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When I was new to teaching yoga, I thought owning a yoga studio would mean mostly practicing, teaching, and hanging out in community.
It was not that. Owning a yoga studio was way more complex than I thought it would be.
It wasn’t long after graduating from college that I decided to open my own studio. I began taking classes as an undergrad to combat anxiety and create some positive life changes. Yoga ended up changing everything about my life and I wanted to share the practice with everyone I knew.
Shortly after completing my first yoga teacher training, I was fired from my part-time job at a yoga clothing store. Given my college degree in the incredibly impractical field of art history and a terrible track record as an employee, I thought the smartest thing I could do was work for myself. So I decided to open a yoga studio.
I had a lot to learn.
Early on in my role of owning a yoga studio, my desire to have a successful business while being overworked made me feel so anxious and controlling that I could no longer enjoy my practice. When I felt incredibly overwhelmed, I had to remind myself to slow my breath, move my body, acknowledge what I could and could not control, and remain in the present moment. (Sound familiar?) That always helped.
But it also would have been nice to have known some of the following things about owning a business before I started ten years ago.
What You Need to Know Before Owning a Yoga Studio
As I go through the process of opening a second studio, which comes with its own unique and exciting challenges, I am reminded of what I learned during the early days of owning a yoga studio.
1. Know Your Why
Before you begin the process of launching your business, identify your “why.”
The answer for many of us is “I love yoga and want to share it with the world.” Reality check: This is not enough. Instead, you need to be super specific. For example, what problem are you trying to solve? Is there a style of yoga that is lacking in your area? Can you share yoga in a way that’s more affordable? Is there a population you’re hoping to serve that is being ignored? Is there a gap in your city’s yoga offerings and you know the perfect neighborhood and location?
Try your best to get clear on your mission and be open to refining it often. Knowing your why will not only inform countless decisions along the way but it will help sustain you on your most difficult days. Although your desire to share yoga isn’t enough, it will help you through the hard times. I couldn’t imagine being an entrepreneur in an industry that I didn’t care about or believe in.
2. Befriend Criticism
As an entrepreneur, you need to become accustomed to others questioning what you’re doing.
Depending on the person and the feedback, you may simply need to learn to let it go when someone voices doubt. But you also need to discern when the feedback might be helpful. Alternate perspectives can be invaluable in broadening your perspective and helping you tackle potential obstacles before you even open your business.
I recommend listening to the feedback and giving it a few days for you to gut check the information. If it feels like a “heck yes,” take action. If you’re feeling uncertain or the feedback doesn’t feel necessary, productive, or actionable, then chalk it up to a different perspective and keep moving!
No one else will have the same vision as you. But every interaction is an opportunity to learn. Although if someone is outright critical, then use your emotional reaction to strengthen your resolve!
3. Beware of the Good Idea Fairy!
I would almost rather engage with someone who doesn’t believe in my vision and questions what I’m doing than chat with a “good-idea fairy.” This is what I call someone who likes to share all the classes and amenities they think you should offer. These well-meaning individuals rarely understand the costs associated with these ideas, whether in time, money, or energy. They’re also probably not aligned with your vision for your business.
Thank these well-meaning folks for their suggestions and let yourself be curious as to why they’re sharing their ideas. (Maybe even write them down for future consideration.) But if you’re feeling overwhelmed or that it’s a waste of your time, politely and firmly put an end to the conversation..
4. Research Your Location
A commercial lease is a huge commitment. Outside of labor costs, space rental is my largest expense.
I’ve heard a general rule that folks tend to not travel a mile outside of where they live or work for a yoga membership. Do your research to ensure you’re considering a practical location for your demographic. Is there sufficient off-street parking to accommodate the number of students you anticipate attending class? What’s the noise level? What will it be like for staff and students who arrive at early in the morning or late in the evening? Is this a location where you want to spend your days?
Beyond this, know your space requirements and keep in mind you’re paying a price per square foot. Does your space have a long and unusable hallway? An office that you’ll neve use? Too many showers (or not enough) in a locker room? You want to secure a physical studio that is feasible for your budget while also allowing for growth. Also consider the amenities you desire. Will you have to install plumbing and build out locker rooms? Are showers really necessary?
When securing a commercial lease, I recommend working with a broker you trust to help negotiate the terms.
5. Rethink Your Need for a Studio
Consider whether you need an actual “yoga studio” in order to carry out your business. Perhaps you could use a local church, co-working space, community space, art gallery, park (check to see if you need permits). Maybe your passion is in offering yoga to a specific demographic and you’re able to lead classes onsite, whether that’s for those in a recovery center or at a corporate office. Getting creative can save you thousands of dollars as you’re launching your business.
6. Consult With Attorneys Before Signing Any Contract
It may seem daunting to pay several thousand dollars during the launch of your studio, but it will save you both time and money in the long run to rely on the expertise of attorneys or brokers.
To offer context, I’ve moved locations three times, and I paid $2,000 in attorney fees for my most recent lease, which was a 40-page document. It was so worth it. Also, during the pandemic when the stay-at-home order went into place, I tried to keep my commercial lease for the studio as long as I was able so I could film online classes. Thank goodness I had worked with an experienced broker who helped me include an uncommon 30-day cancellation clause when I signed the lease in 2018.
