On Branding, Marketing, and Persistance – My Conversation with Becky Weber of Webby Dance Company

This one was a very fun interview for me because this woman is very near and dear to my heart. Becky Weber, the owner of Webby Dance Company, gave me my very first job out here in California as a Wisconsin transplant.

I started as a dance teacher for her up in Ventura County and then was made the manager of the territory. This is what sparked my interest in marketing, actually. What we did there was all direct marketing, cold calling, cold emailing, etc. I noticed that when my marketing materials were on point – pretty colors, seasonally branded, etc. – I got more business. People also like when you are sincere and you follow through with your promises. How about that? So then I went to school for advertising and the rest is history… er, history in the making.

When I worked for Becky her office was on 2nd Street in Belmont Heights, and now the office staff has moved over to a lovely and more spacious location in Signal Hill, which is where I went in to pay her a visit, catch up a little, and ask her some questions about her background, being an entrepreneur, and building a successful business.

A Deep-Rooted Entrepreneurial Spirit

Becky has always had the entrepreneurial spirit, drive, and work ethic. She was the kid on the corner building her lemonade stand empire, and putting on puppet shows and performances for her neighborhood to come and watch – and charging them admission. One time the local 7/11 where the local neighborhood kids would frequent for Slurpees, was holding a Jerry Lewis telethon milk carton contest. Each kid got a milk carton and took to the streets to ask people for donations. This meant “game on” for young Becky. She worked her butt off riding around on her bike all summer, making sure that everyone was moving around to different locations to get the most donations they could. By the end of the summer, they won the moped. It was ingrained in Becky’s mind early that hard work literally pays off.

A Little History on Webby Dance Company

The evolution of her company is a very interesting one. Her mom owned a dance studio in Lakewood called Weber School of Dance, and one day a parent asked if she would come into her child’s school classroom to teach a dance class. When her mom, Helen, had eight kids sign up for dance class right off the bat, she knew that there was a need for this service in the community. From there they kept expanding and growing, and they now teach over 8,000 children movement and dance with franchises across the country. So how did they go from a small, locally owned operation, to a national organization? I asked Becky about that evolution.

The Importance of Having a Brand

Once they started growing, Becky recognized they needed a brand. Webber School of Dance was now Webby Dance Company, so creating an adorable little dancing spider as a logo and mascot seemed like a very natural fit. Now, that spider can be found wearing tap shoes, a Halloween costume, 4th of July gear, and every other holiday theme you can think of. The marketing materials that they produce are so appropriate for their market, it’s crazy.

Direct Marketing Magic

As far as communicating with a target market, it’s email and phone calls to get in touch with school directors, and for parents, it’s the tried-and-true direct marketing method. I slung a LOT of flyers when I was a teacher! Becky taught us a very specific method that works… and I’m speaking from personal experience. Not to toot my own horn, but I was pretty good at getting my classes filled up. I’m not going to give away all of her tricks, but it really comes down to having pride in the image of your company by keeping the Webby marketing materials (posters, flyers, etc.) looking nice, and making a personal connection with the school staff, students, and parents. That’s really the Webby difference.

What’s Up Next for Webby Dance Company

This is actually a season of transition for Becky and her business because she just sold a very large territory to three of her longtime employees (an interview with those rockstars will be coming soon.) I asked her about the future of Webby, and she told me that now her focus is on selling more franchises. The marketing strategy, along with what she already has going on for getting valuable leads, will be leaning more on digital marketing as well. It’s an exciting time for the future of her growing mobile dance class empire!

Advice for Fellow Girl Bosses

When I asked Becky for advice to young female entrepreneurs just starting out, she immediately made it clear that it doesn’t matter if you’re male or female. Good point! Especially out here in California, she explained, a lot of women are earning more than men. “We can do more. We’re smarter,” she said. I couldn’t agree more!

Another piece of advice she gave was to follow something that you really love, and that you have a passion for. Look at other successful people and see how they are doing it, or go work for someone who has done it and learn from them.

“Look at the bigger picture and keep chipping away at it.”

This might mean you’re working when other people are out partying, but sometimes that’s what it takes. If something isn’t working in your business, change it, go the other direction. Stay persistent and keep building. Choose something that you can make as big as you want.

“I don’t want anyone telling me, ‘nope, sorry, you can’t make it any bigger,’” she told me. I wouldn’t want to be that person either because Becky will trample you 😉

It was so nice catching up with Becky and having a chat about business with her. I could have never imagined that 10 years after I taught my first Webby dance class at Topanga Montessori, I would be living in Long Beach and consider her a friend. I can’t wait to see what the next big move for Webby is. In my opinion, there should be a Webby in every city in the United States! Keep the kids dancing 🙂

If you want to learn more about Webby Dance Company, visit their website here and make sure to follow them on Instagram too! Who doesn’t want a regular dose of cuteness in their feed?