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Fourteen Possible Guidelines for Professional Bellydancers

Knowledge is Pleasure
  1. Be prepared for anything. The definition of "anything" will expand greatly with experience.
  2. Most people will not be interested.
  3. Many people will try to cheat you.
  4. Many restaurants are teetering on the financial edge and in chaos. Leave your own financial problems and chaos at home.
  5. Don't take whatever happens personally.
  6. Remember what Mom told you about listening to your feelings when dealing with strangers or walking alone down dark streets? Ditto for business deals as a performer.
  7. Always be the most professional one at the table.
  8. There is a difference between negotiation and getting bargained down. The first shows your business savy, the second cheapens the merchandise. Don't get bargained down.
  9. You cannot save a dying restaurant.
  10. Always be on time and more than prepared for anything (see rule number one, above).
  11. Always keep your end of the contract. The keeper customers will keep theirs.
  12. Remember that you are in a business, and that monopolies are illegal. You will have competition. Big deal.
  13. Your customers are observing your behavior and like to gossip as much as you do.
  14. You cannot fake respect for your own art form. If you don't attend other people's performances unless you want to drop off a business card or pick their brains, if there's always time and money for costumes but none for training, or if you cannot bring yourself to practice unless there's a gig coming up -- you are part of your own and everybody elses' problem, not a solution.

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