Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and fitness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Ashley Reeb, Owner and Founder of Carondelet Yoga Center, located in Saint Louis, MO, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
My business is a yoga studio that offers weekly classes, yoga teacher training, and special workshops. My customers are people of all ages and backgrounds that live in the surrounding area.
Tell us about yourself
My journey to becoming a yoga teacher first began in 2006 at Hokoku-an Zendo in Columbia, Missouri, where I practiced Zen Buddhist meditation with monk Seido Ray Ronci. Zen meditation taught me what it means to be truly present during both good and bad times by finding stillness through a focus on breath and posture. During this time, I began a regular exercise routine. A love of meditation and physical fitness seemed to naturally draw me to explore yoga in 2008.
After moving to St. Louis, I was fortunate to find some truly amazing yoga teachers that helped me deepen my practice physically and mentally. In 2019, I enrolled in a 200-hour yoga teaching training program at Urban Breath Yoga Studio. After a decade of performing biological cancer research in St. Louis, I decided to take a hiatus from the lab to explore helping people in a new way by opening Carondelet Yoga Center. My goal as a yoga teacher is to introduce people to a healthy way of living in hopes of reducing stress and increasing physical and mental fitness through the practice of yoga.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
My biggest accomplishment is establishing an accredited 200-hour yoga teacher program through Yoga Alliance.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
Maintaining a business is a never-ending process. There is always more work to be done or something to be improved upon.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
I would advise having additional funding saved up. You can also expect major time and financial delays. Just consider this part of the process. My last piece of advice is to enjoy the process; otherwise, you will be very stressed!
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.carondeletyoga.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carondeletyogacenter
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carondeletyogacenter/
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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