Hotpod Yoga was originally founded around two principles – creating an immersive yoga experience that leaves people feeling great and providing a path for people that love yoga to make a solid career and living from it.  This is still very much at the heart of the business today. There’s a team of people at Hotpod HQ who spend their days offering support and advice to people about to embark on the journey of opening their own studio, as well as franchise owners who have been open for several years (but who still want advice on anything from operations to managing teachers and marketing).

Liberty opened her first studio in Redditch in 2019 and has recently opened her second studio in the heart of Birmingham’s city centre. We catch up with her to find out about why she took the leap initially and how the Hotpod Yoga franchise model has given her the confidence to take the plunge again, this time with her friend and business partner Kelly.

What initially drew you to the idea of franchising?

I practiced at Hotpod Yoga Solihull for around 3 years before deciding to do my teacher training, I was totally in love with everything about Hotpod Yoga so I knew I wanted to do my teacher training with HQ. As soon as I arrived to Brixton I had such a warm welcome from the HQ/ teaching team I instantly knew what I wanted to open my own studio! Max and Nick (the founders of Hotpod Yoga) were so helpful and encouraging so we got the process started almost straight away. Best decision I’ve ever made!

Why did you decide to open a second Hotpod Yoga studio?

When I opened Hotpod Redditch I was blown away by the response from customers, it was amazing seeing the change in people from when they walked through the door to when they left after class. I started to see first hand how much impact yoga can have on people’s lives and knew I wanted to share Hotpod Yoga with as many people as possible. I was born and raised in the beautiful Birmingham and feel super grateful that Kelly and I are able to bring Hotpod to such a bustling city centre location with more opportunities to spread the Hotpod love!

How do you plan to manage the responsibilities of overseeing two locations?

I’m really lucky that I have been able to open Birmingham with my lovely business partner, Kelly. The launch process was pretty intense but now we are officially open, we are able to settle in to a new rhythm and routine. I plan on being as adaptive as possible to the needs of each studio and split my time evenly across both.

What did you learn when opening your first studio that has helped when opening your second in the centre of Birmingham?

To sweat the small stuff. This sounds cheesy but I learnt that it’s the personal touches and details in the studio and the team that really make a difference. We have an amazing group of teachers that are really passionate and supportive, this has been a huge help when opening Hotpod Yoga Birmingham.

What are the top three areas you’d say the franchise model from Hotpod Yoga supports you with?

I love the fluid and flexible support from HQ in all areas.  I think it’s really helpful to have a broad team that are so knowledgeable and cover all aspects of the business if needed. The main areas that I find helpful are the HQ teaching support, handbooks and marketing.

What excites you most about this next chapter of your franchise journey? Is a third studio on the horizon?

One of my favorite things about Hotpod Yoga is people’s reactions when they first see the pod and their feedback after their first class. I can’t wait to see how Birmingham grows and the impact it will have on the people coming to classes. I’m trying to take the time to really enjoy these special early moments in the new Birmingham studio for now. I’m not sure what lies ahead yet but never say never!

If you could give anyone starting out on their own Hotpod Yoga journey to opening a studio one piece of advice, what would it be?

On those busy days when nothing seems to go to plan, don’t loose sight of the reason you started. It’s all absolutely worth it when you see those sweaty smiley faces coming out of your first launch class!

 

If you fancy visiting one of Liberty’s studios, book a class at Hotpod Yoga Redditch or Hotpod Yoga Birmingham.

Or if that’s inspired you, find out about opening your own Hotpod Yoga studio franchise here.