Loading...Risk/Reward: The Entrepreneur's R&R- MonTango
June 16th, 2009 in Uncategorized
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Tags: Celebrate, Client Attraction, community, Connection, dancing in the moment, Embrace, Entrepreneur, Partnership, Referrals, relationships, Small business owner, Tango
Life is a Tango For This Entrepreneurial Couple
Andrea Shepherd left her full time job as an editor at the Montreal Gazette to follow her childhood dream of opening a dance studio; her partner, Wolf Mercado Alatrista, who maintains a full time job at the YMCA to keep their family afloat during their start up phase, is also following his dream. Together, they are the founders of MonTango a thriving tango studio in NDG, Montreal.
Andrea and Wolf
All totalled, Wolf and Andrea have danced Argentine tango for more than 20 years. They taught together before deciding to open MonTango. Now, a year in, they see how their ability to “dance in the moment” with each other on the dance floor and in life helps them run their business. Andrea manages operations, communications and instructs. Wolf focuses on the client experience and instruction.
While MonTango’s initial mission was to teach people to tango, it now expands to creating community. Andrea says,
Bringing people together and creating friendships wasn’t our original purpose but it has become a wonderful by-product and is so rewarding.
You have only to spend an hour at a Sunday afternoon Cafe Croissant Tango to see that they have succeeded wildly on this count. And it is not by accident. Wolf and Andrea, and their teaching staff, regularly dance with beginner and advanced students, giving freely of their time, their enthusiasm and their instruction.
Of course, one doesn’t live on goodwill alone and dance studios are notoriously risky businesses. Expensive rent for studio space, competition, and changing dance fads can wreak havoc with the business model. Happily, social dance has never been more popular with shows like So You Think You Can Dance. It helps that Montreal is the tango capital of North America and that interest in tango, the most complicated and wonderful of the social dances (emphasis all mine!) shows no sign of slowing down. Even in a down economy with a lot of competition for students, MonTango has doubled its student number since last year.
The current supportive climate and endless hours working on and in the business have ensured their general trend in revenue is upward. Nonetheless, their dance in business has not been without hiccups. Some near misses have taught them:
- Everything takes longer than expected (time management/ priority setting is key);
- Word of mouth/ referrals are their key to successful growth because other marketing can be expensive or inefficient;
- Hiring help in their areas of weakness (i.e. accounting) is necessary;
- Finding teaching staff that will embrace their mission and follow their MonTango methodologies can be time consuming but is essential to ensuring students have a MonTango experience;
- Preventing the business from creeping into all aspects of their family time is an ongoing challenge and a work in progress.
April marked MonTango’s one year anniversary. We celebrated by dancing tango to live music by Ensemble Montreal Tango. More than 120 tangueros/ tangeuras joined in the festivities. For MonTango, we, tango aficionados all, are more than clients. We are a community of friends. And what business doesn’t need friends?
So….If life is a tango, will you sit it out or dance?
If dance is your reply, MonTango invites you to try one of their free introductory lessons, from June 22 to 25 at 6 p.m. at 5588A Sherbrooke St. W. (corner Marcil). They will also hold tango dancing at NDG Park (across the street from the studio) every Friday from June 26 to Aug. 28 between 6 and 9 p.m. For info, click here or call 514-486-5588.
Related posts:
- Risk/Reward: The Entrepreneurs R & R- Post 2
- Risk/ Reward: The Entrepreneur's R&R Series-Post 1
- An Entrepreneur is Like a Great Tanguero (a.k.a. tango dancer)
- Celebrating Coaching Certification
- A Procrastination Buster for Entrepreneurs- Part 1
Excellent! It represents them and their passion so well!
I love it. It always makes me happy to see people creating a unique business based off of their passion. You GO!!!
Felicitaciones por vuestra escuela de tango. Nuestro proposito es ir a conocerlos el año proximo. Somos profesores y bailarines de tango y hemos estado hace poco tiempo a Jane y Robert que concurren a Mon tango. Muy completa vuestra pagina. Carinios y saludos a todos. Hasta pronto
Felicitaciones por vuestra escuela de tango. Nuestro proposito es ir a conocerlos el anio proximo. Somos profesores y bailarines de tango y hemos estado hace poco tiempo con Jane y Robert que concurren a Mon Tango. Muy completa vuestra pagina. Carinios y saludos a todos. Hasta pronto. Ana y Alberto