Josh Biro is the founder of The Yogapreneur Collective, and head coach at Nomad Business coaching, a consulting company that helps yoga studio owners systematize their businesses for more profit and peace of mind. He is one of the most sought-after business coaches in the yoga industry, and is obsessed with studying the difference between studio owners who are killing it, and those who are just getting by.
Josh lives nomadically, and is currently stationed in Sayulita with his family. He loves surfing, downhill biking, and yoga (obvi).
Perhaps above all, Josh thrives on the satisfaction of knowing that he’s helped a do-good entrepreneur have more time to themselves, more money to affect change, and ultimately, more freedom to live the lives they want to live.
I always get a kick out of website owners who write their bios in the third person when they’re really just writing about themselves.
“Josh Biro has messy hair, loves beer, and says ‘fuck’ a lot.”
As much as I love commonplace internet practices (just kidding, I do NOT love common internet practices) I feel like I want this to read more like a letter to a friend, than some lame bio on a tired website.
Because really, that’s essentially what this is: a letter to a friend.
As you’re a new friend, I want you to know right up front why you should potentially NOT bother with The Yogapreneur Collective:
I help studio owners build sustainable businesses that will stand the test of time, and produce thriving communities, packed classes, and consistent profits.
Clients have approached me who want help in generating a million bucks in annual revenue using any means necessary. While I can certainly help you work towards the million-dollar mark in your business if that’s realistic for you, I focus on the long-game rather than some quick-fix, arbitrary number.
I’ll work with you closely to help you realize your goals, which often means helping you see the clear path forward, while you dodge all the things trying to eat up your time and energy.
My point is, making your business insanely profitable, fun, and sustainably successful is a process that takes time.
Much less time – by the way – if you join the YC.
A yoga studio is not a get-rich-quick kinda business. I’m sure you know this. It can provide you with an excellent revenue stream, and an amazing, fulfilling lifestyle, but doing whatever it takes to hit pie-in-the-sky revenue goals just isn’t my style.
So if you want to subsist on last-minute sales to drive up your numbers at the end of the month, that’s pretty much the opposite of what I’m about. Probably best to find another coach.
One of the foundations of our business practices is teaching clients how to use a KPI, which stands for “Key Performance Indicator”.
It’s a spreadsheet (we give you a template, don’t worry) where you track key weekly and monthly metrics in your business such as new students, class sales, retail sales, student retention, monthly auto-pays, and attendance.
This is the single best way to monitor – and encourage – the growth in your business that you will experience when you start employing our practices.
Numbers don’t lie – they aren’t emotional or opinion based – they’re just facts. Knowing them and using them properly is a simple must in the best business practices of kick ass yoga studio operations.
When we sit down and look at your numbers, it becomes way easier to create a clear priorities list and strategy to move forward.
This not only helps us get you moving in the right direction fast, and have a real tracking system to see the change with, but is really helps reduce stress!
This will often be the focus of our coaching calls, and the basis for my recommendations for your next steps. By focusing on increasing specific numbers, we can get you headed in the right direction.
Specificity is everything, and if you’re not into it, you won’t be into The YC.
While there are definitely best practices and habits that nurture success and sales, there is simply no one-size-fits-all solution to any business, not to mention a yoga studio.
If you want your studio to be the best it can be, you’ve got to be open to testing, exploring, and testing some more. What works for one studio will not necessarily work for another. And as much as I can help you determine what’s next, and what your key focus is, you will always learn best by implementing.
Ideas are shit. Launching is everything. And the only way to tell what’s going to work is to work it.
If you don’t want to do that work, your money will be better spent on a nice pair of yoga tights.
An interest in yoga, and the grit to succeed. When Terri pivoted from 30+ years in Corporate America into her new shoes as a yoga business owner, all she had was a little business knowledge passed down from her father. There was no backup, no going back. The money well was dry. It was sink or swim.
Thanks to a savvy business coach and her own tenacity, Terri breathed new life into a New England studio, managing insane profits almost exclusively from yoga classes alone (92% of revenue to be exact). When she wanted to cross state lines again and move closer to family, a well-planned Exit Strategy earned her a successful studio sale. (Mid-pandemic, no less!)
Today, Terri’s goal is to help yoga business owners live large. She brings her high-energy, no-BS approach to help clients tackle challenges, know their KPIs inside-out, and wear the entrepreneurial hat with confidence. When she’s not coaching, you’ll catch her at a hot yoga studio, adding steps to her FitBit, or quilting something cozy.
