Profiles

Choreographing a Plan for Success

By Melissa Maupin

James Carpenter, a 17-year-old senior from Louisville, CO, started hip-hop dancing for fun when he was 2 years old. Today, James makes serious money choreographing routines for members of competitive dance and cheerleading teams at local high schools.

Athletic Dance Studio International (ADSI), James’s business, got an early start five years ago when he helped his sister, Jamila, choreograph an audition for her high school dance team. When she won, word got around that James was the creative force behind the dance steps. "I started helping other people with their choreography," James explains. "When tryout season came around, people would call and ask me for help."

Talents in Demand

By the spring of his freshman year, James had as many as 30 would-be cheerleaders asking for his help. It was then that he realized he would have to start charging for his choreography work. By announcing his fees, James narrowed the demand to about 10 paying customers. That was okay with James, who explains that, because the sessions are time-consuming, he can only work with 5-10 clients at a time and keep up with schoolwork.

Over the last four years, James’s dance sessions have grown into a solid part-time business. He consistently earns $100-200 a week during the peak season in April and May, right before spring tryouts. His normal fees are $30 per hour for private lessons and $45 per hour for team sessions, but, as tryout dates get closer, James charges substantially more. Clients may have to pay as much as $50 an hour if they approach him the week before tryouts. Some dance team hopefuls have caught on and have begun to book James as early as December to be sure they have his help in April.

Planning with a Purpose

For several years, James has dreamed of opening his own studio and offering summer camps for cheerleading and athletic dance. Realizing that he needed to sharpen his business skills first, James attended a small business workshop two summers ago. The workshop required James to produce a business plan that included a mission statement, market analysis, projected outlook for the business, financial information, and advertising and marketing strategies.

"I had to know where, when, how, and why I wanted to start the business," says James. Having a written plan also helped James explain his goals to potential sponsors and investors.

After the workshop, James named his business Athletic Dance Studio International and opened his first summer camp in 1999. James’s parents invested $3,000 in his business, some of which he used for camp expenses. "We needed studio space. Then I had to pay for instructors, their uniforms, food for camp, supplies, and flyers and brochures."

Routine for Success

"In Colorado, most people still don’t know what cheerleading and dance teams are all about," says James. To promote his business, James and his camp instructors performed routines at area malls and shopping centers. After each performance, James answered questions and passed out flyers with information about dance and cheerleading camps and training events.

The ADSI Camp proved a challenge for James. "Some instructors didn’t show up. A few left or quit and didn’t tell me, and then I had to find replacements." Despite the difficulties, James gained practical experience organizing and promoting his camp. He hopes he’ll be running the camp again this summer.

"This time, I’m going to look for outside financial assistance to help cover expenses for facilities and supplies," James explains. He is also considering the option of creating a nonprofit organization so that he can apply for grant money to operate camps. "As a nonprofit, I could provide scholarships for kids who can’t afford camp. I’d like to go global with this plan."