When I was deciding what to name my yoga studio, I followed six steps that helped me narrow down the business name that felt the most authentic to me while appealing to new and old students alike.
To best name your yoga business follow these six steps: do your research, find your niche, discover your target audience, reflect on your choice, test out the name, and register the name with your county or city.
Deciding on the name of your yoga business can be both fun and intimidating. After all, you want the name to reflect who you are as a yogi and draw new practitioners to your studio.
Do Your Research
Before you can adequately choose a business name, plenty of things need to be thought and sorted out. In addition, your studio name will invoke feelings and judgments from consumers on a daily business. So be sure to conduct thorough research on any elements you wish to include.
Yogic Roots
Many studios draw from yoga’s deep and ancient roots when looking for a name. So, words like “nirvana,” “lotus,” “namaste,” “asana,” and even the word “yogi” are all pulled from a culture and religion that we may not be innately familiar with.
Before including any words from Hindu or yogic culture in your business’s name, be sure to research them. You do not want to say or convey something unintended that could potentially put others off.
Around Your Town
While you are busy looking for a name for your new venture, others have already found theirs and opened their doors. Google search your surrounding areas and see what names other businesses are using.
This will quickly eliminate any names that you have that are too similar or could be easily confused with another. Not only will this save you a headache when it comes to explaining which studio is yours, but it will also prevent a potential lawsuit from the other studios.
See what types of names the other studios use and what their niche and target audience look like. You may want to try to stand out and use a different approach. For example, suppose most studios have a lotus or other standard imagery in their logo. In that case, you will want to avoid looking the same and blending in.
And Beyond
In addition to your own area, look broader. See what some of the top-ranking yoga studios in your state, region, or even country are named. Looking at successful businesses can give you an idea of what consumers are naturally drawn toward.
It would help if you also looked for words that come up frequently in other studio names. Avoiding the stereotypical and mundane words and images overused by yoga businesses can help you stand out from the competition.
Find Your Niche
The easiest way to find and retain students is by defining your niche. What will your studio offer?
Deciding if your studio will offer a broader range of yoga techniques and styles or specialize in only one or two is one way to find your niche. Others have stayed truer to yoga’s roots and offered only classic styles, while others have included more modern techniques or classes aimed at fitness and weight loss.
Your niche will be personal to you and your vision, so be sure to spend time deciding which direction feels the most authentic to you. Once you have narrowed down your niche, ensure all other design choices align with it. Everything from advertisement to studio elements will need to complement your niche and its needs.
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Find Your Target Audience
Just like finding your niche, discovering your target audience will play a big part in what you name your studio. You want to appeal strongly to your target audience, over any other yoga businesses in the area. Choosing a name with your target audience in mind will immediately give you a leg up over the competition.
To help discover who your target audience may be, here are some questions to ask yourself:
- Do you have an idea of an ideal student?
- What age range, occupation, life stage, and yoga experience level are you hoping to cater to?
- Are you hoping to create an environment of inclusivity for all yoga experience levels?
In addition to your name choice, keep your target audience in mind when designing your logo, branding, and decor. Everything should be tailored to creating the yoga studio environment you feel is most authentic for you and your ideal clients.
Reflect on Your Choice
Once you have made it this far, you will have a list with a few potential names. After testing it against your niche and your target audience, you need to check it ethically. Cultural appropriation is rampant in the yoga world. Be sure that if you include Sanskrit words, you fully understand their meaning and are not just using them for aesthetics.
Also, check that any images you use in your logo, advertisements, or as decor at the studio are ethical and show cultural appreciation (as opposed to appropriation). The goal is to show respect for all cultures, especially when selling yoga classes.
You also want to be sure that your business name feels true to you and the studio you want to run. The name is the beginning of the experience for your students.
The last thing you should check is that the name will age and travel well. Including street names in your name can be helpful, especially when navigating to your studio. However, what if you move or expand to another location? A name that will age well is classic and timeless. Avoid using elements from pop culture. It ages quickly and leaves your studio sounding outdated and out of place.
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Test the Name
After your name passes all the tests from you personally, it is time to take it to the streets.
Talk about your name choice with everyone from family and friends to colleagues and other yoga studio owners. Ask for their feedback and initial thoughts on the name. This will give you a glimpse into how the public will react to your studio name. If the reception is less than ideal, head back to the drawing board and make some tweaks.
If you are happy with the reception of your potential yoga business name, head to google. Check that the domain with your name is still available. More common names will likely already be taken, and you may have to get creative by including your town name (i.e., blissfulyogastudiopeoria.com instead of blissfulyogastudio.com).
If your domain name is too far from your studio name, you may want to consider using a different name. It may seem silly to create an entirely new name when your domain is taken. But, again, internet traffic is one of the best ways to get discovered.
Another thing to consider is the first letter of your business name. For example, when people are looking for a yoga studio, a name that starts with earlier letters of the alphabet will appear first in a directory.
Register the Name with County
Once the name has been finalized, you will want to register your name with your local authorities. That usually includes your county or city. If you want to trademark your name, you can do that easily online!
Protecting yourself and your business is essential, so be sure you have completed all the paperwork with your local government authorities before opening your studio doors.
Summary
Naming your yoga business is both fun and intimidating. However, using these six steps, you can rest assured that your name is the perfect fit for you and your studio!
To choose your yoga business name, do your research, find your niche, discover your target audience, reflect on your choice, test out the name, and register the name with your county or city. Taking the time to go through each step thoroughly will help ensure that you pick a name you love and is an accurate representation of yourself and your studio.
Now, you can get back to doing what you love, bringing yoga to your community!
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Frequently Asked Questions
Asana, chakra, lotus, peaceful, circle, zen, karma, guru, Nirvana, body, flow, Hatha, Drishti, heart, center, and Om are all words that can be commonly found in yoga business names.
Utilizing the internet by making an email marketing list, having social media presence, organizing and participating in virtual and in-person events, considering Groupon, and asking for reviews on Facebook, yelp, and Groupon can all help you market your yoga business effectively to reach new students.
A virtual yoga studio is an online program that features group and personal yoga classes streamed to your individual devices. Many yoga businesses have taken advantage of social media and online presence and created successful virtual studios. Others use their online space as an extension of their brick-and-mortar businesses. Learn more about virtual yoga studios here.
To learn more about starting your own Yoga Business check out my startup documents here.
Please note: This blog post is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Please consult a legal expert to address your specific needs.
Meet Shawn Chun: Entrepreneur and Yoga Fan
I’m a happy individual who happens to be an entrepreneur. I have owned several types of businesses in my life from a coffee shop to an import and export business to an online review business plus a few more and now I create online yoga business resources for those interested in starting new ventures. It’s demanding work but I love it. I do it for those passionate about their business and their goals. That’s why when I meet a yoga business owner in public at a studio or anywhere else I see myself. I know how hard the struggle is to retain clients, find good employees and keep the business growing all while trying to stay competitive.
That’s why I created Yoga Business Boss: I want to help future yoga business owners like you build a thriving business that brings you endless joy and supports your ideal lifestyle.