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biz: 5 ways you're leaving money on the table as a yoga teacher
today is my birthday! happy birthday to me :-)
that means homemade banana cake with cream cheese icing. mmm mmm!
and, when i'm blowing out my candles, one of my wishes (and the reason i started CALM biz) will be to see more and more people doing what they love & making money at it!
that's all i've ever dreamed of for myself -- doing something that i truly and deeply enjoy as my work -- and, i'm so thrilled that for over a year now, i've been growing CALM biz into a thriving community of passionate, biz-minded yogis who really want to make a lasting impact on this world of ours.
in order to help you build your yoga career into something magnificent, just think of today's birthday post as a little gift to you! it highlights 5 areas where you might be leaving money on the table (or should i say on the yoga mat), so that you can close the leaky holes in your yoga biz & enjoy more abundance!
here are the 5 ways you might be leaving money on the mat...
1. you don't have business goals
goals hold us accountable. they fire us up. they give us something to strive for. if you don't have clear & realistic monthly, 1 year, and even 5 year or "big picture" goals, you're not going to be as focused and driven in your yoga career. for example, if your dream is to host a yoga retreat, but you don't map out your monthly goals to take you there, it's never going to come together!
plus, goal setting is fun. set aside some time to daydream about your future yoga career, and write down all your big ideas, then pick a few that you want to actively pursue -- it's as simple as that!
2. you don't have an email list
ok, you probably knew this one was coming because i talk about this topic A LOT. but that's only because it's truly that important. in today's online world, it is essential to keep in touch with your yoga students (and potential students!) via email. your email list then can serve as the backbone of all your yoga marketing efforts, and serves to build a relationship with your students off-the-mat, keeps them informed about what you're doing, and gives them a way to keep in touch with you!
without an email list, you're just shooting in the dark when it comes time to market your upcoming yoga workshop or event. an email list instantly puts you in touch with the very community that likes you and needs your teaching the most.
3. you don't have a yoga niche
having a niche is a great way to rise to the level of "yoga expert". why? because it makes you a big fish in a small pond. let's face it, the yoga industry is crowded and there are more and more teachers completing teacher training every day. BUT...there are far fewer who specialize in chair yoga, meditation for teens, or therapeutic flow.
now, i'm not saying that you should arbitrarily pick a niche just for the sake of having one, but if there is an area in which you hold expertise, it may be time to capitalize on it.
the thing is, when your efforts are all over the place, and you try to serve too many different students, you end up serving no one because your teaching gets diluted. the more the niche-down, the more powerful your message and teachings become. and you'll become seen as an expert in your niche. and...experts make the big bucks :-)
don't know what your yoga niche is? discover it here.
4. you don't think of your teaching as a business
if you don't treat your teaching like a business, it will never be one. if you don't act like it's your career, it won't be. ok, i know that's some tough love, but it's the truth.
ever hear the saying "act as if"? well, that applies here. if you don't take your teaching seriously, there's no way for it to transform into something bigger and better.
so, what does "taking it seriously" mean? here are a few things to think about:
- do you have yoga teacher insurance?
- do you have a separate account for your teaching income?
- do you keep track of your yoga income and biz expenses?
- do you actively and consistently work toward your big goals?
- do you make time every week to work on your yoga business? (FYI this is different than class planning or teaching!)
- do you have a website?
- do you market your yoga offerings yourself? (or do you hope your studio will?)
5. you don't reach out to your community on a consistent basis
when it comes down to it, commitment to consistency is what separates the yoga teacher amateurs from the pros. and, as we all know, you've got to go pro to make a living from your passion, right?!
consistency means reaching out to your community (via your email list) on a regular basis, and offering them valuable advice that not only showcases your expertise but helps them develop their practice off-the-mat. consistency means working on your yoga biz week after week and realizing that it's a marathon, not a sprint. consistency means holding yourself accountable, not making excuses, and working toward your BIG goals and dreams.
building your teaching into a career is a practice. just like your yoga practice.
it requires that you show up time and again, push through when it gets tough, and never lose site of your vision.
but, just as with your yoga practice, the beauty is in the doing.
