NOCATEE, Fla — Two teenage sisters are celebrating their success two years after opening a dance studio in Nocatee.
Since 2022, the girls have had some major accomplishments and are even teaching others about business ownership.
“If you just put in hard work, you can accomplish anything," Madison Hughes, co-owner of Level Up Dance Company, said.
Madison and Reilly Hughes opened Level Up Dance Company two years ago when the sisters were 16 years old and 14 years old, respectively.
Since then, the studio has grown from just under 10 students to more than 100, winning multiple competitions along the way.
“It was really cool to go up on stage for the top studio awards and to be standing next to studios who have been in business for 40 years and have been amazing and here we are our second year and we were standing up there with them, which was really awesome," Reilly Hughes said.
As young entrepreneurs, the pair have had to learn the ins and outs of businesses.
“One of the most rewarding parts of the whole thing is seeing our students, how much they’ve grown throughout the last year and seeing their confidence grown," Madison said.
They hope their story inspires other young entrepreneurs throughout Nocatee and along the First Coast.
“It doesn’t matter how old you are, if you have a passion for something and you work really hard for it, you can accomplish any of your goals," Madison said.
“I also love hearing some of the little girls saying ‘I want to be just like you when I grow up, I wanna own my own dance studio’ and it’s just like, really cool to hear we’re inspiring them, we’re their role models," Reilly said.
The sisters hope to continue owning the studio after high school. Tryouts for the studio's competition team will be held in May.