Why Plastic Surgeons Make 2x General Practitioners (and why that matters)
Part #4 of 7- Double Your Yoga Income
Why does a plastic surgeon make, on average, double that of a general practice doctor? Why do special education teachers get paid more than their general ed colleagues?
It’s because specialists of all types get paid more than generalists.
In business, some things are more important to understand conceptually than to explain rationally; and as a yoga teacher, understanding this “power law of specialization” can enable you to double your salary very quickly.
“But I don’t want to pigeonhole my teaching—I want to have options and variety!” most teachers tell me. And I totally understand. I’m the same way.
But here’s the thing: you can specialize in more than one thing.
That means you can be the Elder Care Yoga Therapist, the Yoga for Teens Leader, and the Vinyasa Core Power teacher all at the same time. When you’re in each teaching situation, you’re a specialist, you’re 100% focused on serving those specific clients’ needs. But on your own, you’re able to explore all your interests and dive deep into as many different aspects of yoga as you like.
So what is your specialty in yoga? How can you hyper-focus your teaching to increase your value?
Here’s what to do:
In order to find your area or areas of specialty, it’s helpful to look back on your life and work experience. Did you work in a corporate job in your past? Were you a nurse? Before yoga, did you sell real estate? Often, the things that seem least connected to yoga from your past are what make you unique and where you can find your specialty.
I had a client who worked for mining companies in Australia, and she used this experience to start a yoga studio catering to temporary mining employees—she did amazingly well! I had a friend who worked an office job for six years prior to becoming a yoga teacher, and she never worked in a traditional yoga studio ever. Instead, she started a corporate yoga program leveraging her old contacts and made four times what the average yoga teacher in her area earned. Interesting, isn’t it? What about you? What can you claim as your specialty?
SIDE NOTE: Case Studies
I know a teacher who specializes in yoga for back care and bills over $150 per hour. I know a woman who teaches only in schools and gets a fixed nine-month contract plus benefits. The list goes on and on. That 7pm class at your local studio is just one teaching gig, there are so many more!
Check out part 5 of this series: The Private Yoga “Give Yourself a Raise” Technique
