Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in entertainment but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Juliette Nieves-Becker, owner of Reaction Dance Company NYC, located in New York City, NY, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I own a dance company, Reaction Dance Company NYC, and our mission is to showcase diversity through dance. Our customers range from Public/ Private schools to Arts Organizations to clients hosting private events like weddings. One of our products is our school assembly, "The Globalization of Hip Hop," which is an interactive show that teaches kids how Hip Hop made its way around the world. We also perform at special events and choreograph first dances for weddings.
Tell us about yourself
My lightbulb moment happened in an arts admin class in college. I had been feeling down about where I fit in the dance industry mainly. The styles of dance I was proficient at (Hip Hip and cultural styles) were ones that aren't always respected as high art. So I decided in class that I was going to make my own opportunities in my career, and I'd do that by celebrating diversity through dance.
What motivates me every day is the impact our work has on our audiences, whether that's educating school children that they matter by representing their culture on stage to a special family event where we helped make their day extra special.
Also, I love building a community of amazing dancers where I can financially support their dreams through paid performances. I'm also always forward-thinking. I ask myself what life I want to create for myself in the future, and because I'm an entrepreneur, I'm in control of building the life I want. I see myself starting international dance ventures. I'm not going to say what they are until they are fully formed.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
That's a hard question. My biggest accomplishment as a business owner vs. my biggest accomplishment as a director of a dance company, I think, are two different things.
I'd have to say one of my top accomplishments as a business owner was pitching my dance assembly idea for "The Globalization of Hip Hop" at an interview to be a dance teacher. I transformed an interview that was supposed to make me money as an individual into an interview about selling a product for my company that would impact thousands of students' lives. This assembly is now our best-selling product (The Globalization of Hip Hop), and we've brought it across the country to California. It also opened the door for me to pitch a sister product that will go on the market this spring.
As a dance company owner, I'd say two things: producing a full-length show, "We're All Immigrants," in NYC and being accepted to an international dance residency in France, Moulin Belle.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
I'd say riding the wave of the often bumpy cycle of making money it's not always consistent. It's how you persevere through economic downturns and find multiple revenue streams to lift you up that marks a true entrepreneur.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Start now!! If you have an idea, don't wait. Start playing with it now. The first rule of entrepreneurship is "action above perfection."
- Get support early. I'm talking support in terms of people working on your business with you, emotional support ( people who are your cheerleaders and can tell you when you're wrong), and support in terms of education, if that's online courses, an entrepreneur group, or you get a mentor. Support is crucial to your success.
- Start small with one idea, one product, your Minimum Viable Product, and get feedback on it right away when you put it out into the universe. You want to be able to see what people are saying about this. Does it work? Why or why not? And if you have to adjust your offering, do it now, not a year or five years from now, when you could lose a lot of money.
I have some blog posts related to these tips on my website at https://www.reactiondancecompany.com/ if you want more advice, especially for Dance Entrepreneurship.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.reactiondancecompany.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Reactiondancecompanynyc
Instagram(Personal): https://www.instagram.com/juliettenievesdance/
Instagram(Company): https://www.instagram.com/reactiondancecompanynyc/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliette-nieves-5b466876/
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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