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

Hi Tani, how do you think about risk?
There’s a quote about risk taking that I’ve always loved, “If it scares you and excites you at the same time, you should probably do it.” I truly believe that taking risks can be so rewarding. I honestly didn’t ever consider the idea of actually being a small business owner, now that doesn’t mean I didn’t dream of opening my own dance studio my whole life, but the idea of actually being the owner wasn’t ever really present. When I opened Raise The Barre Fitness, I was terrified, I thought about all the reasons why I shouldn’t do it first… my “excuses”. When it came to the excitement and benefits outweighing the fear, I finally took the leap. It’s paid off in more ways than just being a successful small business owner. I’ve grown personally, I’ve gained so much through relationships from the clients and connections I’ve made through the business, and I have been able to truly make my passion my career. Risk taking is scary, it’s not always a win, but you can always learn from it, so I say, “go for it!”

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Raise The Barre started only a few months before the closures of Covid in 2020, and honestly it scared me big time. How does a fitness studio continue to provide a service to make it worth-while to members to continue to pay? Well we had to record ourselves alone in the studio doing a class and send it out to our members every day. I am camera shy, so the idea scared me big time. The very first day though, I went in there, recorded the class, sent it out, and made notes of how to make it better the next day. I continued to do this for two months, and eventually created a library of our classes that we can continue to provide to clients to this day, whether they are stuck at home, or on vacation, Raise The Barre is right there with them. Our valley has a context annually called the Best of the West, where everyone nominates and votes for their favorite local businesses in various categories. Before we were even open a full year, and through the Covid season, we were the only Barre studio to make it in to the top ten of nominations in our category that included some large yoga studios in our area, and we placed 2nd overall. I truly believe that our passion to not only provide quality classes to our clients, but to also love on every single client every time they step in the door, is why we received the award. We truly have the most incredible community of people that we get to spend every day with, it’s a family really.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Living in the Grand Valley area is such a blessing. We are surrounded by some of the most amazing hiking and biking trails and I would definitely start by showing my visitor some of those. Then I would drop in to one of our many amazing local restaurants, probably 357 Bar & Grill in Palisade for the best (in my option) burger you can find, or Hot Tomato in Fruita where their pizzas are truly unforgettable. The next stop would be a wine tour through Palisade, we have some of the most amazing wineries with some gorgeous views of the surrounding area. Then, if there schedule provided, I’d take us to a concert at the Las Colonias Amphitheater, its a newer venue here in Grand Junction, and they bring in some of the most incredible artists. You can grab a funnel cake, a local beer, snag a seat on the lawn or a chair, and listen to some music beneath a Western Slope sunset.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I wouldn’t be where I am today without my husband, Nick, cheering me on every step of the way. Anytime I tried to talk myself out of going for my dreams, he would tell me all the reasons why I should, and encourage me to keep fighting. He’s always been my biggest supporter, best friend and logical mind… sometimes I can get a little carried away with ideas, and he knows when to rope me back in and help me focus my thoughts on one goal to start with.

Website: RaiseTheBarreFit.com

Instagram: raise_the_barre_gj

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/barrebabefit/

Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UC_JREbtgkckVBKRZDIna2ng

Image Credits
Courtney Jacobs Photography (did all of them)

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