we do have a big space. But still, no one's ever question. No parents love that thing concerned about it. It's interesting. I think sometimes we're all a little
Unknown Speaker 8:49
I don't know if entitled is the right word, or
Unknown Speaker 8:54
maybe not the right word. But we're a bit spoilt for choice, right? In Australia, especially I think, if you're listening to us in from Australia, like we have big spaces, and you know, most of us have quite big studios, and they're all you know, decked out with all the facilities and all the things but the reality around the world is that there's lots of people that are training to do things whether it's dance, whether it's gymnastics on in much smaller spaces without all the facilities and a great teacher and a great student can work together regardless of the space sometimes. Absolutely, absolutely. I think
Unknown Speaker 9:29
yeah, I think one of the questions that came up in our SEC call Amanda was would I keep doing privates would I not have privates in my studio if I chose to now because it's such a big part of our school it's it's exploded, and I just said to our community, don't do them if you don't want to put the hard yards into it absolutely water realize how high the standard is. Now the standard is in sane like absolute My God, but I love it like
Unknown Speaker 10:00
I love seeing those amazing kids. And I love watching them. And I love all the things I'm all about it. And I love seeing them, you know, so highly trained. And I know like, Chelsea from your studio, she's just so incredible and beautiful to watch. And like, I love those kids, I love watching them.
Unknown Speaker 10:18
But you've got to realize that it takes a lot of hard work to get those kids to that standard. And you've got absolutely added to that. Because what you don't want is your solid kids going in, and just losing losing, losing losing losing all the time, because that actually has the opposite effect. And it discourages them. It makes them unhappy. It's all the horrible things. Absolutely. And I think that's a really,
Unknown Speaker 10:42
like big key if you aren't familiar with the comp world at the moment, and it's been a while since you've been to some solo cons, you know, before you start putting kids into, like, I would really recommend going down and having a look.
Unknown Speaker 10:58
Because, you know, that's what we were talking to a few members who they haven't really done many solos. It's been a while since they've been to those comps. And I think it's important because I do think you do run the risk of losing kids to other studios, for example, if they're not improving, they don't have to be they don't get have to get first at every step. But But I do think they can't be the kid that, you know, keeps losing because that's not a good look for your brand. Yeah. And like you can try to find comps that aren't so high end obviously there's comps that are really, really high end, but even the not so high end comps now the standards getting crazy. Like even that it's Yeah, it is next level, definitely. And it's not getting any easier, especially with social media and stuff. So just make sure you're willing to commit and you've got the staff to do it. I think that's hard as well, because there was another member I was talking to and she was like, Yes, but I just ended up doing it all because I know no one's gonna teach it like me. And don't do that. That is like torture. Right? Absolutely. It's got to be a lot. So yeah, look, it's an interesting conversation, because I think it's so much fun. And like, you know, we always had lots of solos.
Unknown Speaker 12:13
There are a lot of work, but they also the teachers love them. The kids love them, excuse me. And I think that's really important, because that's part of the reason why they're Yes, financially, they might not do as well as a class. However, you know, we are all here because we love dance as well, there's got to be a good balance of things. Always. Yes. So I guess that kind of takes us to the conversation that we wanted to have, which was
Unknown Speaker 12:40
you know, okay, we know that they're not going to be as profitable as a class of 25 Junior hip hop's. There's just no way that's ever going to happen. However, we can work on ways to make them more profitable, or as much as we can. So I think that that's, you know, worth the discussion. And also,
Unknown Speaker 13:00
I guess, setting good boundaries in place as well, because I think that's a big part of solos as well is those boundaries around and expectations with at all? So I'd love to hear about how many solos you have at pause. I don't know if I'm scared to hear the answer. Am I scared to hear the answer? was like, I just can't
Unknown Speaker 13:22
say we've got 95 solos at fours. Oh, wait half our solos. Yeah.
Unknown Speaker 13:30
By the way, coughed. Yeah. Isn't that crazy? And I actually nearly died when I added that up. But anyway.
