What You See Determines What Is Possible
When you first opened your studio, how did you see it and your role in it?
Did you envision a community yoga studio where you could practice as often as you wanted, with your favorite teachers?
Did you delight in the thought of a place where you could teach only the classes that you wanted to teach, on the schedule that suited your lifestyle?
Maybe you envisioned a business that you could run from your home, having complete control over your life and schedule, traveling any time you wanted, making it to all of your kids events, and getting paid a comfortable salary...
...all without working nights and weekends..or having a boss...or having to follow policies that come with being a part of someone else’s team.
Is that what you envisioned?
That is 100% what I envisioned.
In my pre-studio ownership days, I had a stressful day job where I worked like a maniac and was thankful for a free weekend. I was paid well, and the benefits were great, but I was tired and unfulfilled.
And then, when my kids were young, I bought a yoga studio and I was certain I had hit the time and money lottery.
Ha ha. Yeah, I can hear you laughing, too.
I had it backwards. I bought a business that I thought would support me, but instead, I ended up with a business that needed my support, 24/7.
So now my hours and stress were the same or more as when I had a J.O.B., and my money and benefits were less. Not what I had in mind when embarking on the entrepreneurial journey.
What was my mistake? My mistake was not realizing that envisioning and creating are very different things. My actions didn't support my vision. My actions supported a business that couldn't operate without me.
How you see your business determines what is possible for you.
Once I realized that I needed to create a business that didn't need me, I began to envision the actions that would create the business that would allow me to have the income and free time I desired.
What actions did I take to start creating the business that I envisioned?
I did three things:
➡️ I hired a coach to highlight my blind spots and teach me that my studio needed to operate without my attention 24/7.
➡️ I outsourced anything that was low-value but necessary, was repeatable and could be done by someone else.
➡️ I built systems in my business that I could do, document, teach and release, to make #2 even easier.
Yes, creating systems and letting go of feeling like you have to do everything can be hard and even time consuming (once!), but worth it. I want to share with studio owners like you what I know, and what I know that WORKS.
Listen, it is clear by now that none of this is going to get easier on its own, and you are not going to wake up one day with a magical business that supports your dreams unless you both envision the dream and then create it for yourself.
I know that the BEST way for you to grow your studio profits and your personal free time is to create systems and strategies that support that growth. I also know that you can't do all of it yourself.
My Barefoot Boss Studio Strategy Program is the best way to get one-on-one attention on your studio. Together, we will create a studio that supports you, not the other way around.
Find out more about my program and how I can help you here, and then book your First Step call.