“How do you get people in through the door?” – This is the question that kept her up at night. When Vicki chose to leave her small Swedish hometown to open her yoga studio in a bustling city in Northern England, she thought: bigger city, better chance of success. That’s how other yoga studios in Switzerland worked.
They had little space, but lots of students. She found a studio that had all the space, so it should work out. Right? (Wrong!)
Reality hit like a pile of bricks: the British weren’t interested in yoga. They were too invested in football and beer! Her yoga teacher training had prepared her for teaching, but not for running a business. Vicki knew she needed help.
Fortunately, that’s when she met YC founder, Josh. Within 6 months, her community doubled from 100 students to 250 strong (and growing!). Through her own grit and the YC’s tried-and-true method, Vicki created her own insanely profitable studio.
Today, Vicki’s goal is to help Yogapreneurs get it RIGHT from the get-go. She combines her experience as a studio owner and former Human Rights lawyer to help Yogapreneurs build the right systems and sales process for their business. (So even the beer-loving Brits can’t resist walking in!)
When she’s not coaching, you’ll either find her teaching Ecstatic Awakening Dance, or out on a field with her daughter at a LARP event, pretending to be a witch or a vampire.
What do dance, yoga, and entrepreneurship have in common? A seamless pivot. As an accountant-turned-yogapreneur, Carol thought it’d be easy to transform her numbers knowledge into a thriving Dallas studio. But here’s the twist: she didn’t know what to look for. Which numbers actually make a difference for a successful studio? Corporate life hadn’t prepared her for this!
Then, she found the YC community. She learned where to turn, where to look, and how to make the best decisions for her business. Carol got SO good at navigating the YC methodology that in the first year, her studio saw an increase of 10% in gross sales. And the year after that? A whopping 15% increase. Then, COVID hit. While the world was struggling, she pivoted once again: she changed marketing tactics and celebrated a new launch record, eventually paving the way for a successful studio sale, and her debut into coaching.
Today, Carol’s goal is to show Yogapreneurs they can thrive beyond cycles of sink or swim; they can float. She applies her expertise with numbers and calm, easygoing disposition to help other studio owners create a sustainable studio where “success” doesn’t need to come at the cost of your work-life balance. When she’s not coaching? Catch her at a dance class, spending time with family, or putting together a damn good playlist. (IFYKYK)
Hi, I’m Mara, the Operations Ninja and head of Marketing for the Yogapreneur Collective. I started working with Josh and Jenna a decade ago at their hot yoga studio in Red Deer. They taught me everything firsthand that you learn here in the YC – way before anyone knew it was a business method that would help thousands of yoga studios around the globe thrive!
After years of travelling around the world, I discovered my calling and put all my energy into working towards a dreamy lifestyle of working on the go with an online social media management agency. I quickly found my groove, got a few certifications under my belt (SM Examiner Courses, FB Ads Mastery, Google Analytics Course, FB Blue Print to name a few). It wasn’t until 2018, I worked with Casa Om’s One Fire Hot Yoga Festival and reconnected with Josh and Jenna as they were in the beginning stages of building the Yogapreneur Collective, that I realized that yoga and yoga studio owners were who I wanted to work with.
From practicing and working in a yoga studio for years, I understand the importance of community, a yoga practice, and the studio space. I love helping yoga studios share that unique element online to their communities. Needless to say, understanding this audience and all the marketing experience under my belt, helps me to market the YC.
As the Operations Ninja, I stay busy discovering new ways to automate and optimize systems in the YC. I love discovering nerdy new secrets about our tech stack that can help our team and clients thrive. I keep things running smoothly for the YC, making sure our members are supported, and ensuring that all the behind-the-scenes systems and automations are built and running like a well-oiled machine.
Outside of YC, my adventures are led by my cheerful golden retriever, Waylon. Our escapades range from scenic trails to road trips to visit my hubby who works on the road. Recently, we’ve put down roots in my hometown, where I indulge in DIY home renos, fitness activities, and, of course, nerdy movie marathons (yes, Harry Potter and LOTR top the list!)..
Join us on October 6th, 2023, for a transformative virtual summit designed to inspire and empower yoga studio owners like you.
Dive deep into marketing strategies, learn from industry experts, and walk away with your 2024 event marketing calendar mapped out!
