The Studio CEO: Business Coaching For Yoga & Pilates Teachers & Studio Owners

Your Business as the Third Place: How to Create a Space People Never Want to Leave

• Jackie Murphy • Episode 6

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Can a yoga or Pilates business become more than just a place for exercise? Discover how the concept of a "third place," as defined by sociologist Ray Oldenburg, can transform your studio into a community hub where students aren't just attendees—they're family. Join me, Jackie Murphy, as I recount my personal journey from leaving a studio in 2019 to building a thriving coaching career in New York City. We’ll uncover the secrets to fostering high retention rates and generating organic growth through a strong community focus, where students not only keep coming back but also bring their friends.

Elevate your role as CEO and embrace actionable strategies to create a space where everyone feels they belong. From hosting engaging events beyond your regular schedule to leveraging the synergy of business masterminds, we'll explore practical steps to increase client loyalty and turn them into brand ambassadors. As consumer priorities shift in our post-COVID world, learn how to integrate community elements into your offerings and scale your business without burning out. Prepare to be inspired by real-world advice that emphasizes the importance of hard work and the supportive power of community in your entrepreneurial journey.

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Speaker 1:

There may be a way for you to create a business that organically and naturally sustains itself and grows through referrals and a really amazing retention rate. In this episode, I'm going to teach you what you can do to improve your retention rate by up to 70%, so that your students keep coming back and refer you to their friends. Welcome to the Studio CEO, the only podcast that empowers yoga and Pilates teachers and studio owners to step confidently into their role as CEO. If you are ready to show up with passion, take your business seriously and scale to new heights without burning out, you are in the right place. I'm your host, jackie Murphy, an award-winning certified business coach with over 12 years of experience inside the yoga industry. I have seen firsthand what it takes to build a profitable and scalable business. Join me as we dive into strategies, insights and real-world advice that will help you grow your revenue, build a thriving team and create a business that serves you as much as you serve your students. It's time to embrace your inner CEO and make more money without working more. This is just the beginning. You are listening to the Studio CEO Podcast, episode number six, and I am your business coach number six. And I am your business coach, jackie Murphy, I've got to tell you this morning I just ran out to get my coffee and I was in the elevator thinking about how grateful I am to have this business to be able to serve my clients and do the work that I do able to serve my clients and do the work that I do. I'm currently in New York City for my own business mastermind one that I participate in so I can spend a few days working on my business and really being with other high level entrepreneurs who are giving me such good feedback on the way that my marketing sounds or what I can do in my offer, collaborating. They have expertise with all different types of businesses and I just feel so grateful that five years ago in New York City, I really went all in on this business. If you haven't been around for those five years, well, let me catch you up real quick, and some of you have been around for those five years, and I want to say thank you for listening to this podcast for so long.

Speaker 1:

In 2019 was the moment that I decided to walk away from the studio. I moved up to New York City with my then boyfriend, now husband, and I decided to go all in on coaching yoga teachers, pilates teachers and studio owners. And I will tell you, being in New York, there is no energy like it in the world, and it brings me back to the place that I was in when I was really going to build this business and really going all in. And I want to tell anyone that as you grow and build your business, there will be seasons where hard work and a little bit of that hustle is required of you, and then there'll be seasons where you get to work a little bit less and you work a little bit smarter, and it ebbs and flows. But I am so grateful for the version of me five years ago who said I am going to work hard, go all in, release a podcast, be in New York City. I taught some yoga up here too, and I look back at her and I think you did it, we have done it and I couldn't be more grateful.

Speaker 1:

So if you're here listening to this podcast, I just want to say thank you before we dive in today, and I also want to tell you that you have to be in a mastermind. You need to be around other business professionals or entrepreneurs who have the same goals, ambitions, drives who are struggling with the same problems or trying to figure out the same thing. There is something so refreshing about having those minds collaborate and contribute to what you're doing and then you giving back to them. It is truly. Every single time I'm in a room with other entrepreneurs and we're working on business, I leave with just so much energy and so much light because the power of your community is so strong. And I actually did not even plan that segue, but that perfectly leads us into today's podcast episode. I want you in today's episode to really start to consider that your business is a third place for people that they feel so connected to that they never want to leave.

Speaker 1:

Now, this podcast is inspired by a couple different things. I have one of my clients who is in my offer, called the Suite, where I strategically work in her business with her, and one of the things that she really thinks about when it comes to her studio is that she wants it to be the third place for people. So if you haven't heard of that term before, it's essentially a spot that people turn to for community and connection when they are not at home or work. You could think of it as like the local coffee shop where people actually know you, or sometimes the neighborhood bar, where the people in there all understand you and recognize you and see you often. It's familiar, it's comfortable, it's the place where you belong, and it is actually one of the most important things that you need to be thinking about when it comes to bringing students into your business and keeping them there, because you've probably heard me say something along the lines of this before.

