October marks the 5th Anniversary of The Yoga Room! When I opened the studio 5 years ago, my vision was to create a place for all kinds of people to feel welcome and comfortable practicing yoga.

At first I was the only teacher, teaching 2 classes per week in a 840 square foot, single room space. I was still working in Marketing at Dell, I had a two year old and a 4 month old, and it was all I could do to take one itty bitty step at a time.

I still remember what a scramble it was to prepare the space for the first class. The walls were a dingy beige and were covered in bits of adhesive leftover from the previous tenant. My only priority was to get the floor installed in time for the first class and I figured I could do the rest later. And that's exactly what I did.

Over the following weeks I cleaned up the walls and had them and the bathroom painted. I eventually got a desk, then added a few shelves over time. It was a simple space, but it was exactly what I needed and could afford as a brand new small business owner.

In December I hired the first teacher, Emily, followed by Stacy in February, Angela in April, and Beth in May. There were another couple of wonderful teachers who helped us ramp up that no longer teach at the studio because they either had a really long commute or they moved away.

Around 6 months after opening we were up to 14 classes per week and I hired my first office assistant, Christin. At that time we were still tracking class passes by hand in a notebook and on a spreadsheet. Before long we couldn't keep up with that method any more so we began to use business management software.

That summer I started to realize I could no longer balance my job at Dell, the studio, and my family. I decided to leave Dell in August to focus on the studio and my family full time. I'm still trying to figure out that balance!

By the end of the studio's first year we were up to 21 classes per week. Now that I look back on it, that was pretty significant growth!

We stayed in our original location for 3 years, and during all of that time, the teachers were responsible for sweeping up and checking in their own students before each class. At some point I realized we were beginning to outgrow our space and there was also talk of a road construction project that would have required the demolition of our building. Instead of waiting it out, I decided it was time to move.

It took a really long time to find a suitable space for us to move to. My excellent realtor, Danielle, and I even explored beyond Round Rock, in Cedar Park and Pflugerville.

Finally we found the place that was to become our current location. When I first saw it, it was one huge space that encompassed the entire second floor of the building. It had no internal walls - only a concrete floor, studs, insulation, and really dirty windows. It took a lot of creativity (and measuring and remeasuring) to envision what it could become.

I designed the floorplan myself, and with the help of a great contractor, it was built in about 10 weeks. One of my biggest challenges was the cosmetics - it took quite a while to pick out all the paint colors, flooring, and fixtures.

We've been in our new home for two years now, and our team has continued to grow.

 

Continued from our Newsletter...

Now we have a super desk staff who comes in early and stays late to make sure the studios are ready and presentable at all times. They greet newcomers, check in students, answer the phone, and sell class passes and merchandise. We have a highly-trained group of top-notch yoga teachers, each with their own area of specialty and an eye toward our Yoga for Everybody philosophy. I have an outstanding business staff that helps me run all aspects of the business side of the studio.

We've finally reached a place where I don't feel like I have to be checking in on the studio every hour or even every day. I trust and depend on my staff and, after 5 years of everybody's very hard work, I'm able to completely mentally check out of the goings-on at studio and take a family vacation or spend extra time with my now 7 and 5 year old boys.

I'm so, so grateful to everyone who has helped make this little yoga studio in Round Rock possible. Of course, my excellent team, but also our sweet and ever-growing yoga community. Without the support of our students, we all would not be where we are today. And I'm so grateful for my behind the scenes support team, my husband and sons, who have spent countless daddy-sons hours while mommy tends to the studio.

In celebration of our 5th Birthday, we're hosting a series of weekly giveaways throughout the month of October!

Starting Monday, September 28th, every time you visit the studio, you'll receive an entry slip to be entered in the weekly drawing. Every Friday we'll pick a winner, then transfer that week's entries into a bigger hat for a grand prize drawing whose winner will be selected on the final Friday in October.

Here's a list of the weekly prizes: Oct 2 - 10 Class Pass or 1 Month Unlimited Pass + Jade Yoga Travel Mat Oct 9 - 60 minute Private Lesson + Foam Roller Oct 16 - 10 Class Pass or 1 Month Unlimited Pass + Jade Yoga Travel Mat Oct 23 - 60 minute Private Lesson + Large Bolster Oct 30 - 10 Class Pass or 1 Month Unlimited Pass + Effie Yoga Mat Bag

And the Grand Prize winner, who will be selected from amongst all the entries from the entire month, will win a Private Group Lesson for up to 10 of your friends!

Thank you for all your friendship and support over these past 5 years! Namaste.

XO, Zelinda

P.S. We're hosting our first ever Fall 40 Day Challenge starting October 4th! Join us to gear up for the (sometimes chaotic!) holiday season by developing a consistent yoga practice.