Episodes
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Donal is an established yoga teacher actively expanding his teaching and business skills. When a prospective students inquires about classes but doesn’t end up joining a class, Donal is unsure how to follow up. Does he email? Make an offer? Add them to a list?
Listen & Learn:
Why most inquiries are a client saying “yes” and your job is to not give them reasons to say “no” How friction, complicated process or big buying decisions can kill initial energy Why every business-minded yoga teacher should focus on their community in the form of email list, social media contacts, and even Whatsapp or SMS lists#1 Tip from Donal:
Give your classes a great name so students know what they’re signing up forGot Questions?
Write to us [email protected] -
Annette is a qualified yoga teacher in Western Australia. She is not interested in opening her own studio, and instead, she would like to start a private yoga teaching business. But how does she find her specialty? How does she stand out from the competition? How does she avoid misconceptions about what yoga is and is not?
Listen & Learn:
How narrowing your teaching focus actually opens more doors than going broad Why specialized teachers earn more than generalists Why yoga should never sell one-off classes as a private yoga teacher Why beginners are the focus for every yoga teacher#1 Learning Tip:
Never ever sell one-off private lessons, insist on 4, 8 or 12 packsGot Questions?
Write to us [email protected] -
Missing episodes?
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Angela is a long-time coach and soon-to-be Yoga Trapeze instructor. She is considering lots of different business options, one of which is to open a physical yoga a studio. But is the market saturated? Does it even make sense to open a physical yoga studio?
Ideas We Explore
How to calculate market saturation using Wikipedia and a simple "10 min commute" formula Why Yoga Trapeze is an awesome additional product or stand-alone private offering, but not a core studio class offering How physical strength can translate directly into mental strength#1 Tip from Angela
How physical strength can become a real life strengthGot Questions?
Write to us [email protected] -
Rosanna is a long-time yoga teacher, students, and seeker, and her day job is in taxes. She is curious to know if there is a way to put her skills to use in yoga studios, helping them use less paper, automate their processes and go online.
Ideas We Explore
Why MindBodyOnline.com software dominates the industry How there is always opportunity in after-market support for software How a monthly service fee-for-service business model might make sense Why money often follows enlightenment#1 Tip from Rosanna
Spiritual and financial wealth often go hand-in-handGot Questions?
Write to us [email protected] -
Lana just opened her first yoga studio, and she's looking for the most-effective ways to get new students in the door. Paid marketing? Free marketing? Where to start?
Ideas We Explore
Why Facebook is often the best choice for paid media How low or no cost marketing can be very effective How to connect with old-school local influencers in your areaGot Questions?
Write to us [email protected] -
Patricia has a 3-year old studio. They have an easy time attracting clients, but they are struggling to retain them. What is the best price and offer to use for "intro specials?" How do we keep our students from bouncing from studio to studio?
Ideas We Explore
My Mind Body Online (software company) sometimes gives bad business advice to studio owners How to determine you 1-week intro special price How to utilize flat-line pricing Why your long-term clients should receive the lowest rates#1 Tip from Patricia
Talk to your clients about what they want from yoga before you talk about anything else Focus on how yoga can help them solve their problems before you talk about rates, memberships and schedulesGot Questions?
Write to us [email protected] -
Amanda has a yoga studio in Florida and has been invited to be a guest on a local radio show. She unsure what to talk about, how to turn those listeners into students, and what direction to take with this new promotional channel.
Ideas We Explore
Why radio listeners are awesome, engaged, and attentive The very real challenge of "talking about" vs. "showing" yoga How to use redirect URL for ease-of-memorization How to buy a URL and setup a 301 redirect#1 Tip from Amanda
Use partner challenges to active your members Encourage people in and out of the studio to participate Incentivize them with prizes and just plain old fun -
Nancy teaches Ayurveda-inspired, semi-private yoga classes in The Netherlands, and it's going well—but she's struggling with retention. Students start off motivated, but seem to drop off, even if they have purchased multi-session packs. What to do?
