Working 3 full time jobs: Entrepreneur + Dance Instructor + Mom

Hola! 

This post is more of a ‘laundry list’ for me, than anything else. When anyone asks me, ‘what I do all day’, instead of narrating the entire list, I needed a post that I can just forward to them ;) 

People have a misconception that I dance all day. Lol. How I wish that was true! When I quit my corporate career for dance, I went from working 9am - 5pm to working 6am – midnight. And funnily enough, most days I don’t even get to dance. 

So, what DO I do all day?

Let’s list it down: 

1. Admin: 

A major part of my day goes into admin work - scheduling, registrations, website management, replying to hundreds of emails every day. If you see me on the phone while talking to you, I promise you I’m not checking the views on my insta reel. I’m replying to the non-stop inquiries I receive regarding classes, all day every day. 

I remember the time when I was on vacation and my phone didn’t get any reception for a day. It almost felt like a signal from the universe to take a break, which I did. And the moment I got my reception back, there were some ‘not so happy’ messages in my inbox due to my ‘unresponsiveness’. I can’t afford to not respond to all the messages I receive. 

Though, one could argue that, at this moment, I have 284 unread WhatsApp messages ;) Yes! Yes! I will get back to you shortly. 

I usually return calls back, when I'm driving. That's the only time I get to talk on phone. 

2. Social media management: 

My alarm is set for 6am. That gives me an hour to promote classes for that evening before I must wake up Ansh for school. 

If you manage social media, you know that it’s a full-time job in itself. After dropping Ansh to school, I sit in a coffee shop to work, till it's time to pick him up from school again. Throughout the day, in various spurts, I spend time on emails, marketing, writing content, posting stories, promoting classes, and engaging with my community in whatever capacity possible. 

3. Accounting:

The most tedious, boring and monotonous part of my day is spent on accounting. I’m bored even while writing this ;) If you know me, you’ll know I’m very bad with handling money, ergo I need to keep a regimental stance with my bookkeeping. 

That includes tracking and recording expenses, revenue, refunds, tracking and most often following up on payments, making payments, filing quarterly taxes, renewing licenses. Uff! I can't tell you how many times I have paid penalty for filing late taxes. But in my defense, filing taxes quarterly is too much to ask for ;)

I’ve also been playing the role of a debt collector recently. At this point, I’d like to remind you: I’m only ONE person. 

4. Studio Operations: 

Before you tell me that my signage is still not up, or a bookshelf would look good at the entrance,  remember that I was probably up late last night trying to find a locksmith to break open the lock of a door that Ansh accidentally closed shut in the studio. Or I was filing a police complaint against a graffiti artist who has been tagging my wall every other day. Or figuring out how I am going to pay for that additional expense of fixing heating in my studio. 

From making sure the studio is functional, that there’s drinking water, air conditioning is working, toilet rolls, handwash available in the studio, cleaning supplies topped up, first aid box is stocked, to coming in early to clean up the studio before every class. I am usually always running like a bunny all day. 

Reminder to self: bring batteries for the wall clock at reception ;) 

5. Business Growth opportunities: 

At this point, if I get any time to breathe during the day, I spend it on exploring opportunities to grow the business. Networking, studio rentals, merchandise, corporate classes, collaborating with other businesses, bringing guest instructors, private workshops, etc. I have to admit, I don’t get nearly enough time to spend on this as I would like to. 

Hence, you haven’t seen any new merch yet ;) 

6. Content Creation: 

Amidst everything, maintaining social media presence for a small dance business like mine, means creating regular content. That is almost an essential. And when I say, ‘create content’, it means choreograph, practice a million times, coordinate with the group and videographer, arrange for costumes, and shoot. And additionally, arrange for a baby sitter to watch kids because God knows, shooting a video with kids around... well, that would need a whole another blog post. 

Shooting a video could take anywhere between 20 minutes to 4 hours. Taking that kind of time out from my schedule is a nightmare. So what options am I left with? 

Shoot videos early morning over the weekend, or late nights after putting kids to bed (also depends on the availability of our baby sitter). This cuts down on my ‘already short’ sleep cycle. Ergo, I always come with coffee ;) 

7. Community Building: 

As most of you know, Live2Dance is not just a dance school. It’s my family. It’s a community of the most amazing humans. And God knows, how much effort goes into building a community. 

From coffee dates to conflict resolutions, most of my early evenings are reserved for people of my community. I need to ensure that everyone feels welcomed, safe and loved in this community, and this is one of my fav parts of the day. 

