If you’re looking to start your own yoga studio, it can be difficult to know where to begin. With so many different factors to consider, you may find yourself struggling to make effective decisions and get your new studio off the ground.
With that in mind, we’ve broken down every step you need to take to successfully launch your own yoga studio. By following our handy guide, you can simplify the process and maximise your chances of success.
Table Of Contents
- Step 1 – Get The Right Qualifications
- Step 2 – Gain Practical Experience
- Step 3 – Conduct Market Research
- Step 4 – Find The Ideal Space For Your Yoga Studio
- Step 5 – Craft Your Brand
- Step 6 – Create A Business Plan
- Step 7 – Secure The Right Legal Coverage
- Step 8 – Decide On A Pricing Strategy
- Step 9 – Grow Your Client Base
- Before You Go…
Turn your passion for yoga into a rewarding career with OriGym’s Level 3 Diploma in Teaching Yoga. This qualification will certify you to create and lead classes suitable for large groups or intimate 1-to-1 settings.
Step 1 – Get The Right Qualifications
First things first, before you can make money as a yoga teacher with your own studio, you should first get the correct qualifications. Below, we’ve outlined the ones that you’ll need and a few additional options to consider.
Level 3 Diploma in Teaching Yoga
A Level 3 Diploma in Teaching Yoga provides you with all of the tools that you need to be industry-ready.
This course goes through the fundamentals, including:
- Anatomy & Physiology for Yoga
- Health and Safety during Yoga
- Planning and Delivering a Yoga Session
You will also gain hands-on experience through face-to-face workshops to get prepared. The course will help you become accustomed to the difference between being a student and becoming a teacher.
This Level 3 qualification is the absolute minimum for you to get ready to open your own studio and learn how to execute yoga classes safely and efficiently. However, below we’ve listed some other qualifications that can help you enhance your services and benefit your clients.
Additional Qualifications
- Level 4 Diploma in Teaching Yoga. This will help you discover the style of yoga you want to specialise in. It can be hugely beneficial if you’re trying to choose a niche for your yoga studio, such as hot yoga or Ashtanga yoga.
- First Aid Course. When becoming a yoga instructor, you must take a first aid course in order to keep your clients safe in your care. This is particularly important if you are planning to hire employees in your studio, as stressed by the HSE’s guidance.
Step 2 – Get Practical Experience
Though you don’t need experience before you start yoga teacher training, and there will be hands-on experience as part of the training course, there is nothing like getting real-life experience in teaching yoga classes. This will help you decide if this is truly something you want to invest your time and energy into.
By working in a studio as a yoga instructor, you can also build up a reputation for yourself as a professional in the industry and see first-hand what it takes to run a studio of your own. It isn’t just about teaching classes, it is about being a business owner, an employer and a teacher along with everything in between.
If after this experience you feel ready to open your own studio, the transition will be much smoother. You will know what to expect and though it won’t be easy there won’t be so many surprises in store!
Step 3 – Conduct Market Research
Conducting market research is a key part of opening any business if you want it to be successful – and a yoga studio is no different.
However, conducting effective market research is not a simple task. Let’s look at some key things you’ll want to consider.
Assess the Competition
One of the most important parts of market research is to assess the competition in your area. While you’re looking, ask yourself questions like:
- What do they offer?
- What are their prices like?
- Do they have returning clients?
Asking these questions will help determine the shape of your own studio. For example, you may be able to identify gaps in the market in your location. Targeting these can help maximise your chances of success.
Essentially, this step is about finding those who are doing it right and those who are doing it wrong and finding unique selling points to make your studio bigger and better than the competition.
Utilise Google My Business – (Now Known as Google Business Profile)
It’s important to use all the tools at your disposal for your market research – and Google My Business (Google Business Profile) is one of the most powerful options.
If you’re not familiar, here is what Google My Business looks like:
As you can see, each business that has come up in this search has a Google My Business page. These are the first things that people will find if your site matches their search term – in this instance, “Yoga studios in Liverpool”.
This provides you with a range of vital information, including the location of nearby businesses. As a result, you can see where each studio is located, indicated by the red pinpoints. You’re now able to find overly saturated areas and those areas that don’t have any studios nearby.
You can then determine the performance of these different businesses by looking at their Google My Business profiles in more detail. If you click on one of the Google My Business listings, you can find questions and answers along with reviews, as demonstrated below:
If you scroll down, you will find the reviews, it will look like this below if they have any:
This can be a great place to do a little research on other yoga studios. You can find out where they’re lacking and fill that gap in the market. You may find some good reviews regarding location, too.
