THE POTENTIAL OF A YOGA BUSINESS
How to make a serious living teaching Yoga.
If you answered NO to any of these questions, we need to talk.
With the following demographics and with the 8 Elements of studio success listed below,
you can turn it around all the way to the bank.
These are demographics to die for!
You Do Not have to be into Yoga to Own or Invest in a Yoga Studio.
Yoga Teachers are readily available for hire.
If you are a Yogi wanting your own studio, let's have a heart-to-heart conversation.
You’ve completed your Teacher Training Program and have decided to pursue your passion and open your own Yoga studio.
The obstacles to success are numerous.
Business is about financial projections, strategic planning, marketing, sales, budgeting, demographics, facility build-out, contractors, employees, bookkeeping, and so much more.
With no sales system or business training and with your RYT200 certification in hand, you are off to find your studio location. Your first mistake will probably be not having a clear business plan and the choosing of a site based on emotion and not logic.
“This place looks great. If we build it, they will come”. Maybe. But is it the right clientele? You need a good mix of private lessons, semi-private lessons and specialized classes to achieve financial freedom.
Was this decision based upon a demographic study? What’s the per capita income of the area? What’s the population density? What’s the population count of 18-55 year olds within a 3 to 5-mile radius? What about traffic flow, sign ordinances, licensing and parking? How safe is the area after dark?
Choosing the right location is a lot of work even for a pro.
A real estate agent is the agent representing the lessor (landlord), not the lessee (you).
Unless you are armed with demographic and market value information and possess some negotiation skills, you are cruising for a bruising.
Even if you are familiar with commercial real estate, lease negotiations can be tenuous. Considering the different lease terms, like triple net leases, gross leases, and CAM charges, deciding on a lease option can be daunting if you lack experience in dealing with building owners. You can end up paying too much for lease and lose out on potential incentives such as free rent, site prep or a complete or partial build-out. Our real estate experts represent you. They can help you achieve the lowest possible rate and make sure the lease is structured with your best interests in mind.
Today, most Yoga studios use a mass market health club approach to sell Yoga when it should be a personal service.
Ancient Yogis originally taught Yoga one-on-one. Why the change in the west?
Scores of students piled into a class does not compare with the one-on-one attention of privates and semi-privates. A “classes only” curriculum just churns students. Most Yoga studios lose nearly as many students as they gain as the year rolls along.
The selling of a 5, 10 or 20 class card that expires in 3, 6 or 12 months are a disservice to the student and a sign of sales ineptitude of the studio.
Every Yogi knows that a student must practice two to three times per week to achieve some degree of results.
Selling from a rate sheet is “bottom up” selling. No particular sales ability is needed to sell off a menu. The customer chooses one of the cheapest courses and off they go with no particular consistency.
1 on 1 Yoga sells from the “top down”. Every new student starts with a private lesson introductory course. The teacher gets to know the student and their needs and goals. Then a private or semi-private course is budgeted to fit the student financially. Standing appointments keep the student consistent with results virtually guaranteed.
Ancient Yogis originally taught Yoga one-on-one.
Why the change?
Scores of students piled into a class does not compare with the one-on-one attention of privates. A “classes only” curriculum just churns students. Most Yoga studios lose nearly as many students as they gain as the year rolls along.
Students jump from one studio to another on a whim thanks to the class card system. The selling of five or ten class cards that expire in three, six or twelve months are a disservice to the student and a sign of sales ineptitude of the studio.
Every Yogi knows that a student must practice two to three times per week to achieve some degree of results.
The only hope of financial survival is to sell annual unlimited class programs. But what is the chance the student will quit along the way?
Weak sales procedures usually mean that the monthly price is discounted substantially for the annual commitment. And, of all the new students that come in the door – how many sign up annually?
Pilates studio owners charge more and emphasize privates. Why can’t Yogis?
The answer is not to just raise your prices but to provide more value and get paid for it.
Rather than putting students in classes only, adding a private lesson or two to their curriculum can make a significant increase to the studio’s profits.
Suppose a studio only signs up three new private students per week (easily attainable) to go along with a couple class lessons per week. Attendance would be up as private students come in by appointment. Drop outs would be less. You will find at the end of the year, the studio would have 150 students or more on privates.
How is your income now?
So now you’re thinking, “How in the heck am I going to cover 150 private lessons and all the classes that are included?” Yep, that’s right. You’re going to need full time teaching staff and pay them a livable wage.
But no need to worry; you will be able to afford it.
The 1 on 1 Yoga Franchise System™ will not only show you how but will do so with sales and servicing training and a comprehensive scheduling and lesson management system.
