8 ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS TO BUILD YOUR YOGA BRAND + GIVEAWAY

Hi everyone! I’m super excited to announce the first in a great lineup of summer giveaways! This week, I’m giving away two fantastic business books that can help build your yoga brand!

Both Crush It, and it’s sequel, Crushing It, reveal simple and effective ways to grow your business. And, author Gary Vaynerchuk’s (also known as GaryVee) has a no BS approach that is refreshing. I’ve implemented numerous of his techniques within Swagtail, and I often recommend them to my clients as well. I’ll briefly share his recommended 8 essentials for success.

Then, scroll down to the bottom of this post and enter this hot giveaway. It might just be the fuel you need to kick off a fiery summer ahead!

Photo Credit: Stephen Thompson at Crater Lake

WHY CREATE A YOGA BRAND?

Yoga has immensely grown in popularity and scope over the past few decades. Combine that with the explosion of the internet, handheld devices, and social media platforms, the timing could not be more perfect for you to make a positive impact in the yoga world.

Yet, in order to stand out amidst the mass amounts of information (and other companies) out there today, it’s essential that you build your yoga brand.

Just like ranchers used to physically mark their cattle with a hot iron to indicate ownership, companies today need to create a notable signature in the marketplace. Brands might begin with a logo, or represent a product. But, beyond that, they extend to the psychological value a company provides to their customers such as value, credibility, and quality experiences.

Whether you are an independent teacher just out of your 200-hour training, or a seasoned studio owner, building a yoga brand increases:

Business clarity (whether a solo teacher or growing studio)
Marketplace credibility
Customer recognition
Client loyalty
Connection and community with students
Short- and long-term income potential

I AGREE WITH GARY VEE

Both books in this week’s giveaway provide details about how to approach these 8 essential principles to build your own brand. I’ve added some specific ideas here on how they apply to the yoga community. Check out the quick overview below. Then scroll down to the bottom of the post for a chance to win both books, and continue “crushing it” in your own yoga business!

(1) INTENTION

Intention is your point of focus, your aim, and, possibly, your plan for your business. Gary Vee suggests that successful entrepreneurs have three common (and powerful) reasons from which they operate:

Commitment to service
Desire to provide value
Love of teaching

THE YOGA IMPACT:

Add clarity to your own intention by asking yourself:

How can I best serve my students (current and prospective), as well as my entire community?
What value do I provide?
How do I share that value?
What inspired me to take the yogic path, and what keeps that fire alive?
In what ways am I communicating that information today?

(2) AUTHENTICITY

Your intention gets expressed with your entire being, and it is reflected in your ability to be confident as a unique, independent, and qualified individual. Your students will appreciate you more when you are honest. They will trust you more when you admit your mistakes and occasionally stumble. Your business will grow organically as you stay true to yourself and honor your clients. This could be your biggest brand asset.

IN YOGIC TERMS:

There are areas in which you will naturally excel, and there will be areas in which you need to learn and grow. I just spoke with a studio owner who admitted they are extremely organized but they have to daily work at the marketing aspect of their business. Instead of trying to appear perfect, this owner is dedicated to being their personal best. This involves learning and growing in the process of it all.

Here are some simple ways in which you might express your authenticity:

Represent and collaborate with brands and teachers you trust, for the partnerships you enter reflect the values at the heart of your business.
Send handwritten thank you cards to students who attended a recent workshop or retreat. Simple, personal touches like this go a long way.

(3) PASSION

Most likely you started teaching yoga because you love it and are passionate about it, and you want to share that enthusiasm with others. But, if you are going to teach yoga as a business, then it can’t just be a job. It has to be a heartfelt calling that is so strong that you’re willing to push through the nitty-gritty (and often less-exciting) components of running a yoga business.

The flow state can keep you aligned with your passion. Here are other ways to maximize your passion for yoga:

Outsource tasks that decrease your time or energy (such as bookkeeping, studio cleaning, etc).
Team up with other great instructors, studios, or local businesses
Get a mentor. Seriously, this could be one of the best ways to keep your inner spark aflame in the yoga world.

