The Studio Management Experts

Create the buzz

2010-10-05T11:25:00.000-07:00

Y'all know what I'm talkin about, FB and Twit CAN make a difference in both student awarness and SEO (Search Engine Optomization). However it takes a foot soldier to keep up with the postings. This is not yours or your grandma's terrain. This is the terrain of a red bull drinking 20something. So trade some classes out to a hipster who can keep up with the postings, inviting, linking and tweeting...Once again More is MORE!

Front desk staff

2010-09-02T10:16:00.000-07:00

Another Dilemma:

To Pay or NOT to Pay...front desk staff that is.

I have owned a yoga and Pilates studio for nearly a decade. One of the methods I have used to keep overhead down is to implement work/trade at the front desk.

We are opened 7 days a week, so as you can imagine this requires a pretty large staff. the work -exchangers work one shift per week, 4 or 5 hours in duration. In exchange, we provide free classes. We do pay our instructor's for their attendance as this should not be punitive to the instructor.

If you are considering this, run the math. If an attendance costs your studio $3 or less based on your instructor pay, then it might just be the best solution for you. You'll need to become adept at wrangling schedules and potential turnover, but in the end its a great way to cut costs.

Furhtermore, we designed Dharma Tribe, with this in mind: A work flow that's super easy to teach to a part time desk worker or instructor who's running the desk.

See you soon!

Selling Retail

2010-09-01T10:50:00.000-07:00

I speak with a host studio owners who have the following dilemma:
RETAIL...To Sell or Not To Sell.

The pros for having a retail presence, aside from the extra dough it can generate, is to have a look and feel in your boutique, of abundance.

But margins are tight in the studio owning business, usually to the extent that purchasing that next round of Hard Tail or Be Present is prohibitively expensive. The business term for that expense is COSTS OF GOODS SOLD. But that doesn't have to be a bad word.

Solution: Consider consignment.(paying the vendor a % of the sales). In this economy even the bigger retail vendors want to move goods...and are more likely to consider the idea. In Dharma Tribe software, tracking this is as simple as a couple of clicks.

Another idea which was recently implemented at my studio, is a whole brand based on recycled clothing. If you have the knack for what's cool, go to the Salvation Army or Out of the Closet and buy really great stuff on the cheap. Take it home and iron it or whatever and give it nice label, and mark it up double or triple. You'd be suprised by the # of folks looking for a deal...and it can make your anemic space really pop!

First Class Free??

2010-08-31T12:42:00.000-07:00

Many studios implement a First Class Free, or Second Class Free policy as an incentive to get students in the door. I'm a big fan of this policy but I don't always see it implented to its fullest potential.

Firstly, there need to be some criteria: For instance, do you really want someone who is "just traveling through" to take a free class then scat? I didn't think so. Make a rule which makes it applicable to students living in a local geographic region and ask the student to show some ID.

Secondly, tell them that they need to provide you with a working email as an additional requirement. If they scoff at that, kindly tell them what your single class price is. (they can take it or leave it!) Yes, some will give you a bogus address, but most won't, and considering that the average # of voluntary emails at any studio is about 50%, you can use this as a way to get that up closer to 75%. Emails addresses are your bread and butter.

Lastly, consider giving them the free class and the offering a discount on a package if they buy that same day. This strategy works very well. At our studio we have about 70% rentention rate when applying this policy.

See you soon:)

Greetings.

2010-07-30T13:34:00.000-07:00

Welcome Dharma Tribe customers and all other visitors! This blog is intended to present helpful information about the business of yoga, and how Dharma Tribe studio mangement software can help you in ways that you may not have thought of. Keep checking back while we post helpful hints on how to maximize studio owning experience!