We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Isabella Johns a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Isabella, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today 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.
There is so much joy associated with wedding dance lessons – when couples accomplish a pattern that was initially difficult, when the groom earns brownie points for being a good sport about the lessons, when they flirt and laugh as they treat the lesson like the date night its meant to be, etc. One couple planned to surprise the groom’s mom with the fact they have a choreographed first dance because she would be in utter disbelief that her son could dance. I’ve had a bride be cleared from cancer between her lessons. I could tell a million stories about the small and big moments I get to share with these amazing couples during their season of celebration and love.
I could also talk about all of the behind the scenes hardships associated with building the business – being served a cease and desist, being told in no uncertain terms by a studio owner “you will fail,” and the chronic craziness the entrepreneurial life holds – but those moments are FAR outshadowed by the good, so I want to share a lighthearted story about a couple that makes me smile every time I think of it.
I get to know a lot about couples on their lessons – how they met, how he proposed, how they fell in love, their plans for the wedding, what’s going on in their work lives, the kind of music they like, and their personalities as couples. With Meghan and Matthew, we got through a majority of the ten lessons they were doing with me for their first dance to “Can’t Help Falling in Love” the Haley Reinhart version before we decided to try a lift! The lift ends in the classic “crossing the threshold” hold, but the way we get into it is what makes it wow-worthy for the first dance. The first step involves a handshake hold – it’s exactly what it sounds like – man’s right hand to woman’s right hand so it looks like a handshake. After teaching the lift and seeing them totally nail it a few times, Meghan and Matthew exchange a little comment and smile before turning to me to share: She explained how perfect the handshake hold is for them because of their first date story. Meghan and Matthew met through a matchmaking service. Their first date was at a restaurant. When Meghan arrived, she asked the hostess if she had seen Matthew and if he was cute or not – Matthew overheard all of this and stepped in to introduce himself, making Meghan blush with embarrassment. To make things more adorably awkward, as soon as Meghan turned to address Matthew, he went in for a hug but she went in for the handshake! This amusing initial awkwardness was the beginning of their incredible love story. Fast forward to their wedding dance lessons, and I just happened to put in a handshake hold that resolves in a beautiful lift and ending hug. While I do my very best to encapsulate couples’ stories and personalities, this was a beautiful coincidence. When they told me this, I bubbled over with happiness that we unknowingly accomplished our mission – choreographing a first dance that uses creativity to connect love with movement. We put their memories in rhythm. This mission is at the center of every couple that I work with, and I will always strive to share that unique kind of art, intimacy, and beauty with as many couples as possible.
Isabella, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Danse L’Amour is a dance company catering to those in love, specializing in wedding dances. At Danse L’Amour, we love LOVE, and we love DANCE. Our passion is to create special moments and memories for a lifetime. In an industry that caters to every detail for a couple’s special day and a bride’s dream of a lifetime, the first dance is often ignored, both by the wedding planners and the dance studios. It is this niche, at the intersection of the wedding and dance industries, where Danse L’Amour specializes and delights in serving its customers. Many brides have dreamed of getting married since they were little girls, but they settle for their first dance to be a high-school-prom-esque hug and sway. Danse L’Amour offers customized choreography and lessons to match the dreams and aspirations of all the wonderful details the bride has chosen for her special day and to give the groom a little swag. We might even earn him a few brownie points. We pride ourselves in our depth of knowledge concerning the nuances of dancing on your wedding day: dancing in wedding attire, choreography based on floor size/set-up, choreographing based on your personality as a couple, lifts/tricks that fit the wedding context, etc. Photo moments are a HUGE part of our brand as well: we make sure to put in photographable moments throughout your dance so you can extend your investment in both dance lessons and your photographer! Lastly, we only hire teachers who genuinely adore working with wedding couples.
Our services include ALL things wedding: not only the first dance as husband and wife, but also mother/son dances, father/daughter dances, bridesmaid and bride dances, line dances for the whole family, general social dancing for attendees, and any other creative iteration out there.
Do you have any stories of times when you almost missed payroll or any other near death experiences for your business?
