You’ve seen the popular internet memes for life hacks—tricks, shortcuts and novelties to increase your productivity and efficiency—so why not try out a few for your studio?
1. Eliminate cash exchanges for incidentals. “I have a few students who never remember to bring water with them, and they’re of the age where their parents aren’t around to give them a dollar,” says Emily Harrington, a teacher at Dance Dreamworks in Kingston, Massachusetts. She used cardstock to create Ballerina Bucks: Parents can purchase a $5 card at any point, valid for five waters or snacks—students carry the card with them and no longer need to have cash on hand.
2. Boost your studio brand with a photo filter. For a quick branding trick, Becca Moore of Rhythm Dance Center in Marietta, Georgia, recommends using the same photo filter (via Instagram or another photo-editing app—Moore recommends Rhonna Designs) on every photo you post on social media. A streamlined and consistent social-media approach goes a long way.
3. Create a cell phone bucket. After noticing that her students were asking for more frequent bathroom breaks—only to sneak a peek at their cell phones—owner of L.A. Dance, Lauren Delorey, instituted a new rule. Upon entering the studio, every dancer must put her mobile device in a big bucket that sits outside Delorey’s office. She anticipated backlash from students and parents but reports the opposite: “The parents thought it was the greatest idea,” she says. “The kids know when they’re here to dance, they’re here to dance.”
