Many hoop dancers know SaFire as the webmistress and force behind Hoop City, a community and online forum for hoopers. Well, she’s got lots of irons in the fire, we can tell you. She’s the organizer of Spin Out, a multi-prop festival, and Stitch Rippers, a DIY clothing forum. In addition, she’s a motivational speaker, top notch performer and has gotten to where she is with heaps of hard work and passion. I’m so happy to share her entrepreneurial story with you.

• Educator and Entertainer
• Hoopreneur since 2008

B: When and how did you discover hooping?
S: I discovered hooping while attending the Shambhala Music Festival in 2006. I had been spinning fire poi for several months already and when I saw someone fire hooping it took my breath away and instantly knew it was something I had to do. I then spent countless hours online watching videos of Spiral, Jewels, Anah, Christabel, Diana and many others trying to figure out what the heck they were doing.

B: How many hours do you practice a day? How do you keep your practice “interesting”/not dry?
S: My interest in hooping has varied from time to time. I hooped obsessively in the beginning to avoid working on University papers and will hoop for hours on end while attending music festivals. When I have a studio space my daily practice greatly benefits but while traveling sometimes a week or so will pass and I won’t have touched my hoop. Then suddenly an event, the right song or playing with friends will get me really excited. I keep things interesting with music, a good environment, spin jams with friends and music festivals where the energy is high and my natural flow can expand. I look forward to the day when I have my own home and studio space to play in every day.

B: For sure. I try to hoop to as many different styles of music as possible. From mainstream to underground, hip-hop to rockabilly ~ different beats force you to move differently.

Do you have a background in dance and/or performance, previous to discovering hooping?
S: Nope. I am terribly clumsy. I can hoop with five hoops but I can’t pour juice.

B: Haha, that’s hilarious!  So how long after you started hooping did you realize you could make some cash from it?
S: I started teaching and making hoops almost instantly, I sold hoops for the material costs and offered free classes at the University and to friends but didn’t treat it like a business until almost 2 years later. I decided to make it my business, began teaching, making hoops and performing full time before I really knew if it could support me.

B: What were the main “A-ha!” fireworks moments that made you realize you could make money hooping? How did they happen?
S: My first real thought about working as a hooper was actually to work as a motivation speaker for youth, using the hoop and fire dancing as an outlet to reach students from kindergarten to grade 12 on topics like bullying and self confidence. I was teaching art and photography at a high school in my home town, Fort McMurray, Alberta when a motivational magician came to the school to perform and speak with the students. During his show I wondered how he got into that kind of work.

A week later I did a half-time fire show in the gym for the students during a floor hockey tournament and they all went CRAZY with excitement! The next day when I walked into my art class I could easily pinpoint which of my students had seen the performance and which had skipped the event. Their eyes were glowing with excitement and they had so many questions. Suddenly I’d changed in their minds, no longer just their teacher and a forced authority figure but actually someone to respect.

A dream popped into my head and a few weeks after the semester finished I had turned down several job offers teaching, written a 45 minute motivational presentation called Inspire Through Fire, created a website and had moved five hours away from home into the cheapest place I could find in the city of Edmonton.

SaFire tellin’ it like it is and showing off some mad fire skills.

B: You Rock! Way to trust your gut and go for it!

When people whom you don’t know ask you ~ “What do you do?” ~ what do you tell them?
S: Ha!  This one is always amusing for me and sometimes I keep things simple and don’t mention much detail, other times I’ll share more about what I do and how many different jobs my business really involves.

Generally I say, “I’m an educator and an entertainer. I teach online hula hoop dancing classes… (I pause to let that sink in for a second) It’s not just hula hooping at the waist but all over the body, using tosses, jump-throughs and integrating it all with dance. The classes are like a DVD but instead of shipping out plastic it’s all available online in a private forum where people can watch online or download the videos. I also teach classes at retreats and festivals as well as do performances and motivational presentations with fire and glow props.”

Then I stop and let them ask more questions about whichever part interests them the most.

B: What percentage of your income is hoop-related income?
S: 100% (Although I do other props as well so it’s not all hoop-related but it is all passion-related)

B: What are the first few steps to becoming a Hoopreneur?
S: Step 1: Be obsessed with all things Hooping.

Step 2: Stop watching television. Stop being lazy. Stop thinking your can’t do what you want. Stop thinking money is hard to get. Stop being rational and listen to your intuition.

Step 3: Work REALLY F@#&ing hard. Take EVERY job you can, expand the range of your services. Research other business, study, learn from your mistakes, read business books, grow, test yourself, lose yourself.

Step 4: STOP working so hard. Breath, chill out, take a break, go outside, simplify, and take on only what inspires you.

B: What resources or tools did you find most helpful when you were getting started?
S:

• Looking at what others had done, browsing their websites and seeing what they are offering.
• Talking to other performers, teachers, public speakers and entrepreneurs.
• Attending local meetings, seminars, workshops, etc. in public speaking, business, marketing, advertising, etc.
• Lynda.com – This site is packed with computer program tutorials, it’s how I’ve learning Photoshop, InDesign, HTML, CSS and many other programs.
• My Macbook – Seriously people, they are just so refreshingly fun to use.

