Instructors: Get Ready For Fall Now!
Even though the summer solstice literally just started and you probably haven't even taken that long awaited vacation, it's time to start looking ahead for your fall classes. Venues, studios, gyms, and community centers all have to get their marketing materials and fitness programs set in place well before August arrives. And if your boss and/or place of employment works around the school year, then you'll know how important the schedule can be for business. I live in a big college town (go hawks!) and our entire region of the state functions solely off of the academic calendar.
Two things recently happened that made me realize that I was behind on planning. First, the community center where I have started brand new classes has already sent out the documents for their fall program guide to be printed and then yesterday I was chatting to the owner of a new dance studio looking to add a WERQ class to their schedule. She wanted to know what day of the week would I have availability to teach an early morning class and what week in August I could start! Yikes! So I just made quick decisions for both places on the spot and put reoccurring events in my google calendar without really thinking through if those days and times would work well.
Then it got me thinking about the rest of my schedule and how I wanted to divide up my time. My daughter will be starting daycare full-time, so I am hoping to transition my classes from the evenings to normal business hours and still add on more classes. But how much cardio can I handle? Would the classes be successful during the day? How do I want to divide my time up amongst six, yes that's right SIX, different gyms/studios???
Ugh headache. I have to really start making some decisions about how my time is best spent and how I can balance my schedule so I physically don't burn the wick at both ends. It's also going to be really hard to pull the plug on some of my weekend/evening classes. I've built up a strong group of regulars that I don't want to abandon, but in order to spend time with my family and keep the work/life balance, I'm afraid I'm going to have to do it. Fingers crossed they can take my classes at different times!!
This is the old capitol building at the heart of the University of Iowa campus. Ain't she pretty???
These things all got me thinking about everything else I need to do to prepare for fall. Here's a list I came up with; the goal is to have all of these done by mid July:
1. Resume--update any new trainings, places of work, hours of teaching--this includes online organizations, ie Yoga Alliance, Yoga Journal etc.
2. Headshot/photos--I should know better as a professional actor, but keeping photos updated and relevant on my website and other websites is important. There's no denying that social media and visual updates are crucial for self-promotion.
3. Update website components, keep it fresh.
4. Finalize schedule and start marketing!!
5. Connect with new studios about getting on the sub list--give them availability for fall.
6. Research new trainings, workshops coming to the area and sign up if interested (remember, yoga alliance requires teachers to get training hours to stay certified!)
Want to become a WERQ instructor? See my blog post here about what to do beforehand!
7. Set up charity yoga and/or WERQ events with local non-profits. Fall is big fundraising time. Great to business promotion.
8. Get ambassadors for classes set-up.
9. Find subs for personal classes.
10. Connect with current gyms/studios about new times for classes, new names/descriptions, what should stay the same, what should change. New goals for the fall.
Don't waste anymore time my friends, get going on your fall programming now!! What's on your fall to-do list? Comment below, let's work together!
Namaste.
-Cara