In October of 2021, business was doing really well heading into the holiday wedding season. At the same time, I was taking a full load of classes at Georgia Tech. As the sole business owner, I was the CEO, COO, accountant, secretary, instructor, social media manager, marketing manager, etc. Every moment of my day was filled with classes, studying, homework, my 40 minute commute, teaching the lessons, and handling all of the day to day business tasks. At times, this can feel incredibly lonely. I don’t have a business partner or a cofounder to help divvy up responsibilities. Everything began to fall apart on Friday, October 22nd when I started feeling a pain in my stomach during my lessons. My boyfriend of a few years was coming home from a work trip in Canada and what was supposed to be a happy reunion turned into a night full of sickness and immense pain. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I had appendicitis, so the next morning Nick drove me to the hospital. Due to Covid restrictions, I wasn’t able to have any family or friends right up until I was rolled into the operating room for my emergency surgery. With recovery time, I was set two weeks back on my lessons, the business tasks, and my classes – exams, homework, the material, etc. As someone who struggles with depressive tendencies, this all kickstarted a two week depressive state. I felt completely immobilized by what seemed like an insurmountable task ahead – recover, catch up, and keep moving ahead. Just missing two weeks of Georgia Tech classes was enough to make anyone feel defeated, let alone my business that I’ve poured everything into. With wedding couples, they have important time restrictions – if they had a wedding in the next month, they needed those lessons. Lots and lots of tears were shed. But then, the most incredible thing happened. My team of incredible supporters who love me and see what my business means to me stepped in and helped me get back on my feet.
My mom, who also struggles with depression, let me express my heavy feelings and intrusive thoughts during that time about how I felt like I had been thrown in a well with no way to get back up. She let me cry, held my hand, and gave me the best foot rubs only moms can provide. Nick, my sweet boyfriend, took on all of the lessons he could handle for the clients who couldn’t afford to fall behind. This was no small feat as Nick already works two jobs – one a corporate job as a software implementation specialist and by night a ballroom dance instructor. He refused to let me pay for these lessons and he taught every lesson with a smile. He insisted. Don, my incredible mentor that I found through a startup incubator at Georgia Tech, has always opened his door for when I need to just let it all out. As an entrepreneur himself who went through many many hardships (that were much more traumatizing than mine) when building his business let me talk on the phone with him for hours just expressing my entrepreneurial woes. He has always been a huge encouraging cheerleader for me with kind words ready to go. My Dad, who lives a few states over, didn’t let a day go by where he didn’t call me to check in and make sure I had everything I needed for recovery. He, too, was just a phone call away if I needed someone to talk to. He helped me talk through ways I could prioritize delegating tasks and slowing down after my recovery. Scott, My mom’s fiance, has always been protective of me as if I am his own child. He helped in my recovery, and was the best asset I could have asked for at a bridal show I presented at shortly after. For the full setup, four hours of meeting people, and take down – he was fully engaged the entire time. He was so cheery and welcoming, he couldn’t help but attract people into our booth!
So, while I may not have an official co-founder – my incredibly supportive and kind circle of friends and family have not only saved my business, but supported me in such a way that has directly contributed to its growth over the last year. Danse L’Amour exists and grows because of their love, and I am so grateful!
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
This one is really tough! I struggle with this especially because the social media aspect of a business alone is really a full time job. There is such a sea of information out there and it’s easy to get discouraged by all the nuances and things to learn, even when it comes to the differences between each and every platform. While I don’t claim to have it all figured out, I do know that in spite of social media being my least favorite part of the business, I feel like I have grown in my knowledge and application in the last year. If I can encourage even one fellow entrepreneur who feels overwhelmed by the task like I do, I would be overjoyed. Here are some things I have found:
I learned about TikTok via a personal account and experimentation, not on a business account. TikTok is changing the social media game and there is so much value in low risk trial and error with TikTok. Nick and I have close to 85k followers on TikTok, and I use that space to document rather than create. I post all about my personal relationship with social dancing, and I don’t feel like it has to be perfect. With my business Instagram, I have taken all the knowledge of trending ideas and sounds from my personal tiktok, and I just apply them to my business niche with a little more purpose and strategy. For my business, video content performs better anyways!
The most valuable thing I have learned from manning business social media accounts is the importance of providing free information. Right now, everyone seems to recognize the importance of pushing out content, but quality is so much more important than quantity. A mix of aspirational and educational content performs very well. For fellow regionalized service providers, connecting with other relevant businesses and supporting them on social media is extremely helpful, as well as using localized influencer marketing. Lastly, the two best investments I made for helping get my social media pages up and running were canva pro for creating posts as well as scheduling them out in advance, and a brand designer who created a bunch of social media templates for me. My feed is beautiful now thanks to her!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.danselamour.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danselamourweddings/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/danselamour
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@nickandbella_?lang=en
Image Credits
Katya Vilchyk Syd and Lex Photo Jill Doty Nicole Clarey Aurora Photo
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