Unknown Speaker 13:38
That's crazy. And that's is that a mix between circus acro dance privates, Cyberlearning choreography, and doing comps but some are just doing technique based ones is that it's a combo of everything. Correct? Yes. And some black there'd be a handful who do an acro and dance private, obviously. So but yeah, it's pretty insane. When you look at those numbers. It's such a big, it's such a big thing in our school. It's huge. Yes. Yeah. And I guess it has that follow on effects as well that kids and parents are watching the kids that are doing the solos, seeing them get so much better. And then they want their kid to do a solo. It's kind of that effect as well. Absolutely, absolutely. So do you want to talk about how you price them and how you package it? Because I know you've made a change this year? Right? Yeah, well, I think it's interesting to talk about the change that we did make, so we used to price it per as per the teacher they were having, and if they had one teacher, it'd be less than them and another teacher would be more and that was a nightmare. Admin was an absolute nightmare. And so now we just make well last year, we actually made everyone just the same which was $55 for half an hour. And then this year, we put it up $10 to 65 for half an hour and the
Unknown Speaker 15:00
reason that we did that is because we feel felt that they needed an extra technique and accurate class. So we just put an extra like, advanced technique and accurate. It's not really advanced just for anyone who does a private. And they all go in there together. But that class is massive as you can imagine. I mean, we do have a really big room, but that class is huge. Crazy, huge. So it's basically like an exclusive class. For soloists that they work on acro and technique. It's just is it one hour a week? Or is it two hours a week? Or what is it? So we do 45 minute classes. So it's five minutes for it and unders. And then nine and over is an hour and a half. Okay? So you basically run those two sort of like lessons exclusive to them. And they're basically paying for that, by the fact that you put the solo prices up, is basically paying for that. So it's $10 a week, basically, they paid for that class, which is awesome, because it means that if you had like an unlimited package, let's say for because you do have a ceiling on your classes, don't you? So otherwise, you would just add an extra technique class and they not be charged for that. So it's a much smarter way to do it, right that they're actually paying $10. Additionally, on that clip on the solo. I know you also wanted to try and decrease how many people were doing solo. So you wanted to put the price up? Because not that you know, but just you wanted to make people? I did. Yeah, I literally thought that would be the case and the opposite. We still have a massive, massive waitlist for privates. Like it's
Unknown Speaker 16:34
it's crazy. It's absolutely yeah, I honestly thought sometimes we ever think that right? We're like, I can't get the classes up to doors because people will pull out. But I think if you if you've really given people something amazing, then they weren't. Yeah. So could I ask about your teachers? Because that was something that came up? Are your teachers paid the same amount per hour to teach solo lessons? Yeah, interesting. They generally are. But I did have a new teacher come in last week. And they said to me that they charge extra for solos now they're an accurate teacher. And to be completely honest, I needed that teacher desperately and said, that's fine. But it's interesting, because that's come up a lot lately. Right? That has,
Unknown Speaker 17:25
yeah, and conversation. Yeah. I understand if they're a guest teacher coming in just to choreograph a routine for two hours, no problems totally understand that. No issue. But if they're having a weekly private with these kids, and they're, you know, just adding on, as you do with a normal class, week to week on to their routine.
Unknown Speaker 17:50
I don't think that they should be paid any extra. It's the same? Yes, yes. Okay, their work might be a little bit more advanced. And you might be teaching that a little bit more quickly than what you're teaching to an eighth and under jazz true, because you've got to go slowly with the choreography for an eight and under jazz troupe, however you're adding on each week, you're doing prep before the class, I think it should be the same also, as Studios. We're getting paid less for that class. So it doesn't make sense to then pay the teacher more. That doesn't make any sense. No, no. And look, I like I said, I would not normally do it. Except I was just like, I need this. And in fairness, this teacher is phenomenal. Like so good. There's always exceptions to every rule, right? 100%, and it's two solos, and it's an extra $10 A week or whatever. And I'm like, yeah, it wasn't it. Yeah, it's so not worth it. But I would, yeah, if you have the choice to question that, I feel like you really could crush it. And I'm gonna, I'm definitely going to question it as I get to know this staff member a bit better and see if I can, you know, muck around with it a bit and sort of see where they're coming from. But
Unknown Speaker 18:57
it's in the reasoning behind it. Yes, the reasoning behind it is the interesting part. And where they got that from? Yeah, okay. That's interesting. So, I'd love to tell you about my ideas for packaging, which we kind of threw out yesterday in the SGC call. And because I think, you know, as we talked about, you're kind of like packaging with a technique class, which I think totally works. I think if there's ways you can package things, I think
Unknown Speaker 19:26
I'm all about it, like, the better the more ways you can package things. So a few things that we had, like I tossed around to some other studio owners a few ideas that I had at my studio. And to be honest, I never actually went through with any of these ideas because it was as towards the end. So these are just No, I'm just spitballing ideas that other studio owners might enjoy.
Unknown Speaker 19:48
Is that same kind of idea of charging a little bit more for solos, but it including some group classes. So same as you write one of the ideas that are
Unknown Speaker 20:00
ally had, who is the amazing woman who has bought my studio. And she did this in America a lot
Unknown Speaker 20:08
was she calls them like stage readiness classes.
Unknown Speaker 20:14
And basically, in a stage readiness class, or a performance practice class, or you know, something like that, it was groups of soloists coming together, you know, whether you put however many you put in there that are all kind of the same age or whatever. And they come together in the studio, and they run their routines in front of each other. So, for example, especially if you're like, get a lot of get guest choreographers or you do your solos like that, and big chunks, they come in, you know, they're there for the hour, or whatever. And they each get to run their routines, you know, two or three times the teacher gets a little bit of feedback, then they sit down and have a drink, while class kids getting up to run this, they get to practice performing in front of an audience being their peers, they get to be inspired by each other. That's like, you know, obviously, there's a bit of sitting down in that class. But if it's a time slot, that they're all there, and they get to use the studio. It's because the reality is right, like, if they're running high level routines, they can't do it full out. Over and over and over again, there isn't most kids cannot do that as downtime. Yeah, of course.
