Now Stacey Morgan has been rewarded for her hard work. She has been announced as a finalist in the Telstra Business Women's Awards.

"It is a nice little pat on the back to say all that hard work is paying off," she said

"As the business owner I don't ever have the chance for a performance review."

Mrs Morgan is the owner and principal of Port Macquarie Performing Arts.

The dance studio started with humble beginnings.

"When I first started I put an advertisement in the paper and said I was going to be a boutique ballet school and in my head we were going to run classes out of my garage just for little kids," she said.

But the demand was huge. At the open day 70 kids turned up. By the end of the first week 100 kids had been enrolled.

The business teaches "every form of dance" including jazz, musical theatre, acrobatics and ballet.

But Mrs Morgan said it is more than just teaching children to dance.

"Our whole mission is providing a service to empower the next generation of Port Macquarie kids to be able to be the best version of themselves and active contributors to their community," she said.

The business is now in its ninth year. Mrs Morgan said she couldn't imagine doing anything else.

"Dance has always been part of my life since I was seven," she said.

"I always knew when I was a teenager I wanted to have my own ballet students, my own concert, my own award ceremony and my own students look up to me the way I looked up to my dance teacher Francessca O'Donnell."

Despite her love of dance the journey to starting her own business hasn't been smooth sailing.

"It hasn't been easy," she said.

"I can teach a child to pirouette no problem but how to employ and manage staff, deal with customers, take on feedback all that stuff.

"Running your own business is a whole world away from teaching a three-year-old to spin around.

"I've invested a whole lot in professional development in the last 10 years. I have always been upskilling in areas I wasn't strong."

As well as running her own business Mrs Morgan is mum to three young children, Lucinda, Patrick and Henry.

She said it is particularly rewarding to see her daughter Lucinda dance and participate in the upcoming Port Macquarie Performing Arts American tour to Disneyland in California.

The winners of the Telstra Women's Business Awards will be announced on April 7.

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