We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kasey Darlene a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Kasey, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What can you share with us about the story behind how you found your key vendors?

Our main vendor here at Believe Ballet and Barre is Redemption Dance Showcase. We love them and what they are able to offer us in our dance and recital themed apparel, professional photos, performance program books and spirit ads, and so much more! And the way we started working together is super special. The family who owns Redemption used to own a dance studio in the Dallas, Texas area and I was their ballet teacher years ago! That was my very first teaching job and I was so grateful because I always wanted to become a dance teacher all throughout growing up! They gave me my first chance at that and now, years later, I have a studio of my own here in central Florida, I teach all the time, and some of my favorite people (Redemption) provide us with some of our most important offerings all while running a business of their own!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

We are a Christian based dance studio here in Altamonte Springs, Florida. I have always been so passionate about dance and teaching, but I am also passionate about using those pursuits as a form of worship. We offer ballet and pointe, lyrical, musical theater, acro dance, preschool classes, and more! In fact, last season we started our first ever performing company! Our company dancers performed at Cranes Roost Park, in the Risen Experience as mentioned on the radio, and this coming season we are gearing up for our first Nutcracker ballet which will be in December! We are growing pretty rapidly! Since we are a Christian based studio, we provide a safe space for our dancers to have fun, be themselves, and improve their technique. We offer corrections in a kind way while still challenging the dancer to dance their best. Our music is uplifting and our costumes are always becoming and age appropriate.
I love each one of my students dearly and I treat them as if they were my own!

Let’s talk M&A – we’d love to hear your about your experience with buying businesses.

Yes! It was this one actually! This studio was previously owned by someone else and she offered to sell it to me after I had worked here as a teacher for over two years! The decision to purchase the business was so scary because it was a huge decision that would shape the direction of my life in many ways, but I am so glad that I did! I felt that the decision to buy the business was a little extra weighty for me because I felt that it wasn’t just about the business itself; it was about stepping into this beloved place as the leader and making sure that this studio family is well cared for. We have the most supportive clients and the best studio family I could ask for and I just feel such a responsibility to them to care for this place that they (and I) love so much!

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Our current clients do such an amazing job of spreading the word about what we do and bringing in new clients for us! I run Facebook ads, put out flyers, and do my best to get the word out about our studio, but our clients really are the best about bringing in their friends and keeping this place growing like it has been!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.believeballetandbarre.com
• Instagram: @believeballetandbarre
• Facebook: facebook.com/believeballetandbarre