The Visibility Podcast

The Visibility Podcast is for studio owners who are ready to build a business that works: without working themselves into the ground.Hosted by dance studio owner, business strategist, and life coach Melissa Rose, this podcast goes beyond simply getting more students through the door. We talk marketing and visibility, of course. But we also talk pricing, profitability, leadership, team building, decision-making, boundaries, and what it really takes to grow a studio that supports the life you want to live.Because the problem you "think" you have isn’t always the real problem.With nearly two decades of studio ownership and strategies rooted in a proven framework, Melissa brings real-world experience, practical business strategy, and honest conversations about the very human side of entrepreneurship.You built your studio because you love what you do. Now let’s make sure the business you built works for you, too.More clarity. Better decisions. A stronger studio.

The Visibility Podcast is a business podcast hosted by dance studio owner, with 322 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

dance studio owner hosts The Visibility Podcast, a business show with 322 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #323

  Why Customers Choose You: Consumer Psychology, AI & Better Marketing with Adam Ortman

  Sep 28, 202634 min

  Why Customers Choose You: Consumer Psychology, AI & Better Marketing with Adam Ortman Why does someone choose your studio, practice, or service business over the one down the street? It might not be because you're better. It might be because you've done a better job understanding what matters to them. In this episode of The Visibility Podcast , I'm joined by Adam Ortman, consumer psychologist, marketing author, and founder and CEO of Kinetic319. Adam has a master's degree in advertising and consumer psychology and has worked with brands including Nike, American Express, Kellogg, UnitedHealth Group, and Textron. But we're taking all of that big-brand marketing knowledge and bringing it straight to the local service-based business owner. Because one of the biggest takeaways from this conversation is something we hear all the time—but don't always take the time to actually DO: Know your customer. Really know them. Not just their age, income, or zip code. What motivates them to finally take action? What's their priority right now? What do they need to see or hear before they trust you enough to buy? Adam walks us through three important pieces of consumer decision-making: motivation, priority, and social proof, and shares practical ways small business owners can start gathering this information from their own customers. We also dig into: Why people choose one local business over another How to become the obvious, go-to option in your community The difference between a visibility problem and a trust or conversion problem Why talking to your existing customers may be some of your best marketing research How consumer psychology should influence your messaging The role reviews and social proof play in the buying decision How AI is changing the way consumers search for and choose businesses Why getting more eyeballs isn't always the answer What small businesses can learn from the way major brands approach marketing And here's a little bonus Adam dropped after we stopped recording : local service businesses should be paying attention to YouTube advertising. We talk about why its potentially low cost and ability to target a tight geographic area could make it an interesting visibility opportunity for local businesses. This conversation is a great reminder that good marketing doesn't always start with another Reel, platform, ad, or piece of content. It starts with understanding the human being on the other side of it. Adam Ortman on LinkedIN Kinetic319 on YouTube Kinetic319 on LinkedIN GET MOVING package for small businesses that don't have a NIKE budget. Ready to see what your customers see? You’re doing the marketing. You have the website. The socials. The Google Business Profile. You’re showing up. But is everything actually pointing to the same thing? Can people quickly understand who you are, what you’re known for, and why they should trust you? That’s exactly what I look for in my $197 Visibility Audit. I’ll put fresh eyes on your digital footprint: your website, Google presence, and social platforms, and show you where the gaps are, what may be creating confusion, and where your biggest opportunities are to become the GO-TO in your industry. Because you probably don’t need another marketing strategy. You need to make sure the marketing you’re already doing is working together. Grab your $197 Visibility Audit and let’s connect the dots. Love today’s podcast? Take a screenshot and share it to your IG stories. Tag me @ms_melissa_rose Leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcast! Also, if you haven’t done so already, follow the podcast. In 2009, Melissa Rose started her business, The Dancing House, in the basement of her home. There, she taught the art of dance to students of all ages while her babies were right along with her, in the pack and playing. With passion, resilience, and tenacity, she created a business that has become "The Highlight of Your Week" for her tribe, her team, and her community, along with running a successful brick-and-mortar business and an online dance membership . When she’s not leading her studio team or recording The Visibility Podcast, Melissa helps business owners stop spinning and start positioning, so they become the clear, confident choice in their community. Off the clock? She’s clinking an NA beer with her partner, watching something involving one of her five amazing kids, hiking the trails, or talking to her plants.

