Shana found yoga to be the mental, physical, and spiritual practice she had been seeking. The discovery of yoga three weeks before 9/11 solidified its impact on her life, leading her to leave her corporate job and MBA program to become a yoga instructor.
Shana used her business acumen from working in Hollywood and at Microsoft to identify and dominate niche markets in yoga. She applied strategic business development and marketing techniques to create a unique business model that turned her passion into profit.
Shana's breakthrough came when a rabbi contacted her after a fax blast to Jewish schools. This led to working with the rabbi's family, who ran wealthy congregations, and eventually expanding her business to high-profile clients like Hughes Research Labs.
Shana started offering teacher training programs online and hired her trainees to handle overflow. She traveled extensively, conducting multiple trainings in one weekend, which allowed her to scale her business globally.
The 'yoga of money' philosophy combines smart business practices with conscious capitalism. It involves understanding money as shared energy, treating it with respect, and using it for good through charitable giving and maintaining a balanced life.
During the pandemic, Shana shifted her focus to Yoga Athletica and leveraged her social media presence, particularly YouTube, to showcase her advanced yoga skills. This helped her maintain relevance and attract a younger audience interested in high-level yoga practices.
Shana advises aspiring entrepreneurs to identify a unique problem they can solve, align their business with their passions, and be willing to put in the hard work. She also emphasizes the importance of financial literacy and treating money with respect to create a sustainable, purpose-driven business.
In this episode, Charles dives deep into the world of wellness entrepreneurship with Shana Meyerson, a business maverick who transformed her corporate expertise into a global yoga empire. Shana unveils her blueprint for turning passion into profit, offering a masterclass in the art of building a successful business in a saturated market through strategic niche identification and conscious capitalism.
From her early days as a high-powered executive in Hollywood's entertainment industry to becoming a pioneering force in children's yoga, Shana's journey is a testament to the power of authentic reinvention and strategic business development. She shares how her transition from the corporate world to yoga entrepreneurship led to the creation of a unique business model that generates up to $15,000 for a single weekend of teacher training.
Charles and Shana engage in a candid conversation, exploring the revolutionary potential of the "yoga of money" philosophy and the crucial distinction between being a yoga instructor and a yoga entrepreneur. They unpack the counterintuitive approach of leveraging corporate experience in the wellness industry, the magic of creating premium value while maintaining accessibility, and why understanding your unique market position trumps following conventional wisdom in today's competitive landscape.
Shana's insights crackle with practical wisdom as she breaks down her unique business strategies, from innovative niche marketing to the revolutionary concept of conscious capitalism in the yoga industry. She challenges conventional wellness industry wisdom, advocating for a radical shift from undervaluing spiritual work to creating sustainable, profitable businesses that maintain integrity and social impact.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
• Transform Failure into Success: Learn how Shana turned early career setbacks into the foundation for building a global yoga empire • Master Niche Domination: Discover how to identify and own your unique market position, even in a saturated industry, by leveraging your distinctive background and experiences • Scale Through Strategic Pricing: Understand how to balance premium pricing with accessibility while maintaining profitability through innovative approaches like sliding scales and teacher training programs • Build Financial Resilience: Learn the "yoga of money" philosophy that combines smart business practices with conscious capitalism, including saving strategies and charitable giving that sustain both profit and purpose
Head over to podcast.iamcharlesschwartz.com to download your exclusive companion guide, designed to guide you step-by-step in implementing the strategies revealed in this episode.
KEY POINTS:
2:21 Shauna's business journey: From corporate powerhouse to yoga pioneer 9:30 Yoga's impact on life: How discovering yoga three weeks before 9/11 changed everything 20:29 Business breakthrough story: One rabbi's call that launched an empire 27:03 Earning six figures: Transforming from $17,000 to six figures in year two 39:21 Yoga of money: A revolutionary approach to conscious capitalism 46:58 Finding your calling: "What would you do if you knew you wouldn't get paid for it?" 50:31 Balance your energy: Understanding money as shared vibration and treating it with respect