7. Consider Establishing an LLC
Creating an LLC can offer many benefits, including protecting you from being personally liable if things ever go south with your business. Regulations vary state by state, so do your research. Also, forming an LLC typically doesn’t shield you from having to provide a personal guarantee on commercial leases.
You will need to pay a small fee when you file articles of incorporation for your business with the secretary of the state. You’ll also need to choose a business name but it does not have to be the forever name. You can establish a DBA (doing business as) at a later date.
8. Know Yourself
Everyone thinks entrepreneurship is glamorous but I can’t even begin to count how many mats, toilets, and mirrors I’ve cleaned! Being an entrepreneur reminds me of the proverb from the great zen masters, “Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water; after enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.” Studio ownership is a reminder that there is nothing you must do in life other than what must be done. When living in this way, tasks in your life will cease to be tasking. Well, most of the time.
As an entrepreneur, you need to do all kinds of things. Identify the types of work that don’t align with your talents, require more time than you can spare, or simply annoy you. Then research the cost associated with hiring others to do those things. You might not be able to delegate at the outset, but that doesn’t mean it will never happen.
9. Live Your Yoga
Practice your self-awareness. It helps to know your strengths, your attitudes, and your default behaviors, especially when you’re stressed, so you can acknowledge when you need to tend to yourself.
Keep ahimsa, or non-harm, and aparigraha, or non-attachment, by training others to do tasks and allowing them to develop aspects of the business without micromanaging. Cultivate asteya by being generous with yourself, your clients, your staff. And embrace satya by not speaking negatively about anyone, including your competition, and being compassionate with the neediest of clients.
10. Don’t Give Up Too Easily
A bad day or week isn’t going to make or break your business.
11. Word of Mouth is the Best Advertising
Keep doing what you’re doing to stay in alignment with your why and your values. Those who experience what you create will want to tell others about you.
Never talk badly about competitive studios, styles of yoga, or teachers. It’s not aligned with yoga and it certainly won’t draw students to your business.
12. Set Designated Work Hours
Owning a business can feel like a 24/7 role as there’s always a task to complete, a report to pull, or a system to refine. If you notice that answering emails or staying at work until 9 pm means you aren’t sleeping well, then identify a different time during the day or week when you can tend to these tasks. This will allow you to press pause on work and decompress. That can help you avoid the burnout I experienced during the first few years of owning the studio.
When I was at the studio all the time, I found that even when I took time to practice, I was preoccupied with the room not being clean enough or the teacher overlooking a student in the far corner who needed a block.
Early on in my yoga practice I had felt the impact it was having on every facet of my life and that became the reason I wanted to share it. Once I became a studio owner, I had to allow enough time for my own physical practice to ensure I was still experiencing the benefits.
13. Ask for What You Want
Early on in my studio ownership, I felt silly if I requested or negotiated unorthodox things, such as a 30-day termination clause in a lease and access to amenities inside of a multi-use space. But I’ve learned to be less afraid when asking for what I want.
This includes thinking outside of the box, whether it’s your class schedule, additional offerings, or lease terms. Maybe pulling off unique workshops leaves you feeling empowered. A personal motto of mine is “If you don’t ask, the answer is always no.”
14. Hire According to Your Values
I’ve brought staff and teachers onboard that I didn’t feel were a “heck yes” and they never worked out.
For example, it’s an enormous red flag when teachers apply to work at my studio and subsequently rip apart the previous studio they worked for or other local teachers. There is always room for constructive criticism in business and I welcome learning ways to do things better. But spilling the tea is unprofessional and out of alignment with our commitment as yoga practitioners and teachers. Don’t underestimate how quickly this degree of toxicity will infiltrate your studio.
Instead, look for inspiration in those you hire. I love working with teachers who I can learn from. That requires you to stay humble and open.
Hire in alignment with your company culture, and trust your gut. Hiring the wrong person costs you in many ways, including time and money.
16. Create Solutions, Not Problems
As entrepreneurs, you constantly encounter problems, but it’s not helpful to dwell on them.
During our weekly staff meetings anything that we present as a hurdle must also include a solution. This is something I’ve instilled in the culture of our staff. If there is a system or policy they dislike, I encourage folks to present that piece of feedback along with an alternative. This is a way to leverage the strengths of those within your organization as their perspectives are varied and valuable.
17. Don’t Wait for the Right Time to do Something
It will never come. That said, if you repeatedly come up against a ton of resistance—whether logistical realities or your intuition—explore why that might be taking place. Maybe it’s time to pivot.
18. Be Real
It’s easy in the yoga world to think you need to be “good-vibes” only and adopt a spiritual bypassing attitude. In the everyday reality of an entrepreneur, you need to keep it positive but also be real with yourself and those around you.
Look to see the good and the real in your staff, teachers, location, and your why. When you notice the things that need to be improved upon, label them as opportunities. Work on the things that can be fixed, be patient as you navigate the things that can’t, and acknowledge even the smallest wins. And always remember what a privilege it is to learn and share the practice of yoga.
