Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kate Taylor Butler. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Kate, thanks for joining us today. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?
Concordia means harmony and unity. I wanted to pick a name that represents all arts working together under one roof in harmony and unity. That is how I came up with the name.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I started Concordia Arts Academy to embrace all arts education for children ages 3-18. A safe place for children to learn in dance (classical ballet, jazz, tap, modern, contemporary and aerial silks), music lessons, art classes, culinary arts, theatre and musical theatre. We are a family-friendly arts academy providing excellent training and performance opportunities for our middle Tennessee community.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Anyone in the arts industry needs resilience.
In 2020 to survive as a business, especially in the arts, it took quite a bit extra resilience.
Truth be told, Concordia Arts Academy almost shut down due to loss of income from Covid-19 regulations. I was scared that we were going to have to shut down forever.
We re-opened in June of 2020, not knowing if families would come back. Fortunately, many came back and we functioned as normal as possible during a difficult time. I went a very long time without paying myself in order to keep Concordia Arts Academy going as we worked to build the academy clientele back up.
With rising rents in our area it hasn’t been a cake-walk. I worked together with people in our community to move from high rent buildings into a new location to help alleviate the financial stress. We are very blessed to be busy and even full in several of our dance and musical theatre classes in our new location.
Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?
I used my savings and re-invested Concordia profits for several years into my growing business in order for the business to not go into debt. Concordia Arts Academy has always been debt free.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://concordiaartsacademy.com/
- Instagram: @concordiaartsacademy
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/concordiaartsacademy/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfGU8pZ2sgs
Image Credits
Evan Butler photographer