Why Boobs Matter: Selling to A Woman Is Different Than Selling To A Man

September 30, 2009

Believe it or not, this is a topic that is just beginning to be understood and embraced. It’s so obvious that we kind of forget about it. This past weekend I was reading the October Fast Company and an article by “The Femme Den” a sub-group of the Smart Design Firm “devoted to [...]

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Can Social Media Help Your Yoga Business?

September 21, 2009

Do you tweet?  Do you create youtube videos?  Have you made a friend or two on Facebook?  Then you are already aware of social media.  This includes sites such as:
Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, Youtube, Linkedin, to name a few.
And being a part of them can absolutely help your business.
Here are a few tips to get started [...]

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Yoga Business Coach Perspective: Understand No One Cares About You!

September 20, 2009

I was watching an interview with Seth Grodin, who wrote Permission Marketing, among other bestsellers, and he makes the point that no one cares about you.  Okay, your mom aside, we’re really talking about your customers and prospective students.  The reality is they don’t stay awake at night thinking about your yoga studio.
Want proof?  In your [...]

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The Business of Yoga: Are there too many teachers?

September 16, 2009

Doublex.com recently put out an article entitled : “Can You Earn a Living Teaching Yoga?
In reading the article, I was wondering who they were interviewing because only one person truly seemed to have a plan. Yoga is no different than any other business. You have to have a great product–your teaching and you [...]

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Is Your Yoga Studio Newsletter Being Effective?

September 12, 2009

A lot of yoga studio owners have been told that it’s a good idea to put out a regular newsletter. By regular I mean at least a once a month type of document that keeps your students informed as to what’s going on in your studio. However, what starts out under the premise of a [...]

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How Photos On The Cover of Yoga Journal May Turn Students Off

September 4, 2009

How you made this mistake (see photo) when selecting a photograph for a marketing piece for your yoga studio?  I believe the thought is “look how beautiful and graceful this is, wouldn’t you like to do this posture too?”  However, what your prospective student, that is the student who reads your materials but isn’t yet [...]

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NPR’s Marketplace and Yoga Journal Say Regulation Of Yoga Is Inevitable

September 4, 2009

“And this shows that yogis can be vicious, political, together.”  Reuters quote from Fara Marz, owner of Om Factory yoga studio in New York
Ouch, vicious yogis.  How is that going to work with ahimsa?  Money and yoga, actually money and anything, gets pretty heated quickly.
According to Marketplace, regulation of yoga is coming.
Why is it inevitable? [...]

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Baron Baptiste, Yoga Coach

September 2, 2009

I was reading an interesting article by Hanna Rosin in The Atlantic called “Striking A Pose”, where she talks about part of why Baron’s yogic message resonates:
He declined the title of “guru.” “A guru is someone who says, ‘Follow me.’ But Americans don’t like to be led, to be told what to do.” Instead, he [...]

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Why Yoga Studios Go Out of Business And What To Do About It Part 1

August 31, 2009

There are two things you need to do to have a successful yoga studio.
Work in the business of yoga
Work on the business of yoga
What is the difference?
I’ll explain.  Working in your business means delivering the actual product or service you offer.  In our case, it’s teaching yoga classes at your yoga studio.
Working on your business [...]

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Yoga Business: Is It Okay For A Yoga Studio To Make Money

August 29, 2009

This is an important question because your attitude towards money may be subconsciously undermining your efforts at bringing yoga to the community you serve.
Most of us teach and open studios to offer yoga to a much larger audience.  We know of the benefits we have experienced in our lives as a result of a regular [...]

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The One Reason Yoga Studio Owners Struggle to Connect with Prospective Students

August 26, 2009

Clarity!
To be able to share your message with others, you have to first share that message with yourself.  A lot of yoga studio owners I meet struggle to talk about their offering (i.e. yoga) in a clear and simple manner.  They say things like “I created this business to offer the gift of yoga.”  ”I [...]

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Is Your Yoga Studio Marketing Message Confusing?

August 24, 2009

I was in Berkeley , CA yesterday when I looked over while at a stoplight and saw this Mexican/Pakistan/Indian restaurant.  I thought it was funny because it’s not the first time I’ve seen Mexican combined with other genres of dining–most notably Chinese food.
I love food, including all of the above menu options, however I’m not [...]

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How to Create A Yoga Class Your Students Will LOVE!

August 22, 2009

Yoga classes are organic in nature.  By that I mean they are a living, breathing entity that exists while your students are in the yoga studio and then dissipates just as quickly as when they leave.
As yoga teachers our highest purpose is to hold the space for our students.  To do that is to truly [...]

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Speak English! Your Students Do. Sanskrit is Dead.

August 21, 2009

Communication comes down to one person expressing an idea and the other person understanding it.  The gap in the middle is cause for all kinds of drama, tragedy, comedy and the challenge in being part of this great human tribe.
There are many research studies which underscore just how difficult it is to convey a very [...]

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Gated Communities, Yoga and Your Students Lives

August 12, 2009

How well do you know your students?
Who is she?  Where does she live?  What does she drive, and wear?  Where does she shop?  What does she read?
Yes, these may appear to be superficial matters but they lead to a bigger question:
What keeps her up at night?
What are your student’s biggest worries?  Is it money, time [...]

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Can you find all 7 Yoga offerings on this board?

August 8, 2009

Yes, there are really 7 different offerings from yoga studios on this board.  I took this picture at a coffee shop I recently stopped into, to find a cup of Earl Grey tea.  After a cup or two I had to find the bathroom and there I discovered this marvelous board full of opportunities for [...]

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Rolf Gates and Yoga Studio Relevancy

August 6, 2009

I interviewed Rolf Gates, yoga teacher and author of Meditations From The Mat, two days ago.  In our conversation Rolf shared why he likes the fact yoga studios have to earn a profit.
…if you are not providing a service to the community that people find impactful, then you are not relevant and don’t get to [...]

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Yoga is Life

July 12, 2009

It’s that simple.  Yoga means life.
Yes, it can mean union, to yoke, to join, to come together.  It’s most helpful, though, thinking about it as your everyday life.  There is a specific type of yoga for that called “karma yoga’ or the yoga of action.  It means every action you take is your yoga, from [...]

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