Does the word business scare you?

Does the word business scare you?

The beginning to my story.

2005. Graduation of my YTT. I close my eyes and I remember it all! The excitement to start teaching and help people understand yoga and how much I loved it vibrated all over me. I was like a puppy just wanting to do good for people.

Fast forward to today. That hasn’t changed much.

I fell in love with the word business when I made it make sense for me. When I understood that my passion was as strong as ever, my desire as full as when I started and that I needed a little bit of organization in my brain to make it all make more sense so more people benefited.

When someone explained to me once that being a yoga teacher meant being in business for yourself I had no idea what they meant because it was a part time thing for me. My days were spent in an advertising agency, or a publishing company, or an architecture firm during the day and then running to my class at night to make some extra money.

Does this sound like you? (Just replace the former jobs and insert what you do to make money).

Because I was over working for other people, loved my freedom to travel, loved taking trainings and workshops, I knew I had to move full time into teaching.

And the rat race began!

24 classes a week at one point… totally exhausting and less money in my pocket than before! This made no sense to me because what’s the point of living doing what I loved but having no money to travel, take the trainings I loved, move into my own apartment (vs living in my friend’s living room).

Welcome the world of self-development and actually giving a shit about myself.

Realizing I was playing this weird game of work my butt off, teach so much that I was getting injured and still having no savings sucked.

I knew something had to change just didn’t know how. Diving deep into layers of myself, layers of my desire, and understanding that I could get better at every single aspect of my life is an amazing gift. The trick is it all started with my mindset and believing in myself.

Bring on the reading and learning. 

There is so much information out there readily available for us about business, what it means to actually empower yourself with knowledge about running a smart business, about what it takes to have order and systems in place to afford a lifestyle I wanted.

The more I learned about others (yogis, artists, you name it) who took matters into their own hands and made a shift in their lives, the more I saw it in my future.

Have you ever felt like this?

The NEW me!

Diving deeper and deeper and deeper gave me so much freedom and lightness. The sense of empowerment, strength and resourcefulness introduced me to a whole new way of seeing things.

Saying I hate business and sales only brought less business and sales to my life.

Saying I don’t need money only brought less money to my life.

Don’t lose your power and say I’m not ready yet!

Understanding that everything I said and everything I did mattered changed my life.

Something I don’t know, I learn.

A task I can’t do on my own probably means I should hire someone better than me to get it done and as a result move further quicker.

An idea that needs to come out, I figure out how to do it.

This is why and how I created Bizzy Yogi, because I know this amazing and powerful work will work for you as well as long as you believe. 

It’s all about the mind, the desire of the outcome and how bad you want it. Owning your value is your claim to fame (whatever that word means to you).

How will you manifest your dreams?

I want to have a talk and find out more and move some energy around?

And remember it’s all inside you… jedi mind tricks really do work (oh and a sweet rock solid plan).

Thanks for reading my story.

Namaste!

Motivation: How My Grandmother Saved My Business & Life

Top lessons from mamama for motivation:

Close your eyes and think of the time someone saved your life. For me it was when I was 3 years old on vacation in Miami and I daringly jumped into the pool without my floaties. Holy crap that was the most amazing feeling until I started sinking… and sinking… and sinking. All of a sudden I get pulled into the surface by my grandmother who was super woman. Do you have someone in your life who motivates you? Because you deserve constant support and to be saved every now and then.

My grandma – will call her Mamama Berta – was the strongest, most astute woman I have ever met. Both my grandmas were, but I am honoring this post the Mamama Berta.

Being in Peru with her for 3 days last week praying, chanting, doing mantras, using oils, doing reiki all to help her soul pass into heaven quicker and with no roadblocks showed me many things.

  1. The time I have here is limited
  2. Breath is numbered
  3. Thank god I own my own business so I can just get up and go when I need without asking anyone
  4. I am completely FREE
  5. I am NOT  self sabotaging myself any longer
  6. Motivate yourself daily to be better

So you are an entrepreneur? Yeah let’s talk…

Do you work 24/7? Do you jump up when I client calls you and put things in the back burner? Do you doubt yourself when you are having fun because you have to follow up with clients, or send that email and most of all finish your work?

