5 YOGA BIZ TIPS FOR NEW YOGA TEACHERS
The yoga industry can seem saturated with many yoga teachers, shiny websites and huge Instagram followings. It can be quite easy to feel like you’re never going to be good enough, especially when you are first starting out as a new yoga teachers.
Well I am here to tell you that WHAT YOU HAVE TO SHARE IS VALUABLE AND YOU ARE GOOD ENOUGH!! If you have a passion for teaching then go for it and don’t look back.
Here are some top tips that are all about building a super strong foundation in your yoga biz to get you off to a strong and stable start.
1. TREAT BECOMING A YOGA TEACHER AS STARTING A NEW BUSINESS - GET ORGANISED
When we embark on our journey as a yoga teacher we are embarking also on the journey of a self employed business owner. And it’s important that when we are running a business that we think of all the things that we need to have the business running smoothly. So whether you are teaching full time or along side another job which is usually the case when you first start teaching, the more organised you can be the more space you will have to be creative and to serve you students.
There are 3 main areas to organise to start with…
Organise your time & schedule - Use a digital calendar so you can see clearly what is happening each week clearly, I like google calendar.
Organise your administration - Create templates for all forms and invoices.
Organise your finances - Separate your personal and business finances and keep clear records of all incoming and outgoing so when tax time comes around everything is ready to go.
2. TAKE YOUR BIZ & CLASSES ONLINE
It is easier then ever to start teaching online! All you need is a zoom account or some sort of streaming platform, a camera which can be your phone and or laptop, a tripod, a place to film and then inviting your current community, meaning your family and friends to join you in your classes. Jump in and just do it. The best thing you can do as a new yoga teacher is teach as much as possible and putting a regular zoom class up is the perfect way to do this and start building your classes and community from there.
If you’re unsure and a bit scared to do this don’t worry I have a free masterclass HERE, just for you showing you how to set everything up.
3. BUILD AN EMAIL LIST
Building an email list is a way to stay in contact with everyone that comes to your class and build a relationship with them through their inbox. If you start now then not only can you stay in touch with everyone about your current upcoming classes, when you come to start perhaps running workshops and retreats you will have a ready to go community to invite along.
There are a few different email marketing platforms I can recommend. Mailchimp & Mailerlite. Mailchimp is free up until 2000 subscribers and Mailerlite until 1000. One thing I love about mailer lite is that they have lots of little tutorials on how to set everything up on the website so great if your just getting started.
To start with you could send out an email to all of your family and friends asking if they want to join your mailing list with a link to join. You could also pop the link on your Instagram profile for sign up. Then when you have your website up and running you can embed the sign up link onto your website.
4. CULTIVATE & NURTURE RELATIONSHIPS – BUILD YOUR SUPPORT TEAM
Teaching yoga can be a lonely place as we’re self employed freelancers so it’s important to surround yourself with people that can support you and that you can talk to when you need some advice and inspiration.
This can also bring opportunity for collaboration with projects in the future. One of the best things to do that I’ve found in this job is to collaborate with people that you’re friends with and with people that inspire you. This gives you an opportunity to support and inspire each other.
People that you could reach out to are…
Other yoga teachers – People you have done your trainings with, teachers at the studios you teach at or practice at. Don’t be afraid to ask for help and to reach out to others. Chances are they are feeling the same way as you.
More established yoga teachers – Reach out for advice or to see if you can help them in some way. Assisting them in their classes.
Studios – Get involved in the karma yoga opportunities that some studios offer this is a great way to get a foot in the door and get involved with a wonderful community.
Companies and brands in the yoga and wellness space – choosing companies that you resonate with and reaching out to them to potentially work with them in some way. Lululemon and Sweaty betty are great at supporting new teachers and offer loads of free events around development and sometimes have opportunity to teach in store or on these events so reach out and connect.
Mentors – Find mentors that will support you on your journey, whether that be with your own practice, you teaching skills, your teaching practice. A mentor is someone that has been in the same shoes as you and can share their experience to help and support you in your growth and journey.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help! If you want some guidance and support ask your yoga teacher friends, more experienced teachers and seek out mentors that can support you on this journey.
5. BUILD YOUR WEBSITE
I know as a new teacher it can be daunting to be thinking about a website but the sooner you can get one if you are serious about building a career as a teacher the sooner people who are looking for what your offering can find you and will take you seriously. Not only does it look professional it also gives you an opportunity to get clear on what you want to offer whether that is online classes, private sessions, studio classes and more.
There are many ways in which you can do this…
Facebook Business Page – To start an option that is quick and easy to open a FB business page. This gives a place to direct people while you are building your website.
Build it yourself – Building your website yourself can be challenging but there are 2 platforms that I can recommend that I have used personally that make it easy. Squarespace and Wix.com are both really user friendly with a drag and drop system and have lovely templates to work with.
Hire a website designer to do it. - Another option is to pay someone to do it for you. You could pay anything from £500 - £3100 depending on what you want, whether you want to include branding design, maybe a membership option on the website it might be a bit more.
Free Google Website - At the beginning you may not want to fork out, there are free options For example, Google My Business allows you to create a small but easy website for free.
You’ve got this!! I promise. It might feel scary and a little overwhelming but remembering why you became a yoga teacher, because you love yoga and you want to help your students. Keep that in mind always and you will do so well.
If you don’t want to do this alone come over and look at the Evolution Lab Mentoring Programme. And come over to ‘The Lab Space’ Facebook Group to connect with a growing community of yoga teachers just like you. We are here for you!