ARABESQUE BURLESQUE
Is a sole-proprietor business operating since 2013 with registered tax numbers and name (Registre des Entreprises) since 2014. It is owned and operated by Emma Klaveness Groden. As a sole-proprietor, EKG is the sole legal and financially responsible person. EKG’s approach to operating the business has always been through the lens of a few primary objectives:
1) To create positive change in the lives of students through the therapy of collective dance/movement and the sensual self expression of burlesque.
2) To make enough profit to support at least half of EKG’s living expenses and allow EKG to live entirely on self-employment income from activities related to Arabesque Burlesque and Lady Josephine.
In the last three years especially, I could add to these primary objectives:
A) To employ burlesque artists so that they earn money and grow in skills as teachers and/or school administrators
B) To build a business that can one day operate nearly independently of EKG and serve as a legacy and a center made to promote the growth of this art form.
Decision-making at the business is filtered through the lens of these objectives.
The financial relationship…
These three entities have had separate chequing, savings, and credit accounts for at least 5-6 years. All income made through Arabesque Burlesque goes into a chequing account separate from income made by EKG or Lady Josephine. For the last 3 years, EKG has prepared invoices to be paid by Arabesque for hours spent teaching, and filming online content which has then been transferred from Arabesque to her personal account. All other income from Arabesque remains in the academy’s chequing account and pays for staff, studio and business expenses. Before 2019, EKG was invoicing the academy for office hours but has not been taking payment for administration work since acquiring the new commercial studio space (just teaching hours). All invoices for payment from Arabesque to EKG are saved and accessible.
Some primary goals for the next two years include growing the business revenue by an average of 22% annually to be able to incorporate Arabesque Burlesque and pay Josephine a salary for their work as a Director of 27k annually and reduce their teaching hours while continuing to have Roxy and (hopefully) another staff member on the administration team.