I'm not sure I initially had enough belief that I could acutally open a yoga studio.
But I went ahead and did it anyway 😀
Opening my very own studio space has been an easy birthday candle wish for a few years now, but while I've always been someone with great ideas, the issue I've always had is executing them.
Making your dream a reality sounds so romantic, and it only takes a couple of cleverly cut social media reels and inspirational online quotes to have you believe that it is just a case of 'Snap! The job's a game' (extra points if you can guess that reference).
For me it was alot more 'snap' and way more 'job' than I had ever anticipated but here is how I went from space renter to studio owner in the space of a couple of months.
I've always been someone who likes safety nets. I didn't get my first credit card until I was in my late twenties and that was mainly under duress. I like knowing I can afford what I want to buy and that if I ever needed it, there is cash in my account if ever the days get a bit too rainy.
I'm the same when it comes to my business. I don't like high risk choices. I like driving on a long, flat road in mild weather, cruise control on and not having to turn left for at least 352 miles.
Up until this year I was perfectly content bumbling along. Then a few months ago I felt myself approaching that 351st mile and wanting to change direction. I was just a bit fed up in general, not of teaching but just needing something more. Maybe it was time for a risk or two.
I live in a relatively small coastal town in Dorset, and suitable rental opportunities are very few and far between. You're either looking at alot of work for an affordable space or 'gulping' rents in a 'not so ideal' location.
I'd had my eye on the space in the Victoria Building opposite the Beehive cafe on Portland for a while but it was a big and scary step. At the time, renting a community hall was a very affordable way to run the business which meant I could manage things with relatively little stress. It was safe and very much in my comfort zone.
I decided to book an appointment to see the space, but in my head it was far from perfect and for so much investment, it was more a 'rule-it-out' visit than anything serious.
As expected, in my head there was alot of work to be done - even more than I thought. The space was tired and screaming out for new flooring. Doing the sums in my head I knew it wasn't going to work, until the estate agent showing us around said the landlord would be renovating the space soon and might be open to updating the flooring. Cue less subtraction sums in my head and the glimmer of possibility. I knew flooring was expensive and if we could get that sorted we would be able to use that budget to kit out the space properly. It was certainly worth asking.
Fast forward a couple of weeks later, a little bit of brainstorming and an agreement for a simple refurbishment with new flooring sorted and before you know it, boom deposit paid. That, was the easy part.
We had a month before we would get the keys so we took the opportunity to have a holiday - knowing that I wouldn't be able to get away for a long time once we opened. I'd like to tell you I managed to switch off and relax but I didn't - something I do regret when I look back, but we had so much to do including a new website build and it was hard to relax knowing the to-do list was like nothing I had ever tackled before.
I like to put pen to paper to get my thoughts out of my head and would jot down anything and everything that needed to be done - I won't lie it was scatterbrained at best. My initial cost estimations were a way off (I mean, arent they always?) and every time I crossed one item off the list three more got added.
I found it super helpful to have a moodboard as a reference. This was invaluable as it meant we stuck to an aesthetic and weren't tempted by items 'just because they were on sale' which is something I often fall victim to.
I also hadn't factored in that even simple jobs can take the longest. Getting the keys from the estate agents turned into an 8-trip affair with me having to channel my inner zen to not completely implode on the 6th, 7th and 8th appointment.
When we finally got the (working) keys, it was time to assess what needed to be done. We had given ourselves 3 weeks to be ready with the intention of having our opening night on the 21st June 2024 to coincide with International Yoga Day :)
Our first challenge was the pillar in the centre of the room. It had seen better days and had this foam material stuck to it where the jiu jitsu club had used it previously. It just looked a bit odd and needed sorting.
At first I was not up for pulling off the foam and redecorating - it felt like alot of work for something we could just 'cover' but even those options seemed crazy expensive. Taking advantage of the old adage - two brains are better than one we decided to be done with the foam and strip the paint and old glue and then sand it down and repaint. It was the most arduous option but ended up not being as expensive as anticipated and I am just delighted with the results. Cue an 'I told you so' from my nearest and dearest.
Next, we removed the old piping cover and replaced it but then decided we could hide the unslightly appearance using furniture - now this blew the furniture budget well and truly out of the water, but by the time we worked out the cost of how much it would be to get the piping boxed in, it was actually the more attractive of the two options.
Most of the furniture was sourced from IKEA as we thought this would be the simplest way to kit out the studio. Their Kallax furniture is ideal for students' storage and for equipment. I didn't really shop around as I knew that was what I wanted and had seen IKEA furniture in other studios I had visited and knew it worked really well. We customised the majority of it though which again is where alot of our time disappeared, but this was how we achieved a high end look on a reasonable budget.
There was also alot of painting to be done. While the space underwent a simple makeover, the blue doors didn't work with the branding and we needed to add some soundproofing so we wouldn’t be nuisance neighbours in the multi-use building. I couldn’t have done all of this without some amazing friends. Favours that far outweighed the small gestures here and there, people gave up hours even days to help get the studio moving and I couldn’t be more grateful.
The biggest job by far was the lights. In my mind, I wanted the space to feel less like an ex police station and more like a magical space of, well, magic. That meant fairy lights, and lots of them. It took 4 days to string up every light and I am not ashamed to say I outsourced this entire job to the other half. I think I will be paying for that for the rest of my life but I still maintain it was worth it as the space truly is a wonder and even more than I could have imagined – app controlled too I might add…
Juggling all of this while working full time was beyond anything I could’ve anticipated. I’ve never shied away from hard work, but this was like nothing I had ever experienced. My own self care had to take a serious back seat while we worked long hours surviving on coffee, diet coke, wine, waffles and marmite sausage rolls from The Beehive next door.
Those three weeks preparing the space was the literal definition of a swan swimming on the surface. All looks majestic on the top but under the water the legs are kicking frantically – there is always so much more work behind every finished project you see. I was tired to the point where my eyes hurt constantly and even when I did get a decent night’s sleep in, when I woke up it felt like I could sleep for another year.
We were ready to open on the 21st June, thanks to a meticulously planned schedule but in my head I knew this was the beginning and there wasn't much time to catch my breath. The first two weeks of opening a new business is about building momentum and the new series of Bridgerton I had planned to binge watch the next day just had to wait.
The 21st June went by in a blur. I can honestly say I had never felt so loved and was so so proud of what we had achieved. The space looked even better than the mood board I first created a couple of months before, and two weeks of being open I am still not tired of the ‘ooo’s’ and ‘aaahhhs’ when people enter the room.
This started out as a project very much about pursuing my dream but quickly morphed into wanting to create a beautiful space for my students. A place where they want to come and try yoga and fall in love with the wonderful practice that has pretty much defined my life for the past decade.
Rooms are just ceilings and walls but I can honestly say the first sìdà yoga studio has that extra sprinkling of magic that cannot be achieved through a lick of paint and allen keys.
It was a lightning couple of months and I know the hard work has only just begun as we build our little community. Everything in the studio took way longer than anticipated and if truth be told I am not entirely sure I would have taken the plunge if I knew how exhausted I would be. But then I grab my keys, head down to the studio, roll out my mat and look up at the magical fairy lights and just smile… yeh I would have ;)