Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Allison Robles. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Allison, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Crazy stuff happening is almost as certain as death and taxes – it’s technically “unexpected” but something unexpected happening is to be expected and so can you share a crazy story with our readers

August of 2019, at the age of 21, I opened up my own dance studio along with my partner Maria (my future mother-in-law). Little did we know as first year business owners we would experience something out of the ordinary. After only 6 months of being open in March of 2020, the entire world shut down. I could have never imagined, that due to a global pandemic I would need to shut the doors off my business. As new owners we were already experiencing challenges to get our business up on two feet, now we had to figure out how to continue to pay our rent although no in-person classes could be held. Fortunately, nowadays we have incredible technology that allowed us to host online dance classes to keep our students busy and involved. This is definitely one of the craziest moments that has happened to me as a ballet studio owner. Of course there are other crazy moments that have happened but nothing like experiencing a global lockdown forcing us to close our doors and still coming out of it strong. I feel that after experiencing something like this, I’m ready for any obstacle that comes my way.

Allison, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

From a young age I have been involved in the dance world. My mother studied dance and was a teacher who traveled the world sharing her knowledge of dance. I became very dedicated to the art of ballet and knew from a young age I was going to have dance in my life. I have also been a very business oriented person from a young age and I always wanted to have my own business. When I decided not to continue pursuing ballet as a professional career due to injuries, I knew I had to stay involved in the ballet community. I felt the best way was for me was to open up my own studio. My dream of staying involved in the ballet world, sharing my passion to younger dancers, and owning something became a reality.

My studio is called INHouse Expressions and we provide top quality ballet training fro ages 3+. Our dance program’s mission is developed to cultivate our young dancers’ artistry through our well-rounded and personalized training that fosters proper technique, creativity and overall mind & body strength. I strive to instill passion in each one of my students. I also deeply believe that one can expect excellence through kindness. At my studio we aim to have a positive, family oriented environment were all feels welcomed and safe.

What makes us unique is our values, in three words we are: Personalized, Safe, and Unique. We maintain a small student to teacher ratio in order to promote personalized training. We create an encouraging, healthy, and safe environment for our dancers to thrive in. Lastly, we develop a well-rounded and unique curriculum that ensures our dancers’ overall success.

Everyday I wake up feeling so grateful to have the job I have and to be able to call it my work. I truly LOVE what I do and wouldn’t replace it for anything.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Up until the age of 18, I had pictured myself dancing professionally in a ballet company for 15+ years. That is what I had been dedicating my life to and worked on everyday for. I dreamed of becoming a professional ballet dancer. I knew I wanted to own a studio at one point in my life but I was sure it would be after a career full of dancing. Little did I know I would deal with a foot injury in the peak of my pre-professional ballet career. In one year, I re-injured myself 3 times, with the injury getting progressively worse and worse. At this point I knew that God did not have dancing in my plan rather to teach. I made a pivot in my priorities, in my life goals, and I don’t regret any of it till this day.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I’m very into social media marketing and enjoy the process of posting on instagram/facebook. I knew that building an online platform was going to be very helpful in growing my new business. I made sure to stay on top of it and be as active as possible. I recommend anyone who is just starting to follow people who may seem they are into your type of business. Make sure to be as consistent as possible and post at least once a day a first. Lastly, I recommend to be creative with your content by posting different and captivating videos/pictures.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.inhouseexpressions.love/
• Instagram: inhouseexpressionslove and lifeonpointewithalli
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCncqBppJajYybvs-fP1OCCQ

Image Credits
Garry Ikola, Staractionshots, Smackarts