I know this is hard to swallow. The pill is bigger than what you want and your kombucha isn’t helping it go down.

TIME is limited.

LIFE is a gift.

Allow yourself to streamline some of your work, outsource, automate and keep moving.

I can do it all!

Yes of course you can. You can do your books, your marketing, create the content, teach the classes, come up with business growth and maybe then you can take a day off and take a freaking nap in the sun.

Get some help! This changes daily as I understand who to hire for the right reasons, who to reach out to who has a quicker and better answer. At the end of the day- don’t we want our time back?

Prioritize what you like to do best. I realized very quickly I dislike accounting, I pretended I did and my books went to total shit. Yup. Shit. So I hired a bookeeper and now my life is way easier as I can focus on what I LOVE which is content creation and strategy for growth.

Motivation comes from the self. You have to keep your spirits up when there is overwhelm.

I hired someone to help with social media. Why? Cause it takes too freaking LONG! I really appreciate all the growth strategies for my instagram but honestly, I rather be doing something else.

Do you see? Pretty much everything we do should fill our cup vs emptying it.

Back to Mamama Berta.

Here are 3 gems from my abuelita:

  1. Never stop moving. The minute you sit down is when you stay seated forever.
  2. Sell! All you need in life is to sell your products so you can keep your economy in check.
  3. Keep your family close.

I hope you all learned a few things here because I sure as heck did. The process wasn’t easy but it slapped me in the face and is making me streamline so much so I can better serve you!!!

Check out the Super Bizzy Yogi Course Module 2 on how to save time, be more productive and efficient without spending a lot of money!!!

Entrepreneur: Top 10 Tips To Be A Yoga Business Pro

How ready are you to step up your yoga business knowledge?

Creating a profitable yoga business is not far ahead in your future! So many of yoga teachers are looking to create a better living through doing what they love! Are you ready to find your yoga entrepreneur?

We are thrown into the world of entrepreneurship without formal training, expected to market and fill classes without really knowing how to market effectively, and asked to be a walking brand without having clarity of what that even looks like.

These 10 tips will help move you along the world of entrepreneurship and wellness. Are you ready? I need to hear a LOUD yes as the more excited you are… the better the results!

I’m on a mission to change that and make you a kick ass yoga entrepreneur.

Are you asking why would I want to be an entrepreneur? This you can only answer yourself. Many of us simply want to be part time yoga teachers, but if you are tired of your daily grind then you might want to read this.

1. Clarity of what you want in life

Meditate. Asana. Focus. These tools are readily available to create a clear vision of what your life wants to look like. Desire is a powerful tool in yoga entrepreneur vision quest. What do you want? When do you want it by? Who will help you get there?

Create your own destiny and design your own life. Get the right tools to get there faster because trust me right tools creates ease!

2. Self value & worth

You mean to tell me you don’t look in the mirror daily with words of affirmation and love? Well start today! Knowing your value is so important. This affects how you present yourself into the world, your students and clients and most of all, it feels really really good.

One of my best clients told me the main reason he hires me and pays me (almost double of what I usually charge) is my confidence.

It is common to lack the will and knowhow of your own amazing value. Look back into your years of teaching, look to see how much time and money you have invested in yourself. Look at all the books you have read. There is tons of value in your vault and it’s time you recognize that and let it shine! Weeeeeee!!!!

3. Understanding yoga culture

Did you know the yoga industry is a 9.1 billion dollar business? I didn’t until recently. I knew it was big, but $9.1 billion big? There is a massive growth in yoga and wellness with a 4%  yearly increase. Imagine the possibilities! The world is changing and we are on that train.

The high levels of stress, of needing something so powerful to fill a void of self discovery is at an all time high. The world is focusing on depth in an ever changing fast paced social media lifestyle.

Jump on the bandwagon of helping people move inwards because honestly it’s not nearly enough. My philosophy: work out to work in. If that means you only do yoga for physical benefits the time on your mat is priceless and will change your life. Guaranteed.

Write down your current yoga business. What does it look like? How can you find yourself more active?

4. Purpose time

Simon Sinek has an amazing TED talk on the power of WHY. When we live from purpose, from a deep place in our hearts, career, business, life take on new meaning. Companies, and you as an entrepreneur, should consider having a greater purpose.