Speaker 1:

Your studio should not just be a place where people come in to take class and then leave. Your studio should be their third place. And actually it brings me back to a memory of taking class in New York City, where people are on the move and they're constantly going, and as a teacher, it would be really hard to actually connect with your students because people were in and out or taking class here and realizing that, I walked into the studio, I took class and I didn't say a word to anyone the whole time, and nor did anyone ask me anything specific other than like what's your name? I'll log you in and I want you to think about if your business is giving people that experience. Are they going into your business and just being there and then leaving, or are they coming into your business really seen as a third place, wanting to stay longer, being engaged with what you're offering? And then we're going to really tie this back to how this shows up in nature and it'll all make sense by the end.

Speaker 1:

So let's just start with what is the third place and why should your business want to be a third place? There is a sociologist, ray Oldenburg, who came up with the term, but basically it means the place where people go to hang out, relax, connect outside of the home and work. A third place is where people want to be because it feels like it is theirs. For us, this means that your business is more than just the place where they come to do yoga or they come to take Pilates or they book a retreat with you. Your business can be the place where your students feel seen, they chat with the people who are working, whether it's front desk staff or the teachers or you. It's a place where they meet their friends and they're talking after class, for tea, for coffee.

Speaker 1:

You want your business, even if it's online, to feel like a safe, welcoming home, because when people feel connected, they come back again and again and again and they stick with you and they bring their friends with them to their place that they love. So I want you to think about this. When you felt at home somewhere, how often are you like I'm not coming back or I don't want to leave. I want to leave this place? Probably not much. When you feel at home, you feel cozy, you feel safe, you feel connected and really truly, you start to feel a little bit possessive, like this is my place, this place belongs to me or I belong here. I'm a member here.

Speaker 1:

There was a studio that I worked for in the very beginning of my career. This is in the first year that I made $15,000, drove 40,000 miles, didn't have the business skills that I made $15,000, drove 40,000 miles, didn't have the business skills that I needed. But one of the things that that studio did really well is they set up an after class tea station with like couches and chairs where people could congregate and talk to each other and connect. And obviously you want to have some structured boundaries around class times and if you're paying teachers to be there, how long they're going to be there. But do you have a place in your business where people can connect and engage with each other? So let's talk about numbers for a second, because I want to show you why this is so important.

Speaker 1:

This is not just a feel good idea. It actually impacts your business. Studies have shown that when people feel a strong sense of connection in a space, they are 70% more likely to return. And that is what you want loyalty, right? Plus emotionally connected students those who see your studio as a part of their life are 63% less likely to leave. And that's because they are not just showing up for the class, they're showing up for the vibe, the people, the community, the feeling that they get when they walk through those doors. And it doesn't just stop there. Those engaged students, those people who really feel like they belong in your business, they are going to be your best marketers. 84% of people trust a personal recommendation over any other form of marketing. So engaged members, engaged clients, are going to become your ambassadors. They're going to become the people who just naturally refer you to their friends and family because they feel like a true member of the community. They're going to talk about you without even really trying, because your space has become a part of their story. It's become a part of their life. So you want to make sure that you're fostering that sense of belonging intentionally so that your business can build organically on referrals. Now, something also to note here is that post COVID, we did see a switch where when people are looking for a workout, they are not just looking for a good workout anymore, but a lot of the times they are deciding what to purchase based on the community element. People realize that they wanted to feel like they belong somewhere, whether it was online or in person, and it wasn't just a good workout. So it's also going to be a determining factor when people decide to join your business.

Speaker 1:

So I want you to think about how to turn your business into a third place. Let's talk about some action. Let's talk about some things that you could think about and do. One of the things that you're going to think about is creating events beyond your service. So community building is going to go beyond just classes or retreats or, for my business, coaching calls. You want to host events that are solely about connection. This could be something like an open house. This could be. I had a client recently do a movie night at her studio. So fun this could be if you're hosting an online business, a mocktail networking event on Zoom. It does not have to be in person for it to feel like a third place. It could be hosting a book club as a part of your business.

Speaker 1:

So one thing I want you to really think about is how can I create an environment where my clients can bond with each other and with the teachers and with me and with the overall business so that they really feel like they belong there business. So that they really feel like they belong there. Then you're going to design a space for people to talk to each other. Your business needs to be the place where people don't just run and run out right, they're not just coming to take class and they're leaving, but they're coming and they're maybe getting that post-class tea in the lounge area. Or, if you run an online business, make sure that you have a way, a circle, a forum, a connection point for your members to start to talk to each other and collaborate with each other and make sure that they know that that is for them. That's their space to connect with each other. So you're designing events, opportunities and spaces for conversation and connection.

