The Prolific Piano Entrepreneur, Angy Ford

The following is an excerpt from Dave Crenshaw's interview with Angy Ford from The Dave Crenshaw Success Project, a new podcast. You can subscribe to Dave's new podcast here.

Angy Ford founded the Bravo Art Academy, a highly successful daycare business with a unique perspective. Her success story started as a small, home-based piano teaching business in 2003, and by 2010, she'd expanded to become the largest daycare in northern Utah. In her interview, Angy shared how she started her first business and what led to her unexpected growth and ultimate freedom today.

Highlights from Angy Ford's Interview:

Angy Ford aspired to be a teacher since she was in high school. She always enjoyed working with children and found inspiration while taking piano lessons.

Angy went to Weaver State on a full merit-based scholarship and obtained a degree in piano performance. While there, she also took a few business classes to round out her educational experience.

"I wanted to be an organized home piano teacher. I thought [business classes] would help me be more organized and be a better teacher."?

After getting married in 1998, Angy began teaching piano lessons from her home. During this time, her husband Mike decided dentistry wasn't the right career for him.?

She increased her number of students to compensate for the change, and the city shut her down.

"They said I just had too much traffic for what was considered a home-based business. They came and delivered a cease and desist letter to my door."

Angy had a big decision to make at that moment. She could either reduce her students or expand to a commercial location. She chose to take the risk.

Angy knew she needed to differentiate herself to succeed. She incorporated computer music programming and music theory into her lesson plans. She even offered master classes and engaged in fun card games to keep it fun.

"I'd kind of trick them into learning, and I think that's what made it different."

Another idea Mike encouraged Angy to consider as part of her expansion is incorporating a daycare into the business.

At first, Angy was resistant to the suggestion, so she and Mike made a deal. She would visit three daycare centers, and if she still didn't want to do it, he wouldn't mention it again.

After visiting the first daycare, she called Mike crying and said, "Man, I'll do this." Angy felt she could make a difference as a teacher and a mom.

"Ultimately, that's what I did in life. I made a difference in these kids' lives."

Being an entrepreneur, especially with a rapidly growing business, can strain any relationship.?

Angy and Mike kept their marriage strong by committing to regular date nights and consistent communication while balancing the rapid growth of her business.?

Mike also helped Angy maintain a healthy work-life rhythm by gently redirecting her when she worked longer hours than planned.?

"[Mike] is my number one cheerleader."

During the growing phase, Angy hit a proverbial wall in her business. She had a difficult time delegating tasks and struggled with maintaining balance.

When she realized every obstacle required her attention, she knew she needed to change things.

"I wasn't creating a business as creating a monster. I wish I would have realized that early on because it would have been a lot less pain."

She hired a business coach, which is how she and Dave Crenshaw met.

Together, they created systems and action plans for a smoother growth transition and a more successful business. After working with Dave, Angy was able to build a business that could run without her continuous involvement.

"[Employees] follow your example. If you're stressed at the top, then your employees are stressed."

Once Angy made these improvements, she noticed her employees' job satisfaction increased, and they worked more efficiently.

Angy implemented video as part of the organizational restructuring through her coaching sessions. She would record videos for everything from employee training to introductory greetings on her website.

"It's a way to replicate yourself without having to go to each individual person and repeat yourself 100 times."

Angy's next step was hiring the right team for critical leadership roles, allowing her to step back from the daily operations even more.?

She created training courses using the documented systems and videos to help her leaders grow and take on more responsibility confidently.

"Give employees a chance to grow with small, controlled opportunities."

Once Angy could step back, she used her time to mentor other entrepreneurs in the daycare industry. She allowed them to observe and learn from her facility and team.

Angy encouraged others to come and learn, whether it was a local competitor or someone across the country.

"It's always better to keep your hand open to give. You can hold more sand, which benefits everyone."

In 2022, Angy and Mike decided to retire and sold Bravo Arts Academy. They received a full offer within ten minutes of listing the business.?

Angy is confident that a significant factor in the quick sale could be attributed to her documented systems, training courses, and phenomenal staff.

"You have to get to a place where you're not the business."

Today, Angy enjoys spending time with her family and traveling the world together.

Action Principles

Choose one to do this week:

1. Communication. Whether you have a partner in business or life, good communication is the foundation for success. ACTION: Schedule recurring meetings to communicate with your partner.

1. Find your spark. Make yourself stand out from your competition by offering something unique or special. Play to your strengths. ACTION: Brainstorm ideas for a special spark you can include in your business.

1. Be organized. Organizing your finances and documenting everything is vital to success. ACTION: Create documented systems to keep track of your business and ensure all actions are consistent.

1. Find your balance. Overworking yourself and not enjoying your life will cause you to burn out. ACTION: Find a healthy work-life rhythm that works for you and stick to it.