As a yoga teacher, or a mindful entrepreneur of any kind, annual planning may not be high on your list of riveting things to do today.

In fact, it may not be on your list of things to do today at all.

If you tuned into my last post about conscious business, you may remember that going with the flow can lure us into the predictable cycle of feast or famine. Unpredictable revenue is exactly why we plan.

As the seasons change, so does our business. Aligning our business plans and services with the seasons offers a mindful alternative to annual planning as a conscious entrepreneur. Using the seasons as an annual planning tool reminds us to re-evaluate often, creating a deeper connection with what we are doing in the world and why we do it.

In the Winter Edition of our yoga business planning we focus on planning, as winter is a time for hibernation and rejuvenation.

Spring brings new energy and abundance. As we come out of a winter season filled with much more thinking and planning than movement, it can be tough to adapt to the movement and growth of this season.

Brace yourself.

Now is the time to create new systems or update existing business systems so you can take advantage of the growth without burning yourself out. Streamlining in the secret to our sanity.

Since our yoga business relies entirely on us and our ability to be in a certain place at a certain time, we rarely consider how we can streamline this business to create more steadiness, ease and abundance.

If you were to evaluate how you spend most of your time, it’s probably not on the mat. Business is about relationships, and you may be building those relationships before and after class at the studio. While you can’t hire a stunt double to be there for you before and after class so that you can scoot out for some self-care, you can put systems in place for all of the work you’re doing outside of the studio:

• Schedule your social media posts.
• Design a process that you follow every time you teach a specialty class.
• Create a standard letter that you use to reach out to new studios about hosting your signature workshop or teacher training.
• If you do one-on-one work, automate the intake and orientation work that comes with each new client. Auto-schedule appointment reminders, take payments online, and/or invest in a software that allows for auto-billing.
• Hire temporary help if necessary. This allows you to remain committed to the actions that support your Big Vision, rather than being distracted by a million ideas.

Speaking of distractions and a million ideas, spring will bring a lot of that. The fresh spring air, the sunshine and the new live all around you will inspire your creativity—which is wonderful. It is also terribly distracting when you start to chase those ideas around like butterflies.

Before spring even arrives, make an idea book or catalog of inspiration.  When ideas arise, jot them down and then go back to what you were working on. This allows you to remain focused on the tasks at hand while allowing your million-dollar ideas space to breathe.

Set aside time in your week to expand upon those ideas, but know that when it comes to business—just as in yoga—we must seek balance. New ideas are exciting and they ought to be explored, but not at the expense of the actions that keep our existing business thriving.

Spring is the time to fill your long-term programs, summer intensives, begin promoting fall programs, fill summer retreats or group coaching/membership programs.

Your marketing—which serves as the catalyst for your spring growth—should be systematized and consistent. If you know exactly what you’re promoting, who you are promoting it to and when you are promoting it, you can breathe a little easier and teach others to do the same.

A word of caution: when it comes to your spring marketing, it’s easy to get carried away as we get excited about all that is to come. Our responsibility as conscious, yoga-minded entrepreneurs is to keep sight of our Big Why. Your yoga brand was not build on promotional messaging alone. Your kula needs you to be exactly the yogi they have come to know and love, even when it’s time to put your marketing into overdrive.

As we head into this lively season, be prepared with your systems, your idea book and a hefty dose of mindful marketing.

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Author: Kellie Adkins

Editor: Caroline Beaton

Photo: Beta Brand