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| My sister is a yoga teacher , and I will be getting certified within the next year. We wish to open our own studio in the next 5 years...any pointers on the begining process of opening a studio????? |
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| I'll presume you've already identified that this is part of your dharma and move on to the pragmatic elements.
If you are going to be seeking funding from anyone who has a savvy sense for business then I advise crafting a thorough business plan. That not only demonstrates to potential investors that you've thought through your structures, but also provides you a framework for moving forward in the first years of your business.
If business plans are not your thing, all the more reason to do them. There are many good yoga teachers who have not thought out how they will pay teachers, how they will generate revenue, what they will do when there are lean months, and how to maximize revenue in the square footage they are renting.
The small business administration can help you. They have a department called SCORE and consultations are free. They offer workshops as well. Those are not free.
You'll need to do research. Target markets, demographics, whole cost for props, costs for your build out, how you'll pay investors back and when....
You'll also need to come up with a marketing plan (on paper). How will you get people to your business before you open, on day one, and dat 365. Marketing is a 12 month operation. It should never stop.
This is probably enough information to have you at it for 8 months. If you want more, let us know.
gordon |
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| i agree with what purna wrote as well.
having a business plan and marketing plans are vital to the success of a business. SCORE helped a great deal, but what really helped was working for different people, at different studios over time.
whenever i worked at a studio, i would write copious notes about what i felt was "working" and what wasn't working. At each place, there was often something that worked great and other things that didn't work at all. for whatever was working, i would include what i thought made it work, and ask other people what they thought made it work. for what wasn't, i would write why i thought so, and then ask others for the same, and then we would brainstorm how to fix/avoid that situation.
my business plan evolved over many years, as has my marketing strategy. this second area is where a lot of people really struggle because they do not budget for it. one needs to budget both time and money for marketing.
it's also helpful to think about things in terms of procedure. for example, one thing that really worked at one studio in particular was their Seva program. many fall flat, but theirs worked. after i answered why, i then went on to how. i began to think about what work we did in exchange for classes, and itemized the benefits vs responsibility. the biggest reason that Seva programs fall flat is because the person feels "used" in comparison to what they receive from the studio in return. but, when the duties are clear and seem a fair exchange, the program works very, very well.
as an extension of our business plan, we wrote out our "policies and procedures" that explains our business philosophies, how to implement them, and when they will be implemented. we did the same with our marketing strategy. if we have a blog, a new one comes out every tuesdayy. each teacher is asked to write two blogs a year, submit them by thursday prior for an editing cycle. etc etc etc.
we even developed a customer service training program that we will implement through quarterly retreats.
basically, dream big, leave no stone unturned, and have fun! take your time! |
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| Hi,
We will be leaving our studio in March(thanks to other opportunities opening up).
If you would like to take over the rental of the house and studio...it is all yours....except the tha name! which Iam keeping.
The studio is in Goa,India and there is plenty of work from end of Septemer till end of April.
I think it is easy for USA people to get visa...OK for UK people....much harder for Italian and Israil.
Email me for any info.....flyingmonkeyyoga(at)gmail.com.... |
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| use the search of the forums for my screen name. I posted a lengthy post on this subject several months ago. |
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I want to open a yoga studio, any tips?