Explore Social Media
Social media can be the first point of contact for many potential clients. As a result, most successful yoga studios will have active social media pages. Taking a look at these pages will provide valuable information that can help inform your business choices.
For instance, social media can help you identify things that your prospective customers do not like. Just like the reviews on Google My Business, it is not uncommon to find comments underneath Instagram or Facebook posts complaining about any problems. This can then show you where your own yoga studio can stand out by comparison.
It doesn’t always have to be negative, though. You may see insightful questions that their clients are asking. For example, if you see a comment like:
“Hi guys! Do you think your studio will start offering Hot yoga classes again?”
This is a good insight into areas that they’re lacking. You can then swoop in and solve that problem for the clients who are demanding it.
Step 4 – Find The Ideal Space For Your Yoga Studio
Once you’ve conducted the necessary market research, it’s time to find a space to open up your studio when the time is right. So, where do you start?
First, you need to decide if you want to rent or buy. This will depend on your current financial situation and whether you’re able to commit the money needed to obtain a mortgage. Renting will likely offer more flexibility in the short term, though you will have less guaranteed stability.
Once you’ve decided on the best option, you can start looking for available properties. You can do this in the exact same way you would to buy a house, using sites like Zoopla.
For example, this space is listed under “retail premises” on Zoopla and it is actually an ex-yoga studio. As a result, it would be a perfect fit and is clearly in an ideal location.
Generally speaking, it’s a good idea to look into what the space that you’re investing in was prior to it being listed. This will give you a good indication as to what you could expect in terms of footfall, which could help you to imagine what kind of business you could get through the door.
In addition to Zoopla, there are some other sites that are helpful for new yogis looking for a space to rent at more affordable rates. One useful example is UK Therapy Rooms. This site helps you find rooms and studios that you can rent per hour, rather than being in a contract with a landlord.
For example, below you can see one of many advertisements for suitable spaces:
As you can see, there is clear indication of prices, so you have no surprises whether you want it for an hour or for the whole day. This is a good opportunity to still build a brand for yourself and present yourself as professional as possible without having the means to buy or rent a studio of your own just yet.
Step 5 – Craft Your Brand
Once you’ve found the right location, you need to think about how you want your studio to look and feel. Ideally, your studio should convey a strong brand image that is unique to you and that fits with your yoga studio mission statement.
This means paying attention to:
- Colour scheme
- Images on the walls
- The space itself and whether it’s light and airy or dark and cosy
- Whether you want plants in the studio
- Branding, especially logos and names on equipment or the walls
Having a clear vision for your studio will not only make your brand more professional but will also communicate your USP or niche to class members.
How you set up your studio will also inform the teaching in your studio and hugely contribute to class numbers. If people love your studio, they’ll want to be there more and find it an immersive and relaxing experience!
Step 6 – Create A Business Plan
Next is arguably the most important step in how to open a yoga studio – you need to write a thorough business plan.
A yoga studio business plan is going to provide your business with all the necessary information to provide you with direction and is something to help you inform any potential investors when it comes to pitching.
You can use your plan to help shape future decisions and keep you on the right track to success. It can be confusing to know where to start with a business plan, so for reference, some things that you should include are:
- A company summary
- What service do you offer (yoga classes, spare rooms to rent out to other yogis, etc.)
- Market analysis
- Marketing strategies
- Funding and financial summary
This isn’t only needed to give you some direction, as important as that is. If you’re looking to get investors on board or apply for a business loan, for instance, they may want to see your business plan.
A business plan is also the perfect way to establish goals and milestones. Your business plan could include your goals for:
- 6 months
- 1 year
- 3 years
- 5 years
A 5-year plan is something you may hear a lot during your planning stages. It’s an important part of setting a goal that works as a motivational tool for you to get your priorities in order. The 5-year plan end goal gives you the direction to make decisions.
Aside from goals, your business plan can also be the place where you dig deep into your competitors and update these analyses when necessary. Plus, you can go into more detail about your marketing strategies and when you aim to implement them.
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Step 7 – Secure The Right Legal Coverage
Next, you’re going to have to get to grips with the legalities of being a business owner.
The three major things you need to get checked off of your list are insurance, licensing, and registering your business. Read on below for an explanation of how to do all three of those tasks.
