BUSINESS PLAN
My wife and I run Open Minded Fitness Group without a business
plan because things have just progressed naturally. It’s nice to have
the freedom to just see what happens and go with it; but at the same
time it’s also easy to lose focus and end up trying to do too much.
To help us keep focus, we have a mission statement: “Ease strain on
the NHS, by sharing a prevention over cure attitude, and providing
relevant wellbeing methods, in businesses and in the community.”
This helps us keep the bigger picture in mind and gives us a sense
of purpose, to stay motivated, and to not get sucked into the trap of
chasing money blindly.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Personally, I like Instagram for its simplicity; LinkedIn is also useful
for communicating with workplace clients. I normally create content
with Instagram in mind, then share from Instagram to Facebook
and LinkedIn. I write blogs for our website, then I share them via
Facebook, and copy them to LinkedIn as articles. I think the key is to
try and make posts as useful as possible, so they are more likely to
attract interaction.
YOUR NICHE
I began practicing yoga to help ease chronic pain from snowboarding.
I was really stiff and impatient; I remember vividly how difficult it was
to allow my muscles to relax. My niche is helping people in a similar
situation as I normally know how to relate to them.
WHO DO YOU ADMIRE
I would mention Sarah Ramsden here. Also, Dr Richard J Davidson.
His incredibly honest and detailed scientific research into meditation
has enabled those who teach it to back it up with science.
MAKING A LIVING
To make a living from yoga follows the same principles as yoga itself,
in my opinion. It requires constant learning, courageous effort, and
a deep connection to others. BKS Iyengar often talked of “effortless
effort” and I think there’s a lot in that - if you can enjoy all aspects of
the effort required to make a living from teaching, you’ve cracked it!WHAT’S YOUR SECRET
I think my secret is balancing classes that earn lots of money,
classes that earn regular money, and classes that earn little or no
money. For example: workplace sessions are often short term and
can require lots of compromise; however, they can be lucrative. Gym
sessions tend to bring in regular money, which is useful; however,
the hourly rate is generally relatively low. Free, or charity donation
sessions, will almost always give you a great sense of purpose;
however, they probably won’t bring in much income. Balancing these
three aspects helps me stay motivated, happy and financially stable.SELF CARE
I set myself the goal of practicing at least 10 minutes meditation
per day, then however much mindful movement I have time for. It’s
a small commitment, and that’s what makes it work - it has been an
easy habit to develop. After 10 minutes meditation, I normally realise
how insignificant the other ‘urgent’ stuff I have to do is; allowing me
the freedom to experiment with movement and breathing. The key
thing is I don’t get annoyed with myself for not practicing a specific
routine, I just do what feels right after checking in with myself for 10
minutes. Also, I try and go to as many classes as possible - not just
yoga, anything that interests me.Written and compiled by Claudia Brown (yogabyclaudia.com)Tips from the experts to help you grow the yoga business of your dreams.
Te acher zone
MyYogaBiz
This month: Wil Hesketh, Open Minded Fitness
Group, Manchester (openmindedfitnessgroup.co.uk)