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  Episode #290

  Built to Weather the Storm: Business, Faith & Legacy with Bill Derrick

  Sep 22, 202651 min

  As business owners, we're used to figuring things out. Something isn't working? We change the strategy. Revenue is down? We look at the numbers. There's a problem? We find someone who knows the answer. But what happens when there isn't an answer? What happens when you're facing a storm in your business—or your life—that no amount of strategy, hard work, or Googling can fix? Today's episode of The Visibility Podcast is a little different. I'm sitting down with Bill Derrick, President of Derrick Companies in New Richmond, Wisconsin, and author of Restored by the Storm: Navigating Through Life's Unexpected Challenges. Bill has more than 50 years of experience in the construction industry and has spent the majority of his career leading Derrick Companies. In 2008, Bill helped lead the company through one of the most devastating economic downturns since the Great Depression. For five years, they navigated an incredibly difficult business climate, not knowing exactly how—or if—they would come through it. And just as the storm began to clear, Bill and his family were hit with another one. Bill was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, an incurable blood cancer. Today, Bill can look back at these seasons with a perspective he couldn't possibly have had while living through them. And that's what we talk about. This isn't an episode filled with five-step strategies or another list of things you need to do. It's a conversation about: Leading a business when you don't have all the answers What the 2008 recession taught Bill about leadership and perseverance Walking through fear and uncertainty when the outcome is beyond your control Faith and learning to trust when you can't understand why something is happening How life's hardest storms can change the way we lead and live Building a business and reputation that lasts for generations Succession and what it means to hand something you've built to the next generation How Bill's definition of success has changed after more than 50 years in business Finding meaning and purpose in seasons you never would have chosen The legacy we leave behind, not just through our businesses, but through the people we become We do talk openly about faith in this episode. I'm not here to preach or tell you what you should believe. But faith plays an important role in my own life, and I've experienced seasons when I've been brought to my knees asking questions I couldn't answer. Sometimes we don't get to understand the why while we're standing in the middle of the storm. Sometimes that understanding comes much, much later. And sometimes leadership isn't about having the answer. Sometimes it's about continuing to show up, leaning on the people around you, trusting, and taking the next right step—even when you can't see where it's leading. Whether you're in a beautiful season of business right now or navigating a storm of your own, I hope you'll make some space for this conversation. Connect with Bill Derrick Your GO-TO LINK for all things Visibility - : Local Visibility Optimization, Your Visibility Audit, Your Rebel Woman Life Map™ and Your Sweet Spot Assessment. Love today’s podcast? Take a screenshot and share it to your IG stories. Tag me @ms_melissa_rose Leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcast! Also, if you haven’t done so already, follow the podcast. In 2009, Melissa Rose started her business, The Dancing House, in the basement of her home. There, she taught the art of dance to students of all ages while her babies were right along with her, in the pack and playing. With passion, resilience, and tenacity, she created a business that has become "The Highlight of Your Week" for her tribe, her team, and her community, along with running a successful brick-and-mortar business and an online dance membership . When she’s not leading her studio team or recording The Visibility Podcast, Melissa helps business owners stop spinning and start positioning, so they become the clear, confident choice in their community. Off the clock? She’s clinking glasses of Sauvignon Blanc with her partner, loving on her five amazing kids, hiking the trails, or digging in the dirt.

