Meet Betsy Hoffman | Dance Studio Owner & Real Estate Licensed Personal Assistant

We had the good fortune of connecting with Betsy Hoffman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Betsy, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I’ve always considered myself to be someone who generally takes the safe route through life. However, as I reflect on things, taking risks has certainly shaped who I am as a person and a business owner. When my husband and I were first married, we decided to put our careers and lives on hold for a year and travel the world. We risked our financial stability and job opportunities in order to have a profound life experience. Not only did this trip shape our worldview and our relationship, but it put us on entirely new career paths. During this year, we took time to evaluate our priorities, think about what our passions were and how we could shape our life around those passions. When we returned from our travels, I decided that I was going to press pause on my career in marketing and communications and focus on my first love, dance. I set out to open my own dance studio in my hometown of Evergreen, Colorado. What seemed like an insurmountable task in the beginning became an tangible reality when the local dance studio owner offered to sell me her business. It was a dream come true! So in 2007, at a mere 26 years old I found myself at the helm of a thriving dance studio. And, while business ownership never feels like the safe or secure way to go, I’ve learned over the years that having control over your career can sometimes be much less risky than placing your fate in the hands of others. While friends and family members have had to endure layoffs and downsizing changes to their careers, I’ve been fortunate to have a steady income and career for 15 years. I’ve learned to ride the wave of the ups and downs that come with any business. I’ve taken chances on new and bigger locations, new technologies, and new faculty members, and have found that those risks nearly always pay off. And when my husband decided a few years after me to leave the security of an engineering career to follow his passions to build a business in the outoor industry, I knew it was a risk worth taking for our family.. We are both very proud to show our two boys that it’s ok to follow the road less traveled. Risks can be scary, and sometimes your choices don’t work out the way you expected. But every risk is an opportunity to grow, learn, and reach your highest potential. In my latest endeavor to take a risk and expand, I earned my real estate licence in 2020 and have been learning the ropes of the real esatate industry. It’s taken me well out of my comfort zone, but has been an exciting new challenge!


Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I am the proud owner of Kinetic Arts Dance Studio in the beautiful town of Evergreen, Colorado. What sets us apart from the others is the care and concern we put into helping our students develop as both dancers and people. There are not many teachers or coaches who work with the same students from preschool through high school. This is often our experience, and the studio becomes a home-away-from-home for our dancers. We encourage hard work and dedication, but also encourage balance in all aspects of their lives. We value showing respect and kindness in every situation, open communication between teachers, students and parents, and believe that every single student who walks through our doors should feel free to express themselves without judgement. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is the importance of communication. Nearly every issue can be solved – usually rather quickly – by making sure our students and parents feel heard. Our program should never be static. We should always be listening to our customers and creating a program based on their needs first and foremost – not on what our competition is doing or on what we ‘think’ people want. The biggest hurdle we have faced as a business, like many others, was the pandemic. Having to close our doors for a few months was scary to say the least. But our studio families were incredibly generous and loyal during that time. And, when classes resumed with masks and social distancing, people we all in! As teachers we had to get very creative with how we adapted to things at that time. But, it made us better and more resilient!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
In our family, we are all about the outdoors and being active. So we would absolutley take advantage of all the outdoor space our community has to offer.

We would hike or mountain bike at Staunton State Park or 3 Sisters Open Space Park. Perhaps paddleboard at Evergreen Lake or Bear Creek Lake in the summer.

We would peruse the shops in downtown Golden or Evergreen, and eat at some of our favorites – the Buffalo Rose or Murphy’s Mountain Grill. We would drive up to the top of Mount Evans stroll through the Berkeley Neighborhood in Denver.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My entire Kinetic Arts Dance Studio staff past and present. My mom/real estate mentor, Mary Haling. And, my husband, Lee Hoffman.

Website: www.kineticartsdance.com

Instagram: @kineticartsdancestudio

Facebook: @kineticartsevergreen

Image Credits
Annie Coppock