Belly Bizness
Take off the bedlah, remove the glitter, turn off the music, and you are left as a self-employed entrepreneur. While most of us belly dance for fun, some of us decide to tread the waters of professional belly dance - either full- or part-time. Belly dancing then becomes our occupation, not just a hobby. While there are very few belly dancers out there who can actually make a full time living from belly dancing, and I mean very few, there are some us who do decide to do it part time as a means of income. But regardless of whether you are full time or part time, if you decide to go pro, you have to remember first and foremost that you are a business owner. And running and having your own business is not easy.
For starters, you have to be good at networking. Facebook and Twitter are great for networking, but shouldn’t be your only means of getting and sustaining clientele. You have to be, mainly, a people person. Most businesses spend a ton of money on advertising. It means flyers, post cards, magazine and newspaper ads, and anything else that can be used to help promote yourself as a dancer, producer, or instructor. Opting to get tables at conventions or shows to help promote yourself also comes in handy. Time is also important. You will have to want to spend hours posting flyers, mailing postcards, creating email newsletters, and other general marketing to get the word out.
You also have to have great social skills. Standing in the corner at an event or being too standoffish is not a good way of promoting yourself. You have to let people know who you are, what you offer, and what makes you stand out from the rest. You also have to be able to introduce yourself and your business to potential new clients in a friendly and charismatic way. Be approachable and sociable. It's also good to let others in your field know who you are.
Your peers should recognize you. For example, take comic book conventions. There are thousands and thousands of artists at these type of conventions, all competing against each other, yet all amicable with one another. Each offers something unique to provide to various types of clients. Networking with others in your field is important. It’s how new ideas, new projects, and new doors can open for you. Being able to work well with your contemporaries can also help when it comes to referrals. A client may be looking for something more specific that another person can’t offer and in turn, you may get recommended by your peer. It’s important that, aside from respecting yourself, your peers also respect you and your skill set.
Another important aspect of owning your own business is being able to handle negative criticism, comments, or other issues that may arise. There is not a single business in the world that at some point has not received negative feedback. It happens to everyone, simply because you can't make everyone happy. That's a key factor to remember. It's how you handle negative criticism that makes you a strong business owner. Getting defensive, blaming the client, or anyone else for that matter, is not professional. If someone complains to you, even if you feel it’s over something foolish or over something you can’t control, it’s always best to respond in a thoughtful and professional manner. It's also important to remember that you are going to be dealing with many different personalities. There may be times when your personality may clash with someone. As someone who has produced many shows over the past five years, I can tell you, I have dealt with all sorts of personalities. Maintaining your character and professionalism will help you stand out as a business owner. Becoming defensive or aggressive will only give you a bad reputation. You also have to remember that your name is at stake, so if you have knee-jerk reactions to things, you may want to rethink about whether business ownership is for you, because you are going to be dealing with a lot of people and a lot of issues, good and bad.
Your reputation is also important. Think of your belly dance business like a restaurant business. If a friend tells you that a restaurant has bad service and terrible food and is not worth going to, that restaurant has already started to build up a reputation. Consider the fact that it's not vilification of your character if you get bad reviews or negative feedback from clients, directors, or producers. If that were the case, every reviewer on Yelp would be getting sued by businesses they left bad reviews for. And how many actors out there have not gotten jobs because of their reputations, where directors wouldn’t even considering hiring them because of their behavior off and on set? Would you want to work with someone who has a reputation of throwing a diva fit in the dressing room? Or someone who has a reputation of having lists of insane demands? Or study with a teacher who does nothing but talk about herself in class or mistreats students? So remember your name is always on the line. Whether you are just starting or well established, it's never good to burn bridges.
Of course there are other things to consider when you run a business, besides the above. The cost that goes into advertising, the hours spent promoting yourself, networking both on the internet and in person, the overhead for space rental, the bookkeeping, the cost of gas, costumes, makeup, classes, etc. In the end, you don't really make a heap of money and you are lucky if you break even. It's where that lovely saying "starving artist" comes into play. You have to genuinely love what you do, even when things aren't always going your way. As any small business owner can tell you, it's not easy. Things don’t fall in your lap, clients don't suddenly just walk through the door by the hundreds, and phone calls for gigs won't always be there. Sometimes, it feels like a lot of work for nothing. And sometimes it feels like a lot of work for an amazing outcome.
It's how you apply yourself that makes the difference.