While they’re confi dent in their purpose, Galicinao and
Hendricks know that they have a lot to learn when it comes
to succeeding with their studio. To help nudge them along,
Yoga Journal set them up with some business-savvy yoga
mentors who took a glance at their preliminary business
plan and off ered some guidance on next steps. Read along
for an inside look at what it takes to launch a studio, and for
best practices when going into the business for yourself.STEP 1
Establish your business vision & strategy
Mentor: Tiff any Cruikshank, founder of Yoga MedicineTiff any Cruikshank has been teaching a style of yoga
focused on anatomy and biomechanics for more than two
decades (called Yoga Medicine) and training teachers for
the past 12 years. In that time, hundreds of her former stu-
dents have started their own studios. In fact, a third of
Yoga Medicine teachers own studios, so she’s watched the
evolution of success stories as well as stumbles and falls.
As Galicinao’s and Hendricks’s teacher, Cruikshank has
been in the loop during their business incubation.
Cruikshank says she’s helped guide them with one of
the biggest issues many new studio owners face, especially
at the outset: establishing a well-defi ned purpose. The duo
must be careful here, says Cruikshank, so that their focus
on cognitive function and brain health doesn’t get lost
amidst the cycling, in particular. “If they focus too much
on the cardio, they may lose a lot of the yoga clientele, par-
ticularly since Santa Barbara has a lot of yoga studios,” she
warns. Galicinao and Hendricks say that yoga will be the
main off ering, and their cycling classes will have a focus on
mindfulness and brain health, featuring soft lighting and
mellower music than you may experience at a standard
cycling studio or gym. They plan to schedule 75-minute
vinyasa yoga classes, 30-minute yin yoga and meditation
classes, and 45-minute cycling classes that can be followed
by meditation.
In a larger city like Santa Barbara, the pair can get
away with having more of a niche studio (devoted to cogni-
tive health and recovery), whereas in a small town where
there are few options, studio owners should keep it broad,
says Cruikshank. Galicinao and Hendricks know that the
yoga off erings in their area are many—but based on their
research, they believe that there’s still ample room
for a studio that is uniquely focused on
brain health, particularly as theyconnect with doctors, who can serve as a source of referrals.
Cruikshank says that establishing relationships with medi-
cal pros will be key, and one of the simplest ways to start is
to hand out postcards off ering a free class to some nearby
medical offi ces. “You want to get the doctors, nurses, and
their staff s in the door to experience it themselves,” she says.
She also recommends that they use their strengths as high-
level coaches to connect to the athletic community at large
in Santa Barbara, including reaching out to recreational
athletes. “After all, they want to serve anyone who wants to
feel better and perform better.”
Another key consideration that they will need to sort
out, says Cruikshank, is how much control over the yoga
classes they intend to wield. “Sometimes studio owners
struggle between choosing a more corporate style—where
classes and even sequences are all the same and are fairly
prescribed by the studio—and classes that are more individ-
ual, but less predictable.”
When it comes to hiring teachers, Cruikshank recom-
mends doing as much research as possible—especially out-
side of a traditional interview setting. “You want to fi nd
teachers whose yoga and wellness philosophy is in line with
what you, as the owner, want for the studio. It can be diffi cult
though—a demo class or two doesn’t always prove that.
It may be helpful to look at potential teachers’ social media to
see how they are connecting with people and if what’s impor-
tant to them is in line with your values, too.” When you talk
with prospective teachers, Cruikshank recommends asking
whom they trained with and what trainings they have done,
to get a sense of their qualifi cations. Then, ask prospective
hires why they enjoy teaching, what kind of classes they like
teaching, and what excites them—in yoga and in life, she
notes. “With this info,
you’ll get a sense of
where a teacher’s
heart really is, and
that will tell you
what kind of
classes they will
teach well.”OPPOSITE
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Tiff any CruikshankFEBRUARY 2018 / 3 / YOGAJOURNAL.COM