"A B C"

So I have been out sick the majority of the past week, so my blogging has been minimal... or non existent for that matter!

I found the article posted on Twitter today that really made sense to me. It kind of goes along with my dance studio marketing blog from about a month ago. It addresses the necessities of good studio marketing and offers a lot of great tips.

It is called Marketing from A-Z, and I think it is very concise and effective. More people should write like this! Good job Mike Collins!

I've also read a lot of completely useless dance studio articles today... but what else am I supposed to do while recovering at home?

I think this one article even has a lot of points that are great for general studio business needs. Asking the right questions, being involved at your studio in the most effective way, getting feedback, listening to clients and being positive.

Well I guess that's just good life points in general!

"Sunday Bloody Sunday"

So this upcoming Sunday is Valentine's Day... please note my lack of enthusiasm!

A day every year where we buy cards, candies and flowers for people to tell them we love them... because we have to! It might be the part of me that hates being told what to do that dislikes Valentine's day, but the tacky little cupid dolls don't help any.

This Sunday I am spending the day with my friends and having some girly fun to help celebrate. Sleepover party Saturday night, and then doing costume organizing on Sunday before heading out to Grace O'Malley's downtown Toronto to watch Driver perform and eat some good food. I know not everyone considers costume organizing a good time with their friends, but dance teachers are not your 'normal' friends!

So in honor of this loving occasion I got myself a very special Valentines Tee from Peace Love World. They sell amazing clothes for dance teachers, and other people alike... all baggy clothes that are ubber comfy and in nice normal colors! They also sell clothes to support a great cause, so all the more reason to love their company.

Okay, so I ordered a lot more than just that one tee, but you can't just have one thing shipped here from Miami.

And now Peace Love World has sent me a Valentines Day coupon for my next order... so I can buy a fabulous tee to represent my feelings at every major holiday for 2010. At least somebody got me something useful!

"The Luckiest"

I say it a lot... but not enough. I love my job!

There are a lot of great things about owning your own business, which for me is a dance studio, but at the same time their are a lot of things that can get you down about it. However, the good definitely outweighs the bad!

No question, I have a really great life. I get to do what I love day in and day out. I am a self proclaimed dance-aholic, I eat, sleep and breathe everything about this industry and I couldn't imagine not having dance in my everyday life. I could never have imagined myself going to an "office" job for 8 hours a day and then going home at night only to repeat the next day. I am happy to say that I have never worked in retail, or waitressed, or worked in an office in order to help myself earn a living. I have managed to support myself independently through dancing and teaching.

Sometimes I have rough days, but nothing is ever going to be perfect, so you have to learn to deal with the occasional complaint. Then one night when you get home from teaching, alone, to a quiet house, you find this on your computer...

It probably wasn't meant for sharing on the internet... but I get to gush once in a while!

From very early on in my teaching career I remember all the times that students would bring in drawings or cards they'd made for you at home. As dance teachers we do get a lot of these, and most of them probably get posted in your office for a few days to only then be covered by a bill to address, or even end up in the recycling bin. But what if you saved all of them in a special box, for one of those really bad evenings where you need a little reminder of why you love your job. Then you could go through them and know that these students took the time to think of you outside the studio and made something to let you know that they care. They're grateful for your dedication to them and that you share your love of dance.

I even keep nice cards and notes that parents write to me at the end of the year or just to say thank you. That way when that particular parent complains about something I have a reminder of the time when they were sincerely happy.

I am the luckiest person I know... I love my job! Not very many people I know can say that at the end of the day. It's not about having a job that buys you everything you want... it's about having a job that satisfies you on every level. So maybe I don't take home a 6 figure salary every year, or I don't drive a fancy gas guzzling car, but what do you sacrifice in terms of happiness at your job to achieve these things?

And in case you needed a little more convincing about how great my job is... think about the last time you got a loving video message from your clients!!!