Some of the most successful CEO’s like Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Russell Simmons and more are major players in improving the lives of others therefore create a better world and make money doing so.

Probably the biggest reason to work and live from purpose is that it creates a sense of selflessness thus giving you warm fuzzy feelings.

5. Make that money honey… but wait is that ok?

Such crazy misconceptions out there about money that it baffles me. Why is making money so wrong if you are a spiritual being? Why do people think of money as being dirty (well physically it has a lot of germs) but that’s besides the point.

Money and earning it is a GOOD thing because more and more we need it to do things like pay rent, car, electricity, internet, cell phones… are you catching my drift? What does a life without the basic necessities look like to you? I know ideally in a utopian world we barter for services but we live in a capitalist world where money is a basic unit of life.

Imagine if you can have all the money in the world. Probably looks like a whole lot of giving, a ton of charity and yet we are afraid to welcome it.

Currency is energy!!! In conclusion meditate on why you want money or why you don’t and guaranteed as a result a shift will occur. Download this free guide to get you started.

6. Revenue streams

Just like a river has many little streams running of it to branch into the world so should your revenue. Putting all your eggs in one basket can be dangerous and can result in you not finding your flow.

Especially in this day and age where being an entrepreneur requires you to be super focused thus dedicating tons of time and effort.

Having a clear picture of what your revenue streams look like helps to see how many eggs and how many baskets you can have. I rather have 1% in 100 baskets rather than 100% in one basket.

7. Business models that make you smile

Did you know there are more than 1 way to make money as a yoga teacher? YES! There are actually over 15 of them which makes this whole eggs and baskets so much more attainable.

Subscriptions, memberships, info products, sales, one on ones, workshops, retreats, online, brick and mortar… and there are more!

Choose business models that make your PURPOSE fit with your LIFESTYLE and as a result work will seem like play instead of something you dread!

8. Competition really is coopetition

As my dear friend Tamara likes to call it coopetition is a call to increase our abilities while moving towards more unique offerings.

There is no reason why competition should stop anyone from achieving their dreams especially when you know how amazing and special you are. I mean I hear people say all the time, there are so many yoga teachers, there are so many yoga studios, well guess what this only makes you up your game that much more thus full power focus!

9. I hate sales

I know trust me this was a long time battle for me which really made me aware of my limiting mindset and why I wasn’t feeling like I was moving further in my financial or personal career goals. Sales is a part of life, the ONLY way you will get more clients hence the opportunity of making sales less of an negative role in your life.

Instead of focusing on the used car sales pitch rather learn ways that sales suits your personality. There are many amazing sales techniques that use compassion making you less of an ass. Just sayin’.

10. Celebration is key!

First of all how often do you celebrate your successes because guarantee you mainly focus on your failures. This is the scarcity mindset epidemic we are trained thus resulting in small celebrations vs big ones!

Since our day to day lives revolve around tasks how can we shift into a more authentic celebration which make the tasks like fun games where we win prizes when completing them?

We can either shift perspectives to looking at daily life as wins therefore training us to be super yogis all the time from mindset to emotional support to general better well being.

Celebrate something awesome you did today as guarantee it will make you smile and most of all make those around you happier as well!

So get Bizzy and make some magic today!

My first Yoga Studio… the Epic Story

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Yogis Studio Dreams

There comes a point in a yogi’s life where we ask ourselves… what next? The most logical progression is start and open a yoga studio. Of course! Do you want to know how and why this happened? The evolution of it all? In a moment I will share how this all came to be, why the most perfect and imperfect people came into my life during it and how it taught me to shape up or ship out!

 

But first, let me introduce the key players:

  1. The Russian
  2. The Jersey Yogini
  3. The Argentinian
  4. The slumlord

Sounds a bit like a spy drama doesn’t it? Picture the Russian with a mysterious je ne sais quois about him and the Argentinian dancing tango and throwing knives while doing it. Well it’s kinda like that but way way less dramatic!

