Kelsey Alshememry and Casey Hubbell co-founded Yoga Wild to emphasize self-care for collective care. We all have a responsibility to care for ourselves but that is not the end goal. If COVID has taught us anything, it is that our health, how we go about our day, how often we drive, where we buy from, etc, impact the people and environment around us. Yoga Wild classes look at seasonal changes and current events --- things that greatly impact our mental health and nervous system --- through the lens of this thousands-of-years-old practice developed in South Asia and facilitate yoga spaces for equity and inclusion.
Our plan is to significantly scale our business and we are looking for socially responsible investors empowered to make both social change and financial gains.
Our mission is self-care for collective care through nature, community and yoga.
Our why is to recognize that our daily lives, current events and seasonal changes greatly impact our mental health and nervous system and to share tools from this thousands-of-years-old tradition developed in S Asia to facilitate yoga spaces for equity and inclusion.
Our just cause is to be an example in the yoga industry in the west of a for-profit company that recognizes that yoga is not just handstands and backbends. It is political, that we have a responsibility as businesses and individuals to care for the collective and nature, and that making mistakes and learning from them is the only way to be a progressive business.
Year 1: Nomads
Founded in 2018 by two stay-at-home moms, Kelsey Alshememry and Casey Hubbell. We were bootstrapped from the beginning and prioritized keeping our overhead low so we could remain self-funded as long as possible. We spent our first year nomadic, teaching in nature and community spaces and were able to utilize seasonal park permits and profit splits with venues to grow our community. We built relationships with event spaces, organizations in our city, and students before opening a brick and mortar space.
Year 2: Brick & Mortar
In year two, we became studio owners. We negotiated a graduated lease in Courthouse Square and remodeled a storage room into a studio on our own in 19 days.
Year 3: Yoga Wild On-Demand
In our third year, due to the pandemic, we shifted to content creators and started our online platform, Yoga Wild On-Demand. It’s this final shift that has opened up phenomenal growth potential in a global market.
Year 4: Present Day
Recognizing shifts in the yoga industry, we have chosen to not reopen our studio opted instead to utilize this space for filming classes for Yoga Wild On-Demand. We are teaching outdoor summer classes in large spaces which allow for large groups of students to safely practice. Outdoor classes are an opportunity to stay connected in our community, allow for in-person marketing for YWOD, and boost user-generated social media content.
The 16 billion dollar yoga industry in America really only serves and represents a small margin of people.
Yoga is an ancient spiritual tradition that addresses mental, emotional, and physical health, however, popular Westernized versions just address the physical. Although yoga is a comprehensive practice, for most practitioners in the west, the aim of a yoga class is to shape yourself like a pretzel. By reducing yoga to just fitness, most yoga platforms are watering down the holistic wellness of this practice.
Income inequality is a direct effect of systemic racism and oppression. Inequality.org states that the median White family has 41 times more wealth than the median Black family and studies have shown that this racial wealth divide only continues to grow. These inequalities directly affect the level of diversity in yoga spaces.
Many studios have both strategically and sometimes inadvertently placed themselves in the luxury wellness sector. Studios charge $20+ for an in-person class and $100+ for monthly memberships. When studios were closed for the pandemic, many continued to charge $10-$20 for a livestream class and $50-$100 for online memberships. Although some individual teachers quickly adjusted to donation-based Zoom classes, many studios stayed stuck in old habits and business strategies and didn’t adjust to the shift in consumer needs.
As the importance of mental, physical, and emotional self-care is becoming more prevalent, our amount of time for it isn't. If you are an average working adult, you only have a small amount of time in your day for self-care. That’s why Yoga Wild focuses on more than handstands and backbends. The fifty-five million American yoga practitioners need a wellness routine that can address mental health, soothe the nervous system, and leave students feeling good in their bodies. A Yoga Wild class provides a holistic self-care routine, sourcing ancient practice to overcome the daily challenges of modern life.
Presently people are coping with multiple pandemics and crises — COVID-19, social and racial injustices, climate change, the spread of misinformation. The most popular yoga platforms serve up “good vibes only.” At Yoga Wild, we take a different approach. We recognize that people are facing individual and collective problems, all things that greatly impact our nervous system and mental health, and use our online platform to offer tools and teach techniques to help students cope. This self-care is necessary for collective care. We use our platform to encourage participation in social justice movements (like Black Lives Matter) and support underserved communities (like BIPOC and LGBTQIA++).
The Online Wellness Industry is Growing Rapidly
Our classes entice students that may not feel comfortable stepping into a studio, find the cost inaccessible, and/or don’t feel the values align with their own. According to The New Consumer, 76% of people have tried working out at home during the pandemic. Remarkably, of that percentage, 66% prefer it. Among millennials, the number is even higher: 82% made the switch and 81% like it more.*
• In 2019, the online fitness industry was valued at $6B. In 2020, that grew to $8B. By 2027, that number is expected to hit $57B. Source: Allied Market Research
• 80% of the market is “untouched," not participating in a gym membership, etc.
• Digital VOD platforms allow users to take their practice with them anywhere, uninterrupted by sick kids, travel, work, or a pandemic. The classes are always available without many of the common obstacles to practicing: schedules, childcare, cost, time getting to/from the studio, etc.