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  Episode #321

  The Problem SEO Can’t Fix: Why People Aren’t Choosing You

  Sep 14, 202619 min

  This may be one of my most passionate solo episodes yet because we're talking about something I LOVE: messaging. I know. “Messaging” sounds like such a generic marketing word. But messaging is FULLY loaded. It can take your marketing from meh to WOW. From scroll past to stop. From drive right by to pull over. From “that's nice” to “OMG, this is exactly what I've been looking for.” And sometimes, that shift comes from surprisingly small tweaks. Recently, I started working with a business owner who had invested in a beautiful new website and SEO. Her numbers showed that website traffic was increasing. But she told me: “Melissa, my phone isn't ringing.” She'd tried the website. Postcards. Social media. Networking. She was doing the things and getting increasingly frustrated that none of it seemed to be translating into leads. Here's the thing: Her SEO may have been doing exactly what it was supposed to do. It was getting people there. But getting found and getting chosen are two different things. In this episode, we're breaking down the different layers of marketing: how SEO and keywords help you get found, why more traffic doesn't automatically mean more customers, how to recognize a potential messaging problem, and why simply putting the same copy on MORE marketing channels won't fix a message that isn't connecting. Because more visibility isn't always the answer. Sometimes you need to make sure what you're saying actually makes the right person stop and say, “YES. That's for me.” And THIS is my sweet spot. If you've been doing all the marketing: website, Google, social, postcards, networking, signs, and wondering “Why am I working this hard for so little?” this episode is for you. Your GO-TO LINK for all things Visibility - : Local Visibility Optimization, Your Visibility Audit, Your Rebel Woman Life Map™ and Your Sweet Spot Assessment. Love today’s podcast? Take a screenshot and share it to your IG stories. Tag me @ms_melissa_rose Leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcast! Also, if you haven’t done so already, follow the podcast. In 2009, Melissa Rose started her business, The Dancing House, in the basement of her home. There, she taught the art of dance to students of all ages while her babies were right along with her, in the pack and playing. With passion, resilience, and tenacity, she created a business that has become "The Highlight of Your Week" for her tribe, her team, and her community, along with running a successful brick-and-mortar business and an online dance membership . When she’s not leading her studio team or recording The Visibility Podcast, Melissa helps business owners stop spinning and start positioning, so they become the clear, confident choice in their community. Off the clock? She’s clinking glasses of Sauvignon Blanc with her partner, loving on her five amazing kids, hiking the trails, or digging in the dirt.

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  Episode #320

  You Don’t Need to Push Harder: Creating Capacity in Your Business with Lissy Donovan

  Aug 31, 202642 min

  You Don’t Need to Push Harder: Creating Capacity in Your Business with Lissy Donovan What if the thing holding your business back isn't your strategy? What if you simply don't have the capacity to implement it? Think about how many business owners start their day: wake up, grab the phone, check the email, answer the DMs, scroll for a minute, solve a problem, and we're working before our feet even hit the floor. Then the actual day begins. Clients need us. Employees need us. There are decisions to make, fires to put out, services to deliver—and somewhere in there, we're also supposed to find the time and energy to actually grow the business. In this episode of The Visibility Podcast , I'm joined by Lissy Donovan, business strategist, ICF PCC coach, and Certified Pumpkin Plan Strategist who specializes in working with therapists, physical therapists, medical practice owners, and other service-based business owners. Lissy has spent 16 years working with small business owners and eight years coaching around burnout recovery and capacity building. She's helped business owners grow 3–10x while creating businesses that don't require them to remain the single point of failure. And today, we're talking about capacity. Not another productivity hack. Not “drink more water.” Not “just hire someone.” We're talking about what it actually takes to create enough space—in your life AND your business—to think, make better decisions, implement the strategy, and build something that doesn't require every ounce of you. In this episode, we talk about: How your capacity as a human directly affects your capacity as a business owner Why constantly operating in reactive mode makes it difficult to grow The hidden cost of starting your day immediately responding to everyone else What rest actually looks like for an entrepreneur Why creating more capacity requires intentional action The uncomfortable truth that creating capacity may take MORE time and effort upfront Why waiting for business to “calm down” usually doesn't work How to start creating space to work on your business instead of constantly working in it What happens when the owner becomes the single point of failure How better capacity can lead to better strategy, better decisions, and ultimately a stronger business Here's the truth: You probably aren't going to wake up one morning and magically have more time. Your inbox isn't going to empty itself. Your clients aren't going to stop needing you. And your calendar isn't suddenly going to hand you three uninterrupted hours to figure out the future of your business. At some point, we have to intentionally create that space. And Lissy gives us some fantastic places to start. https://www.lissydonovan.com/ Join the newsletter YouTube Instagram Want to strengthen your local visibility with LESS of your capacity? Grab my FREE Google Business Profile workshop. I'll show you what to do, where to do it, and how to optimize your profile so that when people in your community are searching for what you offer, your studio has a better chance of showing up. Grab the free workshop and all the things. Because you don't need to be everywhere. You need to be visible in the right places, to the right people, at the right time. Your GO-TO LINK for all things Visibility - : Google Business Profile Optimization, Your Visibility Audit, Your Rebel Woman Life Map™ and Your Sweet Spot Assessment. Love today’s podcast? Take a screenshot and share it to your IG stories. Tag me @ms_melissa_rose Leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcast! Also, if you haven’t done so already, follow the podcast. In 2009, Melissa Rose started her business, The Dancing House, in the basement of her home. There, she taught the art of dance to students of all ages while her babies were right along with her, in the pack and playing. With passion, resilience, and tenacity, she created a business that has become "The Highlight of Your Week" for her tribe, her team, and her community, along with running a successful brick-and-mortar business and an online dance membership . When she’s not leading her studio team or recording The Visibility Podcast, Melissa helps business owners stop spinning and start positioning, so they become the clear, confident choice in their community. Off the clock? She’s clinking glasses of Sauvignon Blanc with her partner, loving on her five amazing kids, hiking the trails, or digging in the dirt, because growth, in business or in life, always starts at the roots.