B: As a performer, how did you decide upon your rate?
S: When I first started out, I calculated my rates in the same way as when I would sell a piece of art. There are many factors to consider:

• How long did your talent/the show take to create? i.e. how long have you been practicing and/or performing.
  • The longer you’ve been performing, the more credentials you have and the more valuable you are. Over the years my rates have changed as I became more experienced; as you become more professional and accumulate hours and hours of stage experience your quality of show dramatically increases.
•  What kind of show is it? i.e. Fire, LED, daytime, etc.
  • Is it a staged piece or roving? Fire shows are more expensive and a staged show is more expensive than a roving or walkabout because it is a more stressful and time consuming project to create.
•  What is involved in the show? i.e. Costuming, a specific type of music, etc.
  • Many entertainers will charge if they have to purchase a specific costume piece but I’ll often suggest to a client that the show can be customized to their event theme free of charge. Unless you are selling a finished show piece, then altering the dance style, costuming and music is something easy to switch up for the client and give them a custom show. Mentioning this as a free option is a great way to up-sell and add value to your show. Sometimes I will also offer to do a free hoop dancing workshop afterwards. This allows me to have a higher show price while giving the client the option of receiving free bonuses if they like. Also it provides an opportunity for me to sell hoops or hand out business cards for my classes or workshops.
• Is it a solo show, duo or troupe show?
  • The more people the more expensive the show.
•  How long is the show?
  • The longer the show the more people are willing to pay. Sadly quantity does not always translate to better quality but if the client wants an hour long show then I will lengthen my 45 minute show with banter and audience interaction.
•   Who are the clients?
  • I often will give discounted shows for fundraisers and charity events. Is the event a small gathering or are you performing on stage for thousands of people? Large companies have larger budgets and will not be surprised to pay for quality entertainment.

B: What marketing methods have worked best for you?
S: I’ve read TONS of books on marketing and advertising, most of which I read in late high school and early college during a stint of anti-establishment frustration against mindless consumption, branding and massive globalization. Ironically that information comes in really handy now as a business owner.

However, in my experience you can read a million books on how to advertise and how to market your products but ultimately it comes down to having something you really believe in. If you genuinely love what you offer people and know that it can help others then people will see this and respond to it.

One of the biggest comments I’ve received about my online classes, workshops and my business presence is that I’m approachable, friendly and likable. Caring about your customers and thoroughly believing in the quality of your product will make word-of-mouth your most powerful asset. There is no marketing I could do that would ever be better then the testimonials of my students.

B: Great advice. I find that to be true as well.

Any big exposures that helped you get your name out there? How did they happen?
S: I would say a big exposure and something that put a big shift in my mindset towards hooping as a full-time career was having one of my video’s ~ the Clipstar video originally with Paramore music ~ win an international talent contest. I was awarded $10,000 (which was awesome of course) but what changed was that the video went viral. The video popped up on sites from all over the world and accumulated over 3 million hits from a variety of sites. Other people began posting it on their accounts and e-mailing it to friends. Sadly that video doesn’t have a link to my website since I didn’t have one at the time, also the music has been removed so it has lost a lot of steam.

B: What’s the most pivotal point in your Hoopreneurship so far?
S: I suppose that would be the creation of Hoop City and the launch of my online hooping classes. I had been asked by many people when I would be releasing an instructional DVD and had even looked into the idea but it felt off somehow. It worried me that with a DVD I’d have no really way of connecting with my students like I was used to doing through YouTube comments on my hooping tutorials.

Finally I discovered a friend’s site, where she was offering online art classes and realized it would work for me too. The best thing of all is that it would also allow me to create a space for hoopers to connect and share information in a way that was unlike anything online at the time. Thus, Hoop City was born.

Original Video Introducing Hoop City

B: What’s the #1 piece of advice you’d give to starting Hoopreneurs?
S: Have faith in yourself and try not to stress too much.

B: What keeps you motivated to keep your Hoopreneurship going?
S: In the beginning, I refused to admit defeat and was terrified that all the “nay-sayers” would be correct so it was sheer fear that manifested itself in tremendous amounts of stress that kept me going. Now that I’ve finished driving myself mad, I’m motivated to keep working because I enjoy it. Because it shocks my system everyday to realize what I’ve created, that I literally created my own job and it gives me hope that anything is possible.

B: I love that. Create your dream job. It’s completely possible and you are a testament to that.

So, saying that, just to be clear… do you have a “day job”?
S: Nope.

B: Awesome. Full-time passion.

Anything you would’ve done differently? What key lessons have you learned?
I would not have done anything differently, this is awesome. The biggest lesson I’ve learned is to follow my intuition and listen to myself when something feels right AND when something doesn’t feel right.

Other key lessons I’ve learned in business it to be creative in your work. Often times there is a market for something and it’s just that no one is providing that service. Look at who could potentially be your customers and create a product for them rather than creating a product and then looking for customers. For example, if you are a performer, consider a group of people and write a show specifically for them. Having a list on your website with six different shows (which may actually only vary in music and costume) will make it easier for your clients to see the show that is right for them and encourage them to book you.

B: Great tips! I’ve noticed that too. Be as clear as you can about what you’re offering.

What’s next?! What goals do you have for the future?
S: I have a lot of inspirations, it’s ridiculous. Other off-shoots include an online DIY clothing site called Stitch Rippers. It’s on the same platform as Hoop City and it’s been really fun to make another community. This time it was much easier to set up because I’m already familiar with how to do it.

I’m also running a prop and movement festival in Alberta, Canada this year called Spin Out. It’s a 3 day and 2 night event with 25 workshops in various skills like poi, hooping, staff, contact juggling, belly dancing, aerial, yoga and more. I’ve been dreaming of doing a festival like this for years so it’s fun to watch things unfold.

B: Anything else you wanted to share?
S: Writing “professional hula hooper” as a career always makes me smile and is a beautiful reminder of the the choices we can make to create the life we love.

Thanks for sharing with us, SaFire!

Here’s where you can find SaFire:

Website: http://www.safiredance.com
YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/FireSandra
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/safiredance
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/safiredance