So about 5 years ago I had coffee with my friend, the Russian and he said – “Hey you want to open a yoga studio with me?”. All this in a thick Russian accent of course. I immediately said “YES!”. You can get an idea of my impulsive nature as I am a gemini, a monkey in my Chinese astrology and Vata/Pitta in my dosha.

Now mind you I had never owned a brick and mortar business. Much less, had never really had a “business” that involved others.  I was a lone wolf in the yogi and freelance world and had never even thought of what owning a business meant. An entrepreneur at heart, but not to this level.

Second, I had no idea the Russian came with a partner. So I jumped head in to a massive investment.  These were my life savings!!! With someone I had maybe met 3-4 times in my life. This turned out to be the best decision ever.

Meet Michelle. The Jersey Yogini with a heart of gold and the hustle of a pizza bagel (as we lovingly call Italian Jews). She is now my soul sister, a lady who works as heard as I do because without her help nothing of this would be a reality today.

 

So the story begins.

After agreeing that this was a great idea, getting the location, starting the build out, jumping for joy after signing our lease we realized we had no more funds, no more energy and no vision. The “oh shit” happened and reality came crashing down. The Russian is a yogi who traveled and disappeared for weeks in caves or with a swami. Michelle and I had been left to our own devices dealing with the unfriendliest and slimiest cigar smoking, name calling landlord in the universe (enter the slumlord). He made our build out process a nightmare from cheating, delaying, lying – well you get the picture. Know that at the end of the day good always wins and we definitely won because of our grit and hard work!

 

Life of a Yoga Studio Owner During Opening

All I can remember is sitting in my car talking to the permits man crying hysterically on WHY we had gotten denied AGAIN and had to now pay another few thousand dollars. To make the long story short, we were in dire straits. I studied architecture for a year in college so I had some idea of something but not to this degree. When you have a small budget you get creative. You hustle and learn to do things on your own quickly. Michelle took to the city and department of building to expedite our permits. I chose flooring, dealt with engineers and architects. A killer team ready to make it happen.

At the end of the day we had an opening day and were going to stick to it. If you are thinking about opening a studio- do your homework and make sure you have the funds and needs to make one from scratch or invest and buy one already made.

In comes the Argentine to save the day. With help from his ninja business skills we made a studio that would sky rocket to success. All of us made a killer team- business brain, yogis on a mission and lots of good will. We finally opened TRIO Studios the day before a 30 person training we had scheduled months before.

 

NOTEWORTHY TIPS

Top 5 Tips to Success with Your Yoga Studio

So you know anything you are trying to build out will take twice as long, and twice as much. Our classes steadily grew because to have a successful studio you need a few things:

  1. REALLY GOOD TEACHERS
  2. A KILLER SCHEDULE
  3. A GREAT TEAM
  4. A BRAND THAT STANDS OUT
  5. A UNIQUE APPROACH

Good teachers make or break a studio. Because the owners always have a bigger pull if you open a studio, give yourself the top and best time slots furthermore always share some of those slots with your best teachers so when you decide to step out of the teaching the studio is still busy.

The schedule should reflect the people who live near you, your niche clientele, your ideal student. If you live near young professionals know that the might want later classes or really early mornings. Study your neighborhood and cater to what they want.

To mange or not to manage is the question that seems like has an easy answer.  I decided I am a better teacher than a manager. Hiring someone else to take care of the smaller things is a great idea and as a result it created space for me to be creative, to see the bigger picture and to create a lifestyle that I wanted. The hiring process is critical because your manager is the face of your studio in addition to the front desk. Whether yogis turned business owners realize it, sale are number 1. Make your team represent you. Create a family of workers that care and want to grow with you.

Branding. One of my favorite topics. First of all you want a killer logo that represents you. Since you want to be top of mind a name that is easy to remember is KEY therefore helping you stand out more. TRIO is in English & Spanish and short and sweet. Don’t confuse people who don’t speak sanskrit. Make the branding something that appeals to your ideal client and stands out from the others. Because branding is so important, check out this free mini video or my complete course which has a whole section on creating your brand.

aerial yoga - trio yoga studio

Finally, a unique approach which in TRIO’s case, is aerial & acroyoga, and over 65 classes a week. We cater to people who want to expand their horizons with yoga and explore different avenues. We want people to be able to come to class whenever so we make the studio available almost all day so that they have easy access. ALSO owning a studio is about real estate management. If the room is empty, you are losing money. Don’t leave money on the table- ever!