About 1-2 hours a day is reserved for catching up with my dance family. I usually schedule this before evening classes, so after catch-up, I can hop into class directly. 

 8. Dance: 

I teach anywhere between 2 - 5 classes a week. Though, in 2020, that number was 2-4 classes a day. And most often than not, each class is a new choreography. I have a set of the most amazing and talented instructors. However, all of them work full-time and can only afford to take few classes per week/month. 

Being a business owner and seeing the kind of expenses I pay towards this business; I can’t afford to not have a class every day. Ergo, I end up taking more than I can chew, in desperation of generating revenue. So, when do I get the time to choreograph? Don’t ask. Sometimes I'm choreographing while driving to the class ;) 

But this is the only time I get to dance, and I cherish it with all my heart. Teaching is my passion, and it’s my happy place. No matter how busy or stressed my day has been, dancing makes it all better. I wouldn’t trade a thing for this. 

9. Being a mom: 

According to research, being a mom is the equivalent of working 2.5 full-time jobs. On an average, moms spend 98 hours per week doing mom duties. Raising healthy, and happy kids involves being their chauffeur, meal planner, life coach, professional hugger, teacher, friend, chef, housekeeper, event planner, manager, activities director and so much more. 

As I write this, I am sitting outside Ansh’s gymnastics class, waiting for him to be done and then headed to pick up Dia from daycare. From there, we have a birthday party to attend, and somewhere in between getting them dressed to driving them, I gotta pick up a birthday present. Need I say more? 

Ansh has after school classes on Mondays and Wednesdays, Gymnastics on Fridays and Snowboarding/ Soccer on Saturdays. Dia has swimming on Thursdays. Sundays are gone in Hindi school. Ashish and I split responsibilities here and drive kids to their activities. We do forget/ skip voluntarily sometimes. We slack on giving them the most nutritious food everyday. We forget about PTA meetings sometimes. When Ansh comes back home and reminds us that we forgot to complete his assignment, it breaks my heart. My house is a constant mess. And I'm forever in survival mode. 

I don't always get to read books to my kids, or play with them during bath time. By the time I get back home from classes, Ashish has already given them a bath and fed them. But I do try to make it before their bed time, to play with them right before we kiss them goodnight! 

10. Misc: 

I’m also my music editor, video editor, party planner, and community builder. I love to blog, take as many classes with other instructors to continue learning, and so on. 

So, amidst all this, when do I get “me time”? I don’t. But to be honest with you, I wouldn’t trade a thing. I love what I’m building. The satisfaction, the growth, the passion, the dreams that I get to witness every day is worth all the hustles. I fail often as a mom! But I’m sure my kids won’t hold it against me and will be inspired to chase their dreams instead.

My tricks to getting everything done in my day:

1. Make a list and start attacking it one by one. The first thing I do when I sit down to work, I take out my list and prioritize. One thing at a time. One step at a time. 

2. Plan, Plan and plan. I am very organized and plan my days to the second. Often, much in advance. Of course, being an Army kid has helped me a lot with time management. My biggest pet peeve: when people are late. The only way I can get everything in my day done, is by optimizing every minute of my day. 

3. Delegate: We knew we needed help. But we also knew that help would come at a cost. However, we were burning ourselves out, and realized that we can't continue operating like this. Ergo, we decided to outsource as much work as we could. 

Food: We don't cook often. We found a lady who delivers home cooked meals to our doorstep every couple days, and that's been our savior. 

Housekeeping: No matter what we did, our house was always a constant mess. So we found help who comes and cleans our house once a week. Of course, we clean dishes and sweep the floor everyday. Won't let that pile up for a week ;) But, we do let our laundry pile up and let him take care of it. 

Nanny: This was a big debate in our house. We avoided getting an evening nanny for the longest time, especially considering the expense. However, we both caved and got help. Guess what, it's a big blessing. Now, I can go for my classes, and Ashish can go biking in the evenings, guilt free. She helps with feeding and bathing kids, helps with Ansh's homework, and also keeps them engaged in activities. So, by the time we come home, kids are ready for hugs, kisses and to be tucked in bed :) 

Conclusion: Woah! I really got carried away with this post. Summing it up here before hitting the bed: My day begins and ends with a hustle, I don't get any "me time", and I rarely get a chance to sit and eat a meal. But I wouldn't change a thing. The hustle is real, but so is the satisfaction I go to sleep at night with. 

On that note, Goodnight people :)