Tippi Toes
Tippi Toes is a U.S. children's dance education franchise founded in 1999 that delivers mobile, recreational dance classes for children ages 18 months to 12 years at schools, daycares, and community centers across 40+ franchise locations in 27+ states, supported by a proprietary curriculum, original music, and branded children's content.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersTulsa, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Tippi Toes does
Tippi Toes, Inc. is a U.S. children's dance education franchise founded in 1999 by Sarah Nuse, headquartered in Tulsa, OK with a corporate office reachable at an Arizona (602) area code. The company delivers mobile, recreational dance classes to children aged 18 months to 12 years at partner schools, daycares, churches, gyms, preschools, and community centers across more than 40 franchise locations spanning at least 27 U.S. states. Its core product is a curriculum of weekly, on-site classes (Toddler & Me, Baby Ballet, Ballet Tap & Jazz, Tippi Pro, Hip Hop/Jazz) backed by a proprietary content library of ten original music albums distributed on Spotify and Apple Music, two published children's books including 'Tippi's Land of Sweets', branded characters and a Tippiville universe, plus original choreography, lesson plans, and a 'Dance on Demand' virtual class extension.
Tippi Toes operates as a franchisor under a $50,000 minimum-investment model: local entrepreneurs purchase territorial franchise rights, deploy the proprietary curriculum and content, and enroll families through studio management platforms such as DanceStudio-Pro and GoStudioPro. The franchisor earns initial franchise fees and ongoing royalties (a recurring, performance-linked revenue stream), while franchisees collect monthly parent tuition, annual non-refundable registration fees, and event revenue from recitals, summer dance camps, and birthday parties. The mobile delivery model is the central distribution architecture: classes are brought to where children already are, eliminating the need for brick-and-mortar studios and providing franchisees access to captive school and daycare audiences. Corporate support includes a $20,000 marketing fund, an annual training conference, a 'Behind the Curtain' podcast, and a defined management team led by Founder/CEO Sarah Nuse and COO Maria Fesler.
The business targets three primary segments: end-user children and their paying parents (B2C), partner schools/daycares/preschools that host classes on-site (B2B2C), and franchise owners who license the system (B2B). Brand and content extensions — including streaming-distributed original music, Amazon-distributed books, and a Tippiville sub-brand for video and reading — generate additional system-level visibility and franchisee monetization opportunities. The company has no external institutional investment or parent entity disclosed in the data.
Tippi Toes firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Tippi Toes
- Legal name
- Tippi Toes
- Website
- https://tippitoesdance.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Tippi Toes is a U.S. children's dance education franchise founded in 1999 that delivers mobile, recreational dance classes for children ages 18 months to 12 years at schools, daycares, and community centers across 40+ franchise locations in 27+ states, supported by a proprietary curriculum, original music, and branded children's content.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Tippi Toes industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Children's Dance Education Franchise
- NAICS
- Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162), Fine Arts Schools (61161)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Dance Education (Ballet, Contemporary, Hip-Hop, Cultural Dance) (EDAMAAAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Youth/Student & Community Dance Recitals (MPAGADAI)
Keywords
Where Tippi Toes is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tulsa
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Tippi Toes business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Franchise Fees and Royalties: Franchisees pay an initial franchise fee and ongoing royalties in exchange for brand rights, curriculum access, training, and operational support. The franchise model generates recurring revenue through royalties based on franchisee performance.
- Direct Dance Class Tuition: Parents pay monthly tuition for their children to attend dance classes. Classes are held weekly at partner locations. Additional revenue comes from registration fees, recital fees, and costume charges.
- Books and Merchandise: Sale of proprietary children's books at recitals and through enrollment welcome packages. Additional merchandise opportunities create supplementary revenue streams for franchisees.
- Event Services: Birthday parties, dance camps, and special events generate additional revenue. Camps are offered during summer months and parties are available year-round.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Franchise investment starting at $50,000 |
| Subscription | Monthly | Monthly class tuition for parents |
| One time/ perpetual license | Annual | Non-refundable annual registration fee |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels10 records
Tippi Toes product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Tippi Toes delivers recreational, mobile dance classes for children ages 18 months to 12 years through a franchise model. Classes are hosted on-site at schools, daycares, churches, gyms, and preschools across 40+ U.S. franchise locations, and taught using proprietary original music, choreography, and branded characters. The franchise supplies complete curriculum packages, branded content, training, marketing support, and operational resources to local franchise owners who deliver the classes.
