Tell us about yourself
Synergy Dance® is a dance, yoga & fitness programme for children and teens in schools & leisure centres. We deliver innovative dance & Yoga courses, school clubs, classes, workshops, dance parties, CPD training for schools, all-day holiday camps and Special Needs & Disability programmes.
We are here to promote physical and mental health and well-being through accessible and innovative activities for children and adults, people experiencing disadvantage and those with SEND, to meet local needs and get people active.
The adoption rate of our services has been high and we are expanding within the Freedom Leisure chain, launching in another five Sussex venues post C-19. Our traction includes 16 leisure centres, 10 outreach centres, outsourcing to two National Sports Franchises, Care Homes and 32 partnerships and collaborations.
We have reached 10,524 children in the last year creating positive impact and resilience to challenges.
Children In Need, the Community Foundation for Surrey, The Charles Hayward Trust, the Henry Smith charity, Awards for All and Active Surrey are all supporting specific projects within our charitable arm, Synergy Dance Outreach.
Covid-19
Covid 19 has been by far the biggest challenge so far. In the face of complete loss of revenue – I knew I had to pivot the business. I was also driven by three aims:
1) To support everyone at home to keep fit and active – both those we already supply and a wider audience nationally.
2) Social responsibility to the team - The new projects have given our team of talent sustained work.
3) To be a force for good - people are anxious and need structure - #DanceAtHome and #YogaAtHome can potentially go out globally - to reach all who are isolated, anxious and in need of fun activities.
What tips or advice would you share with other Entrepreneurs ?
Just get started and put it out there – don’t delay if you have a great idea.
My biggest advice is to always “Keep going”. There will be a lot of obstacles when you start up a business but passion, focus and self-belief will carry you through.
Avoid trying to do everything yourself, once you are past the early stages of starting up– this leads to burnout, lack of vision and lack of growth. By delegating to experts in their field, the business becomes robust. A company culture is driven by the team – I look for talent, dedication and loyalty – in return, we will all benefit as Synergy expands and reaches more people.
To grow your business – hire a manager if you can – so they can run the ship while you focus on strategy and growth. If you are working “in the business”, you cannot realistically take it to the next level.
Don’t obsess over the competition, even when they copy(!) and concentrate on outstepping them by being innovative and focussed on what you can achieve with your team.
Synergy has created a virtual online platform,https://synergy-dance-online.teachable.com, delivering Dance, Yoga & Meditation activities for children, teens & adults, with activities for mainstream, Special Needs & Disabilities, the elderly and the Visually impaired/Blind community. They are reaching all who can benefit in the UK and abroad. The new audio clips are being shared with new partners British Blind Sport and are reaching visually impaired groups as far as New Zealand.
To donate to virtual Synergy or for more info go to http://synergydance.co.uk
Each month the leadership team at Brighton’s NatWest Entrepreneur Accelerator select a founder of the month to recognise the individuals that have demonstrated a growth mindset and entrepreneurial spirit to overcome challenges and accelerate the growth of their business in a short space of time.
To find out more about the Accelerator hub, email BrightonAccelerator@natwest.com
