During #NationalVeteransMonth, we’re featuring veteran entrepreneurs from across the Greater Manhattan region. In this interview, get to know Tim Gregory, Navy veteran, dance instructor and owner of Manhattan Ballroom Studio, as he shares his journey of discovering his true calling and passion for dance and how his military experience prepared him for entrepreneurship.
Want to read more stories of veteran entrepreneurs? Click here.
Tell us the story of what motivated you to start your business.
As a dance instructor at an Arthur Murray studio in San Diego 18 years ago, I realized that my dream was to own my own dance studio. After taking a break from teaching and earning a B.S. in Computer Networking, I still occasionally had students while working for General Dynamics, and I always missed the full experience of dancing full-time. I knew I had to get back to it.
To be honest, teaching dancing has been the only profession I’ve ever cared to do. While in Arizona, before I moved here to Manhattan, I helped start a brand of “Ballroom Dance School” in Tucson, Arizona. My partner, who was active Army at the time, got stationed at Fort Riley in 2016, and I decided to follow her here. I did not find any existing ballroom dance studios so that compelled me to start a Manhattan, Kansas, location and do it my way.
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“At my studio, we provide confidence on the dance floor.”
What is unique above your business compared to others who provide a similar service?
At my studio, we provide confidence on the dance floor. We offer private lessons and group classes on mostly any partnership dance someone could be interested in. The dance styles are too long to list, but the short list consists of Ballroom, Swing, Latin and the Country dances. An example of each would be something like Waltz, Lindy Hop, Salsa or Two Step. There are no other dance studios like it here in Manhattan, and all of it is taught by trained instructors who have had extensive training on how to teach dance, not just learning the dancing itself. There is a big difference, and not everyone who tries to teach dance realizes that.
How has your military background and experience prepared you for your entrepreneurial journey?
I think one thing the military offers as a byproduct of its unpredictability is requiring the ability to be flexible and problem-solve on the fly. Another is the opportunity to meet and work with so many different people from many different backgrounds. I feel both of these experiences allow me to relate to any student or business who comes to us needing instruction in dance. I try to always be prepared for things to not go the way it was planned. That way, if anything does unexpectedly go wrong, I’ve got it covered as best I can and we carry on.
Want to read more stories of veteran entrepreneurs? Click here.
