Opening a yoga studio can be one of the most rewarding and challenging endeavors that you can embark on as a yoga teacher! Here are a few top business tips for opening your yoga studio that will help take some of the stress off of you as a new yoga studio owner…
1. Find a Good Location
Having a great location for your studio is going to be key for success! You want somewhere that is easily accessible for people and easy to find. You also want a location that has parking available so that your students don’t have to stress about finding parking right before class.
The size of the studio is really going to depend on your needs, but we would recommend looking for a space that can fit 20-35 yoga mats comfortably, with a space to check people in and for people to change. You also want to make sure that your space has easy access to bathrooms!
2. Create a Catchy Name & Logo
Once you have purchased or rented your space, the next step is to create signage for your yoga studio. But, in order to be able to create signage, you need a catchy name and a logo. When it comes to naming your yoga studio, you want something that is simple, easy to remember, and easy to identify. Ideally, you will include “yoga” in the name so that people clearly know what type of business you are.
Something like “Peaceful Lotus Yoga Studio” is a lot more catchy and clear than something like “Blue Zen”. Sometimes a name that makes sense to us doesn’t make sense to our customers, so once you have some ideas, make sure you ask other people’s opinions before it’s set in stone!
After you have decided on a name, it’s time to design your logo. Again, you want something that is simple, easily recognizable, and memorable. We recommend working with a professional graphic designer for the logo design because this will be how people identify your business going forward. It’s important that your logo represents your yoga studio’s vibe and clearly attracts your target market.
3. Create a Website & Facebook Page
Once the name and logo are taken care of, it’s time to get things organized on the back end. The first thing you need to consider is your digital presence. Most people will start looking for a yoga studio by searching in Google “Yoga in my area”, so you have to be online!
We recommend creating a simple website and starting a Facebook page that has the name, address, schedule, prices, and hours for your business. It doesn’t need to be complicated, but you do need to have these things so that people can start to find your yoga studio!
4. Have a Great Booking Software
Now that you have an online presence, you need a way for people to book and pay! There are many different booking software options available to you, but we recommend using Punchpass. Punchpass is designed for small businesses and has affordable price options based on your needs. The software has the capability of adding your class schedule, workshops and events, and other offerings, and it allows your students to book and pay all with one click. You can integrate Punchpass into your website so that everything is super and simple for your students, and for you!
When we’re first starting out, we often steer away from the added costs of a booking software, but the hours, time and energy this will save you is worth the investment – I promise!
5. Hire Great Teachers
As a yoga studio owner, you’ll wear a lot of hats, so although you should teach a few classes, don’t try and team them all. It’s so important to find a great team to work with and support you and your business.
First, you want to identify what class times and class types you’re looking to fill, and then identify how much you can pay your teachers. Next, you can put up a job posting or turn to your network and begin to interview teachers for the class times you’re looking to fill. It is super important to make sure that your teachers are aligned with your vision and goals for your studio, so make sure that you are clearly communicating these to them.
Once you’ve got your team of teachers ready to go, you are ready to open your doors to the public!
6. Tell People About it!
The final piece of the puzzle is to tell people about your studio. Make sure you are telling your friends and family, advertising on social media, networking with people in your community, and spreading the word as much as you can.
It will take time to build up your studio, but it will happen faster if you are consistently telling people about it! It’s a fine balance between patience and persistence.
Alright, now you know our top 6 tips for opening a studio. Good luck and have fun!
