Hot off the press! Sashay Dance – Small Business of The Year?

We are delighted to read the article today on the York Press website to say we are sashaying our way into the frame for Small Business of The Year.  I wonder who will Sashay away with the trophy… only time will tell!

Here’s a link to the article and a copy of it below: https://www.yorkpress.co.uk/business/awards/profiles/17697996.sarah-sashays-into-the-frame-for-small-business-of-the-year/

York-based Sashay Dance specialises in fun hen party dance classes across the UK. It’s proven to be a hit, thanks to its ‘groovy themes’, such as Dirty Dancing, Greatest Showman and Spice Girls. It insists that all of its classes are suitable for everyone, even if you have two left feet, and are bags of fun. Sarah Hough, director and founder, started Sashay Dance as a hobby in July 2016 and it quickly became much more than that. This year it has already booked in 250 classes. Turnover has risen sharply and profit margins have almost doubled since it started. Longer term ideas include the opportunity to franchise the business globally.

Miss Hough said: “I had no previous business experience and I knew I needed to build on this knowledge gap so I looked into what was available in the area. I was given funded courses on leadership, growth, marketing, sales etc. I’ve also had some excellent mentors.” Last year the business won the Last Night of Freedom Best National Supplier Award. It has supported The Breast Cancer Haven Yorkshire by teaching regular classes, choreographing their Blossom Fashion Show and teaching ad hoc classes for a group of local ladies who had breast cancer. Sashay Dance contracts out 35 regular teachers across the UK.

Miss Hough said: “We are always innovative when it comes to thinking of new dance themes to keep giving something fresh to our customers and our teachers have been involved in this process. Technology such as Dropbox helps us with staff development and we upload choreography and lessons for the teachers to learn new routines or improve on their existing ones. From day one I’ve encouraged feedback from teachers on the classes and venues we use, this helps us to ensure we give the best service. “All our customer enquiries are replied to within 48 hours to eliminate the stress for the event organiser.

“Our teachers know that it’s not just a dance class, it’s about creating happy dancing memories to last a lifetime. They always take photos and videos so the hens have something to take away after. Often the hens even perform the routine at their wedding. “After every class I contact customers to get feedback.

“The potential for further growth is massive. We are already growing at quite a fast rate and that’s happening with my foot off the accelerator to ensure that everything is in place so that my customers have the best experience. I am really looking forward to the future and will be stepping it up another notch with new business-to-business contracts and potentially launching team building dance classes nationally.”