Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Leah Matthews. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Leah, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?
Children learn so much more than just dance when taking lessons. Yet it didn’t feel like anyone had put that into an intentional plan. We decided to incorporate life lessons into our curriculum. Each month our students have a character development theme woven into their lessons. It ranges from gratitude to perseverance. From diversity/inclusion to kindness. All activities revolve around this theme, from our playlists, class activities, to take-home activities.
It was important to us to incorporate this into our mission. We want to make sure that the next generation of dancers are kind, thoughtful, and resilient. Young kids are sponges, so you really can make such a huge impression at this age.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I started Studio Go in January 2015. Prior to that I owned another dance business, and I danced my whole life, including in college. Studio Go partners with preschools, churches, synagogues, and elementary schools to bring dance to children. For parents we solve the issue of having to drive your child to multiple activities. The children receive a high-quality dance education in the comfort of their school. We were founded in Atlanta, and grew into Charleston, Chattanooga, and Athens. We have not reopened the Athens market after the COVID pandemic.
We created our own in-house curriculum that focuses on character development. No one else was really doing this, so the idea to sell the curriculum to other studios bloomed. In 2018 we began doing just that, and children throughout the US, Canada, Australia, Africa, the United Kingdom, and beyond have all benefited from our instruction. We are so proud that our efforts have reached thousands of students around the globe.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
In our local markets our reputation has been built by our people. We truly strive to hire professionals that are dependable and the best at what they do. We offer ongoing training and support. We give our staff the opportunity to provide feedback and grow. I think the key to our success, and therefore our reputation, hinges on our people and our culture.
We’re also big on inclusion, fun, and customer service. We believe that dance is for everyone and are committed to making that happen. Young children learn through play and exploration, so that’s a huge part of our instruction and curriculum. Keeping the children happy and wanting to learn is a major driver for our success and strong reputation.
In our curriculum business our reputation is built on our success. We teach over 1,000 preschool students each year, and our revenues are much higher than our average competitor. The proof is in the pudding.
Any advice for managing a team?
Effectively managing teams will be one of the most important things you can do for your business. I think the first step is being humble and realizing that you make mistakes and owning that. Being honest with staff, admitting a mistake when it happens, and being approachable will help to maintain high morale.
It’s also important to identify what you do well, what you enjoy, and what only you can do for your business. Do those things and delegate other tasks to staff. Identify the staff members who are valuable and give them more responsibility. Once you do this, trust them to do their job. Micromanaging is the death of a collaborative workforce. Create a space where your staff can come to you with questions and one where they feel supported.
Create autonomy for employees at all levels. Allow them to have a voice. While all employees can’t chime in on every direction of the business, pick the ones they can. Each year at our annual meeting our employees get to vote on things that affect them. They might not be huge issues, but giving a voice to each employee is empowering.
Check in with your staff. Prior to COVID we had implemented 2 coffee check-ins each year with a survey and goal setting. It was a small way to foster development and gauge where each employee is at. Now that we’re coming out of the pandemic portion of COVID, we plan to reinstate these.
I’ve also tried to set time aside for bonding to create high morale. Whether that is a lake weekend, happy hour, book club, or something else, we try to have optional social activities to show our appreciation.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.studiogodance.com, www.studiotogodance.com, www.littleswandance.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/studiotogodance/, https://www.instagram.com/littleswandancecurriculum/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/studiogodance/, https://www.facebook.com/studiotogodance/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leah-matthews-5522715
Image Credits
Laura Bennett, Gregory Campbell