Alright, what does a Yogi have to do to build up a studio to 150 or more private students?
You start at the very foundation.
The 1 on 1 Yoga Franchise System™ fulfills all of the above . . . . and much, much more
The 1 on 1 Yoga Franchise System™ provides the business and sales training needed to be successful.
The goal is to put the franchisee in the position to just have to “Talk & Teach™”. See the “1 on 1 Sales System™” on the menu.
Most all franchised 1 on 1 Yoga Studios open in Colonies (groups). When you hear the old adage: “You’re in business for yourself but not by yourself”, with 1 on 1 Yoga, it’s an absolute truth.
EXAMPLE: Five 1 on 1 Yoga Studios in your Colony will give you five times the local advertising for your buck. It’s like getting 80% off of each advertising campaign because you are sharing the expenses with the other studios.
The 1 on 1 Yoga Franchise System™ is your FULL TIME team of Marketers, Social Media Promoters, Business Advisors, Sales Trainers and a Council of Yogis for workshops and expanded education. There’s even a full time Yoga Call Center to handle and book your inquiries.
1 on 1 Sales System™ Heritage
The basis for the 1 on 1 Sales System™, its embryonic form, was originally conceived 102 years ago (1912) in the dance industry by G. Hepburn Wilson.
After decades of morphing and further refinement by a business development genius named Louise Taylor, it became a dancing franchise system in 1939.
After several more decades of changes and improvements, in 1965 the system was introduced to the Martial Arts industry.
In 1967 the tried and tested business training and management system was the heart of the world’s largest martial arts franchise chain where the Vice President, Ray Klingenberg, took the chain nationwide, opening 140 studios in the first three years.
45 years later, there are still 350 Martial Arts Studios in business under the same brand name
With over a 1000 using the same or modified system.
On November 1, 2012, Ray adapted the original business training and management system for the Yoga industry. He added new technology and expanded the system to reduce the Franchisee’s business duties, rebranding to become the 1 on 1 Sales System™.
Being of a Yoga family (his wife is a Yoga teacher), Ray knew, first hand, what was missing in a Yogi’s business.
Addressing these needs for the Yoga studio, Ray has evolved the 1 on 1 Yoga Franchise System™ to a full scope, full service, sales system, now consisting of eight essential departments with dozens of custom crafted elements of support; all common sense with the mandate that the Yogi can spend their time “Talking & Teaching™”.
(We apologize for not revealing the martial art brand name. We wish to protect their privacy and eliminate the possibility of a drove of curious yogis contacting and questioning the martial arts franchisee when they have a business to run. If you are a serious 1 on 1 Yoga Franchise™ inquiry, we will give you all the information/names so that you can complete your due diligence.)
There are 8 prime elements that comprise the 1 on 1 Yoga Sales System™
This is how we help you, the franchisee.
Frequently Asked Questions
There is no particular experience necessary in business or in Yoga. Our operations manual includes guidelines and considerations for hiring competent teaching staff. We train your staff at Training Central™ on the 1 on 1 Sales System™ for you. Where the demographics warrant it, your studio will be in a Colony of 1 on 1 Yoga Studios where you will be able to get a lot of additional support and share advertising costs.
Yes you can. Like the answer above, our operations manual provides guidelines and considerations for hiring your staff. We train everyone for you on the 1 on 1 Sales System™ at our Training Central™ facility. You can be an absentee owner of multiple studios if you wish and there is a discount in the franchise fee for multiple purchases.
Yes you can. And, you will get a per studio discount in the franchise fees to boot. You will need to show you have the financial strength to support the project and submit an opening schedule for each studio.
Yes. We will provide you with a design guide with sample floor plans and color charts for a standard 1 on 1 Studio all the way up to a mega 1 on 1 Studio with a boutique and juice/tea/coffee café.
Yes, and we will give you a heck of a deal if you do. We have a program that can substantially discount the franchise fee plus give you credit for all the costs of the conversion (rebranding) like new signage, literature etc. We also give you a moratorium on paying royalties on income generated by your old student agreements.
The cost of our franchise is based on the population density and per capita income of an area.
We are looking for a middle to high income area with a population base of about 25,000 to 100,000 within a 3 to 5 mile radius, more or less. This franchise would sell for $14,950. Densely populated territories may be more. Some people might think that this is a fortune – but it’s paid with less than five annual private lesson yoga courses.
Franchise territories are laid out in Yoga Studio Colonies (multiple locations in a large populace area). The first few persons to purchase a franchise in a Yoga Colony get the premier territories. We give special considerations to existing yoga studios.
