Ep. 63: Tips for Building a 7-Figure Yoga Business with Brett Larkin
“When you step into this abundance mindset all the sudden, a whole new world opens up where instead of feeling like I need to discount my fees it’s like, no, I’m trying to be a high earner because the impact I can make globally opens” — Brett Larkin
Do you struggle with wanting to make more money but also wanting to give yoga away for free because everyone should have access?
You’re not alone in these thoughts and it’s something that comes up often when I’m working with yoga teachers. We all believe in the power of yoga and mindfulness and we want to share it with everyone. This is why niching down is so difficult for yoga teachers — you want to help everyone.
In this podcast episode I wanted to talk with someone who has made a massive impact in the yoga world and is making a massive impact in the global world too because of her success. (I’m talking about a 7-figure business!!)
Brett Larkin is a household name in the yoga industry and you likely know of her because of her online yoga teacher training program. She started her teacher training long before Covid19 hit our world and she’s still offering yoga online without an end in sight!
We talk about all things yoga business and the biggest component is your mindset. Let’s dig in!
Perfectionism
“You’re never satisfied. Especially if you’re passionate about what you do” — Brett Larkin
Have you ever said “I just need to tweak my website one more time before I share it with others”? If so, you’re likely someone who deals with perfectionism because we have to keep trying to make it “just right” before it feels “ready”.
I love that Brett and I talked about this because it’s a trap that I see many yoga teachers (and people in general) struggle with often. Myself included! It’s tough when you have high standards and you want your work to be perfect. But let me let you in on something:
“Your B work is good enough to impact lives” — Amanda McKinney
It’s true. And I want you to remember that the next time you catch yourself wanting to “tweak just one more thing”. Sure, paying attention to details is important but it’s a dangerous trap to fall into when you don’t share your amazing work with someone because it’s not “perfect”.
Brett’s advice on how to combat perfectionism:
Test things out to see what works. Look at it like an experiment and have fun with it. Let go of the idea that it will be perfect because it won’t and perfectionism will always be there.
Know Your Niche
“The person you really want to help, get clear on that and then figure out what they’re actually willing to pay for because a lot of people have problems but only some people have problems they are willing to pay to solve.” — Brett Larkin
You know I’m a fan of niching down so I loved it when Brett mentioned this as one aspect of a successful business. She shares how this was really tough for her too but once she was able to get really clear on who she wanted to work with, marketing got easier and she started making more money.
Once you know who you want to work with (your niche) then it’s time to work on the wording for your marketing that will help you welcome in more students. And I just loved how Brett put it:
“We need to translate what we’re offering into our students language.” — Brett Larkin
Brett also had a really unique way about arriving at your niche. She suggested to actually start with your money goals first because that can help lead you to your dream student.
- Identify what number of revenue you would like to make in a year
- Then break that down quarterly
- Then decide who is best suited to help you reach your revenue goals.
Don’t Take It Personally
“When someone doesn’t buy something I don’t take it personally. It’s the market telling it wasn’t the right thing or time.” — Brett Larkin
Another incredible piece of our interview together was when Brett talked about not taking things personally. When we first start a business it’s easy to take things personally when someone doesn’t buy something. You are attached the result.
But once you’re able to separate yourself from the services you offer you can look at things differently and make smarter business decisions. For example, if someone doesn’t register for your workshop don’t think that the workshop itself (or you!) are the problem. It could be the time of day or year or week that you offer the workshop. It could have been the words you used to describe the workshop.
Once you do this, you will be able to see things objectively and make better decisions for your growing business.
Work On Your Money Mindset
“How this manifested for me was that I refused to become a yoga teacher because I thought all yoga teachers were poor. Even though deep down I knew that was my role” — Brett Larkin
This!
This is the thing I want you to really pay attention to. This message! Please ask yourself this question anytime you recognize that a limiting thought about your business is entering your mind:
Is the story true?
Brett talked about how she thought that all yoga teachers were poor and so she denied a gift that she knew she had for a long time before really stepping into it. But she didn’t realize this on her own. She hired a coach that helped her walk through this process of identifying limiting beliefs so that she could work through them.
The key lesson is to ask yourself that question and then take the next step of identifying what stories are you surrounding yourself with.
- Are you surrounded by other yoga teachers who say “don’t quit your day job”
- Or “yoga teachers never make enough money”
If you hear these types of thoughts often, do everything you can to change your perspective. Start to surround yourself with more positive business-related thoughts so that you have a different story entering your mind.
Another suggestion that Brett made was to write your dreams down — actually write them — and step into the idea that you are an entrepreneur. Once you have this framed in your mind as a positive thing, big things can happen in your life.
“You are an entrepreneur and in control of your destiny and your income” — Brett Larkin
“When you step into this abundance mindset all the sudden, a whole new world opens up where instead of feeling like I need to discount my fees it’s like, no, I’m trying to be a high earner because the impact I can make globally opens” — Brett Larkin
Your next step
Dive into the stories you have surrounding you. What is your perspective? If you’re surrounded by limiting beliefs I want you to change that immediately. This is the thing that will help you grow your business because we all know that it starts with mindset.
Until next time give yourself permission to dream BIG and grace along the way.
About Brett Larkin
Brett Larkin is the founder of her award-winning YouTube channel, Uplifted™️ Online Yoga Teacher Trainings, a successful entrepreneur, and sought-after online business consultant. A digital pioneer in training online yoga teachers, Brett has certified over 1300 yogis to become teachers and healers. Veteran yoga teachers turn to Brett to deepen their skills and jumpstart their businesses. As a visionary, Brett has been featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur.com, and Gaia, and as a teacher she has brought her unique approach to executives at Silicon Valley’s hottest companies and developed a devoted following globally. Brett co-founded and sold two successful health & wellness businesses before developing Uplifted™ Yoga as a successful global business. An industry disrupter, Brett is an expert at successfully transitioning traditional brick-and-mortar industries into the online space, while accelerating revenue and impact. With a strong background in tech and a knack for forecasting trends, she was the first person in the world to put an interactive 200-Hour Yoga Certification Program Online in 2015 and run it live, in real time.
Brett’s Links:
- Website — https://www.brettlarkin.com/
- Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/larkinyogatv/
- 200 Hr Online YTT https://www.brettlarkin.com/online-yoga-teacher-training/
- 300 Hr Online YTT https://www.brettlarkin.com/300-hour-online-yoga-teacher-training/
- Uplifted Yoga Communityhttps://www.brettlarkin.com/uplifted/
- Money Mindset blog post — https://www.brettlarkin.com/ways-to-make-money-as-a-yoga-instructor/
For more stories like this, listen to the Marketing Yoga with Confidence Podcast.
About Amanda McKinney (Marketing Coach for Yoga Teachers)
Amanda McKinney is a Marketing Coach with a passion for empowering yoga teachers to earn more money doing what they love. She does this through her podcast: Marketing Yoga With Confidence and Online Offerings. All of which focuses on building confidence and community with an extra dose of encouragement every step of the way.
