biz: if you don't have this...you don't have a yoga biz

so, what is one thing that every yoga teacher should have and cultivate if she wants to transform her teaching into a career?...

...an email list of students, prospects, friends, family, and fans that love and support you.

your yoga email list is the backbone of your yoga biz.

that's worth repeating.

your YOGA EMAIL LIST is the backbone of your yoga biz.  and just like the spine supports you in every asana you do, your email list will support the growth, sustainability, and ultimate success of your yoga career.

why?

your email list is comprised of all those students (and fans!) who love you, want to hear from you, and oftentimes want to work with you.  they are the people that you can best serve, and they all (every single one of them) deserve to be treated like gold!

without an email list, you're just spinning your wheels.  your marketing efforts will fall flat, and your attempts to grow your business will flounder because you're not consistently reaching out to the very people who WANT TO support you.

so, how do you grow your list?

this is a long and complicated topic (that i've talked about before, and will surely talk about again), but for now, let's keep it simple so you don't get overwhelmed before you even start.

you can start to grow your list by:

1. asking your current students and private clients to sign-up
2. asking friends, family, and fellow teachers to sign-up
3. putting a sign-up on your website (yes, you NEED a website, too! for more on this topic watch this video)
4. offering consistent, relevant information that's valuable to your readers (in the form of a blog or e-newsletter)
5. asking your readers (if they like what you shared in your blog/e-newsletter) to share it

do you have a yoga email list?

if not, visit www.mailchimp.com to set up a free list-building management account, and even start a newsletter!  (it's what i use for my weekly CALM biz newsletter :-)

biz: 3 ways to get more yoga students

want to connect with more yoga students?  ummmm....YES!  (that's a silly question, right?)  what teacher doesn't want to reach more students and serve more people through yoga?! yet, despite your desire to serve as many people as possible, are your class numbers still sadly low?  let's get one thing straight: your numbers ARE NOT a reflection of the quality of your teaching.  even the very best teachers in the world (tara stiles, sadie nardini, seane corn, shiva rea, or any other yoga goddess you admire) started small -- it's just how it goes.

so, the question is, how do you catapult your teaching to the next level, and start spreading your yoga message far and wide so that the right students find you?!

in this video, you'll learn 3 ways to connect with and draw in more yoga students.  (hint: it's all about building community OUTSIDE of the classroom!)

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biz: 4 ways to get raving (yoga) fans

as a yoga teacher, your students are your livelihood.  so, it only makes sense to want to reach more students, so that you can continue to spread your yoga message around, and make the impact you're here to make. but, how do you create raving yoga fans?  you know who i'm talking about -- those students that love you, talk about your teaching to others, take every workshop you offer, and bring their friends to your classes.  how do you get more of those students into your classes?...

follow these 4 tips to your fans <3

1. show them love.

when you give love, you get love.  ask about their lives, chat with them, answer their questions -- show them that you care about them.  when a new person walks through the door, introduce yourself, ask their name, and use it once during class.

2. ask for their input.

when you make a new playlist, try new sequencing, or explain a pose in a new way, ask your students for their feedback.  they'll see that you're actively working toward serving them to the best of your ability -- and students like telling their friends about awesome teachers that do that!

3. solve their problems.

if you have a number of students that have low back issues or chronic knee pain, why not design a class that incorporates poses that would be particularly therapeutic for them.  or, better yet, plan a weekend workshop that delves into the topic.  of course, invite the students you designed it for to attend -- and ask them to bring any friends or loved ones that could benefit, too.

4. take it off-the-mat.

you are your student's doorway to yoga -- so give them as many access points as possible.  start a yoga blog, or begin an email newsletter, that offers valuable yogic info to your students.  be it healthy recipes, therapeutic postures, or a beautiful poem -- show them how to incorporate yoga into their everyday life.  plus, if they love the content you share, they'll pass it along!

every step of the way, think about how you can ADD VALUE to your students' lives.  if you teach from that place -- whether it be in the studio or through a blog post -- your students will fall in love with you as they transform into the best version of themselves.