The franchisor does not offer any direct financing but does offer a third party finance expert to guide the franchisee to over a hundred commercial financing sources. We have secured a third party Lease Company that will lease you wall-to-wall Yoga mat/flooring saving you thousands on your studio build out.
The term of a 1 on 1 Yoga franchise is 10 years with two 5 year options.
Ideally, a studio should have at least one office, a receptionist area, two class rooms and two to three private lesson rooms. This would entail about 2000 to 2800 square feet.
If you opt for an expanded retail space and juice/tea/coffee another 1000 or so square feet may be needed.
An optimal size for a mega studio is 3000 to 4000+ square feet.
A 1 on 1 Yoga Franchise is full service franchise providing a full menu of Marketing, Advertising, Training, Finance assistance, Student & Business Management and Sales Training and on-going Education. And, our Yoga Call-Center sells & books new students for you. You don’t need a receptionist to answer the phone and sell intro courses.
Click Here to see a break-down of Franchisor services.
Yes. Every franchisee and their management staff will undergo about a 70-hour, 8-day training program depending upon your previous experience. This is held in Miami Beach, Florida at your cost. The cost is incurred by the payroll of the teachers and the training facility and hotel rooms. Ongoing training will be available in both business and yoga. There is no profit to the Franchisor for training you and your staff.
Yes we do. A 6% or $150/week royalty, whichever is more. It is required to help defray the cost of infrastructure and support staff. The royalty rate is expected to increase to 8% as our costs increase in the future but as of now, it is 6%. Those franchisees that contract at the 6% royalty rate will stay at 6%. The future new-comer franchisees will be at 8%.
Our Federal Disclosure Document (FDD) lays out all of your expenses to open a 1 on 1 Yoga Studio. If you pay cash for everything, your out of pocket investment would be $48,700 to $190,550 depending upon the size and rental cost of your studio. Leasing your mats, furniture, signage and equipment may lower your initial investment.
Yes. This is your business and you can subcontract your space as you see fit. However, you must get franchisor approval. The 1 on 1 Yoga brand must be protected. Also, subcontracted businesses within a 1 on 1 studio location must pay royalty and advertising fees. Our marketing program will support them as well. It’s all about the traffic.
Yes. There is a national advertising fund that advertises for the entire studio chain. The fee is 2% of gross or $50/wk., whichever is more. Then, there is an additional 6% of gross or $333/wk. dedicated to the local and regional advertising for your studio. The pooling of this money by the studios in the 1 on 1 Yoga Colony creates an advertising budget that is unheard of in the Yoga community. Retail and refreshment sales revenue must be included in the total gross of the franchise as advertising campaigns include these additional revenue streams.
The franchising industry is regulated by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Consumer protection laws do not allow us to advertise or state that you will make any particular amount of money. Profitability will depend upon many factors, such as: location, population density, per capita income, operating expenses, management expertise and selling abilities. That’s why your new studio must be carefully planned out and you must diligently study and practice all the nuances of the 1 on 1 Sales System.
We offer an on-line “Pro forma Spreadsheet” whereby you can enter a number of particular courses sold during a particular week and it will project the gross income generated per week, month and year. This spread sheet is for entertainment and goal setting only and not a guarantee of what you will make.
Step one is to inquire. Fill out the “Let’s schedule a call” form below and submit it. Choose the subject you are inquiring about i.e. Teacher, Manager, Ambassador or Franchise. You can choose more than one if you wish by resubmitting the form again.
Upon our receipt of your inquiry, a member of our Franchise Team will contact you by telephone. This call is meant to answer any questions you might have and for both sides to determine whether becoming a 1 on 1 Yoga Franchisee would be a good fit for you.
Should it appear that becoming a 1 on 1 Yoga Franchisee would indeed be a good fit, we will send you a current copy of the FTC required F.D.D. (Federal Disclosure Document, which includes a copy of our 1 on 1 Yoga Franchise Agreement) for your detailed review and understanding of all the elements of a 1 on 1 Yoga franchise.
By law, you have 14 days to study the F.D.D. material, speak to your lawyer and/or accountant and do whatever due diligence you feel comfortable doing. On the 15th day, you can request that a formal application be sent to you. With your submission of the formal application you can reserve your territory by simply adding it to your formal application and sending it in along with a $1,000 deposit. If your formal application is denied for any reason, your deposit will be refunded. If accepted, let’s get your final paperwork and training done and get your 1 on 1 Yoga Studio open and operating. Welcome Aboard!
Source of data: Harvard Business School case study ~ Branding Yoga (2011), NAMASTA, YIAS, Livestrong, Wikipedia & Yoga Journal. (Verified: July 2013)