Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kate Durand. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Kate, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you scale up? What were the strategies, tactics, meaningful moments, twists/turns, obstacles, mistakes along the way? The world needs to hear more realistic, actionable stories about this critical part of the business building journey. Tell us your scaling up story – bring us along so we can understand what it was like making the decisions you had, implementing the strategies/tactics etc.

YO BK’s growth was incredibly organic, based on the community’s needs and through collaboration with incredible people. I began practicing yoga in 2003, before Lululemon had retail stores! A practice that got me through college and living overseas became my full-time job in 2011 and I knew right away that I wanted to bring this practice to as many people as possible.

Under the guidance of an incredible mentor, Lisa Ingle-Stevens, I opened YO BK Williamsburg on Halloween of 2015. I was terrified by the cost of NYC rent and taught up to 18 heated classes per week. We started out offering Traditional Hot Yoga (Bikram) and expanded our classes to include Power Yoga, Inferno Hot Pilates (HIIT) and Yin Yoga.

Within two years, many classes were selling out with a waitlist and I started looking for a second location. Originally I was set on Long Island City, but more and more students begged for a Greenpoint location. I looked at hundreds of spaces and found our second home on Manhattan Avenue, one of the most incredible New York streets, where trendy yoga studios sit next to decades-old Polish butchers. A long-time student, Arnon Magal, introduced me to a contractor named Luis for the buildout and in a twist of fate, Luis and I fell in love and got married. I became a mom to his then seven-year-old son, Jake.

Falling in love and having two locations forced me to hire more teachers, managers and a front desk team. The business could no longer rely on my presence and through working with a business coach (she’s the bomb!) I implemented systems to create consistency and great customer service. Now, placing staff in roles where they can shine is one of my greatest passions. Having more time allowed me to launch Teacher Trainings and continue to grow our offerings.

When the pandemic hit, over 100 of our 500 unlimited members personally reached out asking to keep their membership active. Through online classes and over 30 weekly outdoor classes, we kept our community alive and were able to reopen both New York locations. I am forever grateful to the staff and students that were here during that uncertain time. In my darkest moment, the question remained: what can we do to help people move and take a break from their lives?

Meanwhile, my student Arnon moved with his family to Miami and begged me to open a location with him as a partner. Already busy, I tasked Arnon with finding the perfect location at the perfect price. We signed the lease for YO BK Wynwood and Novela Cafe in February of 2022 and opened a year later. We became partners in both businesses and are proud to have a space where people can get a great sweat and a great meal — have I mentioned I love coffee? The Miami location was a big ask from my family — in the first months of opening, I flew south once a week and relied heavily on my husband. He jokes that I have a second family in Miami but I really don’t!

Miami launched me from small business owner to entrepreneur, and in September of 2022, Luis, Arnon and I opened U Omakase in Greenpoint — another experiential space that brings people together.

One of my greatest regrets is that our newer staff didn’t know me in the early days and see the work it took to open these spaces. My job has shifted greatly from teaching, managing and sometimes playing crappy janitor to programming, compliance and budgeting. Above all, I love working with a team of thoughtful, energetic women who encourage me to be better daily. A community is a delicate, precious entity and I make tons of mistakes! The key is to apologize and take right action moving forward. I am very grateful to have moved from my 20s to mid-30’s as an entrepreneur, the lessons are constant and priceless.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

YO BK is a female owned and operated Hot Yoga and Pilates studio with locations in Williamsburg, Greenpoint and Wynwood. We offer Traditional Hot Yoga, Sculpt, Power Yoga, Yin, Restorative and Inferno Hot Pilates (HIIT). Our studios are true havens for community for our students to come in, unplug and move with joy and intention. Our broad range of class offerings has something for everyone, and all are welcome.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

YO BK was a total bootstrapped business. In addition to teaching yoga, I waited tables and bartended from 2012-2015 and saved as much money as possible. This combined with loans from friends and family allowed the first studio to open.

How’d you meet your business partner?

I love this question and I love my business partner! Arnon lived up the street from YO BK Williamsburg and became a regular practitioner, back when I was at the studio all the time. After class, Arnon would sit on the bench quietly. One day, he observed that all of our plants were dying and he started watering them. Arnon owned Gotan NYC, four cafes with great food and coffee. One day he invited me to Gotan for lunch and before offering me anything, he demanded “when are you expanding?!” He had seen our first location grow and as a seasoned entrepreneur, he was curious about future plans. I invited Arnon to see the Manhattan Avenue space and he convinced me to take double the amount of space. Arnon thrives on build-outs and he came daily to visit, simultaneously egging on Luis and me to get together. Being a business owner can be incredibly lonely — I do my best to support my staff and protect them from some of the larger stresses I face. I was relieved to find a friend in Arnon, who is able to infuse humor and wisdom into the most serious situations. I’m honored to be his partner.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.yo-bk.com
• Instagram: @yo.bk

Image Credits
Johan Blanco, Sean McCarney