Rising Stars: Meet Brynn Arseneau

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brynn Arseneau.

Hi Brynn, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I own a dance studio in Cumming, GA called Arseneau Dance Academy (ADA). My dream to own and operate my own business started when I was in college. I had a good friend who would sit with me for hours to bounce ideas off of each other. I had been dancing all my life and teaching at the studio I grew up in. I was also in college earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in dance. We decided to open up our first dance studio because it was our passion and our joy to teach and we wanted to bring new innovative training to the community. This was in Chicago, IL. After ten years, my husband and I decided to leave Chicago and move to GA. After ten years, I had gotten a bit burnt out from running the business and having two small children. I had this idea of just being a stay at home mom and letting the burn of owning something die out. We moved to GA in 2016 and I fell in love with Cumming, GA. I began teaching at a local studio part-time because I just missed it too much. I was contempt doing classes here and there but I knew something was still missing from my soul. I decided to grow our family might be a good idea. We had two beautiful girls at the time and I really wanted one more. We soon found out that we were pregnant with identical twin girls. We were over the moon with excitement, anticipation, and joy. Everything was textbook perfect. The twins were born early due to one of them being in stress. We prayed, we hoped, we cried, and wore out every resource to make sure they both made it. After 48 days our little Everly went to heaven. There are no words to describe the feeling and emotion that went thru our household. Braylee was able to come home, her surviving twin, and is still incredible to this day. It was a long couple of months with struggling with emotional ups and downs. I felt so lost. I was out of control and I didn’t know what to do. I just kept going for my three other kids here. My mom talked to me one day about opening up another studio. I was not surprised because many families had told me the same thing. They wanted the type of studio where they were trained under someone with a professional background, where they felt like a family, and where they were a name and not just a number. I struggled with the idea for a few months. I didn’t know if I was mentally able to handle it all. I didn’t know if I could manage the juggle of it all again.

Thankfully I have incredible people around me who know me and knew what I needed. So, I walked into the living room one morning and announced to my family that I was going to open up another dance studio. As I spoke the words out loud something came alive in me again. I felt this confidence growing in my soul and this “peace” around my heart. I set out with more passion in my heart than before on making this dream a reality. I didn’t just want it now but I needed it. Pouring into other people’s children brings me so much joy, and though it would never replace or heal what I have lost, I needed it to move forward. The pieces all just seemed to fall into place. I found an incredible location, had a vision in my head of what I wanted to build, and all the other details just seemed to fall into place. I felt like there was a little angel nudging me forward each time I wanted to stop. This is why our motto at ADA is, “Your wings already exist, all you have to do is fly!” I was able to open in November of 2018 a year and a half after the twins were born. The first year was a success and I finally started to feel like I was doing what I was created to do. The business has continued to grow even with the challenges of Covid. I enjoy every aspect of what I do but I really love bringing just a little bit of joy to each and every person or child that walks thru my doors. It took a lot of dedication and work and it still does today. It’s not the easy path to open your own business but if your heart is in the right place, it’s completely worth it. In the next few years, as we continue to grow I’m going to be setting up the “Everly Ever After” foundation. This will be a foundation that allows those who are less fortunate take dance, compete, and grow here at ADA. She drove me to rebuild my life and to continue on in my passions and I know she would want me to be able to do that for other children. I’m completely blessed to have so many wonderful families be a part of the studio. It’s not work for me. It’s a joy and a privilege to get to come here everyday and do what I do.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I have to say at first, it was a pretty smooth road. You’re always going to have challenges with permits and city regulations. I remember the inspector didn’t like that my toilet was 1/4 of an inch off. At the time, I was not very happy about having to move my already installed toilet but we did it and moved on. There are lots of little obstacles that came along the way but having the experience from the first studio really helped put things in perspective this time around. Then there was covid . . . It was such a stressful time for all of us small business owners. I am not a technology person and had to learn lots of different things in a matter of days. I was worried about providing the correct training online, being able to pay my rent, and being able to still make personal connections with each of the kids. I remember just crying and crying but then once again, you put on your business face and you find a way to make it work. Thankfully we didn’t suffer much loss and are now back stronger than ever. Making everyone happy is another thing I’ve had to let go of. You’re never going to do it all right and that’s because you’re human. I believe in my program and what we have to offer but it may not be what everyone is looking for and that’s okay. The struggles are like little cracks in my teacup but I choose to fill those cracks with gold. It’s what makes us stronger and more beautifully made.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I choreograph dances for performances and competitions. I teach dancers the basics up to advanced techniques in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Contemporary, Lyrical. I would say that I specialize more in jazz and contemporary styles than all the others. I love some sassy jazz combos and routines. I do have a secret hip hop heart but that I leave up to the other teachers to teach. Gotta know your strengths! I think I’m most known for the positive atmosphere I create at the studio. Everyone that comes to us tells us they hear such great things about the organization, training, teachers and the warm atmosphere. I am so proud of creating a space where kids get to feel comfortable and confident to just be them. There’s so much negativity out in the world but when they come here, they get to leave everything outside. We’re there for them not just as teachers but mentors too. That’s worth more to me than any trophy. I think the communication, traditional technique, and the atmosphere really sets us apart. All our staff, myself included, are easy to talk to. Parents feel like they have a voice and are appreciated . . . because they are! We stick with the traditional training in the beginning to really give them a solid foundation to grow from.

Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
Networking is so important. I often meet with other entrepreneurs to talk about what’s working for them what’s not and vice versa. Learning never ends so don’t close your mind or your ears off to what others think or say. You don’t have to agree with everything and something that works for their business might not work for yours but at least you’re growing and learning. I’m a strong-headed person so learning to have an open mind has been really helpful for me. Listen and take it in. Then you get to decide what to do with the information because you’re the boss at the end of the day.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.arseneaudanceacademy.com
• Instagram: @adacademy18
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ADAcademy18