Sabetha Mumm, Owner of Dance Vision, was interviewed by Adam Torres on Mission Matters Fitness Podcast.
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Dance studio owner Sabetha Mumm talks with Mission Matters about how people can turn their passion into a profession.
What mission matters to you?
Led by a desire to help people find their calling and transform passion into professional pursuits, Mumm says, “Whether your dream is to be a professional dancer, have a little more confidence… whatever your dream is, we are here to help accomplish it through dance.”
When asked about her studio’s mission, she says, “At Dance Vision, our entire mission is around providing opportunities for every dream through dance.”
How did you get started as an entrepreneur?
Mumm grew up in harsh financial conditions, which she says, in retrospect, actually fed her sense of creativity: “There wasn’t a whole lot of stability, and I had a lot of time on my hands to myself, and I think when kids have a lot of time to themselves, they become very creative.”
With challenging circumstances at home and school, dance became therapy for Mumm. “I knew that I wanted something that filled a void in my life, but I really didn’t find it until I found dance class,” she says. “It felt like the place where I didn’t have to speak to say what I wanted to say, but I could say it with my heart, with my soul, and with my creativity.”
As an adult, she eventually decided to follow her passion and quit her day job to open a dance studio. In 2003, that’s how Dance Vision was born.
How did you turn your idea into a reality?
Noting that being a lifelong learner is a key to being a successful entrepreneur, Mumm emphasizes the value of learning from every available resource. From books to podcasts and Youtube searches, she says, you can learn anything you want and never stop. She also has a key piece of advice for seeking out a mentor: “There’s no excuse for not knowing what it is that you need to know when you walk into a room for someone to ask you what it is they want from you.”
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Tell us more about Dance Vision.
Dance Vision is a full-service dance studio in Johnston, Iowa, offering classes for anyone 12 months of age or older. “We have a five-room beautiful facility that we built five years ago,” Mumm shares. “It’s a state-of-the-art facility with sprung floors, with closed-circuit TVs in all of the studio rooms so parents can sit in the lobby and watch what’s going on with their kids.”
Dance Vision also has a dedicated competition team, performance team, and dream team. “We have over 20 alumni that are dancing professionally all over the world for every artist you could think of,” she notes.
How do you encourage your students to dream big?
Discouraging the impulse to ask about a backup plan when a student shares their dreams with you, Mumm says it’s vital to ask how they are going to achieve their goal, and once they’ve articulated that, help them find the right resources.
“If everybody’s afraid of failure, then we’re in trouble,” Mumm says, “because you have to fail to learn.”
To learn more, visit Dance Vision online.
