Meet Jessica Mays of Windy City Wedding Dance

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Mays.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Jessica. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
For over a decade I gave my heart and soul to corporate America as a marketing specialist. While working in corporate, I relocated to Chicago. Soon after I found a dance studio near my apartment and took a ballroom dance lesson. I absolutely loved it and began taking weekly lessons. Not long after, I found a place where I could train 6 hours weekly to become a ballroom dance instructor. I had no intention of making the switch, but I wanted more training in my new favorite sport.

I met an amazing mentor and world champion ballroom dancer, Tommye Giacchino. She asked if I would like to work in her ballroom school and help with marketing and client relations. I agreed and then made the switch from corporate to ballroom. I worked for Tommye for 2 amazing years and then she made the decision to sell her school. I was able to find work again in corporate but my heart was in ballroom.

In the spring of 2013 I purchased the domain name Windy City Wedding Dance and started to build a website so I could teach on the side. At the time I was competing and wanted to make some extra money to purchase a dress. I couldn’t believe it I was starting to get phone calls from clients who needed dance lessons. Within a year, it was starting to become difficult and risky to rent space every time someone needed a dance lesson. I was starting my day at 8:00am in the morning working for a staffing agency. At 5:00pm I would sprint through downtown and teach my first dance lesson at 5:30pm. Normally I would finish around 9:15pm. In March of 2014 I received the worst news. I was losing my job. Actually I was being let go, fired! If only I knew it would turn out to be the best news in my life.

Little ole Windy City Wedding Dance was picking up momentum quickly. I was building a brand. I didn’t realize how much my background in marketing and management would help me. The facility where I was renting said they would be unavailable for the entire month of August. Where was I going to put all these clients for an entire month? I took a leap of faith and signed a commercial lease at 410 S Michigan Avenue on the second floor. Many describe the view as breath taking. We just had our 3rd year anniversary and I am surrounded by 5 loving instructors who teach alongside me weekly. I am now a business owner and I love it.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
One of the biggest mistakes of business owners is expanding too soon. Every year I feel a wave of anxiety because we are so busy. I am inspired to add on additional space. Growth can be wonderful but also very scary. Each year I hold back because right now I have a work life balance and I’m happy. If I chew off more space then I will be a slave to filling it with clients.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Windy City Wedding Dance – what should we know?
We are a dance studio that specializes in wedding dance. 95% of our clients are getting married and our approach is different from a traditional ballroom dance studio. We know what kinds of questions to ask our clients in order to give them the best wedding dance experience. Our backgrounds range from ballroom, hip shop, social, jazz, and lyrical dance. We can dance and teach them all.

The majority of our students are NOT looking for formal dance lessons. They want to feel comfortable and in love yet move together. They still want a first dance but they most are not looking for a stuffy ballroom dance. Other clients of are ready for their first dance to go viral.

I am most proud of our team. Each individual represents our brand with pride. We are a minority female powerhouse. We are American, Puerto Rican, Bulgarian, and Italian. Some of us are bilingual.

In many ballroom schools the female instructors are sitting on the sideline while the male instructors get to teach all the lessons. This is because most schools are driven by female customers. Most of our customers booking lessons are the grooms. This is the task assigned by the bride. All they have to do is schedule the lesson. We are LGBT friendly and we love to teach anyone and everyone. In addition we have a rocking group salsa dance program.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Being organized and meticulous with the scheduling is crucial. When you are juggling this many lessons there are many things that can cause a bad customer experience. We strive to make sure our clients are happy and having fun.

Pricing:

• Introductory Dance Lesson Special $45.00
• Single Lesson $90
• 4 Lesson Special $298
• 6 Lesson Special $420
• 8 Lesson Special $565
• 10 Lesson Special $698
• 4 Week Group Class $60
• Party Rentals Start $250.00

Contact Info:

• Address: 410 S Michigan Avenue – 2nd Floor
  Chicago IL 60605
• Website: http://windycityweddingdance.com
• Phone: 312-725-4198
• Email: weddingdancers1@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/windycityweddingdance/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/windycitywedd/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/windycitywedd
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/windy-city-wedding-dance-chicago

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