We were lucky to catch up with Katie Van Note recently and have shared our conversation below.

Katie, appreciate you joining us today. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?

I am extremely happy as a business owner.

I have always had a difficult time working for “the man” – it never suited me. In my early 20s I worked for different nonprofits which then led me to working for a corporate tech company that served nonprofits. In all of my positions, I always felt that I was a grunt worker – doing the hard work and not getting paid enough. I also despise the structure of most companies in capitalism – a majority of underpaid worker bees and a few at the top making $100-200k+. I always felt it wasn’t fair and I needed to get out of that system.

I had tried creating different businesses and services in the areas that I was passionate about. I taught people how to surf and I tried making a business out of setting up compost bins in people’s backyards. It was fun and I got to be creative, but in the end they didn’t work out and neither gig really felt like a long-term business for me.

When I was offered the opportunity to buy my bosses’ dance business, I knew I had hit the jackpot. It was my ticket out of the system of capitalism (in most senses), and it checked all my boxes – making the income I wanted, being able to be creative and have fun in my work, getting to work with awesome clients and make them happy, and generally having more freedom in my schedule and life!

I would not trade being a business owner for working a “regular job” ever again. Of course, you never know what the future holds, and I am sure there are jobs out there that can check a lot of boxes, but I just LOVE the freedom and creativity that comes with being my own boss and doing something that aligns with me.

Working for companies and nonprofits has also shown me what my values are for being a boss and manager. I value compensating employees in a fair way and paying them what they feel is a good wage/salary. I also value giving people freedom in their schedule, and want to create an environment where employees feel happy to work for The First Dance Place. I think it’s super important to view employees more like equals or partners and pay them what they deserve, and that’s where most companies fail their staff – which in the end leads to higher turnover and burnout.

Katie, 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?

My name is Katie, and I am a wedding dance choreographer in San Diego, California.

I happened into this passion and ultimately, career path through following my bliss and never giving up. I first learned how to partner dance in my hometown of Golden, Colorado at weekly swing dance events at the Mercury Cafe. Swing dancing became one of my favorite hobbies which then led me to salsa and bachata, then came hip hop, samba, rumba, hustle, west coast swing, and more! I became a teacher at local dance scenes wherever I lived, including Baltimore, Glasgow, Scotland, and San Diego.

I moved to San Diego in the summer of 2018 to follow my dream of learning how to surf, but what I didn’t know was that I would fall into the most amazing career path of my life: teaching people how to dance for their weddings! Initially, I worked as a regular wedding dance teacher at The First Dance Place. I soaked up all of the expertise of the owner, her teaching curriculum, teaching technique, and lesson/project planning method.

Last year, the former owner of the company let me know she was looking to sell her business – she had moved to Connecticut and was ready to begin a new chapter of her life. So, I buckled up, took a deep breath, and made a deal with her and as of July 1st, 2022 – I became the new owner! It has now been over a year as the sole owner and dance teacher at The First Dance Place. I am more stoked than ever to be able to call myself a business owner of something that I love and cherish!!

What I do (in a nutshell), is I help non-dancers and people with two left feet learn how to dance for their wedding. I offer lessons for the bride/groom, mother/son, father/daughter, as well as private Date Night dance lessons. Whether a couple wants to rock the house with a surprise medley or they want to keep it romantic and mellow with a slow dance – we do it all! I am known for being friendly, fun to learn from, and non-intimidating. My goal is to transform people from nervous, apprehensive, or scared about dance, to feeling confident & capable, walking away from lessons feeling confident and ready to receive loads of complements on their big day!

What sets me apart from other companies is my extensive experience in both leading and following and my training in a wide array of partnered dance styles. Most wedding dance choreographers only speak the language of either the follower or leader – which can hinder their students’ progress and technique. I like the to think that my skills as a leader/follower and ease of communication with people allows them to learn faster and have more fun in their learning process. But don’t take it from me – check out our Yelp Page!

What I am most proud of is being able to help couples, father/daughters, and mother/sons create a memory that will last a lifetime. I get to be a part of a really special moment with people. I am most proud when I get videos back from clients and I get to hear all the cheering and reactions from their guests and family. Every now and then, I actually get to see it in person! It is humbling and truly special to get to know my clients and help them create a lasting memory.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

Great question!

I bought the dance business I own from my former boss. The deal we made was that I would pay her a certain percentage of monthly revenue for the duration of 1 year. By the end of the year, I was required to have met a certain minimum number (and if I had not met that minimum, I would owe the difference).

I did not have the funds to make a full lump-sum payment to purchase the business outright, nor did I want to take out a business loan, so making payments over the course of 1 year worked out much better for me.

In order to fund this purchase, I took on a full time work-from-home job. I told myself I could do anything for 1 year, and so I worked 2 jobs, working 60+ hour weeks, from July, 2022 – June, 2023. It was insanity. Every couple months I wanted to quit the day job, but I stuck to my guns and kept moving forward until I could see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I still look back at how crazy my days were from 8am – 3pm working a day job and from 4pm to 10pm teaching dance with little breaks in between. I didn’t have much of a social life and it was hard to find downtime, not to mention being regularly stressed out and overwhelmed. In the long run it allowed me to buy the business I love and create the type of life and schedule I wanted. Now I have so much time in my days and I LOVE what I do!

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

My Yelp and Google reviews pages have been one of the best ways I get new clients!

I am lucky to receive amazing reviews from my clients on Yelp and Google – it’s truly the best way people continue to find me!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thefirstdanceplace.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/firstdanceplace/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-first-dance-place-san-diego

Image Credits
Fotografo Vallarta @by.darius Brooke Borough Photography @agajones