I hope this finds you well and enjoying this festive time of year.

This past weekend I was working on a holiday scrapbook - it's a tradition I started with my husband years ago. Now that we have two kids, a son who'll be 5 this month and our daughter will be 3 in January, it's become quite a project to compile.

I picked up a photo of my kids from last Christmas and I couldn't believe my eyes. In our day to day life, I often don't see the little changes in their growth and development...but WOW the picture made me both proud and a little teary-eyed.

How does this relate to your dance studio business? Great question.

I have a quote on my bulletin board in my office. I read it all the time. It helps me stay focused and reminds me - like that photo did - that even though we don't often see big changes overnight - growth and development is definitely happening.

Here's the quote:

"Everything looks like a failure in the middle. You can't bake a cake without getting the kitchen messy. Halfway through surgery it looks like there's been a murder in the operating room. If you send a rocket toward the moon, about ninety percent of the time it's off course - it 'fails' its way to the moon by continually making mistakes and correcting them." - P.Pritchett

Tip of the week: Measure progress in all areas of your business by taking regular 'snapshots' because on a daily basis it's not always easy to see the growth and development happening.

You can apply this to your dance studio business by setting and tracking goals, gathering feedback from current and potential students, survey students when they leave,regularly evaluate faculty and staff, and measuring and celebrating the growth and improvements you make each year.

On a day to day basis it may feel literally impossible to measure progress, we have setbacks, upsets, LIFE happens. But when you take 'snapshots' of where you are at on a monthly and annual basis you can measure progress.

Dance Teacher Magazine's "Progress Report" Features Kathy Blake DanceStudioOwner.com Co-Founder

Speaking of how to measure progress...We are big believers in the value and contribution that faculty and staff evaluations have on the success and progress of your dance studio business.

"For many dance studio owners, the idea of conducting staff evaluations is daunting." Read the full "Progress Report" article Here:

http://dance-teacher.com/sections/teaching/645

Marketing for Every Month of the Year at Your Dance Studio

Dance studio owners face the ongoing challenge of getting more students. How do you find time to create a consistent marketing plan? In this 30-minute audio teleseminar replay and power point slide show presentation you'll learn what events bring in new students throughout the year.

http://www.dancestudioowner.com/members/Marketing_for_Every_Month_of_the_Year_at_Your_Dance_Studio.cfm