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Starting a Yoga Business: 8 Free Steps For Epic Success

Are you thinking about starting your own yoga business? It takes dedication and hard work, just like yoga itself. Yoga is an ancient practice from India that combines fixed postures and body movement with mediation and, holistic and spiritual exercises for optimum physical and mental wellbeing. The number of people wanting to practice yoga is increasing by the day, which is why more and more entrepreneurs are jumping on the yoga business bandwagon.

Starting your very own yoga business could help you earn a great income. However,

 

You can’t afford to be fooled by the whimsical perception of yoga business as it comes equipped with pitfalls and joys like any other business.Click To Tweet

 

So, to help you on your journey, I’ll highlight some essential tips for starting a yoga business.

 

Starting a Yoga Business

 

Tips for Starting a Yoga Business

 

1. Become certify Yoga Teacher

If you already hold a yoga certification, you can skip this tip and move on to the next one. If you don’t, then acquire it from a recognised body in your country. Yoga Alliance Or British Wheel of Yoga – are two well-known organisations that provide the required training as well as certification in the UK. You could visit either of these institutions to complete your training and get certified.

 

2. Create a Plan

For starting a yoga business, you’ll need a business plan. Find out the working capital you’ll need to run your studio for a few months in the initial phase. Since you’ll be teaching the yoga students yourself, you’ll need money to manage your personal expenses. Decide the rates of your yoga classes and include them in the business plan. If the competition is tough, you’ll have to charge low fees. For instance, urban areas have many private instructors and studios, so you can’t charge a high fee as it would discourage customers from coming to your studio. You should also include utility and rent expenses and the finances required to manage the staff in your business plan once the business grows. When the business has become established, you will then be able to increase your pricing.

 

3. Build a Client Base

Before starting a yoga business of your own, it may be a good idea to work for a yoga studio or local gym which runs yoga classes. That way, you’ll be able to not only gain experience in the practice but also build a following of your own from the pool of yoga students. You need loyal clients before you can start your own business. Otherwise, it’s going to be really hard for you to thrive. You may want to also offer a donation-only free class every now and then to attract more customers and potentially turn them into loyal paying clients.

 

Starting a Yoga Business

 

4. Choose a Specific Yoga

Before starting a yoga business, you must determine the type of yoga you plan on teaching. Yoga is a term that refers to several cross-disciplinary forms which have different spiritual and physical objectives. Some of them are popular and are, therefore, more lucrative. For example, Kundalini yoga is based on working on chakras or energy points in the body and breathing techniques. Other popular forms include Hatha, Bikram, Iyengar, and Vinyasa. You’ll have a better chance of success if your studio offers to teach in a single type of yoga instead of practising with various forms.

Narrow your Niche

Classes! Workshops! Retreats! There are so many areas within yoga you can offer as a teacher, however, you can’t do them all. I see so many teachers try to do so many things, and a lot of those things are not in alignment with what they want to do,  good at or see for themselves. Defining your vision helps you narrow down where to put your energy and go after it to get the result you want.

 

5. Choose a good Location

The location of the yoga studio plays an important role in the success of this business. Finding a location in the city with nature around – which is great for yoga – can be difficult in urban cities. If you can’t find such a location, then try to go with a location that’s easily accessible and has ample space for parking. If you don’t have a large amount of capital to work with and can’t afford to pay high rentals, start with renting a small room. Then once you have a strong customer base, rent a bigger space.

 

6. Build a Website and Brand

Since the majority of people start their search for yoga classes online, it’s imperative for you to have a great website for your yoga business. Not only that, but you should create your brand identity.

You should have a logo that differentiates you from other yoga businesses.

Brand Identity Is Important

Brand identity is a combination of the visible elements of your brand that customers will see and the reputation you create that people will associate with your business. This is the combination of your studio’s name, location, logo colours, and quality of service.

As the owner, you will undoubtedly be the face of your business, especially in the beginning. How you position your brand (via marketing and customer service) will in some capacity become a reflection of you.

This is crucial if you want to create a business that reflects your values and unique self, a business that you can stand behind

Take some inspiration from logos of other yoga studios and try to create something unique for your business. Make sure that your logo and colours stands out and conveys your brand message to your target audience.

Create a website that looks great in terms of content, colours, text, and images. As most of the customers will connect with you through your business website, it’s essential that you optimise your website for the search engines. When people search Google for yoga classes in your area, your business should appear on the first page of search engine results. One of the best ways to increase the visibility of your website in search is to publish optimised blog posts consistently.

Click on the following link to register your yoga business on Google My Business (it’s free).

 

Starting a Yoga Business

 

7. Create Offerings/Packages

Only running classes may not be enough to earn good money “But those classes build awareness and give your business exposure.” Once you have that, then you want to stay connected to your clients via newsletters and social media. Because then you can sell your higher-priced services, whether that’s workshops, retreats, or private classes.

 

8. Market and Grow Your Business

After you have established your yoga business and garnered a loyal following, start expanding your business. You may have a loyal following of a few clients, but if you want to generate more money from the business, you’ll need to attract more clients or introduce new revenue streams.

Promote your business at local events, or create mutual relationships with other companies in your area that share the same type of clients. In addition, offer free classes every now and then to encourage more people to come to your studio to try your classes. Market your business online through social media and influencer marketing. However, focusing your marketing efforts on search engine optimisation (SEO) and Email marketing will provide the best results. Increase your website’s SEO by building out a professional blog that delivers value to your target audience. Incorporate lead-capturing forms to build your email list to run future marketing campaigns.

 

Conclusion for Starting a Yoga Business

Be Authentic

First and foremost, be yourself. Create a yoga studio environment that is authentic to you, your practice and your yoga philosophy. Your students will see the authenticity and like-minded people will be attracted to your space.

In a nutshell, starting a yoga business involves hard work, dedication, and a solid plan. Like any other business, a yoga startup comes with its own setup pitfalls and joys. However, by following the tips we’ve discussed above, you can start your own successful yoga business and earn money from it. In case, you’re struggling to start your yoga business and need someone to guide you in the right direction, reach out to Margaret Guillen.

Book your free consultation now to discuss your new venture in more detail and set yourself up for success.