Finding The Right Insurance Coverage
First off, you’re going to need some insurance before you start. Here are the policies we would recommend and why:
Public liability insurance. This is a basic standard for fitness professionals in any area of the fitness industry. It is essentially an all-in-one policy that provides cover for your business and your clients. It covers the cost of claims that you could receive should anything happen to the clientele in your care, as well as any personal injuries and loss or damage to property.
Professional indemnity insurance. This protects you against claims that are made against you for loss or damage as a result of negligent services and or advice that have come from you. This could be useful for you as a business owner to get added to your insurance policy.
As you can see, depending on the amount you want to be covered, yoga teacher insurance coverage is affordable and it’s certainly something that you should make sure you have before you start instructing.
Obtaining A Music Licence
If you’re planning to play music during your yoga classes, you may need a music licence. To make sure you have the correct one, you can use the Government’s licence finder. It looks like this below:
We input an example of what you might want to include when doing this. Note that if you’re not playing music or installing CCTV in your studio these won’t be necessary. But if you are, you might want to look into these licences some more by searching for the necessary options on the licence finder.
We’ve highlighted the parts you especially need to pay attention to. However, if other things factor into what you offer or use within your studio, be sure to thoroughly search through the options on the licence finder and apply those necessary.
Requesting A DBS Check
If you’re planning on teaching kids yoga classes or working with vulnerable adults, you’ll need an enhanced DBS check. Thankfully, it’s extremely easy to apply for one. Just head over to the UK Government website and find this page below:
Registering Your Business
The final thing you need to do in terms of legalities is to register your business. Luckily, this is also a straightforward process. Similarly to the examples before, you only need to go on the UK Government website to get this done. Follow this link and you will find a page that looks like this:
On this page, you will find many different resources to help you set up a business. You can also choose if you want to be a sole trader or a limited company among other options too.
You will be taken through step by step on the government website, so it is super accessible. This process will also remind you of any other steps you need to take to set up a legitimate business.
Step 8 – Decide On A Pricing Strategy
Now that you’ve set out your business plan and researched your competitors, you’re in a good position to decide how much to charge for your services.
Some things to consider when deciding on your pricing strategy are:
- Your location. If you’re opening a studio in a small town, you may have less competition, but your operating costs will be lower, too. This means you can likely afford to offer a lower price point overall.
- Student numbers. If you don’t have any existing students from previous classes, you’ll need to attract your first customers as quickly as possible. A competitive price point is one of the simplest ways to achieve this.
- Package options. This essentially means that you design a package for £X per month which rolls over each month. This can be more cost-effective for students than a per-class price while helping you to improve retention rates.
For example, take a look at this successful yoga studio that offers package pricing options:
These prices reflect London prices, so be sure to research your area when you’re looking for the best place to open a yoga studio, as this price may be too high for your studio to compete with other competitors in your area.
Nonetheless, this is still the kind of structure and policy you should be going for when creating packages. Don’t forget that you should still have single-class passes, but these shouldn’t be your main priority when it comes to advertising.
Step 9 – Grow Your Client Base
Now you’re ready to launch your yoga studio – and that means you need to start attracting students. There are several steps you can take to build your client base when you’re first starting, including:
- Reach out to your existing students. If you’ve been teaching yoga in other studios while preparing to launch your own, make the effort to build rapport with your existing students. This will turn them into loyal clients that will follow you to your new studio.
- Ask for referrals. Once you’ve started to get your first few clients, encourage them to refer any friends or family who might be interested. You can even offer a referral bonus to incentivise them further.
- Market your studio. There is a wide range of marketing tools you can use to spread awareness about your studio. From paid advertising and social media marketing to handing out leaflets and hosting events at your studio, an effective marketing strategy can build your yoga studio’s clientele quickly.
- Offer introductory deals. Offering a certain amount of classes in a month for an introductory price or a discount on a bulk package will help encourage new clients to try out your services. If they like your classes, they’ll stick around.
Using these strategies won’t just help you build your initial client base. By continuing to market your services and offer referral bonuses, you can expand your classes exponentially and secure a thriving future for your yoga studio.
Before You Go
Hopefully, you’re now feeling more confident in how to start a yoga studio from start to finish. Refer back to this guide whenever you feel necessary and start to get excited about getting your business plan started!
If you’re looking to kickstart an exciting new career as an instructor, OriGym’s Level 3 Diploma in Teaching Yoga is the perfect launching pad.
Find these courses and many other health and fitness courses here in our FREE downloadable course prospectus.