Ideas We Explore
Why it's important to set tangible health goals for your private clients How to focus on your Unique Teaching Positioning (UTP) to differentiate yourself in the market Why a free Discovery Class can help you earn more and your clients get better resultsTip3 from Esther
Avoid teaching family and friends (they don't pay!) Use guided meditations at the end of class—students love it! Teach students how to take their yoga "off the mat" -
Esther is a yoga teacher most-interested and most-focused on the spiritual aspects of yoga including breathing, chanting, and yoga philosophy. Many students expect a more physical, fitness-based class, so she wonders how she can solve this challenge.
Ideas We Explore
Why sometimes dropping the title "yoga teacher" might be helpful How the term "yoga" means so many things to different people The importance of truly defining what service you have to offer How to get clear on your unique teaching positioning (UTP)#1 Tip from Esther
Use blog posts to explain the "why" behind your teaching -
Sandra has a Yoga Trapeze semi-private studio with space for 10 students, but her clients often cancel last minute meaning she is losing revenue and turning away potential paying clients. What to do?
Ideas We Explore
Why it's important to have a new student form How to clarify your "terms of service" with clear rules about cancellations How awkward conversations upfront, the first class, are much better than awkward conversations later#1 Tip from Sandra
Post a "free Discovery Class" offer to social media to attract new clients Download this new student intake form -
Andy is a Yoga Teachers College trainees and also produces his own training courses in Vietnam. He is wanting to add a "graduates directory" to his existing website and wonders what software to use, how to hire developers, and is it even worth it?
Ideas We Explore
Why Wordpress powers 20% of the internet and is usually the best solution for yoga teachers and studios How to get $10/hour web work vs $80/hour work The difference between graphic design work and coding work—and how to hire for both The reality of web-traffic in our post-social media age#1 Tip from Andy
Install a News Feed Killer plugin onto Chrome to keep focused at work -
Tiffany has a new studio and finds herself working "in" the business much more than "on" the business. This means the emails, the admin, and the day-to-day keep her from strategic planning and high-level work. What to do?
Ideas We Explore
E-Myth Book (Michael Gerber) How to off-load work to teachers, work-study or other staff Why you need to escape the studio at least once per week How to create screen capture videos for internal training#1 Tip from Tiffany
Create Standard Operating Procedures (SOP's) -
Sadie just opened her first yoga studio, and she's in charge of everything—yikes! What should she focus on? Teaching, business, marketing... there are so many things.
Ideas We Explore
Why opening a studio just so you can teach is a flawed idea—so you need to correct it How there are only two real assets in yoga: yoga and your community Why building a studio business around one person is risky and can feel like prison#1 Tip from Sadie
Use Post-it! notes to remember things about your teaching -
Vidhi has a great studio in Copenhagen, Denmark. The teachers are happy, the students love it, the staff are satisfied—and yet it's challenging to build real community after class. What to do?
Ideas We Explore
Low cost, low commitment workshops Free, outdoor events Holiday and anniversary parties 30-day challenges#1 Tip from Vidhi
Org Chart / Clear Job Descriptions: yoga studios can often be loose and relaxed in terms of who does what. Vidhi wishes he'd been more clear on roles and responsibilities and recommends you do the same. -
Brittany is teaching yoga in Lyon, France, and she's working to build up here private yoga clientele. The problem? No one seems comfortable paying more than 55 EUR per class, and Brittany needs 85 EUR to support her lifestyle and financial goals.
Ideas We Explore
Unique Teaching Positioning (UTP): how to differentiate to add more value in your market Getting out of the "yoga scene" so you access people that are better potential clients Focus on "problem" and "solution" with yoga as the means to the end, not the product itself#1 Tip from Brittany
Start an email list! -
Mike is living in Boston but wants to open a studio in Thailand. What about Phuket? Bangkok? How do you know where the opportunities lies? How do you choose the right place?
Ideas We Explore
Why a 10-minute radius is most important Why 100K people is your target Why big cities offer more opportunities than small How to use Wikipedia to find population density#1 Tip from Mike
Ask good questions!
