Ariel’s studio was struggling badly. When we first spoke, she told me that she had taken out a loan for $10, 000 and was now using cash advances on her Visa card to make payments on it. She had a sad, sinking tone to her voice. As she described her studio, it was clearly a warm and vibrant space; she had several good and committed teachers as well as a location in a relatively affluent community. What’s more, her nearest competition had closed down six months earlier because the owner moved to Texas. Ariel’s voice had a glimmer of hope as she described her vision for what the studio could become. She just didn’t understand why she “always seems to get so close, then things fall apart.” It was interesting that she had put it this way. After working together on her studio for just a few weeks, I saw what she meant.We developed a plan for implementing an auto-renew program as an initial way to increase revenues. She signed up with a credit card company, she developed an agreement form for students to sign, then "got busy" and never seemed to actually get the program going. Then there was the intro workshop that actually made $500 profit. But coincidentally, she needed a new computer for the studio. The $900 price more than consumed the profits from the workshop. It quickly became clear to me. Before the studio could have a hope of succeeding, something much more fundamental would need to change for Ariel. It wasn’t about better marketing or revising her pricing. My next question was simple.
“What is money?” I asked, “What does it mean to you?”
Ariel started out, “It means paying the bills, putting food on the table. It means never having enough, it’s stressful, overwhelming, confusing…I just want to become a monk sometimes.”
I asked again, "What is money really?"
She spoke more quietly now, “You have to be so careful or people think you’re greedy. Yoga is about sharing love, it’s not about money. You don’t want people to think you’re just in it for the cash or they’ll think you’re not sincere. Besides, how many rich people do you know who have their act together?”
Her voice was louder and more emotional now, “They just use money as a façade. They’re not real. They’re just snobs.”
She took a deep breath and sighed.
One more time, I asked “What is a lot of money?”
More directed and almost angry now, Ariel responded “It sounds good, but they’re all fake – the snobs – they don’t have real friends. I mean who wants to hang out with someone who’s fake and plastic and doesn’t even know who they really are?”
She took another breath and concluded, “Why are you asking me this? I don’t want to be rich, I just want enough money to get by.”
Now I understood. “I just want enough money to get by, ” was what Ariel wanted and that’s exactly what she got. Week after week, month after month. You see, we all have unconscious beliefs about what things in the world mean, and one of them is money. We live our lives in a way that supports these beliefs – that makes them come true – as best as possible. Ariel believed that money was stressful, overwhelming and confusing. She also felt that people with money were snobs and not worthy of having friends – quality friends would leave a person who had money. Finally, she believed she wanted to have only enough money to just get by. Not surprisingly, that’s all she ever seemed to have. While this is just one example, Ariel is far from alone.
Many of us have equivalent beliefs about money, and often we are not aware of how they play out. For Ariel, this meant that she would sabotage her efforts to make more money. And, if she did make it, she would get rid of it quickly (remember the new computer). You might be thinking, “Oh come on, Al, I’m not really driven by subconscious beliefs like this. I do what I’m doing because I consciously decide.” Of course you do. But these decisions are usually heavily influenced by our subconscious beliefs. They form the emotions that accompany (and sometimes drive) our decisions.
No, we don’t do it primarily for the money. Money is just one type of fuel for life. It does not make people good or bad. Money just makes us more of who we already are. If someone is mean and greedy, having money will make them more this way. If they are kind and caring, then they will have the ability to share even more of these qualities with the world.
Money is just an amplifier that makes us more of who we already are.
Don’t take my word for it. Ask yourself these questions (or have someone you trust do it for you, and you do it for them). Just freely answer, and write down what comes up (or have the person asking you write them down). For this to work, you have to just be totally open and honest. For most people, beliefs about money started when they were a kid. What did money mean when you were growing up? What does it mean today? What significant life experiences changed your beliefs about money?
Here are the key questions to ask:
1. What is money? What does it mean?
2. What is money really?
3. What is a lot of money?
Take a couple of minutes to answer each question. If you get stuck, repeat the question to yourself (or have your friend repeat it). Be sure to write down the answers. Whatever you do, don’t censor your answers or you're just wasting your time. Remember, you can always tear up the paper when you’re done – no one else needs to know what you wrote.
When you’re done, look for patterns. Some people have very positive feelings about money (they are usually well-off financially, though most have experienced large losses when they took big risks in the past). Others have negative feelings about what it means to have money (they are usually in debt and feel like they can never quite get ahead. Money may feel very unfair to them). And many people have mixed feelings, some positive some negative (these folks often end up going through cycles of making money, losing it, then doing the same thing over again. Or, like Ariel, they just get by.)
Many books have been written on the psychology of money, but often this concept of underlying beliefs is the foundation of what they discuss. It is more important to believe that money is important in our lives than to have lots of concrete skills for earning it. The skills will come later if we have the desire.
You are probably not involved with yoga primarily to make money. But owning a studio is running a business and money is the fuel of all businesses. Even Mahatma Gandhi knew this. Anytime he began a new movement, his first step was to contact a network of wealthy industrialists who believed in his cause and raised literally millions. Then he would begin his crusade.
So what happened to Ariel and her studio? Once she realized how her beliefs about money had been affecting her studio, she began to see things differently. She told me about a few wealthy people she knew who were really nice. People who she wanted to be friends with. She decided that money could bring her freedom, ability to share with more people, more peace in her life and even a new car.
Her studio began to actually earn a profit. At first it was small, but increased month by month. She still found herself faced with the tendency to sabotage her efforts at success, but now she began to catch herself and focus on the success that she and her studio deserved. Within six months, her studio was serving 30% more students and earning a moderate profit.
What does this mean for you? Few people initially feel they have any challenges with their desire to earn money. Perhaps try the exercise above and see if there is potential for improvement. Even ask someone you know who is a financially well off business owner or investor what they think of your money habits. If this area is a challenge for you, then this is good news - it means you’ve found a new way to bring more success to your studio and yourself. Be patient with yourself, but be honest too. Trust in yourself - you really do have what it takes.
Namasté,
Al Lipper
Al Lipper is a master business coach, business teacher, writer and CEO of Centered Business. Business Solutions for Yoga Studio Owners