5 tips to help ensure you are on the right track with your yoga teaching career:
Have you ever watched Dragon's Den?
Ever watched some hopeful entrepeneur come in all passionate, with an idea for their business, wanting financial support from the dragons only to be told their idea is not workable? Sometimes the Dragons are totally ruthless in their comments, telling the would be entrepeneur to go home, stop investing their time, energy and money and forget their idea. (Sometimes when they've already invested serious time, money and energy already.)
But the truth is, some ideas are not good ideas business wise.
Some business models aren't workable OR sustainable - don't flog a dead horse! Move on!
And whilst the Dragons aren't always right, they're dragons for a reason: they understand good business strategy. Theres a common saying that insanity is doing the same things over and over - and expecting different results.
Getting good at understanding when to quit and when to change track will be REALLY helpful as you decide how to move forward with your yoga teaching career or business.
Here's 5 tips to help you get it right more of the time, and quit when you need to:
- TEST EVERY IDEA BEFORE YOU INVEST TOO MUCH TIME, ENERGY OR MONEY
Whatever idea you have for your yoga teaching, test EVERYTHING in a small way FIRST.
Research the gyms and studios where you might like to work if you want to teach for others. Find out how much they pay. Sit and really think through how this fits with your lifestyle/other commitments. Teach a couple of classes first - then build up.
Dreaming of teaching your own students? Work on starting small - couple of classes and get those full of loyal students: check whether your model works first - then build it up.
Dreaming of opening a studio? Boy do you need to do your due diligence for this one! (This deserves a few blog posts cevoted to the topic - so watch for these!) bUt for now, just know that doing your research and knowing your numbers is going to be absolutely critical to get a studio functioning profitably.
Testing ensures you keep your sanity - AND your precious resources! - IF WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO DO SEEMS TOO HARD - STOP!
And do the following 3 things:
a) Ask yourself, "What could I tweak to make this easier?"
b) Test! (See point 1!)
c) Get help fomr someone who can do it quicker and better than you!!
d) If it still doesn't work - DON'T FLOG A DEAD HORSE!! It's tempting to keep going because your brain feels a failure so you just try harder - but sometimes it's time to let go, or find an alternative strategy. - DEVELOP A THICK SKIN!
Set backs hurt! Our brains immediately throw us into feeling as though we've "failed" - and for some this is such an awful, overwhelming feeling it knocks our confidence for days before we get back on the bike. Learn to solicit honest feedback from people who you trust (and who know a thing or two about building a business!! DON'T ask friends or family! They typically have no clue!!)
Sit down and talk things through with a mentor - and work out an alternative approach to what you're trying to achieve. - DON'T LET IT BE PERSONAL.
When you do get constructive feedback - wherever that's from, don't take it personally. Instead, look for the lesson in the feedback. what can you apply/do differently, which might get a better result? - SEEK PEOPLE YOU TRUST WHO YOU THINK WILL BE HONEST WITH YOU. (YOU WANT NAYSAYERS WHO UNDERSTAND BUSINESS AND WILL TELL IT AS IT IS NOT WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR!)
Following on from tip 3, find at least one person who already knows a thing or two about business and solicit their opinions/perspectives. People you KNOW will tell you how they see it - even if it's not what you want to hear. However, they don't just tell you when they think you're making a mistake - they understand your goals, want to help, and get you thinking about potentially more effective ways of getting what you want.
They're also really useful for two other things!!
They help you develop the thick skin you need. (See point 4!)
They help you craft answers for people who think your idea is silly!
Follow these general principles and you won't stop making mistakes - but you ARE more likely to recover from these more quickly and more importantly, learn how to move faster to something which DOES work better for you, your sanity and your lifestyle!