[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]PJ Wells is owner of Stretch Yoga , the dreamiest yoga studio we‘ve ever laid eyes on! With two locations and over 60+ classes offered per week, PJ has been reaching great goals and hitting all-time record months!
Please give a background of who you are and your business
I am the sole owner of Stretch Yoga; two yoga studios based in Brisbane (one in the CBD and one at Holland Park on Brisbane’s southside). I opened the doors of our first studio in May 2015 and the second in September 2016. After studying business and nutrition in my early 20s and working in the corporate world I was faced with the prospect of becoming a Dietitian in a market with very limited job opportunities. I had discovered yoga in my early 20s and had been teaching for only 2 years when I made the decision to open my own studio – I figured I had more chance of being successful! We now have 2 administrative staff and 17 teachers on the team. We offer 60+ classes per week, as well as workshops, retreats and soon to have teacher training!
What are you most proud of in your business/biggest accomplishment? What do you love most about running your business?
Every day I feel blown away by the community that we’ve created here – our students and teachers are warm, funny, authentic and super fun. It’s so different from any other yoga studio I’ve practiced at and exceeds my vision for how it would be! Our tagline is ‘Come as you are’ and I think that people really do feel safe to be entirely themselves here. We run plus size ‘Curvy Yoga’ courses, and consistently tell our students that we don’t care about whether they can get into fancy poses because yoga isn’t about that! Seeing people feel safe to connect with their bodies and themselves is incredibly rewarding – I must have one of the best jobs in the world![/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row gap=”10″][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]What made you decide to work with Basic Bananas?
Although I feel like our marketing was already pretty good, I wanted to be pushed to make it great! It’s still not perfect and is constantly improving but I know that it’s definitely helped to keep inspiring me – even if I only implement small amounts of what’s been taught!
What is one thing you have implemented throughout the Clever Bunch that is working really well?
Adding a simple pop-up to our website has helped to increase our database incredibly quick! We were probably getting 4 or 5 people signing up before we started the course – now we’re getting over 100 per week![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
So many people have told me that for pretty much anything big and scary in life that you’ll never feel ready. Just do it anyways!
If you could give a fellow business owner one tip, what would it be?
Always trust your instincts when you’re hiring people.
What‘s your most embarrassing moment? What is the funniest/most random thing that has happened to you as a business owner?
Wow there’s been a lot of these (but I’m pretty open about them!). A lot are NSFW! I get a bit of strange fan mail from around the world in regards to videos I’ve done. And having the name PJ means I’m pretty easy for people I meet outside of work to Google (there’s been more than one strange email!). I seem to also have had more than one Freudian slip whilst teaching (the other week I was trying to talk about spinal discs and called them d*cks instead)… Thankfully I’m pretty good at laughing this stuff off!
If you could have a skype call with anyone in the world who would it be?
Elon Musk. I what just want to know what he’s thinking of doing next! His brain is amazing.
How can everyone get into touch with you?
Website: www.stretchyoga.com.au
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/stretchyogabrisbane
Instagram: http://instagram.com/stretchyogabrisbane[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row]