Product overview
Tippi Toes is a children's dance education franchise offering mobile dance classes at schools, daycares, churches, gyms, and preschools across the United States. The company operates on a franchise model with a unified core product of dance classes (Toddler & Me, Baby Ballet, Ballet Tap & Jazz, Tippi Pro, Hip Hop/Jazz) and supplementary offerings including Dance on Demand virtual classes, recitals, dance camps, and birthday parties. A key differentiator is the company's proprietary content library comprising 10 original music albums (available on Spotify and Apple Music), two children's books including 'Tippi's Land of Sweets', and original choreography and characters. The franchise opportunity allows entrepreneurs to operate mobile dance businesses with comprehensive corporate support.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Tippiville: Fictional world/brand universe featuring characters such as Chef Freddy the Frog used across curriculum, books, music, and recitals.
Products and services
- Tippi Toes Dance Classes (Toddler & Me, Baby Ballet, Ballet Tap & Jazz, Tippi Pro, Hip Hop/Jazz) Mobile, recreational dance classes for children aged 18 months to 12 years, delivered weekly on a consistent day and time at schools, daycares, churches, gyms, and preschools. Instruction uses original music and choreography with a non-competitive, confidence-building approach.
- Dance on Demand Virtual dance classes that allow students to practice and reinforce what they learn in physical classes from home, building confidence, coordination, and dance competence through movement and music.
- Recitals Twice-yearly dance performances featuring a family-friendly 30-minute recital format designed specifically for families, with shorter overall runtime and maximized student stage time.
- Dance Camps Summer themed dance camps featuring dance activities, games, and crafts. Open to both currently enrolled Tippi Toes students and non-students.
- Birthday Parties High-energy, kid-friendly dance parties that bring celebration and movement to children's birthday events, available year-round.
- Tippi's Land of Sweets (Children's Book) Second published Tippi Toes children's book featuring characters and the Tippiville world, integrating themes from the winter recital and 10th music album. Distributed via Amazon.
- Tippi Toes Original Music Albums Ten original music albums featuring songs written specifically for Tippi Toes choreography, distributed on Spotify and Apple Music. Albums reached #1 on iTunes in the kids category.
- Tippi Toes Franchise Opportunity Franchise business opportunity offering entrepreneurs the rights, proprietary curriculum, original music, branded characters, marketing support, and training needed to operate a mobile children's dance education business in a designated U.S. territory. Minimum investment of $50,000 plus equipment, marketing, and working capital; access to a $20K marketing fund, annual training seminars, personal mentorship, and company intranet support.
Quantifiable outcome
- Franchise territories can reach 250+ enrolled students
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Tippi Toes
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Tippi Toes technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Tippi Toes partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Schools and Daycares (Various)coreTippi Toes partners with schools, daycares, churches, gyms, and preschools across 40+ U.S. locations. These institutions host Tippi Toes dance classes on-site, providing space and access to enrolled children. This B2B partnership model enables Tippi Toes to reach families where they already are, while providing schools with quality enrichment programming. Franchise owners develop these relationships at the local level.
- Sylvester Powell Community Center, Mission, KScorePublic community center that hosts Tippi Toes dance classes as part of its programming offerings for local families.
- Liberty Community Center, Liberty, MOcoreCommunity center partner hosting Tippi Toes classes in the Kansas City area.
- heARTbeat Studio, Brookside Kansas City, MOminorLocal dance studio partnership providing additional class location for public enrollment.
- Cupcakin BakeryminorKansas City area bakery partnership for birthday party events, combining dance entertainment with bakery services.
- Healing Center (Vineyard Cincinnati Church)minorOngoing community partnership through the Dance It Forward initiative, providing free dance parties to children served by the Healing Center's ministry programs supporting families.
- Streaming Platforms (Spotify, Apple Music)coreDistribution partnerships with major streaming platforms enabling Tippi Toes original music to reach families beyond the classroom. Music is available for streaming, creating brand awareness and extending the Tippi Toes experience into homes and cars.
