Today we’d like to introduce you to Jason Smith.
Hi Jason, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Our story into business-ownership starts like any other. You meet someone, you fall in love and get engaged, you start planning a wedding, and eventually you need to start working on a first dance to put together for your big day as your future-wife is a professional ballroom dance instructor and you are not. That’s not how everyone gets started? News to us. Through that experience we, Jamie and I, were able to find a career and hobby (respectively at that time) that we both enjoy putting effort into and truly enjoy. That first dance may have started 8 years ago but since that moment there have been many hours of practice, research into how and where to get a business started, and lots of faith in one another that we were doing the right thing.
What officially pushed us into action was after Jamie left her job we were able to look back at her experience, how dancing brought us together, the personal connections that were still going strong, and the want to work for ourselves, not someone else, and thought, “We could do that”.
We wanted to build a ballroom dance studio where people of all backgrounds felt welcome and a part of our community. An environment that cultivates creativity and pushes boundaries. We wanted to provide a space for people to create memories and connect with others. We wanted a place where our students felt at home.
In Movement Ballroom Dance Studio will be coming up on it’s first anniversary in March 2025 and we are happy to say that we are starting out strong and sticking to our goals. We are excited to see where this adventure takes us and we hope to see some of you along the way!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Anyone who has started anything in their lives knows that the road is not always smooth. There are obstacles that have come up at many stages along the way but we have many great people behind us, an amazing support system, and the most loyal staff around. There are many things that you can’t prepare for and have to learn as you go but being able to stay humble to ask for help from people who know more about a certain topic or can connect you with someone to talk to when you can’t get the answers that you need is huge. Because who just automatically knows how to do payroll, figure out business insurance, what specific city codes apply, or who to talk to about getting some local recognition?
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about In Movement Ballroom Dance Studio?
At In Movement Ballroom Dance Studio we offer customized and welcoming instruction of partner dancing to single people, partners, and groups of individuals of all ages, abilities, and experience. Many of our students start out how we did: wedding preparations. IMBDS has helped many people prepare first dances, parent and other special dances, along with wedding party dances during 2024. Other students have started at IMBDS to find a new hobby, connect with more people, start or continue on a fitness journey, work on their cognitive and physical health as they age, be able to express themselves creatively, and to make a special person in their lives happier. Whatever the reason that our students seek us out, we are proud to have them as a part of our community. As a studio our services include Private Lessons, Group Classes, Practice Parties, and Private Group Lessons which work together to ensure that our students are not only prepared for the situations where they will be using their skills (ie: formal events, bars, or the comfort of their own homes) but are also having fun in the process.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
Starting a business is a risk in itself but the only way to know if something is going to work is if you go for it. We did our research but that can only prepare someone so much. During our time as business owners, we have tried many different ideas where some of them stuck (an amazing Halloween Show, outings to a USPBL baseball game as a studio, Downtown St Clair Shores Social District Events, and a Kentucky Derby themed Party at the studio) and some that we have decided may not be coming back for quite a while or ever again. We won’t go into detail on those. We, and our staff, are big believers that if there’s no risk there is no reward. They were taking a risk joining us in this business venture, afterall. As people in a creative industry it’s in our nature to take risks, but what we learn from those risks and how we apply those lessons to our future decisions is arguably more important than the risk itself.
Pricing:
- Private Lessons – First Lesson is Free, different memberships available after
- Beginner and Intermediate Group Classes – $10 per person per Group, included in Current Student Membership
- Practice Parties – $15 per person, included in Current Student Membership
- Private Group Lessons – Please call for pricing
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.inmovementbds.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/in.movementbds/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/in.movementbds
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@In.MovementBDS
