| well, what do you mean by 'loyal?' if you're refering to exclusivity contracts, then most yoga teachers won't go for it unless you can give them a salary that would meet their needs. a number of gyms in my area tried the exclusivity thing with me and i laughed in their faces. I need to eat, and they wanted me, exclusively for a 35 mile radius, for only two classes a week, for which they were only going to pay me $25 each class. Laughable!
as to finding teachers, i would look around your area and take as many classes as you can. talk to the teachers whom you like about your plans, and talk to them about their schedules and when they may be able to teach for you. this is probably the easiest ways to find teachers. Another option is to send a notice to studios that train teachers letting them know that you will have openings for newly trained teachers at your studio starting on which date if they want to apply. And still another option is to take out an ad in the local health and fitness or yoga related magazine (we have free ones all around us here) and then teachers can contact you to apply.
i have found that there are two ways to keep me happy: 1. leave me alone and 2. pay me decently. I don't necessarily need to be highly paid--particularly if it's a new studio. I'll definately take less in that circumstance, with the understanding that if i get a following (a large number of students) or once the studio goes into profit (based on my work as a teacher, in part), that i would get a raise of some sort to be worked out later.
as to the first issue, this is my real bone. i don't know what kind of studio you want to have, but a lot of studios in my area have their quirks. This one says "don't use sankrit terms" and that one says "don't teach alignment with anatomical terms" and this one says "no chanting" and that one says "no prayer, not even your general prayer of 'may all beings. . .' because we are not religions" and that one says "i don't like your music" and that one says "i dont' like that you don't play music." and that one says "you don't teach 'normal' vinyasa.' and that one says "you teach too much alignment." and that one says "you don't teach enough alignment."
back off! let me teach! i'm the one in the classroom darn it! i'm the one trained to look for things, whose taught thousands of people from all over the world, who has studied bodies and can basicly figure out how to run highly successful classes considering my classes are always full. So hey, what are you whining about? LOL!!!
basicly, understand how a teacher teaches--learn about their methodology. If their methods, beliefs, and practices don't match up--then don't hire them. If their methods to, basicly, then let them do their job without harassment or without rules. Let them learn and grow too! It's prefectly fine to say "these are the complaints, ideas, and suggestions that we've gotten--please take them into consideration or maybe you should try this or check that out"--certainly give constructive evaluations. but, try not to hamstring the teacher's spirit by constraining the teaching too much.
do you know what i mean?
basicly, if i feel valued and trusted as a teacher, i'll stick around. It's a good gig to have a nice, clean yoga studio in which to teach. But when the boss comes in and says "i only want you to teach this, or don't teach that way. . ." i start to get a bit annoyed. I can, within reason, adjust my teaching, but ultimately, i have to teach from my own heart. I've had too many studios ask me to teach against my own heart and practice and education and experience--so much so that i simply had to move on.
If you want consistancy/loyalty, hire who you like and let them be themselves. |
| Good advice from the board!
Before you attempt to open a studio, is is helpful to know about both types of studio owners
There are 2 main types:
1) Owners who teach most the classes and run the studio.
2) Owners who have lots of money and don't teach but run the business end.
Type 1 is where most of us start out. I feel that is an invaluable step for learning the business of yoga. There is a lot to know just about running a business much less knowing the complexities of the yoga business.
You will have to teach a bulk of the classes, work usually 7 days a week, clean the studio, do the accounting, deal with teachers who don't show, everything basically. To do this you must be teacher and a business person. Eventually you can build the business up, train or hire some teachers and eventually step back and let it run itself.
Type 2 is the business person who wants to open a studio and has EXPERIENCE in running a business. Usually the have practiced yoga for sometime and has the contacts and the money to start everything.
The type 2 who has no experience in running a business, no contacts with the local yoga community and no capital to support the studio for the first 2-3 years is doomed to fail IMO.
I would highly recommend getting certified and starting in the type 1 category. You may need to cover classes as an owner for a teacher who pulls a diva act and quits right before a class. You really need to understand the part of the yoga business that most don't see.
Also don't forget to WRITE A BUSINESS PLAN!
Good luck! |
Opening a new studio