Speaker 1:

Now, this is more of a positioning of how do we show up in these events, but you have to be personal and you have to be inclusive. I think I don't want to say all of us, but a lot of us have had the experience where you visit a boutique studio or you visit any business and you immediately are like I don't feel like I belong here, I don't feel like they actually want me in this place, but there's already like a click. You don't want that to happen in your business because it will very quickly turn downhill for you. So you want to make sure that every single client feels seen. Every single student that walks in your door matters. Every single client that's on your Zoom call matters. As much as you can know names, if you can know what they're doing, how they're doing, being genuinely interested in them is going to be so, so important.

Speaker 1:

You want to foster the sense of belonging for everyone, regardless of if they're brand new and they just came for the first time or they've been around for years, and you want to tell them hey, like you belong here, no matter your experience level, your background, you are perfect for this space, for this community, and you want to, in those moments, encourage meaningful conversations. Your instructors are going to be incredibly important here, so you want to make sure that your instructors, before and after class, are sparking real conversations with students. It's not just hey, what's your name, I'll check you in. Okay, we're grab a mat and a block, we're in the studio, but you really want your instructors to be getting your students to open up to share about why they're in the studio for the day or challenges that they've had. You want the conversation to be real and not just robotic, and you can tell when it's real versus robotic. So something that you can do if you have an online business and you don't have instructors talking to different people is just make sure that there is a moment of genuine connection before you dive into the service that you provide and a moment of genuine connection after. And if you need to write down what you talked about, to remember it, or write down details so that you know for next time, write them down.

Speaker 1:

I cannot tell you. People want to be seen more than anything and you have to do your work as a professional to intentionally make them feel seen and important. So let's just talk about, like, the data that really backs this up. I mean, this is going to feel, I think, pretty innate and you're going to understand it right away, because we've all had the feeling of I don't fit in here, no one's talking to me, I'm in and out and I don't feel connected at all. And none of us want that as humans. It's just not in our nature. We all want a place to belong, and so research from Stanford found that when people feel a sense of community, they're 70% more likely to return 70% more likely to return.

Speaker 1:

Another study by the National Institute of Health shows that group participation and activities significantly increases commitment. That means the more students are going to stick around and they're going to tell people about you because they are committed. It's also better for them because if they're not committed, if they don't return, they aren't going to see the benefits of a year-long fitness practice or daily yoga practice. They aren't going to have that in their own life. And we want to make sure that we've done the work to really encourage them to come back, to belong, to participate. And this is going to require you to think out of the box, to think in ways that maybe you haven't thought before. You haven't seen other businesses really put an emphasis or importance on this. But I want you to think about how you can. How can you foster group participation in your classes? How can you foster group participation outside of your classes? There are many, many, many different strategies that my clients like to use here, so I want you to think about what's going to work for your business Now.

Speaker 1:

I told you we were going to talk about bees, but I want you to really think about how bees thrive in their hive. They do not thrive in isolation. They survive because of their community. Each bee has a role and together they're building something far bigger than themselves, and the hive wouldn't work without cooperation and connection. Your business is like that hive. Your business will thrive when you create a community where everyone has a sense of belonging, Everyone feels like they have a role, they feel connected. This is when it starts to be magical and it just spreads like wildfire, when people are not just showing up for the service that you offer, but for each other, for the community, and just like that, the sense of community is going to be what sustains and grows your studio organically, with greater retention and more referrals. So here's the big takeaway If you can focus on making your business be the third place, your students will one.

Speaker 1:

Thank you, because we all want a third place. They want to feel connected and they'll want to bring others into that space, naturally. So this is more about the overall experience that you're offering within the business, outside of just the service that you offer. So I want you to think about what steps can you take today to build that sense of belonging.

Speaker 1:

Maybe it's just simply having your students introduce themselves to each other before class to talk to each other, or maybe it's making sure that you take a moment to connect with your client before your private session. You want to spark. Consider that your third place in your business could be the Business of Yoga program or the Grow Mastermind, and this is a place where you truly belong. And, yes, you're going to get strategy and coaching and all of the amazing things, but more than that, I have had people who've created best friends from working together or they've hired from the network. I want you to know that you deserve a place in your business where you deeply and truly feel like you belong. So if you are ready for that, please come join us inside the Business of Yoga program and I will talk to you all in the next episode.