Entrepreneur Interview Entrepreneur JoAnn Ko By Morgan Vallee
Entrepreneur Interview Entrepreneur: Jo-Ann Ko By: Morgan Vallee
Jo-Ann Graduated from Markham District High School and then went to Humber college to become a Pharmacist Technician l There are no other entrepreneurs in her family l Before opening Kicks Dance Studio she was a Pharmacist Technician at East General Hospital l On average she works 10 -12 hours per day l
Background Information on Business l l l Name: Jo-Ann Ko Owner of Kicks Dance studio 50 Bullock Drive Unit#6 (905) 294 2618 Website: www. kicksdance. ca Year venture began: 1984
Starting up… l l l l Kicks was first opened in 1984 The financing came from her husband at the time, George Niven The biggest challenge was to find a location that was large enough and yet, easy to find She first started in the basement of a church on Main Street Markham In her first year Jo-Ann had only 13 students The next year she had 50 students and then 100 students the following year Soon after husband’s financial help was no longer needed and Kicks moved to a plaza on Hwy 7
Goals At the beginning of the venture Jo-Ann’s goals were to achieve self satisfaction and see a positive end result in her students’ dancing l Her goals right now in her business are for all her students and parents to be happy with the service they are getting l
Strengths and Weaknesses Jo-Ann’s strengths: l Good Listener l Organized l Trusting l Understanding l Good Public Speaker Jo-Ann’s Weaknesses: l Too Sensitive
Advantages and Disadvantages Advantages: l Chooses her own hours l Sleeping in is an option l Jo-Ann can take time off easily knowing her studio is still running smoothly Disadvantages: l Work is always on her mind l She will spend time on work at home as well as at the studio l Schedule varies depending on time of year
Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs l Take as many business courses as possible l Marketing and advertising courses will be very useful as well l Location is the key part of opening a business. Focus attention on finding a proper location l Skills needed for venture: artistic talent, dedication and self-motivation
Aspects of owning Kicks Dance Studio Rewarding aspects: l Watching her long term students grow up l Seeing students’ happy faces when on stage and in class l Having her students share her love of dance Least Satisfying aspects: l Having students move to other dance studios l Having students that do not take dance seriously and waste their parents’ money l Dealing with drama in the studio
Leisure Time Jo-Ann enjoys to: l Swim in her pool l Walk her dogs l Spend time with her family l Watch “So You Think You Can Dance”
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Conclusion l. I have learned many valuable things from interviewing Jo-Ann l One day when I hopefully open my own studio this information will help me a great deal l I have learned that owning a Dance Studio takes a lot more work than I thought it did
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