When opening a new business, there is so much to consider. Our goal was to build a Himalyan Salt themed yoga studio. In order to do so, we had to hire a great team to support our goals. Our studio needed 10 yoga instructors and 4 front-desk staff to be hired and trained before opening day. Interviewing several candidates without a central meeting location, an ever changing construction completion date, and a tight budget were among some of our many challenges in getting to the launch date. After overcoming these challenges, we successfully launched Breathe Salt Yoga.
Set Guiding Principles for your Interview Process
Knowing that the staff at Himalayan Salt would be critical to the success of the studio, I set forth strict criteria for the interview process. For each candidate, I wanted:
- Experienced and certified instructors
- Instructors that already had a great following
- Instructors and front-desk staff that understood our philosophy and were a good culture fit for our team
- Instructors and front-desk staff that were excited to be part of something new
- Anyone looking to help us grow our business
Create a Standard Interview Process for all candidates
With the studio in full construction mode, I met with dozens of instructors and staff at a local coffee shop. If the first interview was successful, I arranged to take a class at their current studio or invite them to teach me a class in my home. Seeing the instructor in action was key to understanding if they were a good fit for our studio.
Decide on a Payment Model
A common question that gets asked is how much does it cost to hire a yoga instructor? As a new business, we were on a fixed budget. We could not afford to hire the most well known instructors. We had to get creative in order to retain great talent.
We decided to offer an education bonus to our entire team. On top of base pay, we pay a percentage of annual earnings towards an education fund at the end of the year. Our instructors are always looking to grow, so providing them with additional opportunities to further their craft was a good incentive for the candidates we were interviewing.
In addition to our education bonus, we provide raises and bonuses every quarter. We go through a rigorous evaluation process at the end of each quarter and offer our best team members raises or bonuses based on class attendance.
Always Make Time for Hiring
Due to the long construction delays we ultimately lost a few really good candidates that were either no longer available or not available when we needed them. So for us, the hiring never stops. We are always on the lookout for talented, passionate instructors. We ALWAYS want a top (or upcoming) talent with a strong following. If I hear of a great instructor through word of mouth or on social media, I make an effort to attend their class. Seeing an instructor in action is always a great way to see if they could be a fit for your team!
About us
Breathe Salt Yoga is the first Himalayan Salt Yoga Studio and Salt Therapy (aka Halo-therapy) room in Northern California. Himalayan salts, which were first used by ancient philosophers and healers, have endless health benefits, and are now popular in today’s top luxury spas. Our yoga studio and salt therapy room are both completely lined with hand cut Himalayan salt bricks creating a one of a kind environment for your practice.
