Woman Entrepreneur Brings Zumba to Dominican Republic
I have always liked to dance and to teach. I can say that it’s been my passion since I can remember.
I participated for four years in a dance group back in college, but after I graduated with a marketing degree, I moved to another city and basically stopped dancing altogether.
When I found out about Zumba and learned that you can do it without having any dancing background, I was thrilled.
I learned how to teach Zumba in 2010 and began offering classes. Let me tell you, what I wasn’t expecting was that in just four months my class would grow from eight to 50 students per hour! In less than six months, that number went up to 100 students. I had to pay by the hour at the school where I was teaching my classes. When people started calling me to offer me their space or centers to teach in, I figured it was time to get my own.
The whole building started shaking. There were a few offices under me, and everybody ran out like there was an earthquake going on.
By December 2011, I found a perfect place, with enough space to fit all my students. It took me a whole month to get it ready. The day I opened, I remember I had 86 students in my class. The whole building started shaking. There were a few offices under my space, and everybody ran out like there was an earthquake going on. We didn’t feel a thing, but by the time I finished my class, everything had changed. The building could not withstand that level of vibration. I was told I had to leave. You can imagine how we went from happiness to sadness in just one hour.
I guess that would bring anybody down, but not me. I just kept walking. I quickly rented some hours in another studio, and started searching for that perfect place again. Within three months I had the place. By April 2012, I reopened my center: DAF Fitness Fun again.
My center is not a franchise. When you get a Zumba license you can use the name on your classes, but DAF Fitness Fun is my own brand and concept.
I was the first Zumba instructor in my country. Now there are more than 300 instructors. There is a Zumba class in practically every gym, fitness center and dance studio around the whole country.
What I’m really proud about is what I’ve become. I make people smile. I have showed them how to dance, how to move.
I think that what I’m really proud of is what I’ve become. I make people smile. I have shown people how to dance, how to move. Most of my students have spent almost three years with me. Every day they come for more. Having students of three generations in one class is amazing.
At first I wanted my place to be the official Zumba Center in the Dominican Republic. Now, I think that I’d rather have a fitness center where people from ages four to 75 can come and workout in a fun and relaxing way. My next goal is to have a whole gym.
The key to having a successful business is PASSION. There is not enough money to hold your business together if you don’t have passion. Never stop believing in yourself and in your dreams. It is never too late to start a new project.
Ladies, our biggest accomplishment in life is to work hard with passion to get our dreams. But, never stop being a mother, a wife, a daughter, a sister, a grandmother….that is when you can say you are a successful woman.
Check out Dafnee’s studio on Facebook and follow her on Twitter @daffitnessfun.