Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Joshua Allen, Founder of align432YOGA Ltd, located in Bowmanville, ON, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I help yoga teachers create a premium course as part of running an automated online business. This enables teachers to focus on connecting with students and allows them to travel while earning their worth. This is done through recorded content, live calls, and homework assignments. Recorded content helps teachers avoid repeating the same material because it's tutorialized. The live calls ensure students receive support when they have questions. Homework inspires course members to lean into discomfort, take action and receive feedback on areas of opportunity.
Tell us about yourself
My yoga journey began back in 2016 when I sporadically moved to China (from Canada). It showed me what I could do when I felt present in my body. But I had a huge problem, how to continue travelling and be funded by my yoga work? I tried for years playing with YouTube, e-commerce stores, and blogs. It wasn't my thing. I didn't like working for a few dollars at a time. Being able to travel was easy. Earning while travelling, without leaving my existing students, was the issue. Once, when a studio in Indonesia contracted me, they withheld my passport until I had a big standoff with the owners. This was the last straw. I never wanted to be in a foreign country without my passport again.
In 2020, I spent all my stimulus checks on marketing courses and coaches and pivoted to teaching online through courses. I'm motivated to help other yoga teachers earn a sustainable online income so they can travel without being in situations like I was. I've also got a one-year-old son, and I want to set an example of running my own business so we can travel and not depend on employers.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
My biggest accomplishment is setting up the systems to run my business in the background. This enables me to have schedule freedom. Case and point, my family and I just moved from Turkey to Sri Lanka in nine days (from idea to flying).
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
Having a well-defined routine is absolutely essential. It provides structure and requires discipline. The hardest part is getting out of the house consistently to start doing the work. There's always something around the house that wants my attention or needs to be done.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
My top three tips for anyone looking to start a business today would be:
- Get a clearly defined niche so you can identify a problem and desire prospective clients have.
- Think automation from the start. 95% of online work can be accomplished with forms, schedules, landing pages, and checkout links. I use Zapier to connect everything together.
- Offer packages instead of individual services/products. Combos provide better value, and longer timeframes of support/service give customers a chance to grow under your guidance while justifying rates that can provide you with a livelihood.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.align432yoga.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/align432yoga/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/align432yoga/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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