If you are a solopreneur here are reasons why you and your business should share ONE Instagram account.

In the world of social media, a new buzzword has emerged: Clubhouse. The Clubhouse App has already sky-rocketed in popularity. It is described as highly addictive, and many suspect that it is here to stay.

With the onset of the pandemic and scores of studios moving to online-exclusive models, many of you said that you wanted a virtual punch-card system. Students of your brick-and-mortar studio were able to buy a set number of classes, and use them up at their own pace … but mirroring that model online was tricky. Now, however, we’re THRILLED to announce that we’ve nailed it: we’re rolling out ClassCard™, a seamless way to offer your students prepaid packages of live-stream classes.

Coordinating calendars, time slots, time zones, and personal details is a logistical nightmare. Not anymore! Introducing scheduling private sessions and coaching with Calendly and Namastream.

We love the maker movement. Artisans have captured our hearts and appeal to the most curious, soulful, and earnest parts of ourselves.

But...there’s no reason that we, as online makers, cannot incorporate the same elements into our own businesses. The Internet is the greatest opportunity we’ve ever known, but when used mindlessly (or maliciously) it can be the most dangerous creation in human history. Digital artisanship, this idea of taking the standards and principles of the offline artisan revival onto the Internet, recalibrates us to both leverage our strengths and to recognize what truly matters. Digital artisanship is the marriage of financial sustainability, the ability to grow an idea at scale, and soul-deep satisfaction.

As an online coach or teacher, you undoubtedly recognize the importance of crafting stellar, visually appealing, strategic video content. And you’re absolutely right; the quality of your videos directly impacts your reputation and brand.

But what you might not realize is that some of your video content can (and even should) be casual and off-the-cuff. That’s right, it’s perfectly fine to mix gorgeously-lit and meticulously scripted content with improvised, heartfelt live lessons. In fact, live-streaming tools like Instagram Stories, Facebook Live, and Periscope have liberated us from releasing ONLY near-perfect video content. Students and followers have learned to love our messy live broadcasts as much as our refined, pre-recorded ones.

What does this mean for you as a coach? That you should start offering live-streamed sessions this instant! As soon as you give your clients the option to engage with you one-on-one via a live-stream, you can increase your revenue and simplify your work day. Many teachers and coaches overlook this option, and we aim to change that. Incorporating this medium into your existing business model offers you a new and easy path to cash.

Knowing that so many amazing entrepreneurs have hesitated to teach online was the impetus for this gear guide: We wanted to create a one-stop resource for anyone who felt ready to create an online home for her business, but wasn’t sure which tools she’d need to launch. We’re hoping to provide you with a simple roadmap for bringing your business online, pointing you toward the gear you need while keeping the process as actionable as possible.

Just as you might expect from its name, micro-blogging is the practice of creating information-packed, short-form blog posts that accompany Facebook, Instagram, or even Pinterest posts. Doing this allows you to convey important news, helpful tips, and other rich content quickly and effectively, without cooking up a traditional, 500-800 word blog post. Research shows that users tend to read only 20% of the content they’re shown, so short and sweet is definitely the way to go. Pairing a quick, information-packed story with a compelling visual increases your chances of capturing audience members’ attention.

Your website is often the first thing potential clients see when they’re researching your brand, so naturally, you’ll want to focus on building a site that aligns with your aesthetic, mission, and values. But regardless of your specific design wants and needs, there are a handful of guidelines that will help make any Squarespace site look spectacular and function well.

It’s a tough time to be a wellness practitioner. Many of you have been forced to close your brick-and-mortar studios for an indefinite amount of time, and figure out new ways to keep your businesses afloat. Namastream can help you create the virtual studio of your dreams, but as the business owner you’ve got to choose how to charge. And since many Namastream teachers are both new to online classes and deeply empathetic humans, we’ve gotten a ton of questions about the ethics of pricing during a pandemic. Including how to accept donations to your wellness practice.

At the start of our entrepreneurial journey, we bought into the hype, hired out dozens of tasks, and assumed we were on the right track. But recently, we’ve streamlined our team and taken over jobs that were once delegated to virtual assistants, team members, and agencies, and it has been THE VERY BEST decision we could have made for our business.

Should I Create a Separate Instagram Account for My Business? Wouldn’t it be nice if launching a new social media account for your business actually led to meaningful interactions with your prospective clients? How fabulous would it be if upgrading your Instagram presence to “business class” was clearly and unquestionably beneficial to your business?

So many Namastream teachers reach out to us asking, “How can I possibly be successful when there are so many other yoga teachers, health coaches, fill-in-the-blanks, online already?” The answer we always give is, “But they’re not YOU.”

There are a lot of Facebook Pixel resources floating around the Internet, but many of them are overly complicated and weirdly vague. (What’s up with that?)

When we recently announced that Namastream teachers could begin installing a Facebook Pixel on their studio sites, we were immediately peppered with eager questions from our community. How should they do this? Is it essential? What are the benefits? How will it help them grow their online businesses? And just what the heck IS a Facebook Pixel anyway?

How to Light Your Yoga Videos on the Cheap: If you want to create professional looking videos for your virtual studio, good lighting is mission critical. Lighting is an art form that can seem intimidating when you’re first starting out as an online teacher. (For many of us, chatting happily into an iPhone camera feels worlds different than filming in a studio with a big, bright, professional lighting setup.) But there are some super simple yet effective ways to control and manipulate lighting in your yoga or fitness videos.

When you’re creating a new online offering, it’s awfully tempting to stick to a format you know well and try to wedge your content into it.

But that can lead to watering down your best ideas, or presenting them in a way that feels awkward or unnatural to your community. You’re be better off by focusing on the end-goal: What do you want this content to accomplish? What should it DO for your clients? Those questions should guide your product design choices, even if they drive you toward a delivery setup that’s a tiny bit outside your comfort zone.