Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Allen & Christy Eskridge, Founders of BetterSway, located in Peoria, IL, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
BetterSway™ is for couples looking for a new, fun, romantic experience who have never danced before (no, the chicken dance doesn't count!). It is an online streaming service that provides a comfortable, super approachable, learn at your own pace, experience. That means you can learn many of the cool moves seen in movies or on TV without the stress of learning formal dancing, counting beats, or memorizing footwork. Our carefully crafted instruction allows our students to often learn a new step in only 4 minutes. BetterSway is for anyone new to couples dancing and interested in a low-cost, convenient, fun, romantic program that produces impressive results quickly.
Tell us about yourself
We are Allen & Christy, a real-life married couple with two kids, two cats, and a dance business. We love sharing the joy of dancing with other couples but noticed over the years that there are many obstacles to overcome when learning ballroom as a couple. We set out on a mission to remove those obstacles and make dancing easy and fun for couples to learn in their own homes on their own time! It is our honor to share the romance and excitement of couples dancing in a format that allows you to start dancing and laughing in just minutes.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Our greatest satisfaction is hearing from BetterSway couples who report back to us that they never thought they could dance that well or that quickly. We have wedding couples who regularly say they never guessed they would be capable of such a great wedding dance. We are also really proud of the fact that now over 90% of our wedding couples in our local studio choose to use BetterSway for their wedding dance and have a blast doing it!
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
A significant challenge for our business is getting our product in front of the people who are looking for it. We know we have a product that people love and can open up new worlds of opportunities, but algorithms don't always cooperate. The biggest advantage to overcoming this dilemma is personal referrals from satisfied customers.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Count the cost - Whatever amount of time, effort, and money you think it will take, double it.
- Love what you do - In my experience, your business will only succeed if you love what you do. If you don't love it, go get an employer and save yourself the stress.
- The Turtle often beats Hair - Do whatever you can to keep costs low. Work on quality over growth. Scale when you need to, not because you want to. You'll never know less than you know now, so learn as much as you can before you take the next step, but DO take the next right step for you and your family.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.bettersway.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/betterswaydance
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/betterswaydance/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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