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How to set up a successful yoga business. Tips for the budding entrepreneur
by those who have been there and done it already.
By Lucy Edge, Founder of YogaClicks.Store
Y
ou’re on your mat, supposedly stilling your mind,
and suddenly you have this idea for a yoga-inspired
business. You spend Savasana expanding it, and your
post-practice coffee sharing it with your yoga buddies.
Everyone thinks it’s brilliant. But how do you make it
happen? Here are the must-have top tips from the founders of some
hugely successful yoga businesses.Use your expertise to create something unique
Dana McKenzie loved yoga from the first moment she stepped on
her mat, but the mat itself filled her with horror. How could she enjoy
a practice rooted in non-harm knowing she was practicing on a toxic,
non-biodegradable mat?
“As an engineer, I look for solutions that are not immediately
obvious,” she says. “I first discovered the incredible properties
of wool on a work project. Not only was it a complete natural
fibre, it was also antibacterial, odour resistant, non-allergenic,
biodegradable and renewable, not to mention soft and beautiful.
This was everything I wanted in a yoga mat. Once I found a non-toxic
coating to give it added grip, the Fifth Breath mat was born.”Meet the
yogipreneurs
Do your research, but trust your gut
Alice Asquith is chief designer at the much-loved Asquith London- who doesn’t have a pair of Asquith leggings in their wardrobe? A
highly respected businesswoman, she emphasises the importance
of doing your research, but also trusting your instincts. “Make sure
your idea isn’t just a great one but a viable, profitable one,” she says.
“Research your competitors thoroughly and work out where you
can sell and how you can market your brand before you start. Talk
to everyone you know in the yoga world and introduce yourself to
those you don’t yet know. It’s a wonderful, friendly community and
people love to help. Be sensible about how and where you invest but
go with your gut. When I haven’t I wish I had and...nine times out of
ten, it bites me back.”
The best advertising is a happy customer
Kat Farrants’ online yoga platform has featured in Vogue as ‘the
Netflix of yoga’. Now four years old, Movement For Modern Life has a
huge community of evangelists – both teachers and students – but
like any business it started small. She credits this community with her
success. “Once people started to find out about us, first of all via ourKat Farrants