Not every small business owner might see juggling, acrobatics or scissor swallowing as your average product or service. But then not every small business owner is Amy Saunders, a.k.a.”Miss Behave” (pictured above). Saunders is one of the performers of La Soiree.
It’s a new look at a traditional American and British art form called Vaudeville here and in the U.K. Musical Hall. It’s currently showing at the Union Square Theatre in New York City.
But La Soiree is more than just a single theatrical event. As Miss Behave tells The Wall Street Journal, it is a gathering of performers. All of them work in their own small businesses and have for many years:
“We are all independent businesses, and we all have to create our own work, take our own work to where we’re going and run the whole little thing as an independent business. We all meet up along the way in different guises: Some in circuses, some in festivals, some in nightclubs.”
Vaudeville and Music Hall were a kind of short form entertainment that predated television and other more modern mediums. When first radio and then television began to displace them, Vaudeville performers did what all small businesses do in a changing market – they adapted.
They would eventually perform their unique brands of entertainment on cruise ships, as street performers, at magic conventions and so on.
Great businesses evolve over time. Markets may change, but the core value of the products and services they create remains. Don’t be afraid of change in your business, but instead, be open to new possibilities.
Image: Still Misbehaving
Aira Bongco
It may not look like a mainstream form of business on the surface but it will definitely sell. Art sells and that’s why people are willing to pay dollars for musicals.
Loved the video! Thank you for sharing it! And for writing this post.
I really admire any artist who’s able to sustain themselves with what they do, what they love, what they’re passionate about. It’s hard work. And it’s personal. Also requires courage.
Your post is great timing, Shawn. Thank you.
Martin Lindeskog
Shawn: Interesting way of running an entertainment business! You could learn from the history and apply it to today’s situation.