Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Marcia Hoffheins. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Marcia, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you get your first job in the field that you practice in today?
This was a huge moment for me, one that was truly unexpected. My yoga practice began in the corporate gym facility at America Online, where I was an Executive. It was on my mat that I decided to leave my very wonderful job and pursue, at the time, my passion for Interior Design. I had been away from my job for about 3 months when the instructor messaged me asking for a sub for her class. My response was that I didn’t know any other teachers. She said, ‘No, you.’ I replied that I didn’t teach. But she saw in me a guide, a leader, and a teacher. She told me what to do, how to prepare, and I did it. It was so natural for me. I didn’t know how I knew what to do or where the words came from. It was this spark that took my whole life for a big left-hand turn (I like to call it), one that was unexpected. I have not left the wellness, personal growth, yoga field since. That was 2002!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My company is me. My brand is Make Shift Happen AND The Storytellers. My business began before I knew it was beginning. I found yoga, first, as a way to relieve my own stress and take care of myself as a young mother, professional, and everything else that comes along with being human. It changed me. It carried me through the loss of my mother—who passed at a very young age. This was a catalyst for me to immerse myself in growth, healing, and taking care of myself in a way that, at the time, seemed a little new age and not so mainstream. Yoga brought me so many opportunities to sit in front of men and women and facilitate similar experiences for them. I was somewhat hooked on it. It was a gift that I had inside of me to lead, teach—all through moving the body and telling stories. Yes, stories (that’s where the Storyteller piece comes into play). I naturally have the gift to share stories to aid in others’ healing and breakthroughs. I knew this, but really learned this much later (fast forward to 2020 when I studied Human Design).
One thing led me to the next. Yoga, Coaching, Wellness, Breathwork coaching, Human Design, Executive Coaching, Supporting Women In Business, Hosting Personal Development days, and so much more. It’s this beautiful story of how each decision along the way—no matter how bizarre it looks—has led me to where I sit today. Most of my work is in 1:1 coaching. I have a healthy mix of men and women in the Corporate space, women who hire me for a variety of reasons, and small business coaching. More recently, many companies are hiring me to share the Human Design Tool to aid in team dynamics, getting the most out of each person’s natural talents, and allowing for the individual to really be their own unique fingerprint on the business.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
There are many lessons on my path to where I am now that I’ve had to unlearn. One of them is that as a yoga professional, I don’t have anything to offer executives, women in business, or bring to companies. There was always a drive in me to want to help business owners, even before I entered the field I am in now. However, there was a lot of doubt in my way. The identity of being a yoga professional took over my entire being. It’s how everyone knew me. Even when I was showing up as a coach, it was always, ‘Marcia is a yoga teacher.’ And honestly, there is nothing wrong with that!
Even more recently, within a coaching firm I work with, they see me as their yoga teacher vs the excellence that I bring to the table with coaching. It’s a storyline—it seems I cannot shake.
However, I knew that my vast experience running businesses, owning my own business, corporate experience—all served as a strong foundation for helping people in business grow and expand into their greatest self. I have to keep leaning on the evidence that is showing up. The truth is, I am able to run a successful executive/life coaching business on my own, and I am hired readily for my services. I am able to coach teams and small business owners to success, and I’m also masterful at running mastermind groups for women in business—and most of the time, the people who come to these events come for me!
Undoing the conditioning has been quite hard, and honestly, it’s work I’ll continue to always be working on, and yet, I’m running a thriving business on my own, which is also quite unique in this field.
Let’s talk M&A – we’d love to hear your about your experience with buying businesses.
May this be a cautionary tale – and also an inspiration. I had no business buying out a failing yoga studio in 2005 when I did. However, I didn’t know what I didn’t know and that was almost the beauty of it. There was a certain carelessness to this venture. I wouldn’t change it for the world. There was a Bikram studio that was failing, and I was for some reason the one who thought I could re-energize this space. Well, I did. I transformed this studio into a vibrant community in just under a year, and for 4 amazing years, this studio was home to so many.
I bought it because I wanted a space that was nourishing, healing and a community that was strong. I wanted to help people from a place of love. I wanted a space for myself to heal, grow and connect to men and women who had similar interests to me.
However, the business deal was not smart. The gentleman who sold me the studio, sold it to me for a price that I never should have paid. This goes back to I had no business buying this studio. I felt at the time that the dollar amount seemed fair and since he was allowing for me to pay him out over time, it seemed like a no brainer. The problem was, his biggest asset was his student list and I failed to do due diligence on this piece of the. puzzle. The students didn’t transfer over well, their passes were not well structured and it put me behind before I ever even got started. I pulled it off though, for about 3 years – until the real estate bubble began to pop and so many people stopped spending money on extras. Additionally, more studios began to pop up with bigger budgets and abilities to do things for their students and staff that I wasn’t able to offer.
This might not be an inspiring tale, or a how to on the process of buying a business. But more of a reflection on – make sure you do your due diligence going into a business operation. For me, my “Can do” attitude took me only so far. I can only imagine that had I spent more time up front making a smarter deal, that studio may have survived the down turn in the economy. It’s actually something I’ve learned over the years through business courses.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.marciahoffheins.com
- Instagram: marcia_hoffheins
- Facebook: Marcia Hoffheins
- Linkedin: Marcia Hoffheins