How to Start a Yoga Business 1-2-3
How to Start a Yoga Business
Teaching yoga is extremely gratifying work. You can help people build strength, gain flexibility and at the
same time de-stress and experience the joy of self-discovery.
And now, part of what's spurring the growth of this field is the attraction from the "baby boomers". But
your target market doesn't stop there. There's Yoga Therapy, Spiritual Yoga, Prenatal & Postnatal Yoga,
Yoga for Kids, Corporate Yoga and of course fitness.
Here's what we've got:
The Yoga Business Start-Up Guide.
Learn from Multi-Certified Yoga Teacher Sandy Hennessy and other successful yoga teachers, how to
successfully run your own yoga studio. You'll be running your own yoga business is no time!
Here's what it will do for you:
- How to get the RYT Qualification
- How to plan and teach a yoga class, sample lesson plans and props (plus links to suppliers and
CDs!)
- Sample start-up cost budgets, setting prices and inexpensive ways to market your classes (lots of
samples to make finding clients much easier).
- Legal matters and insurance made easy, including sample liability waivers you can use.
- What do you do next? Download now >> Start Your Own Yoga
Business
Yoga Teacher Education and Certification
Yoga Teacher Training Known
as "Yoga Teacher Training Camp In-a-Box".
What do you get out of it?
Taught by Yoga Instructor Paul Jerard, who has taught yoga professionally for the last 21 years. Get the
convenience of being able to study from home and be part of their free online yoga community with over 17,000
members. You can also receive certification through the course.
There are many businesses you can start with yoga experience. Often, focusing on a more specialized niche
can make your yoga studio stand out and bring in more clients. Some of the most popular niches are Hatha
Yoga Instructor, Prenatal Yoga Teacher and Kids Yoga Instructor. All are included in this
course.
Sign up for Yoga Teacher
Training & Get Free eBook
Yoga Business Resources
NEW! Yoga Business Website Software
Package
The professional way to advertise and manage your business online - made easy! Get a Yoga Website Software
Package complete with your class schedule, event calendar, instructor pictures & biographies, studio
photos, map plus 10 pages for articles, pictures, ads and more.
Yoga Equipment & Gear
One reason that successful yoga studios succeed is
that they keep their expenses low. That doesn't mean that they buy cheap equipment, but they get quality
gear at discounted prices. A well-equipped yoga studio will also attract ore customers.
You can order bargain-priced yoga equipment online at www.YogaAccessories.com. You can even find closeout deals and opportunities to buy
yoga gear at wholesale if you are placing a large enough order.
29 Ways to Get More Yoga Clients
If you can't find customers to sign up for your yoga classes, your business will never survive. The good
news is that finding new clients doesn't have to be hard: simply use the techniques that the experts have
learned.
Small Business Marketing Expert David Frey has been around for as long as I can remember. He has helped
thousands of small business owners find new clients (including myself).
He gives you all the information you need to find customers, get the to buy more and to keep the coming back
to purchase from you again and again. You don't have to buy lots of books, pay for expensive courses or
seminars or even hire a costly rep to promote your company. David Frey makes it easy and affordable (and even
fun) to find the customers yourself. I highly recommend his website to any small business owner starting
out.
Visit David's website and get a free marketing newsletter >> Small Business Marketing Strategies
Generate More Yoga Studio Business with Minimal Cost
Have you ever met someone who could really benefit from yoga, but had no real idea what yoga is? For
example, have you met someone who had back problems and after you got to talking with them, you explained
that yoga could help their back? The next thing you know, they are a regular student and maybe even a
client for private sessions.
In this article, I'm going to share with you a strategy for bringing people like this into your studio day
after day - all without you even needing to be the one who initially talks to them.
The basic idea is that you make an arrangement with some other professional or business who serves customers
who might also wish to take yoga. They refer people to you, and in exchange, you refer people to them. The
technical name for this is a "Business Alliance". Here's an example:
Jenny owns a yoga studio. She has a teacher who is qualified to teach a gentle yoga class for people
suffering from low back pain.
Rob is a chiropractor. Many of his patients suffer from low back pain.
Jenny contacts Rob and explains that her studio offers a yoga class that might be of real benefit to his
patients who have low back pain. She asks if he-s familiar with yoga as a therapy for back pain, and she
invites him to attend a class that is specifically meant for back pain sufferers (the class is free of charge
for him, of course).
She also explains that she would be happy to offer a special discount for his patients. He checks out the
class, sees that the teacher knows her stuff and she could really help his patients. Jenny agrees to give Rob's
patients a 10% discount on all classes and private sessions. She also tells Rob that she will display his
business cards at her studio and refer students to him.
It is a total win-win deal. Jenny gets students and clients who would never have even considered yoga
before, and Rob has another way to help his patients relieve their back pain as well as getting more patients
for himself.
