Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and fitness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Marnie & Rena Schwartz, owners of ViBE Dance & Fitness Studio, located in Thornhill, ON, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Our business is ViBE Dance & Fitness Studio, a dance studio and school for all dancers. It is unique with a performance-based, inclusive and non-competitive philosophy where everyone is #1. Our goal is to build confidence in dancers, inspire them to be the best that they can be, and motivate them to grow, thrive, and ultimately, vibe!
Since our opening in 2002, our dancers and their families have become part of our VIBE community. Dancers of all ages, backgrounds, cultures, sizes, and abilities, including differently-abled, make up our unique ViBE face-to-face and online community. As identical twins, we learned firsthand the need to NOT judge or compare, so we created the "ViBE World" where everyone is celebrated for their uniqueness and differences are embraced. We are VERY proud of our ViBE philosophy, where our focus is on health and not medals on achieving fun, fitness, and confidence-building and on encouraging compassion, kindness, and empathy. We believe that dance builds confidence, and at ViBE, we strive to make a difference in the lives of our dancers.
Tell us about yourself
We are identical twins (yes, we are now adults and still dress the same). We graduated as Ontario-Certified Teachers and Kinesiologists and have a professional dance background as members of the NBA Toronto Raptors Dance Pak as well as CFL Argo Cheerleaders, and several experiences dancing with the Backstreet Boys and Neil Young.
We believe that "people have power," and we are committed to using our power to inspire, motivate, and spread good vibes. We are lifelong learners who are always growing, reflecting, and adapting to change. We never sit still - it's true! We work collaboratively to evolve as people, as entrepreneurs, and as a business. We also relish and thrive on feedback. We adopt and encourage a growth mindset where we are constantly working on improving and growing, and helping our staff and dancers continue to grow, thrive, and vibe.
We are also the MOMS of two children each. Being moms is the greatest journey giving us the biggest lessons in life, and we are SO grateful. Our kids are more like siblings than cousins, and they love to dance too! They have been incredibly supportive of all our endeavors and watch us as role models, loving our work and trying to make a difference. We always tell them to be passionate about what they do, to treat people the way they want to be treated, to be kind, to be dedicated, to work hard, to be a good team player, and to spread good vibes.
We are motivated to keep evolving and growing as people and as a business because we see the impact we make on our dancers and staff and, ultimately, on our community. The power of dance has no boundaries, and the benefits provide dancers with feeling strong, powerful, creative, confident, and happy. Dance truly builds confidence.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Going into our 21st year in business, we are overwhelmed when we think about the lives that have been impacted by ViBE - our dancers, staff, and parents. Through what we call the "ViBE Spillover Effect," we believe that we have helped to create confident and caring people both in their dancing and in their lives. We develop leaders and strive to bring out the best in each person, who, in turn, brings out the best in others. Our focus on developing leadership skills is a chain reaction of sharing goodness, kindness, and ultimately, making a difference.
We are also proud to have conceptualized and researched a product that didn't exist and brought it to market—the CARTWHIRLER cartwheel mat. It's the first and only mat that has visual markers for hand and foot placements in order to achieve a cartwheel. It really works! It currently sells on Amazon worldwide as well as at ViBE and on our www.cartwhirler.com.
We believe that every child wants to learn to cartwheel. It's a rite of passage like riding a bicycle. We know that parents don't know how to help their children learn to cartwheel, and we invented a mat that helps teach kids to learn how to cartwheel. It teaches kids to fall and get back up, to strive to do their personal best, to reach a goal, to be proud of themselves, and to build confidence. We are using it in our dance classes at ViBE and also offer Cartwheel Clinics. The CARTWHIRLER is changing lives, one cartwheel at a time.
We are also writing a book about our entrepreneurial journey where we strive to inspire our readers to find their passion and bring it to life. It's titled CAN'T STOP OUR ViBE, How to unlock the silver livings in Life and Business. We share TIPS or practical strategies that help guide our readers to unlock the silver lining in their lives and business. We plan to launch it this September.
We also have created two accompanying workbooks. We reorganized our TIPS into Guides and Reflective Journals with lines for writing, which we hope will be useful for teens, adults, and staff development. As people, we are a "work-in-progress," and our TIPS Guide and Reflective Journals will provide a valuable resource to anyone looking to unlock their best self.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
We view every obstacle, every challenge, and every situation or decision as an opportunity to grow, learn, and evolve. We try to take everything that is "hard" and flip it and turn it into a lesson that is learned. We are committed to turning negatives into positives in our professional and personal lives. It's not always easy, but we have learned that the only thing you can control is your attitude and mindset. Despite what comes your way, whether it's a worldwide pandemic, a shutdown, an upset customer, a negative situation, or an unpredictable or unexpected turn of events, you can choose how you deal with it - and we always choose to be optimistic. Our positive attitude has saved us during some of our darkest times, and it has taught us to stay optimistic, spread joy and happiness, and continue to ViBE.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Believe in yourself, follow your passions, and stay laser-focused on your purpose, your mission, and your goal. Be YOU! Do YOU!
- Treat people the way you want to be treated - and be the example.
- Be positive, be humble, and be kind. What you do today matters tomorrow.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://register.vibestudio.ca/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ViBEdanceandfitness/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vibedanceandfitness/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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