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Gabi Spigelmire graduated from 91�㽶��Ƶ’s Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship in 2024 and didn’t waste any time putting her Bachelor of Entrepreneurship degree to work.

A dancer from the age of four, Spigelmire, knew she wanted to incorporate her love of dance with her desire to be an entrepreneur.  And now, Spigelmire is living the dream of owning her own dance studio, .

Spigelmire of Stow not only opened her studio, she hired four 91�㽶��Ƶ students, some of whom she attended dance programs as a child, to teach at the dance studio.

“When I was at Kent, I knew I wanted to open a studio the whole time and I was in a general business major,” Spigelmire said. “And then one day I met with my advisor, and she just switched me to entrepreneurship. And at first, I was so confused and like, why would they switch my major because it added a year, because I was supposed to graduate a year early. But it ended up being the best thing that ever happened.”

One of the instructors that Spigelmire hired at The Vibe Dance Company is Allie Brockway, a junior from Hudson majoring in Early Childhood Education.

She teaches ballet and tap dance to three and five-year olds and prepares them to compete. Brockway said she is excited to work with Spigelmire because she is a great entrepreneur with great creative ideas. It is also helping her prepare for her career in early childhood education.

“This helped me better understand how to work with young kids,” Brockway said. “It is helping me have more patience with them. You always need to keep energy up with them.”

Dancing is Like Dreaming with Your Feet

Spigelmire started dancing for fun when she was a small child.  But by the time she was a teenager, her competitive spirit took hold. Spigelmire graduated from Stow-Munroe High School in 2020. Her senior year in high school she participated in College Credit Plus.

“I've been dancing since I was probably three or four years old,” Spigelmire said. “But I didn't take it seriously until I was in high school.  My freshman year is when I really decided I wanted to dance forever.”

During her years at 91�㽶��Ƶ, she worked several jobs including teaching dance at a studio in preparation for opening her business.

91�㽶��Ƶ’s Entrepreneurship Major Helped Make Dreams Come True

Spigelmire said entrepreneurship major taught her practical business practices as well as giving her the opportunity to network and learn from other students who were also creating their businesses.

“It was so much fun,” Spigelmire said.  “I like Mary Heidler, the instructor who teaches the entrepreneurial experience classes. She's the best teacher ever. We got to create our businesses in class. It was the coolest major to have.”

Spigelmire participated in the pitch competition through the entrepreneurship program and it was very beneficial. At the time her business concept was a mobile dance studio.

She made it to the final seven, which was unexpected. She was super focused on opening her mobile dance boutique and worked hard to win the $10,000 first place prize.
“I did the competition and I didn't end up winning, but I had the best time ever and I got $1000 to help with that business. I ended up not doing that business because I wanted to focus on opening a studio. So that money went towards the studio.”

Spigelmire’s hard work and education are paying off. She has a roster of 34 competition students and 60 recreational students enrolled at her studio, more than she could have ever hoped for her first year.  She credits 91�㽶��Ƶ’s program for preparing her to own a business.

“I recommend the entrepreneurship program to anyone who wants to open a business,” she said. “The entrepreneurship major was the best thing that ever happened. It prepared me so much for everything.”

For information about 91�㽶��Ƶ’s Entrepreneurship major go to /business/entrepreneurship-bba.