Some people learn how to be a boss, and others have a natural inclination towards being one. However, there are a select few who offer guidance on becoming an entrepreneur, and Chantel Price is one of those individuals.
Born and raised in Southwest Philadelphia, Chantel began her entrepreneurial endeavors at a young age, offering to complete homework assignments and projects in exchange for payment, as well as making and selling bags of snacks to fellow students. So, while other kids were most likely hanging out for fun, she was already getting a foothold in owning and running her own business. On top of her scholastic hustle, Chantel expanded her knowledge through dance. She has studied several dance forms, like jazz, ballet, and tap, since she was 6-years-old.
So, while attending Penn State, one of her business professors asked her, “What can you see yourself doing for the rest of your life that does not feel like work?” And her answer was not the knee-jerk version that most people would offer up—the one that you had studied tirelessly over to earn a degree; instead, she responded simply, “Dance.”
While Chantel attended college, balancing multiple jobs and her studies, as well as caring for her 1-year-old daughter, an idea sparked in her to open a pilot dance studio. The result: She utilized her $6,000 financial aid refund check to invest in her first business.
Chantel Price Dance Studio
As impressive as she already was at that juncture in her life, Chantel’s self-motivation did not end there. She continued her education, earning her Bachelor’s in Science from Pennsylvania State University in 2009, and in 2011, she earned an MBA from the University of Phoenix.
Meanwhile, her dance studio made a positive impact on her clients. A few years later, Chantel bought the entire building when the opportunity presented itself.
While continuing to grow her dance studio, Chantel still managed to create other successful businesses and found another passion in financial consulting.
As both businesses continued to flourish, Chantel acknowledged the need to re-brand between her financial consulting company and dance business–and in 2015, L’levate Dance Studios (Chester, PA) was born.
Distinguishing her brands was crucial to both businesses because she used to be thought of as “The Dance Lady,” and knew she was more than that. So, now, the two separate entities could prosper and grow.
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L’levate Dance Studios
“L’levate” means you come in one way, and when you leave the building you should have “ELEVATED,” Chantel said. “So you should not come in and leave as the same person. That’s how L’levate started. What do I want the dancers to feel when they enter and exit? They need to elevate. And that’s whether it’s dance…their self-confidence…anything. You should come out elevated in some type of way,” she explained.
Since then, she has continued to grow and apply her method to both her businesses. L’levate Dance Studio and CP Business Services are both staffed with a team that runs the day-to-day operations with her direction.
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CP Financial Services
The ability to direct and guide people is exactly what she offers her clients at CP Financial Services. She helps start-ups and small businesses with their strategic plans, personal and business credit, as well as bookkeeping and payroll.
“If you can’t go on vacation without closing, then you have a hustle. If you can go on vacation without closing, then you have a business. A business should be able to scale,” explained Chantel.
“I tell people I work on my business, I don’t work in my business,” she continued. “So, I’m the innovator. I’m the creator. I figure out ways to bring in more revenue.”
The delineation between the two depends on what a person is able to do while they’re at work. Price said a person cannot be an entrepreneur if they are trying to do everything. There is not enough time to run your business if you’re the person serving the clients, answering calls, and fixing any issues that may arise. An entrepreneur is the person who builds the business and delegates it to others, instructs when needed, and innovates to bring in more revenue, she surmised.
Chantel tells her clients, “If you have 50 different hats, your business is never going to grow. One thing you should budget is an assistant. That will make your life a whole lot easier. Also, if you have a mentor, it will make your life a lot easier.”
Chantel uses her own experiences and past decisions as an example of why she strongly suggests her clients obtain an assistant and a mentor. When she was starting out, no one offered advice or guidance. Something she would have appreciated, as it would not only help but also have cost her less money starting up her businesses.
“Now, we’re more privy to information where people are teaching classes. I teach classes based on my experiences. Had I had a mentor, I wouldn’t have spent so much money on trial and error. So, I try to flip it. Yes, you’re going to pay me for a mentorship, but you’re going to spend more money on trial and error. So, if I can give you all the tools bundled up in one…I’m worth the money because you can go further, faster,” stated Chantel.
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Chantel The Boss
Chantel’s process helped her create multiple successful businesses, and she looks to elevate others in the same way, offering her success-proven business models and strategies to all of her clients. In doing so, she has also built a network of reliable sources. For every client that she brings on, she maintains a rapport with them. Building up those resources so that when she or another business owner needs anything or can benefit from a collaboration, she can offer a bridge between the two companies.
Similarly, Chantel is planning to grow her own businesses and formulate plans for expansion. At 36 years of age, she owns businesses in Pennsylvania but lives in Miami, flying between the locations on a regular basis. With her wealth of successful business acumen, she is currently forming business plans to expand both her brands into franchise opportunities.
“My brand is Chantel The Boss. I’m not the boss because I tell people what to do. I’m the boss because I create other bosses,” Chantel recalled, based on what she strives for. “So I create other leaders, I create other avenues for people to grow.”
Within the next few years, Chantel is planning to create franchises for her L’levate Dance Studios and CP Financial Services and understands that by doing so, she will help others elevate themselves as well as her own businesses. She knows that you can start your business alone, but in order to reach a level of $200,000, you need a team.
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Entrepreneurs of the Future
The importance of building a team and relying on others in order to be successful is a life lesson that Chantel wants to bestow on future generations. This is why she also founded a non-profit organization, Entrepreneurs of the Future, five years ago. “Entrepreneurs of the Future’s mission is to break generational curses through financial literacy and hands-on life training.”
Chantel’s non-profit, Entrepreneurs of the Future, has three programs: a Youth Finance, Be Your Own Boss, and Glitz and Glam.
According to Chantel, the Youth Finance and Be Your Own Boss are programs where Chantel goes to area schools to teach youth about financial health, how to balance a checkbook, write business plans, and more.
With Glitz and Glam, Chantel works closely with the local government to offer beautician classes, job opportunities, and entrepreneurship classes to youths in lieu of going to jail. All three programs are integral to creating a positive, successful, and bright future for younger generations and will help create the building blocks for a solid foundation in financial health, future leaders, and entrepreneurs.
Hopefully, those same youth will seek out Chantel Price’s CP Business Services when they become adults. Numerous individuals dream big but need direction on how to build a successful business. And, perhaps, this will coincide with Chantel’s future franchise opportunities, making it even easier for them to be a boss as well.
As to Chantel’s future endeavors-she is continuously elevating herself and will receive an Honorary Doctorate from Trinity International University of Ambassadors Corp. Pensacola, Florida. Additionally, she is starting Price Media Entertainment, a film and production company, which you can find by visiting https://pricemediaentertainment.com/.
For those of you who own a small business, are seeking guidance to optimize your growth, or are considering starting a new company–you can find more information about CP Business Services by visiting https://cpbizservices.com.
For anyone looking for a space to express their creativity through dance, please visit https://llevatedancestudios.com.
If you would like to learn more about Entrepreneurs of the Future, you can find more information at https://eofthefuture.org.