With all this being said and done, TRIO has created a community of yoga lovers, people who’s lives change for the better daily. It created a job for Michelle and I who are the main teachers, lead the trainings and yoga retreats. Our studio is probably one of the best in Miami because we provide a level of service and quality unmatched by others and as a result make a big impact on the lives of many. Our vision and dedication teaches us daily on how to be better business owners and yogis. It’s a fine line but at the end of the day it’s worth seeing the smiles on peoples faces.

 

SUCCESS STORY

A legacy in the making.

In conclusion TRIO is a HUGE hit and continues on its way up. Profitable on year 1, top 10 yoga studio in Miami 3 years in a row. Unique in scheduling, class style and the first in Wynwood Arts District. A team that kicks ass and a legacy of quality.

To learn more how to be a yogi entrepreneur, a creator, a proliferator of goodness then check out Bizzy Yogi Online Business Academy. Most of all you will learn all the ins and outs of being a successful business owner, a top of mind yogi entrepreneur and grow your yogi business mind that surpasses what you think was possible.

Take action today and join the tribe of movers and shakers who want to change the world one om at a time so that yoga grows and continues to impact the world daily.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Stress and Yoga

According to www.stress.org – an organization dedicated to educating people on stress and its effects – 77% of people regularly experience physical symptoms caused by stress including fatigue, headaches, upset stomach, and muscle tension.

A whopping 73% of people experience psychological symptoms caused by stress like irritability or anger, anxiousness, lack of energy, or feeling the need to cry.

All of that from STRESS… Is it ruining your life?

Living in our modern world is awesome. It’s fun, fast-paced and convenient! But, let’s face it… Living in the modern world is also… stressful!

Take a moment to think about what creates stress in your life. I’ll wait.

We as yogis aren’t impervious to stress, we can meditate all we want, but can we actually avoid it?

Stress is a mentally and emotionally disruptive condition that is created in response to adverse external influences as seen in the dictionary. It can actually be a good thing for health and safety but also can wreak havoc on your mental and physical bodies.

I know you’re saying, how is stress good for me? Well, it sends more oxygen to the brain so we can be sharper, quicker, and helps us solve problems easier.

But if you are constantly getting bombarded with stress in our lives then we have an excess, and as good yogis we know excess is unbalanced and just plain overwhelming.

You want to eliminate chronic stress as much as possible as it causes many negative effects in our lives. It affects our immune, endocrine and nervous, circulatory, respiratory, digestive, muscular and reproductive systems.

That sums up the entire body! Why would we want anything to mess with our entire being? You don’t! Keep reading to find out how Yoga comes into play!

Let’s dig a little deeper!

Immune System:

The release of cortisol over long periods of time creates inflammation and prevents histamine secretion. This can actually delay our healing process and can increase chances of viral infections.

On a good note, a little stress can actually heal wounds, but how many serious wounds do you get in your life vs battling constant inflammation due to chronic stress.

Yoga Journal published a piece that expertly sums up how different Yoga poses can help boost your immune system and how meditating for only 20 minutes a day can decrease your daily cortisol production.


Endocrine & Nervous System:

Adrenaline & cortisol. Your 2 great friends that play go, go, go in the fight or flight responses. Now this is great if you are getting chased by a bear and need to run 10 x’s faster to save your life, but do we need constant pumping of these chemicals in our adrenals? NO.

If there are symptoms of chronic stress, your CNS (Central Nervous System) never shuts down or goes back to normal causing depression, anxiety, and insomnia.

Using yoga we can battle this overproduction of adrenaline and cortisol by practicing asana, using mulabhanda and meditation. Don’t take my word for it, read from the Harvard Health blog how meditation eases stress and its physical & psychological effects.

Respiratory & Cardiovascular System:

Deep breathing. Slowing down the inhales & exhales is a great way to combat the effects of chronic stress on the respiratory and cardiovascular systems.

Stress causes us to breathe faster and more shallow, causes your blood vessels to constrict and raise your blood pressure. By relaxing and practicing pranayama as well as poses like sun salutations, we actually can help the heart slow down and work less.

