2016-2017:The Beginning of Dance Without Limits

Unafraid. That was Beth Bradley’s word of the year when she opened this studio. Not to say that there wasn’t fear; the owner of Dance Without Limits was terrified, actually. The startup phase is terrifying, but also exhilarating. In May of 2016, when Dance Without Limits officially became an LLC, we had no idea what would be in store for this little one-room studio that was getting ready to open. Even with all the hours of preparation, we knew that at every phase we would still be faced with challenges we’d never met before. But we’re resilient, driven, (a little crazy), and we always figure it out despite the fear of the unknown.

As we approach our 10th anniversary, we’ll be reminiscing about all the stages that got us here. Our 10-month dance season makes the perfect timeline for sharing! Each month we’ll take a look back on a year in our business. Today, it’s all about that fun and crazy first year.

Step 1. Branding – Who are we?

One of the things new entrepreneurs love to think about is branding. This is the fun stuff, right? Brand colors, fonts, paint colors, signs, swag, gear. Not to mention vision and mission statements and setting values and intention. The possibility for creativity is endless. For Beth, the business name, values, and vision and mission came easy. What was one of the hardest decisions early on? Choosing a logo.

“I had so much angst about the design, font, and colors,” she recalls. “I wanted it to describe exactly what we do, not be too girly, and be welcoming to everyone but still be modern and pretty!”

The incredible team at Tangible Agency was a phenomenal and patient partner during this process. Navigating frantic emails about design choices sent from an indecisive client who, at the time, was on a tour bus chaperoning her child’s 5th grade field trip to Washington D.C. is not an easy task. Their guidance and input got us to the logo you’ve all seen a thousand times, but take a look at some of the other options we tried out below!

Step 2. The Building – Making a Studio

Our first location was off of Hudson Road on the eastside of Greenville.

“I lived pretty close to our first location and had been driving by it for over a year, dreaming about a studio there,” Beth said.
It was just one room, and mirrors were still on the walls from the previous business that could be seen from the road. Beth knew it would be the perfect studio space, and didn’t bother visiting any other locations. As if it was all meant to be, the realtor who helped Beth secure that space is still a part of our dance family today, cheering on her dancing granddaughter!

Once the papers were signed, it was time to make the space dance-ready.

“While the landlord put in walls and did the structural things, we did a lot of the finishing work ourselves – my family, friends, and church small group helped paint, lay floors, clean, put furniture together, and do a million other little things.” Beth remembers. “One good friend with a woodworking hobby built our front desk.”

The process of getting the studio ready ran down to the wire. But that’s the thing about starting a small business, you just get the thing done! Even if that means cleaning the windows at midnight the night before Open House, which Beth really did with a friend of hers. It was a race to get it all done, but thanks to the hard work of an incredible community, it happened. We were finally ready to open.

Step 3. The Families – Getting People in the Door

Classes officially began in August of 2016 with 30 total students enrolled. Beth taught every dance class (except for hip hop, and trust us, no one wants to see Ms. Beth hip hop dancing). Those first few students were “mainly my three kids, their friends, people we knew from church, and a few trusting souls that wanted to give a new business a shot,” Beth recalls.

There were two people on staff at the start. One of Beth’s past students from Hendersonville, Miss Allison, was going to school in Greenville and taught hip hop once a week. Holding down the front desk was a good friend of Beth’s, Mrs. Tiffoni.

Beth handled everything else. “I was the owner, main teacher, admin, marketing department, finance department, and cleaning lady. My girls and I cleaned the building every Sunday afternoon,” she said.

In her free time (ha!) Beth was doing everything she could to get the word out that we existed.
“I attended every community function I could. I handed out flyers, set up vendor tables, volunteered at my kids’ elementary school, put magnets all over my car, and wore DWL gear everywhere I went,” Beth said. “At one point a friend said that I looked like a walking billboard.”

By the end of that first season, we were up to 80 students.

Step 4. The Recital – Showing Off Our Hard Work

Our first recital – May 27th, 2017 at the Younts Center in Fountain Inn. Recitals are always a whirlwind, but this one came with that feeling of crossing the finish line. The first year was complete, and here were all the students in sparkling costumes to prove it. Those first classes at DWL shone on stage, and that proved to us that we were doing something right.

This picture of our grand finale is every single student we had at the time. Look closely and you might see some familiar faces! Some of these dancers are still a part of our dance family today.

While thinking back on that first year, Beth said “I made a conscious effort every day to push through the fear and keep us moving forward and in the right direction. I decided I would embrace what I didn’t know, learn all I could, fake it ‘til I made it, and figure it out along the way. I’m still doing that today. That’s the role of every entrepreneur. While it’s sometimes terrifying, it’s the best job ever!”

The joy of seeing kids come in the door and experience dance in a space we created is what kept that fear at bay for everyone at DWL that first year. And it’s what keeps us inspired and excited 10 years later.

Just like with every recital, after you take a moment to celebrate, you get ready to move on to the next season. Follow along for next month when we’ll be looking back at year 2!