Smaller
But Happier
By Annette Looper
Downsizing for increased job satisfaction
Owning my own dance studio was always a goal of mine. And
opening my first studio in the mid-1980s also meant that
striving for more was almost inevitable. I had done everything
right—I had the dance training, had studied teaching
techniques, and had been teaching for 10 years. Plus, I had
studied business in college, saved as much money as I could,
interviewed hundreds of people about what they liked and
disliked about their dance studios (this was pre- Internet),
and even managed a couple of studios so I could get that
experience. I was ready!
So in June of 1987 I opened my school, Miss Annette’s “The
Place to Dance” in Centerville, OH, with 40 students signed up
for summer classes. By that September I had more than 100
students, and the enrollment continued to grow. Five years
later I was overwhelmed, teaching some 52 classes a week—it
was time to hire a teacher or two! My business continued to
grow and I expanded to more than one studio, hired teachers I
trusted, and delegated responsibilities to studio managers. I
was successful, blessed with great friends who were also
employees, nice students and parents, and few real problems.
But then something changed.
It was recital time in 1999, and I realized that I wasn’t
happy. Successful, yes, but not happy. My true joy, one of the
main reasons I chose to do this for a living, is getting to
know the kids, becoming a part of their lives and having them
become a part of mine. But my business had grown so big that I
barely knew some of their names. That was not my vision for my
business, and I knew I had changes to make.
Luckily, and in true dancer form, my timing was perfect. The
lease was up on one studio, and one teacher was leaving and
another needed to cut back on hours. Also, my husband (at the
time) made a great income, so we didn’t have to worry about
money. I downsized then, and again the next year, cutting back
to one studio, three teachers plus myself, and about 350
students. Yes, the school lost students, but I tried to
combine classes and keep as many as we could. Things went so
smoothly during all those transitions and I was so much
happier. The next few years were great and I never regretted
my decision. I was back to running the kind of studio I
wanted, one that met my original vision, one where the
students, parents, staff, and I all were happy. Sure, there
was a lot less money, but the studio supported itself and gave
me a small income. Life was good!
You might think the story ends there. It doesn’t. Although
downsizing my business worked at the time, I’ve recently gone
through another transition in my life, and had things been
different with my studio, my life might be different now.
Remember the husband with the great income? At about the same
time that I was downsizing the studio, we decided to plan for
our early retirements. We planned that over the next 5 to 10
years I would not actively grow my business; I know how hard
losing your dance family can be and I wanted to minimize the
number of students who would need to transition to a new
studio. Once again, I was downsizing. I did no advertising,
put no new classes on the schedule, and didn’t even replace a
teacher who left. One other instructor and I handled all the
classes. Everything was still going as planned and I had no
complaints.
Then, when I was 43, hubby dropped the divorce bomb and I
suddenly found myself having to live on the small income
generated by my now very small studio, with no spousal
support, no health insurance, and fewer than 150 students. In
short, after all that downsizing, I now had to build my
business back up! I fought to stay alive and in business for
the next three years until the summer of 2006, when I decided
that I had no choice but to close my doors and go back to
teaching for someone else. It was not a decision I ever
expected to have to make, and certainly not under those
circumstances.
Despite the unexpected turn my life took, I still feel that at
the time I made the right decision. Downsizing had worked well
for me. Would my life be different now if I hadn’t done it?
Probably, but I wouldn’t trade those years of happiness for
any amount of money! The bonds I made with all those kids over
the years are priceless and would never have happened if my
business had kept growing. I’m not putting down large
studios—in fact, I always thought that’s what I wanted. But
when it came down to it, for me, smaller was better.
My advice to school owners who are considering such a
transition is simple: Plan for the one thing I forgot. What if
you have to build the business back up? My divorce came as a
shock, as things in life often do, and we cannot foresee what
lies in store for us. Have a backup plan in place to protect
you so that you can make the decisions you want to make
for yourself and your business.
Downsizing may sound crazy to some, but you have to do what is
best for you and your business, no matter what anyone else
thinks. Look at all your options, put it all on paper, and
think on it for a while. Then, when your head is done with all
the decisions, follow your heart and do what you think is best
for you and your students. After all, they are why you went
into this crazy business of owning a dance studio in the first
place!
Photo caption:
Annette Looper (center) with dancers of the Farmington
Creative Arts Centre Team in Farmington, MO. Left to right:
Lisa Rice, Cindy Bridgeman, Miss Annette, Chelsey Bridgeman,
Katie Usherwood.
Photo courtesy Annette Looper
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