As aerialists and entrepreneurs we have failed over and over again.
There was the time we tried to make aerial clothing and invested all of our personal savings into materials and labor only to discover that there was a manufacturing flaw in the 800 or so ‘Onesies’ resulting in a recall and the loss of thousands of dollars.
(lesson learned; we are not fashion designers OR manufacturers)
There was the time we designed a new apparatus and Pilates/Silks fusion class at our studio that no one really understood OR was particularly interested in taking. The class bombed. (lesson learned: if it aint broke, don’t fix it!)
As time went on though we focused on our strengths (teaching and performing), listened to what our community actually wanted (that would be you!) and began honing in on our online business by growing our email list, free content, social media following and suite of online aerial courses.
Since switching our focus to serving the world-wide aerial community (and the aerial community of Los Angeles at our studio Womack and Bowman-The Loft) we have been fortunate enough to (finally!) experience business success!
What does that mean exactly?
Well, success is different for everyone but for us it means:
1. Earning a sustainable income
2. Choosing to say ‘No’ to performances/contracts that we are not excited or inspired by
3. Having time and energy to spend creating, training and dreaming
4. Feeling fulfilled in our business and life
5. Having autonomy (being our own ‘boss!’)
Recently we were interviewed by Los Angeles real estate agent (go figure!) Daniel Madariaga who was interested in learning about our business/marketing techniques in order to share with his audience of home owners. He filmed us teaching/performing and asked us questions such as “How did you grow your Instagram following to 71k!” (it’s actually 74K now, but who’s counting? lol) and “How did you find the location of your aerial studio?”
For answers to these questions as well as a rare peek ‘behind the curtain’ of our aerial business check out the video linked up below:
The Business of Aerial – Video
Leave us a question/comment below the video and let us know your thoughts on the ‘business’ of being an aerialist/instructor/studio owner and how we can best support you on your own journey.
Thank you for being a valued member of our community, without you we would not be where we are today.
We appreciate your trust, feedback and encouragement whether through your comments on Instagram/Facebook, reading these newsletters, training at our studio or by purchasing some (or all!) of our online courses, we look forward to continuing to serve you!
Have a wonderful rest of your week!
