ESTRELLA COLLECTIVE. is a licensed S corporation , a FFS/Bundling business model,n based out of Santa Cruz , CA which is not only a Yoga Studio, but an innovative and unique experience. We also have a hair salon, host workshops and community events, and have extensively trained Yoga and dance instructors, as well as an extended back room where cutting edge to traditional services , such as Fibroblast Plasma to Ayurveda and Acupuncture, are offered. On top of this, ESTRELLA COLLECTIVE holds bi-annual Yoga retreats in Mexico that have been at maximum capacity every time, where women and men alike are assisted in some modality of healing.
ESTRELLA COLLECTIVE is a guest-focused and results-driven Yoga retreat business that provides easy to learn Yoga at an affordable fee that won’t put a hole in the pockets of our guests. We will offer standard and professional Yoga services in a highly secured and conducive learning environment.
We will ensure that we work hard to meet and surpass all our guests’ expectations as it relates to their goals of enrolling to go on Yoga programs with our team.
ESTRELLA COLLECTIVE’s retreat center, La Estrellita, will be well – equipped with affordably luxurious decor and smart and efficient architecture designs, while giving respect to the way old-world style Mexican hacidendas were created. We will be one of the very few places in Yelapa with a pool and plan to be open to the public during the low season. We will also run a small retail space in the same facility where our guests can purchase high quality items, such as what is already being sold at EC as well as on our already-existing online boutique, Estrella Collection. At La Estrellita, our guests’ overall best interest would always come first, and everything we do will be guided by our values and professional ethics. We will ensure that we hire professional and licensed and insured Yoga Instructors to work with our students when embarking on any of our Yoga programs. At La Estrellita, we plan to utilize the online platforms, Workaway.com and YogaTrade.com, to always ensure there is a Yoga instructor onsite when we will Airbnb our casitas during the low season and in between retreats to maximize the space.
Our overall business goal is to position ESTRELLA COLLECTIVE/La Estrellita to become the leading brand in the Yoga industry in Santa Cruz, CA, but also to be amongst the top 10 Yoga retreats in Mexico within the first 5 years of operation.
ESTRELLA COLLECTIVE is founded and owned by Tara Murphy. Tara Murphy is a renowned American Yoga Instructor who has successfully accumulated high – level training and experience with excellent certifications and recommendations from New York, California, Indonesia, Australia and Mexico.
*Our Products and Services*
Our intention of starting our Yoga retreat business is to help individuals and organizations learn and practice yoga in a conducive and relaxing environment away from their home and comfort zones; we want to help our guests learn disciplined method for attaining a goal, also techniques of controlling the body and the mind; harnesses passion and encourage healthy lifestyle. We also support those to host a retreat, and offer them the most enjoyable, comfortable and safe stay and will easily and happily accommodate them in their needs. Hosting a retreat is hard work and our healthily equipped staff, from local Yelapans to Spain and the Philippines, are ready to be of service .
Lastly, we are also in the Yoga retreat business to make profits and we will do all that is permitted by the law in the US and Mexico to achieve our aim and business goal. Our service offerings are listed below;
- Operate our retreat location
- EC brand in-house Yoga and Wellness classes and retreats
- Hosting retreats for outside instructors
- Workshops and seminars
- Merchandise sales such as Yoga and Dance apparel (with our own brand and many others eco friendly brands), handcrafted local and exotic jewelry , hair and scalp health products, and many other hand-selected items
- Airbnb listing during open weeks during the high season and fully open during the low season
- Hosting local community events, both free and at cost, to support the small Yelapan (only 800 people live there year round!) town
- Health and wellness coaching, online and in-person
- Hair salon , Massage, and other healing modalities
- Temazcal, Cacao and Plant Medicine Ceremonies held with a local Shaman
*Our Mission and Vision Statement*
~Our mission at La Estrellita is simple; we offer affordable luxury paired with authenticity in all of our unique services offered. We are a hub for creative and compassionate humans, in our warm and inviting space. Estrella encourages everyone to feel good on the inside, as well as on the outside.
*Our Business Structure*
La Estrellita will build a solid business structure that can support the growth of our Yoga retreat business, and continue to be an FFS/Bundling business model. We will ensure that we hire competent hands to help us build the business of our dreams. Below is the business structure that we will build La Estrellita on;
- Principal Partner/Chief Executive Officer -Tara
- Manager- Tara
- Yoga Instructors- Laura, Natalie, Robe
- Health Service Professionals and Facilitators -Various local therapists
- Accountant/Bursar-Allison
- Marketing and Sales -Robe
- Guest Services -Veronica
- Chef Services-Laura
*Our Target Market*
Middle Income Urban Professionals: This group is the core segment of potential students of EC.Their demographic characteristics are the following:
- Ages: 26-40.
- Sex: 25% male, 75% female.
- Family Income: $50,000-$90.,000.