- AmazonminorSales channel for Tippi Toes children's books including 'Tippi Toes: Tippi's Land of Sweets', making branded content available for home reading.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Tippi Toes competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Once Upon a Ballet: Once Upon a Ballet is a storybook-themed children's ballet program offered through partner preschools and studios. Comparable on the mobile/B2B2C delivery model, the 18 months–6 years age band, and the themed recital/performance approach, though it is smaller in scale than Tippi Toes.
Broad incumbents
- School of Rock: School of Rock is a much larger children's music education franchise serving a broader age range (and adult performance programs) with proprietary methodology. Comparable on franchise scale, parent-paid recurring tuition, and proprietary content/IP-driven curriculum, but in music rather than dance.
- Gymboree Play & Music: Gymboree Play & Music offers play, music, and movement classes for young children through franchised and licensed locations. Comparable on parent-paid children's enrichment, early-childhood age band, and franchise/operator structure, though it has gone through bankruptcy and ownership changes that affect its current franchise momentum.
- Arthur Murray Dance Studios: Arthur Murray is a long-established ballroom and social dance studio franchise primarily targeting adults. Comparable as a dance instruction franchise with proprietary curriculum, but uses a brick-and-mortar studio model with a very different age band (adult couples) and competitive (not recreational) positioning.
- Fred Astaire Dance Studios: Fred Astaire is a long-established ballroom and social dance franchise with owned studios. Comparable as a dance instruction franchise with proprietary teaching systems, but serves an adult social-dance audience under a studio-based operating model rather than a mobile children's enrichment model.
Direct peers
- Goldfish Swim School: Goldfish Swim School is a franchised children's swim instruction school serving ages 4 months to 12 years. Highly comparable on franchise unit economics, recurring parent tuition model, parent-demographic overlap, and the "confidence-building non-competitive" positioning language used by Tippi Toes.
- My Gym: My Gym is a children's fitness and movement franchise serving ages 6 weeks to 10 years with structured classes. Comparable on franchise model, parent-paid recurring tuition, age band overlap, and structured curriculum-driven physical activity for young children.
- Kindermusik: Kindermusik offers licensed music and movement classes for young children through a franchised/licensed-operator model. Comparable on proprietary curriculum, age band (infants through early elementary), parent-paid recurring classes, and an emphasis on developmental rather than competitive outcomes.
- The Little Gym: The Little Gym is a long-established franchise offering structured movement, motor-skill, and developmental classes for children ages 4 months through 12 years. Direct comparable on franchise structure, parent-facing children's enrichment category, and curriculum-driven instruction for the same age band.
- Tutu School: Tutu School is a children's ballet franchise offering recreational, non-competitive dance classes for young children. Closest direct comparable: same age band, similar recreational philosophy, similar franchise business model, and overlapping B2B2C delivery through partner venues and standalone studios.
Market position
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Tippi Toes social profiles
Digital presenceTippi Toes financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Tippi Toes leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Tippi Toes funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Tippi Toes M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Tippi Toes
What does Tippi Toes do?
Tippi Toes delivers recreational, mobile dance classes for children ages 18 months to 12 years through a franchise model. Classes are hosted on-site at schools, daycares, churches, gyms, and preschools across 40+ U.S. franchise locations, and taught using proprietary original music, choreography, and branded characters. The franchise supplies complete curriculum packages, branded content, training, marketing support, and operational resources to local franchise owners who deliver the classes.
Is Tippi Toes a public or private company?
Tippi Toes is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Tippi Toes founded?
Tippi Toes was founded in 1999. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Tippi Toes based?
Tippi Toes is headquartered in Tulsa, United States, in the North America region.
How does Tippi Toes make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Franchise Fees and Royalties are the primary driver. The others are direct Dance Class Tuition, books and Merchandise and event Services.
Who are Tippi Toes's main competitors?
Once Upon a Ballet is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are School of Rock, Gymboree Play & Music, Arthur Murray Dance Studios and Fred Astaire Dance Studios. Direct peers are Goldfish Swim School, My Gym, Kindermusik, The Little Gym and Tutu School.
Does Tippi Toes have an API?
No public API is recorded for Tippi Toes.
What industry is Tippi Toes in?
Tippi Toes's product category is Children's Dance Education Franchise. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMAAAH, Dance Education (Ballet, Contemporary, Hip-Hop, Cultural Dance), with a secondary code of MPAGADAI, Youth/Student & Community Dance Recitals. Its NAICS code is 61162 and its SIC code is 7900.