• Yoga & meditation saw a 392% increase in minutes live streamed in 2020.
Our Pricing Model
In the first six months of operation, we tested our subscription model with three pricing options: $9, $19, and $39 per month. We found that 20% of users chose the $39 option, 43% chose the $19 option, and 37% chose the $9 option.
It is important for us to use a tiered pricing model. We want most people paying $19/month and that's the option chosen by the majority of users so far. However, we also want to leave room for folks who can afford to pay more and enable community members experiencing financial difficulties to join at a lower rate.
*Source: The New Consumer, Coefficient Capital
We are aware of and excited for the huge potential growth for Yoga Wild On-Demand but need outside funding to get to the next level. After initially seeking private investment with larger firms, we are unwilling to water down our values for financial profit. We truly believe Yoga Wild can be a for-profit company that offers accessible yoga and does good in their community. Due to our strong POV and unique stance in the online yoga industry, we believe we can carve a large share in this skyrocketing market. We have decided to reach out within our community because of our values commitment. As students or supporters, you know Yoga Wild, you know our mission, you know our past and potential impact, you know the yoga industry in the west and how we stand out.
We are looking to raise $100,000 (20 shares) to expand our reach outside of the South Sound. With minimal marketing experience and no paid advertising, we have grown our platform to 150 subscribers. By heavily investing in a comprehensive marketing strategy and multi-platform applications, we believe we can grow to 1500 subscribers in the first year alone.
Marketing & Branding with Foster's Creative
Foster’s Creative is a Hispanic-owned, full-service creative marketing agency in Tacoma specializing in content creation and marketing strategy for city governments, nonprofits, restaurant groups, real estate companies, and more. They will become Yoga Wild's marketing department with a full team of content, graphic design, social media, photography, videography, and copyrighting experts. With a mission to Do Good & Document It, Foster’s Creative is a company that prioritizes community and service. As we are looking for like-minded investors, we will be working with a marketing company that understands our values.
Phase One of the marketing plan will increase our engagement and impressions over three months to generate buzz and interest with purpose to significantly boost our social media followers and newsletter subscribers. The focus of Phase Two is to convert our new audience to YW On-Demand subscribers. This phase also includes the launch of our new website with improved user experience. We plan to reach 1,000 subscribers by January. We’ll introduce an affiliate program in Phase Three to help us reach 1,500 subscribers by next June.
OTT Apps with Uscreen
Video-on-demand platforms see an average 50% increase in engagement, 30% increase in conversions, and 30% increase in sales by launching over-the-top (OTT) applications. Uscreen, the video-on-demand platform where we host YW On-Demand, is the world’s leading OTT platform. With funding, we will be able to seamlessly launch and manage video streaming apps for mobile devices and TV.
Users are spending more time in applications than ever. The average person spends 100 minutes per day utilizing streaming services via applications. We will launch OTT apps to make our streaming service accessible on all devices including iOS, Android, MACs, PCs, streaming media boxes such as Roku, Apple TV.
Milestones & Burn Rate
This $100,000 investment will fund one year of our growth plan with a slow and steady gross burn rate of about 8% per month for 12 months. Our budget breaks down to 60% for marketing, 30% for OTT apps, and 10% for contingencies. Both the marketing and OTT contracts are paid in equal monthly installments over one year.
July 2021: Launch marketing campaign with Foster's Creative
August 2021: Initiate OTT app development with Uscreen
September 2021: Grow to 10,000 Instagram followers
October 2021: Launch OTT apps | Launch new website with improved user experience
January 2022: Grow to 1,000 monthly YW On-Demand subscribers
February 2022: Launch affiliate marketing program
June 2022: Grow to 1,500 monthly YW On-Demand subscribers
Equity crowdfunding is the process where people (you!) invest in an early-stage unlisted company (a company that is not listed on a stock market — Yoga Wild!) in exchange for shares in that company. A shareholder has partial ownership of a company and stands to profit should the company do well.
Funding Goal: $100,000
Deadline: June 30, 2022
Purchase Price: 1 share costs $5,000
Dividends: 1 share = 1% of profits
Minimum Investment: 1 share
Total Number of Shares Available: 20 shares
Here's what it looks like to invest in Yoga Wild:
1. Sign the investor agreement by June 30, 2021.
2. If we succeed in reaching our funding goal, you will submit payment by July 15, 2022 for the share(s) you agreed to purchase. If we fall short, no one is charged. This is an all-or-nothing funding campaign.
3. Earn perks! Get a YW On-Demand Support membership and, if you're a local, an annual Summer Pass. You may choose to gift your membership and/or pass to someone else.
4. Earn cash dividends of 1% of Yoga Wild profits, paid quarterly, for each share. Earnings begin accruing January 1, 2023 and the first dividend payout will be April 30, 2022.
Questions? Email Casey at casey@teamyogawild.com. Casey will answer quick questions over email or schedule a phone call or zoom meeting.
Ready to invest? Email Kelsey at kelsey@teamyogawild.com. Kelsey will respond with the invest agreement to secure your share(s).