Most Common Mistakes Yoga Studio Owners Make

So you love yoga, and while you are experienced in what you do, building a business is a whole other story that comes with mistakes and a few mishaps.

There can be a lot of pressure building your own yoga studio from nothing while still learning how to successfully solve all the problems that come with that responsibility.

Sometimes knowing what to do, helps. Other times it’s best to know what not to do.

Here are a few of the most common mistakes yoga studio owners make and how to avoid them.

Not Working on Social Skills

The moment you decide to start your own yoga studio, you also choose to become more open to other people.

According to Mbomyoga:

This is huge. As a studio manager and a studio owner, you can only do so much behind the scenes. We need to have clear communication between the managers and the teachers in order to have everything running smoothly. At The Yoga Lounge, we use a book to write notes in that everyone is responsible for checking when they are in the studio, and it works well to ensure that student questions or problems aren’t missed and that everyone is clear on what’s going on.

It is also important to set clear communication guidelines around subbing out classes, running workshops, etc. so that all the staff is clear on the procedures and how to go about these processes.

However you can also use a studio managing software such as Studio Helper to go beyond writing notes and actually keep a well organized studio.

This social aspect of the job goes beyond dealing with students, it’s also about getting comfortable with social media.

You need to start thinking about posting about your studio, having blog posts, news and so much more in order to improve the reach of your studio.

Marketing

Some of the most common mistakes come from the marketing side of things and they range from little planning to not thinking big enough.

There is a lot of planning to do ahead of marketing your yoga studio due to all the little things that make this aspect of management work.

Some of the marketing ideas you should remember are:

• Website
• SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
• Newsletters
• Social media ads
• Use of Analytics

Managing a Studio by Yourself

This is a big mistake in many ways; first of all, it can be very stressful to deal with all the things a yoga studio needs, and eventually you’ll burnout and start doing things halfway.

The idea here is to avoid being a master of none, because while you may want to be in control as much as possible, being the studio manager, in the end it won’t make your business thrive.

No one can do all the things a yoga studio requires you to do, so eventually you’ll have to trust other people to help you with all the tasks ahead, that is why you need people qualified for the job.

Hiring People Unqualified for the Job

This is a very important aspect of running a yoga studio, because you will need to hire staff, and you want to be able to trust every single person that is part of the team.

Don’t hire based on skills alone, there has to be a balance between a person’s qualifications and how well their ideas mix with yours. 

Also when you hire someone, make sure that person fills in the gaps. In other words, you don’t need someone with your exact same vision and skills.

The idea is to have a team where everyone has something different to offer.

Lastly, make sure everyone gets along and feels comfortable in their workplace, there is nothing worse than a toxic environment in a studio.

Full Time Job

When you are responsible for a yoga studio, you essentially work all day to ensure that everything is in order.

In some ways being a yoga studio manager means working with little time to rest.

One of the worst mistakes you can make is to not fully commit. Of course this doesn’t mean that there is no rest but the nature of this job requires a lot of attention.

This is another good reminder of how important it is to have a good team, you don’t have to be the only manager.

Have a Good Management Software Program

The best way to keep your studio organized and running smooth is by using a management software program like Studio Helper. Not only does it keep track of all your finances, scheduling and students, it also allows each teacher to login and keep track of each of their students and schedules. It will save you hours of work each week and also give you a professional feel and look to those around you.