- Health/Lifestyle Issues: Active individuals that are focused on healthy food and dieting. Approximately, 600% of potential customers have taken yoga classes before.
- Social Pattern: Will more likely attend as part of group.
- Center's selling point: Willing to make the time for their wellness .The retreat lowers stress. Can be attended with workmates as group activity.
Upper Income: The upper income customer is a
secondary target group. Their demographic characteristics are the following:
- Ages: 40-60.
- Sex: 30% male, 70% female.
- Family Income: $100,000+.
- Health/Lifestyle Issues: Active individuals that are focused on healthy food and dieting. Over 90% of this group are members of gvms.
- Social Pattern: Will more likely attend alone.
- Center's selling point: Have the capital and space to take time off to attend a wellness retreat. The event lowers stress.
*Sources of Revenue*
La Estrellita is established with the aim of maximizing profits in the Yoga industry and we are going to ensure that we do all it takes to attract clients on a regular basis. La Estrellita will generate income by offering the following services:
- Operating our retreat center
- Yoga classes/workshops for the paid public in between Yoga retreats being hosted.
- Private Yoga classes
- Yoga and Wellness Workshops and Seminars
- Merchandise sales
- Hair Salon
- Commission based add-on services (i.e. contracting out massage therapists for those guests who want them. They get 70%, we get 30%)
- Online Boutique and Dropshipping sales
- Collaborating with the Santa Cruz location to tap into our large and continually growing following
*Marketing Strategy and Sales Strategy*
We are mindful of the fact that there are stiff competitions amongst Yoga retreat businesses in Mexico, hence we have been able to hire some of the best marketing experts to handle our sales and marketing. ESTRELLA COLLECTIVE has been building a strong SEO campaign with a well-rounded Australian company, UpWeb. We will continue to build off this momentum with La Estrellita.
Our sales and marketing team has vast experience in the industry and they will be trained on a regular basis so as to be well equipped to meet their targets and the overall goal of ESTRELLA COLLECTIVE.
Our goal is to grow ESTRELLA COLLECTIVE/ La Estrellita to become one of the top 10 Yoga retreat brands in the U.S. and Mexico, which is why we have mapped out strategies that will help us take advantage of the available market and grow to become a major force to reckon with, not only in California.
ESTRELLA COLLECTIVE is set to make use of the following marketing and sales strategies to attract clients;
- Introduce our yoga retreat business by sending introductory letters alongside our brochure to corporate organizations, households and key stakeholders
- Print out fliers and business cards and strategically drop them in offices, public facilities and train stations et al.
- Use friends and family to spread word about our yoga retreat business
- Post information about our yoga studio and the services we offer on bulletin boards in places like schools, libraries, and local coffee shops et al
- Place a small or classified advertisement in the newspaper, or local publication about our yoga retreat business and the services we offer
- Using referral networks such as agencies that will help match students and corporate clients with our yoga retreat center.
- Continue to utilize social media and online presence as free advertising.
- Attend relevant entrainment expos, seminars, and business fairs et al
- Engage direct marketing approach
- Encourage word of mouth marketing from loyal and satisfied students
- Optimize Estrella Collective’s visibility through Web Marketing platforms (e.g E-mail Marketing, Website SEO, Social Media Marketing)
*Our Pricing Strategy*
La Estrellita will charge our guests using an A La Carte menu. Choice of room, per night cost with add-on selections such as chef services and massage, for example. These pricing options will be active during yoga related consultancy and advisory services, as well as Airbnb. Furthermore, this style of pricing will assist the Hosts to organize and create their pricing tiers with ease.
At La Estrellita we will keep our fees at the average market rate for Hosts and guests by keeping our overhead low and by collecting a $2000 deposit in advance, with a strict cancellation policy. In addition, we will also offer special discounted rates during the low season on Airbnb.
*Startup Expenditure (Budget)*
The materials and equipment that will be used are nearly the same cost everywhere, and any difference in prices would be minimal and can be overlooked. As for the detailed cost analysis for starting a Yoga retreat business
; here is the cost breakdown of what it will cost for a retreat center in Mexico:
- The buildout of 8 casitas and communal kitchen on 4 hectares (9.88 acres) of private, beachfront property, built in 5 months. This includes adding water lines, septic tanks and solar energy $375,000
- Equipping the yoga retreat facility (studio floor, sound system, computers, printers, projectors, markers, pens and pencils, furniture, decor, telephones, filing cabinets, and electronics) will cost –$50,000- $100,000
- Amount need to pay bills and staff members for at least 2 to 3 months – roughly 500-700MX/day ($25-$35US)
We would need an estimate of $500,000 to successfully launch a standard and well – equipped yoga retreat facility/business in Yelapa, MX.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and to consider partnering with us. We hope to hear from you soon.
Warmly,
Tara Murphy
Owner, Estrella Collective
Santa Cruz, Ca