The Business of Teaching

A Business Perspective

• In most cases, to be a yoga teacher means to be running a small business. Therefore, being (or becoming) “business savvy” is part of the job.
• When choosing what to teach, most experts advise choosing what you love. To veer from your inner compass in favor of what you perceive will be “more successful” tends to backfire.
• It’s possible to feel “called” to service work, to be ethical and mindful, and to also be successful as a business. This may be termed a “mindful business.”
• As you experiment with different tactics, avoid comparisons with other teachers, focusing instead on what works for you.

YOU ARE RUNNING A SMALL BUSINESS

If you mistakenly think you are just a yoga teacher and not a business person, let me correct that notion right now. Even if you only teach group yoga classes at someone else’s yoga studio, you are still running a small business. {You Inc}. You are probably an independent contractor, and are responsible for filing your own taxes and paying for your own health insurance. You probably do at least some promotion for your group classes and may even have some social media pages or a website to keep your students updated on your schedule and other offerings. You are a business person. – Francesca Cervero 

A MINDFUL BUSINESS

I felt a conflict within me about being a spiritual teacher who was also business savvy. What I have come to realize, however, is that by treating my work as a yoga teacher like a mindful business, I have the ability to reach out to more people, while at the same time supporting myself in a way that is both ethical and beneficial to society. – Darren Main 

BUSINESS IS BUSINESS

I was a little bit unprepared for the business side of yoga… We’re humans and when money’s involved, it becomes more complicated. You kind of feel like, “It’s yoga,” but it’s also business and there’s always a bottom line. I’ve encountered people who handle that with more grace and people who handle it with less grace… Yoga teachers, studio owners, media: anyone who’s making anything from it… So I think I had to wrap my brain around that. I was in sales, and I felt like I left that for a reason. But I just realized that well—business is business. – Stephanie Snyder 

NEITHER RAGING CAPITALIST NOR IMPOVERISHED ARTIST

Let’s face the facts, shall we. Yoga, like most things in life, is a service given in exchange for money. Unless you win the lottery, none of us can be out there spreading the word for free. It might seem impossible to be business minded and still be ethical, mindful and heart centered (not to mention also being excellent at actually teaching yoga) but I assure you the two things can co-exist… If you feel somehow ‘called’ to teach yoga and share the benefits of a spiritual path, then you had better realize that being business savvy is essential to making that happen… The most ethical teachers and studio owners I have met are also the most successful financially. Why? Because in order to run a robust business, as a solo practitioner or as part of a bigger project, you have to be driven by the principles of honesty and fairness. As cliched as it may sound, it really is all about balance. You don’t have to play the raging capitalist OR the impoverished artist. – Julies Barber 

DO WHAT WORKS FOR YOU AND THAT’S THAT

The main thing to communicate for newer teachers is to trust. There’s no need to get grabby or work too hard at promoting. I really think that your teaching stands on its own. And you always attract people that you’re meant to attract. You can’t sit around and do nothing. But at the same time, I think some people have become so consumed with the promotion stuff that it’s too much. And you can’t compare. You start comparing and you suffer instantly. Whether you’re comparing and thinking you’re better or that you’re worse, it’ll lead you directly to suffer. The sutras say, no matter what someone else is doing, to condemn them is even worse. Just let it be; you’re not in charge of anybody else. No one’s in charge of how yoga should be. You do what works for you and that’s that. – Stephanie Snyder 

KNOW WHAT YOU LOVE & OFFER IT

Success comes from standing in your truth. If you feel drawn to teach gentle classes, there will be students out there who will be drawn to you. If you feel drawn to teach more athletic yoga, there will be students who will want what you have to offer. Maybe you want to focus on the spiritual, the stress management, or the healing aspects of yoga. Whichever you choose, there will be students who will be interested in what you have to offer. The key is to know what you love and then offer it to the world. This is the first step to becoming a successful yoga teacher, and the importance of this step cannot be overstated. – Darren Main 

Important: Your Niche & Target Students