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

Alright, Kristin thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you tell us a story about a time you failed?

I love this question because business owners never talk about their failures and it’s quite literally inevitable to experience failures in the journey to success. I closed my successful ballet school located in Cincinnati, OH in 2021 because I felt constrained and wanted to grow my business to reach more people across the nation. I then moved to Miami, FL with my husband to re-strategize and get inspired. I decided to start an online ballet inspired boutique and I had an inventory of about 300 items. My heart just wasn’t in it and I learned that my talent and success definitely resides in hands-on creation rather than strictly sales and eCommerce. Consequently I decided to stop that side of my business and set my vision on new endeavors that allow me to be more creative with my business. My biggest loss here was my time but I guess there is a cost to have learning experiences.

Kristin , 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 Kristin Robben and I own Ballet Land. I retired from my career as a professional ballet dancer just a few years into what I had thought would be a 15 yr career. While I was dancing professionally, I lacked freedom in many senses. It was a very challenging lifestyle to maintain both physically and mentally. It was extremely hard for me to quit ballet because I had been training my entire life for my career, I had even left home at a very young age to train very vigorously at a prestigious ballet school. I received my first professional job right out of high-school and had no aspirations to attend college or think about a different career.

When I quit working as a dancer in 2017, I decided to use my talent on my own terms and create work for myself. I was living in Cincinnati at the time where I started a children’s ballet school and founded a dance company that employed freelance artists like myself to perform at events around the city as entertainment.

I started my ballet program because I felt like I had missed the magic, passion and all the great attributes that ballet can bring into life as a child. My program is for young children ages 2-10. I focus on early childhood because I want to make ballet enjoyable while focusing on the cognitive development and values it teaches. As students age out of my program I set them up for success and send them to a reputable ballet school if they choose to continue their training.

Ballet Land has really evolved since I started with 4 students in 2017, quickly gaining a large group of followers. I now run my ballet program for children in Miami, Fl and have created my own teaching method. Additionally, I create and manufacture ballet themed, play based toys for children to learn outside the studio and have recently started a ballet class youtube channel.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

I was 21 yrs old when I started my business with quite literally $0 in my bank account. I was also living on my own in a city where I had no family so I needed to be able to provide for myself. I was a nanny during the first 2 years of Ballet Land and it was a great way for me to fund my business and provide for myself until my business started to turn a profit.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I put a a lot of thought and care into every student/client and that becomes very evident to families and sets me apart from other similar programs.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://theballetland.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ballet.land/?hl=en
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIJBGZdfQ5T707Q55xXtVXw