The Connected Yoga Teacher Podcast
198: Share Your Yoga Specialty with Megan Mulrine [Consultation Call]
Description:
Specialization is an ongoing process, and times of change and uncertainty can be just the push you need to niche down and specialize in something that really lights you up.
Megan Mulrine is the founder of Yogatrotter and a yoga instructor who has trained more than 600 yoga teachers in 200 and 300hr YTT programs in Bali. Through her years of practicing and teaching yoga, and discovering more about Buddist meditation, Hindu philosophy and the history of yoga, Megan discovered her passion for Hindu mythology as it relates to Yoga. She has studied Hindu epics like the Mahabarata and the Ramayana) and shares these stories with her classes to deepen their understanding of the history, legends and culture contained within the yoga asanas.
When travel restrictions because of the COVID-19 pandemic forced Megan to close down her in-person Yoga Teacher Trainings, she quickly put up an online training. It sold well at first but has started to slow and Megan is now worried about being able to sustain her yoga business while supporting her team of teachers as much as possible.
In this consultation call, Shannon helps Megan peel back the layers of her business by digging into where her true passion lies and how she can specialize to share her passion with more people. Shannon also advises her on how to build a sustainable business that serves her audience, while also supporting her lifestyle and finances.
If you have been thinking about creating a more sustainable yoga business, and questioning whether specialization and niching down is the way to go in the midst of all the uncertainty, give this episode a listen.
Key Takeaways:
[5:44] Shannon introduces her guest for this episode - Megan Mulrine.
[7:15] What does Megan need most help with in her yoga business? She shares her biggest challenges as a result of the pandemic.
[8:58] Who is Megan's audience? When was she planning to host the next 200-hr training (if COVID hadn't happened)? Shannon digs into some of the details about Megan's offerings and her plan for her business.
[12:38] When Megan first switched to online courses, they were selling well but her numbers have dropped off since. Are people getting tired of being on their computers so much?
[15:29] Which specialty would Megan choose if money was not a consideration?
[17:29] As important as picking a specialty is making sure that people know about your specialty.
[20:01] Megan struggles with sharing what she does and her specialty with her audience. Shannon coaches her on how to phrase her offering.
[22:53] Shannon advises Megan on how best to repel people who would not be a fit for her offering but also attract people who would be interested.
[26:40] Shannon shares some strategies with Megan on how to build her audience.
[30:22] Shannon gives a shout out to Schedulicity.
[32:05] Is there a "freebie" in your yoga business that you should be monetizing into a paid offering? Listen to Megan talk about her "freebie" that Shannon recommends repackaging into a paid offering.
[34:33] When you love what you're doing, showing up and doing the work for free can feel easy, but that doesn't mean we should. Megan and Shannon discuss a bit about her money mindset.
[36:41] Shannon shares some ideas for Megan to showcase her community and build deeper connections even virtually.
[39:54] Shannon recommends that Megan figure out her minimum viable income and how much she wants to make financially -- and why she should do that.
[44:32] What happens when yoga teachers fail to see the unique gifts that they have and share them with others?
[46:42] Shannon and Megan do some brainstorming around what her freebie should be and how she can put out a call to action more often to monetize.
[50:25] Megan offers her training in a rolling sign ups format, but isn't seeing a high number of completions. Would having a fixed start and end date add accountability and be more effective from a marketing perspective?
[1:00:06] Shannon and Megan discuss more ideas for her content to show up more in search engines.
[1:02:41] Find out more about Megan and her offerings via her website or Instagram.
[1:03:42] What were your key takeaways from this consultation call?
Links:
Gratitude to our Sponsor Schedulicity.
Quotes from this episode:
"You find the specialty and those people will find you." - Shannon
"The more niche you make your offering, and the more people hear about that niche, the more people will gravitate toward you." - Shannon
"When people don't pay, they don't show up." - Shannon
"I want our yoga teachers to be making loads of money, because they really support amazing things when they do." - Shannon