Hidden Gems: Meet Whitney Gregory of Tutu School

Today we’d like to introduce you to Whitney Gregory.

Hi Whitney, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
As a little girl, growing up in the Bay Area, I found my love for ballet at a very young age. In 2015, I found Tutu School and worked at a few locations across the Bay Area. When the Burlingame location opened in 2017, I started working part-time. Eventually, in 2019, I was asked to take over as owner. In 2020, pre-pandemic, officially took over as acting owner.

While navigating the pandemic and where things were going, I found a second location in San Bruno and decided to open a second location. Since then, I have been running and operating both locations with the help of numerous teachers. I never thought of owning my own business; however, with the help of an amazing franchise and an outstanding support team, something I never thought of has become my dream job.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Prior to the pandemic, owning a child-based ballet studio seemed like it would be easy; especially taking over an established business. However, as I was signing the paperwork to take over, the pandemic hit and closed everything. It was extremely hard to figure out right from wrong and how to move forward.

Luckily, we had the opportunity of operating in a virtual world and ultimately outdoors. As we found our way to reopening our doors, masks and vaccinations differed due to our student’s age brackets. Another issue has been staffing. Fortunately, we had numerous families who continued to support us and helped us keep our doors open.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
As part of a franchise that is mainly owned by women across the country (and now in Canada too!), we teach children 18 months-8 years old ballet. We are known for storytelling and introducing the magic go ballet into young children’s lives.

With classical music, magic, and ballet stories we start our dancers young and hope they continue to love ballet as much as the teachers who are teaching them do. I am most proud of being part of a predominately women-owned business who have a huge impact on young lives. We offer weekly classes, birthday parties, events, recitals, and retail.

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Find reliable support. Starting a business alone can be difficult but so rewarding. I wish I had more support early on. There can be a lot of steps to opening a business, it’s important to have someone who can help you early on.

Pricing:

• Retail
• Tuition – $110
• Recital – $112
• Birthday Party – $400-$700

Contact Info:

• Website: tutuschool.com

Image Credits
Tutu School, Andrew Weeks Photography