Today we’d like to introduce you to Kori Strobl.
Kori, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
In July 2016, a corporate yoga studio closed its doors at our current location. The location has been a yoga studio for over 15 years. The community was devastated to lose their yoga home. When I suggested that maybe I could re-open the space the students began writing checks in the form of prepaid memberships and micro-loans. It was amazing to see the confidence, trust and support from the community. During the initial renovations, former members of the old studio would stop by and volunteer their time to help us get the doors open. Only a month and a half after securing the lease, we opened on Thanksgiving morning to a full house!
The reason we are called a collective is because the studio would not exist without the collective efforts of the students who backed us and continue to support us. Our members are our best advertisers. They shout the studios praises wherever they go. They welcome and celebrate new faces as if the studio was their own, which at the heart of it, it is.
I taught for the former location for 13 years. I met my husband there and now our two children are growing up at the studio and within this loving community. To say this space is special and important to me would be an understatement. It feels like such an honor to be at helm of this studio in its newest incarnation, HB Yoga Collective.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
While I have been self-employed for 14 years, this is my first time owning a brick and mortar business. Needless to say, I am learning a lot of lessons. Yet, I did what any smart fledgling entrepreneur would do… I reached out to several mentors, each with their own experiences and strengths. They are an incredible support to me and have helped shape the studio into the success it is today. Their mentorship has been invaluable!
We opened the doors with just enough capital to get us through the renovations and first few months, We have been working hard to continue to raise the capital we need to get through this first year. We are doing it and the studio is growing, yet the pressure of rent and payroll is real! We have tried many different class styles, schedules, and membership rates to find a product that fits and is sustainable. We opened with a pretty ambitious class offering and have had to trim it down regularly to get to something that best impacts the community and supports the studio.
Client traffic ebbs and flows as we ride the waves of seasonal trends and tourist traffic. Learning to manage the financials and stress during this time is a daily opportunity to practice what we teach, namely equanimity, steadfastness, faith, compassion, and working with the breath.
HB Yoga Collective – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
HB Yoga Collective is a yoga and wellness studio on Main St. in Huntington Beach, CA. We offer yoga classes with a variety of levels, meditation, Pilates, Tai Chi, spine therapy, cardio and sound healing classes. We are one of Huntington Beach’s only non-hot yoga studios, providing a place for those averse to the popular heated classes a place to practice. Our boutique specializes in locally sourced yoga inspired clothing, eco-conscious and sustainable products created by local artisans. We are best known for our amazing teachers and welcoming energy. Our schedule is so diverse with wonderful classes that a “complaint” we often get is that members want to spend the whole day at the studio taking classes so they’re not getting the rest of their life done! People feel good just coming into our space and members are proud to call this their “home” and community.
Nurturing community is at the heart of our company. We not only effort to provide a valuable product and excellent service, but we look to create a feeling where people feel seen and welcome. In this age of social media and technology that supposedly keeps us more “connected” yet less present with each other, we want to provide an environment where people are looked in the eye, greeted with joy and smiles and hugs are regularly available.
We offer regular events such as philosophy, family yoga, happy hour yoga and sound healing as a way to bring people together in insightful, fun and uplifting ways. We also seek to support our greater community. We work with local artisans to sell their products, host a local clean up once a month and regularly offer donation based fundraisers for those in need in our local community.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success for me is more of a process than a place I arrive. It’s a process of harnessing the focus of intention, being in the creative flow of inspiration, bringing that inspiration to life with action and pausing to witness the effects of that action. This process eliminates the game of win-or-lose and instead life, relationships and business become opportunities for expressing, experimenting, learning, and growing. I am successful to the degree I allow this process to unfold in its own timing which is reflected in how peaceful, compassionate, and confident I feel in any given moment.
Pricing:
- Introductory Offer: 2 weeks for $20
- Basic Monthly Membership $70
- Unlimited Monthly Membership $90
Contact Info:
- Address: 301 Main St., Ste 109,
Huntington Beach, CA 92648 - Website: www.hbyogacollective.com
- Phone: 7143740810
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: hbyogacollective
- Facebook: hbyogacollective
Image Credit:
Carrie Cowan Photography
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
