MARBLE FALLS — Barbara Bend doesn’t mind admitting the truth.
“I didn’t know a thing about running a school,” she said. “I was home-schooling our children. I was helping out at the church. I was teaching piano lessons, sure, but I was doing that more because I enjoyed it, not to really make money at it.”
But she had something else going for her — a passion for her art. And in time, that passion became the driving force that created one of the most popular performance schools in the region.
March is National Women’s History Month, and Bend and other area businesswomen such as Rhonda Coleman, owner of the Marble Falls Athletic Club, epitomize the kind of female entrepreneurs not afraid to break the mold — or a glass ceiling.
In 1986, Bend felt a stirring in her heart. She said it was God was pulling her in a new direction.
“There was this small voice that said ‘music school,’” she said.
In years past, a woman may have squashed that “small voice” and stayed content either working for somebody else — usually a man — or stayed out of the workplace altogether. But times have changed. Women now make up 46.5 percent of the labor force, according to a U.S. Department of Labor report from 2006.
They also own 8 million businesses in the United States, says the Center for Women’s Business Research in October 2008.
In the late 1990s, the pieces fell into place for Bend and she started Harmony School of Creative Arts in Marble Falls. The nonprofit school offers lessons in voice, visual arts, dance, music and drama to children and adults.
But at first, the elements of creating a business plan were unknown territory for her.
“There was a lot I had to learn,” she said. “I didn’t know what a board (of directors) should look like or what it did. Somebody asked me, ‘Do you have a mission statement?’ And I didn’t know what that was.”
But it didn’t take her long to get things rolling.
She attended a National Guild of Community School of the Arts workshop, which outlined many of the benefits and pitfalls in starting a nonprofit music or creative arts school.
“That was an eye-opener,” she said. “I learned so much from attending it.”
Though Harmony is a not-for-profit school, Bend said many people have the idea that earning money doesn’t matter. But there are bills to be paid, teacher salaries to be doled out and promotional materials to cover. So while the school focuses on providing a strong arts curriculum, Bend said she still must face the daily routine of making the bottom line.
“When we started, we wrestled with what is a good tuition,” Bend said. “And I had to learn about writing grants.”
Bend still finds herself balancing the business side of Harmony with the arts training, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. Harmony is at 1503 Mormon Mill Road.
Like Bend, Rhonda Coleman looked into her heart and started a new business.
In November 2009, Coleman bought the Marble Falls Athletic Club at Colt Drive and U.S. 281 North.
“I’ve always been an advocate of fitness and when the opportunity arose (to buy the club), I thought this would be a great way to help the community,” she said. “(Health and fitness) is a passion I have. Two of my focuses are women’s health and elderly health.”
Coleman found a way to take her passion and turn it into a business.
“I think having that love or passion for what you do is incredibly important,” Coleman said. “Without it, I don’t think you could get through some of the problems and challenges you face — especially if you own a business.”
Though the athletic center was an established business when she bought it, Coleman wasn’t satisfied and began making changes. This month, the club will offer a “women’s only” area.
In December, the club drained and renovated its swimming pool. And instead of returning to heavily chlorinated water, Coleman filled the basin with saline water, which she said is easier on the skin and eyes.
“In order to stay on top of what’s going on in the fitness business, I hired good people and knowledgeable ones,” she said. “I hired Fermin (Ortiz) who used to own (the club). He’s an expert on this business. And I brought some other people back and worked on expanding the hours.”
Bend’s formula for success is simple, she said. Along with pursuing something one is passionate about, a business operator must hire the right people.
“I have a great group of teachers who love what they do,” she said. “And they are also full of great ideas.”
Bend said new ideas are tested against the school’s mission statement. If they don’t hold up, the staff doesn’t do it.
“You have to be careful and not try to go in too many directions or do too many things,” Bend said.
Both Bend and Coleman wanted to create ventures that would help the community, they said.
“Even before we started the school, I thought the (Highland Lakes) would be a great place to offer art programs and hold performances,” Bend said. “So we like to take our students and put them out in front of the community. Our ‘Nutcracker’ has become a Christmas tradition now. And our Chamber Music Festival — people tell me how much they enjoy it and look forward to it.”
Meanwhile, Coleman couldn’t stand by and watch obesity become a problem. Now the club offers weight-management programs in addition to regular exercise regimens.
“I’m also looking into developing a children’s program,” she said. “You don’t want kids to lift weights because their growth plates (haven’t finished growing), but there are lots of things they can do for their health.”
While Bend wears many hats including overseeing the day-to-day operations of the school, she never forgets why she followed that “little voice.”
“To me success is seeing students reaching the next level, whatever it is, and seeing them shine on stage and loving what they do,” she said. “It’s helping people try things and find the niche that meets their soul’s needs and when you find that, you can go there your whole life. That’s what makes me happy.”