and you'll come to love this career that you're building as much as you love yoga itself.
i want to hear from you!
what is ONE THING you are currently NOT doing that are you going to start doing to tap into more abundance in your yoga career?
biz: 3 signs your yoga career is in trouble & action steps you can take
making a business of teaching yoga isn't easy. there's no doubt about that.
when you decide to make something you love your career, it's not all sunshine, butterflies, and smiles. it's stressful, challenging, time consuming, and worrisome. we wonder constantly "am i doing the right things for my business?" and "am i making the right decisions?"
and, one of the hardest things about all of this is acknowledging when things aren't going right, and making a shift.
it's easy to go into denial when what we love so very dearly -- teaching yoga and helping people live better lives -- isn't going well. "things will pick up", we say. or, "this is the slow season." but, if things have been in need of "picking up" for a long time now, perhaps the truth is that your yoga business is in trouble.
now, that doesn't mean you need to metaphorically close-up-shop and get a 9-to-5 desk job. it may just mean you have to rethink your approach and infuse more creativity into your yoga career.
in fact, your "troubled" yoga business could be the best thing that ever happened to your biz! it could be the very shot-in-the-arm, kick-in-the-butt you need to really get serious about how to make it a profitable business, not just a hobby.
if you're wondering if it's time for a change in your yoga career, check out these 3 signs your biz is in trouble (and what you can do about it!):
(1) you're teaching multiple classes 5-6 days a week & you're still strapped for cash. 
if this is you, it's time to rethink your income structure. if you rely too heavily on public classes, you're going to "cap out" at a certain point, since you only have so many hours in a day.
action step
instead, think about the highest rate of return for your time -- and likely that's teaching private lessons, workshops and trainings. step outside of your comfort zone, and considering dropping your least attended classes in exchange for income-producing (and fun!) new yoga offerings like a 5 week yoga workshop for beginners, a teacher training that covers your unique area of expertise, or a yoga event filled with meditation, asana, healthy food & music!
(2) you regularly go without.
do you have health insurance? are you able to take a solid two days off most weeks in order to replenish? do you attend yoga classes and practice regularly? if you consistently "go without", it's a sign that you need to rethink your work. as much as doing work you love can build you up, overworking can totally deplete you (no matter how much you love it)!
action step
you need to evaluate not only what serves your students, but what serves you! in this case, it may be time to give yourself a raise. if you're consistently making less than $50+ an hour, it's time to up your hourly. if you're concerned about how your current private clients will react, have a frank and honest conversation, and explain that in order to continue teaching and serving them to the best of your ability, you have to adjust some things in your business, including your hourly rate -- and, be sure to give them at least 1 month's notice before your raise your rate.
(3) it's not fun anymore!
do you enjoy teaching? or are you starting to dread it? sure, you love your students, but does the idea of showing up day after day, week after week invigorate you, or tire you out? if teaching isn't fun anymore, it doesn't necessarily mean that you should give it up, it may just mean to need to mix it up.
action step
sit down and make a list of things that sound like pure fun -- walking your dog in the park, getting tea with friends, going out to dinner, listening to great music -- and then think about how to incorporate them into your yoga offerings! host a "yoga in the park" event and encourage students to bring their (well-behaved) pets, offer a yogi tea time after class where you discuss yoga & life, plan a "yoga girls' night out" and coordinate a healthy, vegetarian dinner with a local restaurant to follow an asana practice, or coordinate a yoga concert where students practice to live music or kirtan. (just to be clear, i'm NOT suggesting that any of these offerings be free -- you should OF COURSE figure out how to monetize them. but, how fun would it be to actually look forward to attending an awesome yoga event AND knowing you'll be making great money while doing so?!) that said, if you really think it's time for a change, consider getting a part-time job doing something you enjoy. you'll meet new people, learn new skills, make money, and you'll give yourself time to miss teaching, too :-)
in yoga and in life, there needs to be a balance between the effort and the ease. so, if your yoga business is feeling like all effort, it's time to change something. live your yoga & adjust.
what's ONE THING you can do to infuse more fun (and money!) into your yoga career? share it in the comments below!