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  Episode #319

  Simple Marketing Strategies We Forget When Business Gets Busy

  Aug 24, 202613 min

  A few years ago, someone told me I needed to stop looking for the next big marketing strategy and go back to the basics and hustle. And you guys...I was offended. I'd been in business for years. Surely I had graduated from signs, free classes, community events, partnerships, and what I lovingly call “duct-tape marketing.” Turns out? I hadn't. And neither have you. In this solo episode of The Visibility Podcast , we're going back to Marketing 101 and talking about the simple visibility strategies established business owners sometimes overlook because we're so busy trying to figure out the next big thing. This whole episode was sparked by something ridiculously simple: A sign. After seeing some great signage at a local event—and then another example inside my coaching community—I started wondering whether I was still doing the basics inside my own dance studio. So this weekend, I created new signs for our highly visible corner: FIRST CLASS FREE. CLASSES ENROLLING NOW. Nothing fancy. No funnel. No algorithm. No complicated strategy. Just a reminder to the thousands of people driving past our studio every week that we're here—and we have something for them. In this episode, we're talking about: Why established businesses shouldn't abandon the marketing tactics that helped them grow How customers begin to tune out things they see every day Why changing your physical signage can grab attention again The power of community events, partnerships, free classes, referrals, flyers, QR codes, and yes—even ridiculous costumes Why saying something 700 times doesn't mean your customer has heard it 700 times The importance of continuing to market to new people entering your community How to identify the simple marketing strategies you've stopped doing Why more platforms don't necessarily equal better visibility What to look for when you're doing “all the things” but your marketing still isn't working And that last one is important. Because if you're thinking, “Melissa, I AM doing the basics. I'm showing up everywhere, and something still isn't clicking,” you may have a different problem. Your website might be great. Your Instagram might be great. Your Google Business Profile might be great. But are they all saying the same thing? Can someone quickly understand who you are, what you're known for, what you want them to do next—and why they should trust you? That's exactly what I look for inside my Visibility Audit. I'll go through your digital footprint with a fine-tooth comb and give you a recorded walkthrough of what I see: what's working, what's confusing, what's disconnected, and where your biggest visibility opportunities might be. Because sometimes you don't need MORE marketing. You need the marketing you're already doing to work together. Grab your Visibility Audit through the link in the show notes. And in the meantime, here's your challenge: What's one ridiculously simple thing you could do this week to help one more person in your community notice your business? Put up the sign. Ask for the referral. Make the connection. Teach the class. Show up. Because you're never too big for the basics. Love today’s podcast? Take a screenshot and share it to your IG stories. Tag me @ms_melissa_rose Leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcast! Also, if you haven’t done so already, follow the podcast. In 2009, Melissa Rose started her business, The Dancing House, in the basement of her home. There, she taught the art of dance to students of all ages while her babies were right along with her, in the pack and playing. With passion, resilience, and tenacity, she created a business that has become "The Highlight of Your Week" for her tribe, her team, and her community, along with running a successful brick-and-mortar business and an online dance membership . When she’s not leading her studio team or recording The Visibility Podcast, Melissa helps business owners stop spinning and start positioning, so they become the clear, confident choice in their community. Off the clock? She’s clinking glasses of Sauvignon Blanc with her partner, loving on her five amazing kids, hiking the trails, or digging in the dirt, because growth, in business or in life, always starts at the roots.

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