There are a number of variations on this, but I think you get the general idea. I love alliances because
everyone benefits AND, they are free to implement. So, here are some additional details. First, who can you
create alliances with? Here are some possibilities (but by no means limit yourself to this list):
- Chiropractors
- Massage Therapists
- Rehabilitation clinics
- Doctors (those who deal with ailments that yoga can help)
- Ob/Gyns (prenatal yoga)
- Pediatricians and hospitals/birthing centers (postnatal/new mom yoga)
- Wellness centers
- Weight loss clinics (Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, etc.)
- Therapists (yoga for stress relief)
- Hair dressers
- Day Spas
- New age churches, spiritual centers, classes or teachers
- Sporting goods stores (Including specialty stores like ski equipment, golf, etc.)
- Athletic teachers and coaches (Tennis pros, golf instructors, etc.)
- Organic produce stores
Basically, they are businesses or professionals that make your student's lives easier or sell
products/services that support their health. They tend to work best when your "alliance partner" has direct,
individual, contact with the potential student. In other words, when a doctor suggests yoga to a patient,
there's probably an 80% chance that patient will show up at your studio.
You will want to personally introduce the benefits of yoga to a potential alliance partner. They may know
about yoga, but also may be totally clueless. Talk on their level. And always, talk in terms of how it will
benefit them and their clients or customers. Avoid focusing on you and your studio beyond what it will do for
them.
This is so important, I'm going to repeat it: always talk in terms of how it will benefit them and their
clients or customers. As fascinating as your studio and even yoga is, people would much rather talk and listen
- and work together - when it is of clear benefit to them.
Next come the details of the arrangement. You want to provide your alliance partner with coupons, business
cards, fliers, brochures, etc. that they can give to people they are referring. These items should provide the
potential student with a special discount on class card purchases. Appropriate discounts are generally in the
10-25% range. It will probably also let them take one class for free.
You ideally want it to indicate what specific benefits the person will get from yoga (this might mean
different fliers or coupons for different alliance partners. For example, a postcard-sized coupon for
chiropractors might talk specifically about how yoga relieves back pain, where the one for Weight Watchers
would emphasize yoga as exercise to support weight loss.
Tailor your handout to the target market you're after. If it's a coupon, it probably speaks for itself. If
it's a business card, put a special stamp or sticker on it to indicate that when it is presented at your
studio, the bearer is to receive a special discount. It should be a unique marking so that you can know who it
came from (or you can just ask the person). This is so you can know things like "Jody's Hair Styling gave us 8
referrals this month, but Dr. Brown only gave us 2.0 More on using this kind of info in a future article.
The other half of the alliance relationship is that you will promote your alliance partner's business. This
might look like putting out their materials (cards, fliers, brochures, etc.) on a table by the studio door. It
might include having teachers mention them at appropriate times (i.e. in a back pain reduction class, "By the
way, I know a number of people in the room have been using Dr. Brown, a chiropractor in town, to help with low
back pain and are getting good results. If you've been looking for a chiropractor, talk to me after class and I
can give you more info on this.") Perhaps it includes putting an ad for them in a newsletter (or even having
them write an article for it). Maybe it means listing them on your web site. You decide what you can do.
Remember, you are never trying to be like a telemarketer salesperson and sell people stuff they don't need.
On the contrary, you are doing this because it may be of real benefit to some of your students and clients -
you want to help them.
Finally, there are some variations on the above model I'll just briefly mention. One is that instead of
promoting an alliance partner, you can simply give them something (cash or services) in exchange for their
referring clients to you. Maybe you give them 10% or $10 for each referral who buys a class card. Maybe you
give them free yoga. Again, whatever feels right for you.
Another variation on the overall model is to have alliance partners pay you for promoting their business (in
addition to referring people to you). This works if you have a lot of people who you can promote to. Often, it
is worthwhile after you establish an alliance program and it is clear to your alliance partners that they are
getting clients or customers from you.
By all means, try variations of your own. Don't be afraid to make mistakes - if something doesn't work, make
a note of it and move on to another variation. Business alliances are a proven strategy that have been used for
many years. Let your studio benefit and help others at the same time.
I know I've covered a lot in this article, but hopefully it will get you going in the right direction. As
always, feel free to email me with questions (I'll answer them in my blog) and especially with your success
stories.
To your success,
P.S. I'd like to give special thanks to Kirsten Elfendahl, Manager and College Administrator at The College
of Purna Yoga (www.yogacenters.com) for providing background for this article as well as a model of a working
implementation of a successful business alliance program. Definitely check out their web site.
Coach Al Lipper | Business Coach for Yoga Studios | Destiny: Success
Website: http://www.CenteredBusiness.com | Email: coach@centeredbusiness.com | Telephone:
(805) 544-3938
Coach Al Lipper of 'Destiny: Success' helps Yoga studio business owners smoothly run
and expand their yoga studio business. He helps stressed and overwhelmed yoga studio business owners who spend
most their time wrapped up in daily business tasks, who can't handle any more clients, or who can't make any
more money out of the yoga studio.
Coach Al helps clients find new yoga business strategies which result in generating more clients, increased
profits, and more free time for the business owner. The amount invested was small compared to the results.
Contact him today to discuss your yoga studio challenges at (805) 544-3938 or visit http://www.CenteredBusiness.com
