Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with George Jakymyshyn, Kim Le Butler, Ashley Zimmerman, and Sandie Pizzuti, owners of La Sana Yoga, located in Stoney Creek, ON, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
We are a yoga studio in the heart of downtown Stoney Creek. We offer yoga classes for all levels, seven days a week. Our customers include both new and experienced yogis and are the kindest of people. We believe that we have created a wonderful, caring yoga community and have been true to our mission. We aim to inspire people to embrace the practice of yoga on and off the mat and as an important component of a healthy, well-balanced lifestyle. We hope that readers support us because of all the benefits that the practice of yoga offers to people, especially with regard to overall well-being, mind, and body.
Tell us about yourself
There are four owners: George Jakymyshyn, Kim Le-Butler, Sandie Pizzuti, and Ash Zimmerman. George was a former yoga studio owner who had to close due to the pandemic. Kim runs another business independently in the hair and cosmetology field, giving her experience as an entrepreneur. Sandie was a former senior administrator of a school board, and Ash worked in healthcare for ten years prior to opening our studio. Three of the owners are instructors, but all of us are leaders. We are all in love with the practice of yoga and truly believe it is a gift to share with others. We all bring complementarities to our own team, which makes it well-rounded and very efficient. For example, one of our owners (Ash) has superlative tech skills and was able to build and manage our website. In terms of intrinsic motivation, we are all motivated by our members—seeing them start out with yoga, then progress in terms of their practice and build strength gives us the greatest satisfaction. Some of our members also seek yoga out for the purpose of healing or managing stress. Hearing their stories and what yoga has done for their lives is all the feedback we need. We are here for our members—that's the bottom line.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Our biggest accomplishment as business owners is that we opened in December of 2021, had to close in January of 2022 due to the pandemic, and still have had over 300 people walk through our doors and attend a class. Our memberships are growing, but there is still work to do, such as increasing our number of auto-renew monthly members. However, one thing we know for sure is that we are here for the long haul. We feel that we have the best instructors, the best classes, and an excellent location.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
One of the hardest things that come with business ownership is pushing through during the pandemic, given the targets set through the business modeling. We did have excellent momentum when we first opened in December. Having to close for the month of January somewhat set us back. However, we have enhanced our promotions and communication strategies. We have a strong Instagram campaign and are steadily growing our overall social media platform and audience. We also offer specials during certain holidays and host special events to bring the La Sana Yoga Community together (e.g., New Years' Eve event, Mothers' Day, Sound Bath event, etc.). We often communicate with our existing members through email to ensure they are aware of the specials and any updates or changes made to the studio. Occasionally, we change our schedule and classes according to member feedback. Considering member feedback will continue to be a focus as we are determined to meet our members' needs. Our hope is always to provide our members with an enjoyable yoga experience that encourages them to visit the studio on a regular basis and to practice yoga.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Keep overhead costs low. If owners can do the work, then roll up the sleeves and do the work.
- Budget/modeling: set a budget and target the sales required to run your business and be profitable.
- Customer feedback loop: constant customer feedback will inform decisions and hopefully keep our members returning while encouraging new ones to join. This focus on feedback lets people know you care about their opinion, which makes them feel valued. Hopefully, our members will spread the word about our yoga studio because of our service and care towards them.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.lasanayoga.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lasanayoga
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/la_sana_yoga/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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