(4) PATIENCE

When you know where your business is going, it can be tempting to want to get there today. Like, now. Instead, Gary reminds business owners to bide your time, and focus on priorities one-at-a-time. When you live simply, work your plan methodically, and show positive leadership traits to your team, you can use time to build momentum behind your brand.

YOGA: THE EMBODIMENT OF PATIENCE

There is an unlimited amount of physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual growth that is possible in the yoga world. In order to stay on track to reach your goals, try these tips:

Set mini-courses of learning for yourself, in business and your own personal practice. This will keep you on track with an ever-expanding list of things to learn.
Pick a challenging pose and start working toward it. This will keep you in touch with your students on a regular basis because you are trying, too.
Suacha, which translates to purity or purification in sanskrit, is one of the niyamas outlined by Patanjali. Notice how you might simplify your environment (relationships, entertainment, home environment) to support your business intentions.

(5) SPEED

While it’s essential to be composed as you take small steps toward your big-picture goals, it’s just as important to be efficient and organized in those steps. Speed is all about your readiness to tackle any task that comes your way (even if that means knowing the correct person with whom to delegate that task).

HOW THIS RELATES TO YOGA:

Get up early, and have a morning routine that reflects your intentions.
Meditate often to gain clarity. While taking action is important, getting into alignment first is way more important. Without doing this, it’s like trying to toast bread without plugging in the toaster.
Block out your time, and get more done within those chunks. I do this by marking off writing hours on the family calendar. This way, my husband knows when I wish to work without interruption. Being on the same page in my household allows me to keep my business and personal spheres thriving.

Photo Credit: Seth Kane

(6) TENACITY

Gary Vee refers to this element as work, but I translate this dedication to your work as tenacity. Essentially, this is your ability to persevere with your business despite the other family or financial responsibilities you may have to deal with in life. And, when you run a yoga business (which you love), hopefully the work will keep you inspired as you persist through any challenges you encounter.

THE YOGA EQUIVALENT:

Commit to your own practice. Yep, staying with a strong personal practice, no matter what that looks like, will remind you of the dedication it takes to run your business.
Invite your family and friends along on your journey. One of my favorite instructors in Northern California, Buck Lewis, invites his son to the studio to help him check in students and be a part of the community. This invites his family into the fold, instead of alienating them as he stays true to his vision of a growing yoga studio.
Create content daily. This keeps your creativity flowing and your ideas fresh, regardless of whether you are working on new class sequences, putting together a rockin’ playlist, or cultivating a potential workshop.

(7) ATTENTION

The phrase “look both ways before you cross the street” is ingrained in my mind from a very young age. Thankfully, my parents taught me the value of awareness and attention. In the business world, this equates to knowing what is going on in your industry at all times.

In the yoga space, this relates to questions such as:

Who is interested in yoga?
What resources are available to students and teachers?
What platforms are professionals using to reach prospective clients?

Paying attention means knowing the trends, and being able to answer questions that will inevitably come your way.

Photo Credit: Diane Nicole Photography

(8) CONTENT

As Gary says, “none of the above really matters if you’re content sucks.” You can honestly care for your students and have a burning passion for yoga, but unless you can translate that knowledge into digestible content for your audience, then your message will fall short. The end result? A failing business.

Instead, share your learning (honestly) with your community. Allow those around you to transparently see your process. And, be willing to document your gained knowledge to share with others in a compelling and organized way.

HOW TO IMPLEMENT IN THE YOGA WORLD:

Schedule photo shoots to create content. We have already outlined the steps needed to organize the logistics behind a yoga photo shoot, as well as what to pack when you take your sessions outdoors.
Simplify yogic texts for your students. Break down mantras, chants, sanskrit names, etc for your students, and visually put them together in a way that students can appreciate and find learning fun. This could be done in your newsletter, around your studio, or via online social media platforms.

WIN 2 GREAT BOOKS TO BUILD YOUR YOGA BRAND!

As if these 8 tips to build your yoga brand weren’t enough, we’re giving away an awesome book pairing–CRUSH IT, and CRUSHING IT (both by Gary Vaynerchuk). For a chance to win, all you have to do is to sign up for the Swagtail Newsletter by entering your email below. If you want to increase your chances of winning, follow us on social media and share with your friends for extra entries.