Last year, more than 14,700 new yoga teachers registered with Yoga Alliance, the nation’s largest registry of yoga teachers, according to The Wall Street Journal. That means the number of new teachers now exceeds the number of new students at yoga studios. If you want to be successful in this oversaturated market, you need to stand out — or risk getting lost in the vast sea of yoga teachers.
To do that, you first need to identify as an entrepreneur and develop your personal brand. That will set you apart and give you a clear direction to build your business. When teachers do not brand themselves, they either burn out, become resentful of their peers who are successful or even feel depressed because they feel a lack of self-worth.
[See: How to Cope With Depression at Work.]
Many yoga teachers resist branding themselves because they have an outdated belief that business is an ugly, competitive practice. A more progressive outlook on business suggests that by working on your brand, you will help more people and make a bigger impact while providing quality services.
Another misconception about having a niche brand is that you will limit yourself. But if you don’t have a focus, you will get lost in the crowd. You need a specialty for people to find you, and if it’s genuine, you can help and connect with more people than you ever imagined possible.
Developing a brand also allows you to do in-depth work with clients. My guys-only yoga classes, for example, have attracted the same core group of 10 men for over two years. Because they are so consistent and similar to one another, they have progressed quickly, which allows me to teach more intricate poses and subtle alignment techniques. When you teach your most advanced practices, it keeps you interested while also facilitating a profound shift in someone else’s life.
But building a successful brand as a yoga teacher doesn’t happen overnight. Here’s how to get started:
1. Find a specialty.
Every teacher has a specific interest. One way to find yours is to remember what yoga helped you overcome. Maybe it was anxiety, muscle weakness or a weight problem. For me — a stronger, tighter guy — yoga (eventually) helped me open my body. I had to modify poses, use props and approach the practice differently as a man, which took me years to learn. Now, I deliver that experience to my male clients in a way that takes them through that process more efficiently.
Once you are comfortable infusing your personal perspective into your classes, you’ll start to attract a particular, authentic audience. When it’s clear what you stand for, your brand becomes magnetic. Your ideal students will find you, and you fill your schedule with those who love to work with you and with whom you love to work.
2. Become an expert.
The clearer you are with your specialty, the better you can serve your students. If you are being yourself, and only speaking on topics you’re knowledgeable about, you’ll build a rapport with students. You can also create useful content outside of the classroom, whether it’s through blogs, podcasts, pictures or videos. For example, if a yoga teacher decided to focus on “yoga for rock climbers,” she might create a series of blog posts or videos on the proper yoga poses to improve range of motion while rock climbing. If she does this consistently for a couple months, and distributes it to rock climbing gyms and her climbing friends, the news will spread quickly. Eventually, she can become the go-to yoga source for rock climbers.
[See: 5 People Who Are Changing the Face of Yoga.]
3. Turn your brand into a source of revenue.
Most yoga teachers struggle to make money because they teach generic studio classes at a price-point that is inconsistent and often below minimum wage. Even if they book their scheduleswith classes, between the money they spend on trainings, music, gas and food on the go, they usually have close to nothing left financially.
But a brand that provides students a huge value can change that. My male students, for example, are relieved of pain, avoid health crises and take their health to a whole new level. Before raising your prices, look at the overall benefit you provide your students. If you create a yoga program that helps students avoid back surgery, for instance, you save them thousands of dollars — and often a lifetime of pain. That’s more valuable than what they would get in a standard class. As your brand becomes more established, you can start to charge a premium for your services.
4. Work on your business — not only in it.
Business should be like a yoga practice. You need to schedule a time to work on it weekly. It is easy for teachers to get caught in the rat race of running from class to class, and to only end up spending 20 minutes on their actual business each week. Between the time it takes to plan the class, commute, set up the room and close the space down, you invest at least three hours on one class.
As you build your brand, however, you can shape your schedule to fit the lifestyle you want. You can attract more clients who are thrilled to work with you and you can let go of the jobs you no longer want. Teachers often work on the weekends, which means missing out on family events and valuable time to relax. As you develop a personal brand, you can spend more time developing your business — and with those you love.
[See: 8 Ways to Relax — Now.]
5. Develop a career — not just a job.
See the big picture. It is far more rewarding to establish a personal brand, improve your livelihood and thrive than it is to just survive. Start noticing who you attract to your classes. Ask your students why they enjoy your class and what they think sets you apart. Be self-aware and notice your character; who you are. Finally, just take the leap. Yoga teachers have so much to offer and, if they approach it correctly, they can live up to their full potential.
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How to Build Your Brand as a Yoga Teacher originally appeared on usnews.com
