Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Robyn Parets. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Robyn, appreciate you joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
I came up with the idea for Pretzel Kids® about 18 years ago. At the time, I was operating a community-based yoga studio. We catered to adults with classes and workshops 7 days a week. However, since we were the only yoga studio in town, I got a call one day from a local after school program. The school director was looking for a kids yoga teacher to lead classes for children. I sent one of my instructors to teach at the school and it was a disaster. She simply didn’t know how to teach yoga to children, which is a different ballgame than teaching adults. I then had the idea to create a children’s yoga curriculum and training program. Pretzel Kids yoga was born! Since then, we’ve trained thousands of instructors, who are now licensed Pretzel Kids instructors in their own communities. We also offer Pretzel Kids classes all over the United States!
Robyn, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to tell our readers a bit more about Pretzel Kids and how the brand stands apart.
In a nutshell, Pretzel Kids is a one-stop shop offering yoga, mindfulness and social emotional learning (SEL) programs for schools and organizations. We also offer mindful movement classes, teacher certification, and a vibrant community of skilled children’s yoga instructors.
Pretzel Kids has grown substantially since I first created the company and brand. What started as a weekend training program for those who wanted to teach kids yoga has become a licensing program that helps teachers start their own successful children’s yoga classes using the tried-and-true Pretzel Kids curriculum and brand. In essence, Pretzel Kids offers a business-in-a-box for instructors, as well as classes that schools and kids love!
What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?
I guess you could stay that when I first started Pretzel Kids, it was really more of a program that I ran alongside my main business: my yoga studio. But as the demand for children’s yoga classes started to take off, so did Pretzel Kids. By 2016, it become clear to me that there was a void in the marketplace for quality children’s yoga and mindfulness classes. Likewise, there was a lack of yoga teachers who were qualified to teach these classes. So I decided to do something about this: the time had come to spin off Pretzel Kids as a separate business. I decided to close my yoga studio and run Pretzel Kids full-time.
In 2017, I launched our online Pretzel Kids Method Course and in 2019, I started the Pretzel Kids Teacher Association membership program. This gave yogis the opportunity to train from their homes and upon joining our membership and licensing program, they can get ongoing access to teaching resources and lesson plans, as well as marketing and branding support. Another key milestone came about just recently in 2022. Coming out of the worst of COVID, children were experiencing high levels of stress and anxiety. Schools recognized this and were looking for programs to help kids navigate anxiety and calm their emotions, all while getting fit. Demand for our classes was through the roof! And we met this demand by offering our classes and programs in after school programs and preschools in the Northeast as well as in other states. We even offer Pretzel Kids classes in Canada!
If you have multiple revenue streams in your business, would you mind opening up about what those streams are and how they fit together?
Our revenue streams come from: 1) Our classes and programs in after school programs, preschools and other organizations
2) Our trainings and membership program
However, we also sell printables for kids, which parents can download and print out at home. These are a fun ancillary revenue stream that are popular with families, Some of our printables include: assorted yoga coloring cards for kids; gratitude journals; mindfulness printable packs, kindness printables, and more. We also sell branded shirts, hoodies, yoga mats, water bottles and more – for both kids and adults!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://pretzelkids.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pretzelkidsyoga/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pretzelkids/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robynparets/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/RobynParets
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@pretzelkids1621
- Other: Pretzel Kids on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pretzelkids/