The American Heart Association posted this on their blog about Yoga and cardiovascular health.


Digestive System:

When we are under chronic fight or flight our bodies, the liver in particular, produces extra sugar. If you have excess sugar and your body can’t use or transform it, then diseases like diabetes can creep into your life.

Stress can also cause ulcers, nausea and/or vomiting. It will also prevent absorption of nutrients which can cause additional symptoms of fatigue and not feeling “well”.

At the end of the day our yogic practices create a sense of overall calm in the body and mind. Savanna is a sure way to allow our bodies to rest, our muscles to let go of tension and to realign our minds to let go.

With a daily practice of meditation, pranayama and asana, guaranteed your body will be more prepared to battle stressors! Also understanding that stress is not caused by external sources is HUGE! We must not let negative situations or people get to under our skin – literally!

There are many tools to combat chronic stress with Yoga & meditation at the center, we just need to use them. Start by checking out my Yoga For Beginners: Sun Salutations video.

Find this post helpful?! Please share it with anyone you feel could use some de-stressing!

 

For all of my Yoga Teachers, this is a MUST READ! >>> The REAL Reason I Quit Being A Yoga Teacher

 

 

Have specific questions? Let Ari, the Bizzy Yogi answer them! Ask your question below and we will answer it in our weekly email OR in a FB Live webshow – we’ll even give you a shoutout!

 

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I’m a hustler baby, I just want you to know.

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NK1FgO_O18″ el_width=”90″ align=”center”][vc_column_text]Yup, this is what us in the wellness industry are subject to. Yoga teacher, waitress, massage therapist, receptionist… you name it. How has it turned into such a rat race? At the end of the day aren’t we just trying to help people?

Over the last decade there has been a surge of yoga teacher, holistic coaches, fitness experts that are all trying to make it doing what they love. But why is it so hard to make good money?

I have friends who teach 30 classes a week! This is insane when you think about your physical limitations of training, teaching, adjusting… the list goes on.

How can we create abundance without losing ourselves in the hustle? 35% of millennials have a side jobs according to Forbes Magazine. Either the system is set up that living expenses vs debt and wages aren’t even, or we are getting paid too little for what we do.

When I started teaching yoga, I was 25 and had 3 other jobs. I was a graphic designer, photography assistant and yoga teacher on the side. It took me about 3 years to shift this into yoga teacher and graphic designer on the side. We all have these double lives as we don’t go to college to become yoga teachers or fitness instructors. We choose to do a teacher training for many reasons, but the main ones being unhappiness in our status quo or wanting to fill a gap in our spiritual and daily lives. For me it was both.

Working in advertising or having 10 hour long photoshoots wasn’t my idea of success and had no value at the end of the day. What was my legacy to the world? How did I allow myself to feel complacent in creating for others?

Here are some answers on HOW you can earn doing what you love!

  • Have you decided on what it is you are most passionate about offering? Is there a training you did that makes you stand out?
  • What is your most UNIQUE quality? (and be really specific here!)
  • How can you use your time wisely so there is no burn out?
  • Have you started an email list? If so, how often do you connect with your readers?
  • Do you have goals? Have you written them down?
  • What does your resume look like? If it needs a re-write, go for it! Make sure you keep yourself up to date.
  • As a wellness practitioner you are in the service industry. Read up about your opportunities from people who are already doing it! Those who’ve been there done that.
  • Get a mentor! This is so valuable I can’t even begin. This is probably one of the reasons why I am successful.
  • Make sure you are ethical and professional ALWAYS! There is nothing like losing clout and getting coined as the “flakey yogi”.

 

After all we are all on the same boat. We all have desires, dreams, ambitions and a higher purpose. We have spouses, families, pets, bills and such that we need to take care of. So if having a side hustle is still the way to go, keep doing it until you can shift your focus and attention directly to what you want. (by the way I still work on my photography stuff… but why? CA– USE I LOVE IT!)

SCHEDULE A FREE CALL TODAY!

Let’s chat to see how we can grow your vision, your passion, create a brand you love with consciousness and let the hustle work for you!

Namaste,

Arianne Om[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row]