093: How to Build a Home Studio with Jo Stewart & Rane Bowen

The Connected Yoga Teacher Podcast Ep 093: How to Build a Home Studio with Jo Stewart and Rane Bowen   Description:   Have you thought of building a home-based studio? What does it really take to get a home yoga studio up and running? What are the challenges you might face, and the biggest pros? Jo Stewart and Rane Bowen are yoga teachers who not only had a home studio, but also built a new one, and on this episode, they reveal the nitty, gritty details of what it takes.   Jo has been teaching yoga for over ten years, and has completed over 2000 hours of teacher training. Rane is a newer yoga teacher, who got into teaching yoga after being diagnosed with stomach cancer and having his stomach removed in 2015. Rane is originally from New Zealand, but moved to Australia, where he and Jo live, teach yoga and host a podcast together.   Jo and Rane share their experiences in setting up their first home studio, and their process in recently building a new one. They dive into how they engage their followers on social media, and how they showcase their studio to generate publicity and grow their business. From the financial aspect of running a home studio, to the props you need, and even the challenges that come with setting boundaries - Jo, Rane and Shannon examine the intricacies of a yoga home studio.   If you've ever wondered about how to build and maintain not only a yoga studio but also your own personal yoga practice, this episode with Jo and Rane is sure to give you some deep insights and actionable steps.   Key Takeaways: [5:19] Shannon introduces her guests for this episode - Jo Stewart and Rane Bowen [7:02] What got Jo and Rane started in yoga? What was their first yoga class like? [10:01] What led Jo and Rane to start the podcast? [12:21] Why did Jo and Rane decide to open a yoga studio? [13:17] Jo talks about their journey of opening their yoga studio, and now recently re-doing the space. [15:31] Jo shares some of her fears, concerns and joys around starting from scratch to rebuild the home studio. [18:03] What are the challenges of having your own space vs teaching at other spaces? [21:03] How many people can Jo and Rane's home space accommodate? [21:41] What are some of the big pros of having your own space? [23:50] Jo speaks to the financial aspects of setting up and running a home studio. [25:57] Rane shares more about his other gigs in addition to teaching yoga. [29:13] What are some of the things that really make a good space? [34:02] What are some of the essential props necessary for a home studio? [36:41] How many other teachers use the space? [38:57] Jo highlights some of her success with print advertising and getting the word out about the studio. [43:00] Shannon and Jo walk through the process from a students' perspective. [44:07] What are some policies or rules they've had to establish for their space? [47:02] How does Jo keep in touch with students in between classes? [48:24] One-on-one vs. group classes. Jo breaks down the makeup of the classes she teaches. [49:47] What do Jo and Rane see in the future for their business? [52:42] What advice do Jo and Rane have for other people who are working together as couples? [55:31] Jo and Rane share some advice for yoga teachers. [57:39] What are some things that help in their own practice? [59:42] Jo and Rane leave us with some final thoughts for teachers who are doubting themselves or feeling isolated. [1:04:12] Get in touch with Jo and Rane via their website, Facebook group, and on social media! [1:04:51] Shannon would love to hear from you - do reach out to connect with her virtually or in person! Links: Jo Stewart and Rane Bowen The Flow Artists Podcast The Flow Artists Podcast Community Facebook Group Garden of Yoga Garden of Yoga on Facebook Jo Stewart on Instagram @gardenofyoga The Flow Artists Podcast Episode 1: I'm a Yoga Teacher, Now What? The Flow Artists Podcast Episode 35: One Year On - Now What? The Roll Model, by Jill Miller The Flow Artists Podcast Episode 14: Leigh Blashki - Non-Duality, Authenticity and Practicality 6 Week Group Program for Yoga Teacher Entrepreneurs with Shannon Crow The Yoga Conference and Show, Toronto March 2019 Mama Nurture Prenatal Yoga Teacher Training Yoga for Pelvic Health Teacher Training, November 2019 Content Creation 5-Day Challenge for Yoga Teachers   Gratitude to our Sponsor Schedulicity   Quotes from this episode:   "Yoga just kinda got me out of that tortured artist paradigm. It really helped me creatively, but also just mentally and emotionally - I just got so many benefits from it." - Jo   "I never liked the idea of signing a lease, and having a whole lot of financial pressure on me as new business was growing, so always just made sense to me to do it at home!" - Jo   "You don't want to leave all of your promotion and stuff till the end. Get started early! Share your vision, share your ideas!" - Jo   "If you are not putting a load of energy into your home space, you don't often get a lot of people coming." - Jo   "It's almost like you're just going and hanging out with some people, and sharing some stuff that you really enjoy doing with them." - Rane   "We're a body-positive studio, we're really inclusive, and we really wanted to show different ages, different body types, just like yoga is for everyone." - Jo   "If you want to work on your self-love, and just feeling good about yourself -  that's what this practice is for!" - Jo