It took me over 3 years of teaching children yoga to understand that the business model that so many yoga teachers use is wrong, hurting my business and the benefits my small students get. And yes, there is a much better option.
In 2009 I left my good office job and became a yoga teacher. I’ve started to teach children yoga in kindergartens and elementary schools and offered 2 classes in my small home studio.
I had no experience running a yoga business, so I looked at what other kids’ yoga teachers were doing and went for the same business model. That was a very simple business model: there is a price for one class. The parent can either pay per drop-in class when the child attends or buy a series of 4-5 lessons or a monthly pass and get a discount.
I had this model for over 3 years, and it was awful. Some kids attended regularly but most didn’t. I had to check all the time who paid for what and who didn’t. I had to be in an unpleasant situation asking the parents to pay again and again. But the real problem began when I started to teach aerial yoga to kids. Once I started teaching FLYoga, my 2 half-empty groups grew very fast into 4, then 6, and then 10 weekly groups full of kids. It became a disaster!
I had one hundred kids attending my classes. Some of them paid per class, others per month, and I didn’t know how many kids would attend today’s class each time. I tried to manage it in excel, but the situation was unmanageable. On the one hand, I was so happy that a hundred children attended my classes, but on the other hand, it was so frustrating.
At that time, my son Royi started playing football. I’ve signed him up to a local team and have been asked to pay for the whole year in monthly installments. There was no option for drop-in training or monthly participation. Either you join the team for the year, or you don’t.
Suddenly it hit me – I can do exactly the same business model in my yoga business? Why don’t parents enroll their children in year-round kids yoga classes? It’s clear to everybody that with yoga, exactly as with football or any other physical activity, you will be able to see the results only after continuous practice.
So why does everybody continue to offer drop-in classes and short series?
Maybe because other yoga teachers do that. Or perhaps it comes out of a lack of confidence, insecurity, or fears. I don’t know, but I decided to try this business model – year-round only FLYoga Kids classes.
In the beginning, it wasn’t an easy task. Parents who were used to not committing to the yoga classes didn’t like the idea. But I figured out what to say and how to change their minds. Now all kids are enrolled in year-round classes only. Of course, some parents still ask if they can enroll for a month or pay each month separately. My answer is always “NO.” I have a process with an explanation of why there is no option for partial or short-term enrollment. That process I teach as part of my FLYoga Kids Teacher Training course and works perfectly for all graduates.
My work as a kid’s yoga teacher became so much fun. I don’t deal anymore with marketing, payments, and attendance. I just enjoy teaching kids to fly.
So, if you still teach drop-in classes or short series, I invite you to ask yourself and think about why are you still doing it? In any case, I invite you to try changing your business model to “year-round classes only”. I promise your life as a yoga teacher will be easier and more fun.
If you want to hear more about my year-round program enrollment process that deals with all parent’s objections, message me or comment “Yes”.
