At Punchpass we absolutely love supporting new businesses and have seen a lot of different approaches through the years. Most launches are incredibly successful but there are a few traps that we’ve seen new yoga studio owners fall into – here are our top tips to avoid some common mistakes.
Mistake #1: Trusting students when they request new class times
The mistake:
A student approaches you and says “I wish you had a class at 10am Tuesday – I’d be here every week and so would a few of my friends!”. That initially sounds like such a solid opportunity, especially when class scheduling is always a gamble.
So you set the new class up on the schedule, let those students know you’ve listened to their feedback and the class is now available for them and then… nothing, they never come, and nobody else does either.
What you can do instead:
First, you should dig into why they want a 10am class on Tuesdays. Is it specific to their schedule? Or does that reflect a time that might work for a larger group of people? (For example maybe elementary school starts late on Tuesdays, so a 10am class would work great after dropoff) Finding out the reasons behind the request can give you a lot more insight (and help you work out how to market the class to more potential students)!
To minimize your risk we strongly recommend scheduling any new classes for a limited time at first, and asking students to sign up (and pay!) for a few classes ahead of time. We suggest starting by asking for a 4 week commitment and working out the minimum number of students you need to make the new class viable, then sticking to that number. Once you have enough people committed to the first 4 weeks you might like to open bookings up for additional drop-in students during the test period. Then if that test run is successful you can turn the new offering into a regular weekly class
But remember that crafting the perfect class schedule that works for you, your teachers and your community is almost impossible so you’ll need to get clear about your priorities, be sure of your boundaries and stay true to those principles when you need to make tough decisions.
Mistake #2: Asking too much of their teachers
The mistake:
The floor definitely needs sweeping before class, the bathrooms need to be unlocked and restocked, and maybe you’d like to offer some tea to your students – but who is going to take care of all of that? Unless you want to be at the studio for every class, those responsibilities will need to be passed onto your instructors and it’s easy for them to become overwhelmed and unhappy if the to-do list gets too long.
What you could do instead:
Lean into the strengths and preferences of your instructors and keep the communication lines open. Some teachers absolutely love the idea of lingering after class and enjoying tea and a chat with their students – so list it in their class description and make it a perk of their particular class offering.
Consider shifting to a rolling roster for a lot of the other studio tasks, and manage the reminders from home by leaving a note for instructors on their class pages.
Looking for a mutually beneficial way to keep your studio clean without overburdening your instructors? Consider a trade with a student who can help regularly maintain the space in exchange for free or discounted classes.
Mistake #3: Trying the “studio rental” business model
The mistake:
Many new studio owners will initially try to minimize their risk by using a “studio rental” model – charging instructors to rent the studio space and letting them charge students for just their own classes, instead of paying instructors as part of the studio business. This gets tricky very quickly since students will want to try out different classes and payments can’t be transferred, plus there’s no cohesive feeling or defined responsibilities for class promotion etc.
What you could do instead:
Take the leap! We know that studio ownership is a big risk but there’s lots to be said for going all-in. Employing (or contracting) your instructors at a sustainable pay rate shows your commitment to them and lets you unify your messaging within the community.
Mistake #4: Keeping failing classes on the schedule for too long
The mistake:
You think the 4pm Sunday class is going to be a sure thing – that’s when you love to practice, surely everyone else does too? So you keep paying your instructor to show up, week after week, teaching a handful of students who never really seem to become regulars (and occasionally nobody shows up at all). This goes on for months while the instructor gets flakier (no-one likes to have their time wasted) and the students feel the lack of energy and stop bothering too (especially if class has been cancelled a few times).
What you could do instead:
Be more decisive! Give yourself a time limit for new classes to get off the ground (we suggest 4-6 weeks) but that also means you need to be sure that everyone knows about them. Make sure the new classes are mentioned in the subject line of any newsletters you’re sending out, and consider adding the information at the top of your schedule so it can’t be missed.
We’ve also seen studios having great success adding an emoji (or note) to the class name to show that it’s in the “testing” phase and students should be sure to attend soon if they want the class to become a permanent part of the schedule. It’s also a prompt for your instructors to ask students for feedback after the class – sometimes a simple tweak to the time or duration of a class can make all the difference to class attendance numbers and you’ll never know until you ask!
Mistake #5: Relying too much on social media posts and promotion
The mistake:
There’s no doubt that a good social media presence is more critical than ever for businesses but everybody is also seeing a huge drop in reach and engagement.
Posting about a new class, or a special pass price, or an upcoming event a couple of times on social media isn’t a reliable way to get the word out – you need something more solid.
What you could do instead:
In addition to posting on social media (we still think you should do that too!), we definitely recommend sending a monthly newsletter (pay close attention to your subject lines – you want to make people click, but not feel like they’re been tricked into it!) and also keeping your schedule and pass purchase page updated with any new offerings.
Students have no choice but to visit those pages when they make class reservations so you have a captive audience, no algorithm trickery required!
Mistake #6 (Bonus!): Signing a long term studio software contract
The mistake:
The sales rep is so nice, and they really seem to understand your business. They give you an offer “that they normally don’t do”, but only if you sign an annual contract. The savings sound too good so you go for it. Guess what? They aren’t so nice when in 4 months you need to downgrade your plan, or your studio lease falls through and you need to pause.
What you could do instead:
Starting a new business is no joke, and a big financial undertaking. It pays to give yourself the flexibility to modify or cancel your contract if you need to. We have heard too many horror stories from clients who came to Punchpass from other providers, or who want to move but can’t because they are locked in.
Start with a monthly contract – then once things are looking good and you feel confident you’re business is going to be around for the long term, you should ask about an annual plan discount. But to start keep your options open!