Unknown Speaker 21:22
I like I liked that idea. I thought that interesting idea as a way to bundle a class, right? And do they chat? Is it just like a one off once a term or something like that, or she was talking about it as a weekly class?
Unknown Speaker 21:35
You know, that they come in at whatever time and they run it as a weekly class, and I was like, no different to how you're running a technique, I guess. Yeah, I love it. That's
Unknown Speaker 21:47
I liked that idea. The other thing
Unknown Speaker 21:51
that I have helped some studio owners implement is a choreography fee, or a new routine fee. So on top of their weekly lessons,
Unknown Speaker 22:06
at x amount of dollars per week or whatever, there's a fee of
Unknown Speaker 22:11
whatever it is $150 $200 Every time they start a new routine,
Unknown Speaker 22:18
and bundling that bundling that being four Okay, so number one, it's to stop them doing too many routines and asking for too many routines because we actually know that sometimes the technique work is more important than the choreography. So that being step one, but also
Unknown Speaker 22:36
so to try and deter them just going I want a new routine I want a new routine I want a new routine every two seconds. But having that and also including what does it include like as a bundle? It includes
Unknown Speaker 22:48
obviously studying the routine music selection, music editing, sending the music, a 15 meeting minute meeting with the parent to go through costume design, you know like and bundling all of those things together because it's admin work every time you start a new rotating right there's absolute admin work involved in it
Unknown Speaker 23:08
so charging for that as well I think that can be a great way if you don't want to put the prices of your solos up but you know need some extra money for the admin portion of it. So smart so smart I love that I know yesterday as well we were talking about people doing solo lessons in the school holidays as an extra money make it to putting out technique lessons or maybe you know doing it just has to be half hour lessons but I think that's the right thing to do. I used to do it every school holidays back in the day Manda and you make great money if you if you're willing to work an eight hour day and you're charging $50 for half an hour like it's it's good money Absolutely I know a lot of our share growth club members are doing that themselves these holidays
Unknown Speaker 23:57
you know and totally so like my daughter's I couldn't fit in a weekly private for all three of them at the moment. They've all asked but there's just no way I have
Unknown Speaker 24:07
the other day as we you mentioned you saw my timetable and there's just no way I could add that eating especially when I know they'd be funny weird times.
Unknown Speaker 24:18
Train
Unknown Speaker 24:23
but because that'd be odd times that doesn't actually like go back to back with their classes. I just can't do it. However, I'm all about them having a holiday technique private. Yeah. And I'd be the first one to sign up to that as are a lot of other mums because number one, they're bored in the holidays. I would love them to have a bit of one on one attention. I think especially we talked to our studio growth club members about doing like skill based ones. You know, Gigi, my nine year old is really close to her backhand spring and that's all she wants to be able to nail so you know, a back handspring private for her so that she can just
Unknown Speaker 25:00
work on that skill for half an hour with a teacher she'd be she'd be close enough that you'd probably get it in half an hour.
Unknown Speaker 25:06
In a one on one environment, like How perfect is that?
Unknown Speaker 25:10
No problems. Oh, and heaps of them would even just to get stretching techniques and there'd be so many things that people would love to have. And I think yeah, even a confidence private, like there's so much you could do. That's a good name. Yeah, I like when they've got great names, because I feel like, especially if they're not normal soloists.
Unknown Speaker 25:32
I feel like sometimes they don't know what to expect in a solo. So benefit driving it like it's a confidence private. It's a flexibility private, it's a turns private. It's a accurate like, so that they know the outcomes. I think that's really important. Yeah, absolutely. You need if you can't do it yourself, get someone in, I guess. But make sure that you're still making great money off it. Absolutely. That's important. You got to do that. Like if you go into the effort, you need to make sure it works for you. Yeah, yeah. I love all those ideas. So cool. So yeah, look, hopefully that's some ideas for solos for everybody. Let us know if this hit with you. Let us know. If you have any other ideas, I'm always interested in how other people run their solo lessons, because there's so many ways to do it.
Unknown Speaker 26:23
And what works for one studio might not work for another and so on. But I think it's always good to sit back and reflect on how you're currently doing it and what can you change to make it better. I think that's a really great idea. If you haven't, if you haven't looked at it recently, I would highly recommend stepping back and having a look at how you can improve it now you know, prepping for next year. Yeah, absolutely. Well, hopefully we've inspired you guys today. It's always an interesting conversation. It was certainly interesting yesterday, and yeah, we hope you guys have the most amazing week. Don't forget Expo is coming up so super excited. So if you haven't grabbed your tickets, they nearly sold out I think but make sure you do grab them because it is going to be amazing. I can't wait to see you then.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
