The Odds ARE Stacked Against You, But It Is Possible Anyway

A Success Story

by Julie Weber

When I set out as a new yoga teacher a few years ago, I had heard time after time that the odds were stacked against me. That it was nearly impossible to build a sustainable and profitable career as a yoga instructor. That I’d have to hustle my buns off just to make ends meet. That it’s a saturated market.

I didn’t care. I wanted to teach anyway.

I knew from the beginning that I wanted to build up a private clientele. Not only because I loved the idea of working one-on-one and being able to support the deep transformations that come with private instruction, but because I wanted to prove all the critics wrong. Having recently quit my corporate job, I was determined to make this work.It turns out, the critics were right. It was hard. I hustled. I worked for free just to get experience. A lot. The market IS saturated. I networked my booty off and talked about what I did to anyone that would listen, hoping they’d know someone who was looking for a private yoga teacher. I handed out business cards everywhere I went. At restaurants, at parties, on the subway, even at shoe stores. And still nada. I taught the odd private class here or there, but nothing regular or anywhere near sustainable, let alone profitable.Somewhere around the beginning of my journey as a yoga teacher I met Francesca at a networking event. We rode up in the elevator together and talked about being yoga teachers. She told me about her 25-private-clients/week, thriving business. I was in awe. And envious. And really inspired. She also told me that she was building a program to teach teachers how to do the same, The Science of the Private Lesson™. We exchanged information, I got on her mailing list and just over a year later when she held a live training in NYC, I enrolled.Deciding on what trainings to take as a yoga teacher is hard. We’re all in this business because we adore what we do and if you’re like me, you would take every training under the sun if you could because that’s how thirsty you are to learn from the depth and the wisdom of this practice. But you can only take so much time off from teaching your classes, and you only have so many resources to devote to trainings, which, we’ve already established, are very precious in this line of work.I signed up for Francesca’s training because I knew that it would have a direct impact on my business. By this time, my hope of building a sustainable and profitable career was dimming and I decided it was time to recommit to this intention. So I did. And it changed everything.It’s actually really difficult to put into words how inspiring, insightful and career-altering Francesca’s training is. Unlike so many other trainings out there, she teaches you HOW to teach, not what to teach. She teaches you how to connect with your students on a deep level, how to understand what it is that they need and then how to package that for them in a way that is relatable, accessible, supportive and transformative. She holds space like no other teacher I know. She supports you with wisdom and compassion. She wants you to succeed and she sets you up to do just that.After taking The Science of the Private Lesson™, my business changed almost immediately. Actually, I think it was more that I changed, so my business did too. Energetically I felt more aligned and more committed to my work. I was more confident in my teaching, even in group classes. I was better at SEEING my students and the nuances of their practice and their breath. I was excited about teaching privately - not just because it was better for my bottom line, but because I finally understood how deep and powerful this work can be for both teacher and student. I changed how I thought about myself as a teacher and as a result, my teaching changed. Because of all of this, my business grew more organically. I stopped feeling like I had to force it. I stopped trying so damn hard. And slowly but surely, more clients came my way. And they stayed. And they referred their friends.I continued to mentor with Francesca after the training and she provided invaluable support as I met new challenges and opportunities that came as a result of my growing business. Less than a year later I had an overflowing teaching schedule, almost all of them privates.I love the work that I do with my clients. The smallest, most subtle things about their practice excite me. Things I would have never noticed, if not for my work with Francesca. Witnessing the transformation of my clients is a huge gift and I’ve reached a place in my business that makes me feel supported and fulfilled on a multitude of levels. My work with Francesca has unequivocally made me both a better student, and a far better teacher. And my clients are really the ones who are reaping those rewards. So the ripple effect is huge. If you’re considering taking Francesca’s training - and if you’ve made it to the end of this post, I’d wager to say you probably are - then please, do it. It will elevate your skill, it will elevate your vibration and it will elevate your business.