ClearGivers’ Quick Chats with Local Business Heroes! #1: YogChakra

This week we are excited to start our new feature set: ClearGivers Quick Chats with Local Business Heroes.

We really hope you enjoy it as much as we’re loving creating it!

We present you with our interviews with real, current small businesses and charities in local areas. Check out ourYouTube channel for our VodCasts (where Aisha interviews business owners online), or you can read the transcripts right here, or on our Medium page.

We wanted to know all the fascinating details about how these local business heroes got started, and what makes them tick. As we explored, we figured the information was too rich not to share! We’re learning so much from these community business leaders that we thought you might enjoy the insights alongside us.

Below, please enjoy our very first interview, conducted with Preeti Razdan of YogChakra. YogChakra is Preeti’s brainchild and a fantastic set-up, enabling and encouraging simple, fast connections between holistic health practitioners and patients.

A quick note: Preeti’s was our very first interview, and there is not a corresponding VodCast. Rest assured, we’re working on persuading her to come back! Stay tuned for an update.

For now, read on to see a little more about Preeti’s journey and what lies in store for YogChakra.

AK — Can you tell me a little about your journey to setting up YogChakra? Where does your interest in Yoga stem from?

PR — I grew up in India, so I was brought up to really know and understand the Indian roots and practice of yoga. You know, from a very early age I understood the multitude of benefits that yoga practice brings one: the physical, mental and social advantages.

Growing up in Kashmir (on the Northern side of India), it was difficult to practice yoga properly. Anyway, I moved to the US and got busy with work and life and all, and I didn’t really practice yoga a lot. Then I had my first son, and suddenly my world became pretty small! I couldn’t go out a lot, couldn’t socialize, and my only free time was according to my son’s (the new boss in town) needs! Miraculously at that point my interest in Yoga returned. In between feeds for my son, I would do a 10–15 minute session of Yoga or Meditation. I developed my practice by watching YouTube videos, and felt myself increasing the quality of both my physical and my mental health.

In 2019, a friend of mine started a yoga studio. I joined literally as a favor to her, to help her grow numbers of attendees. Only to help her! And since then, I never looked back! Oh, it was wonderful to practice yoga in a class.

I would love to really emphasize to everyone that yoga is nothing to do with religion. It’s 1000’s of years old, it’s all-inclusive. I really just want to emphasize that anyone can do yoga, and I promise it will help you and make your life better.

AK — How did you come up with your idea to set up your business in this space?

PR — Once I realized how beneficial yoga practice can be, I felt a need to create a place where people can easily find yoga studios. I wanted to share this thing I love with everyone!

When I started building the site, at first only with yoga studios, I saw that there were all different types of wellness practitioners out there who can help people. I extended the platform accordingly, to welcome all holistic health and wellness practices on board.

I really feel this passion to make wellness practice accessible to everyone.

AK — What is your elevator pitch for YogChakra?

PR — ‘Find your wellness resource!’

YogChakra is a broad platform where you can find all kinds of holistic wellness resources that will help you live a full life while improving your physical, mental and social health.

AK — What do your customers most value about your business?

PR — I talk to various different people, and I think there are different benefits for each type of person. For instance, small business owners appreciate the fact that their business will be listed on a platform with good visibility, so they will be able to put their business in front of more eyes.

Thene there is collateral visibility. What I mean by that is that if a person is searching for a Chiropractor, they will find chiropractors of course, but they will also see suggested businesses nearby, for instance a yoga studio that is close to the chiropractor.

Then for the end users, the people like me who want to use wellness services, they can explore more than one kind of holistic practice and expand their own experience. Our blog (you can find it here) also acts as a very rich educational resource about the different types of wellness.

AK — What are you most proud of in your journey as a small business owner so far?

PR — Well, I guess I am very pleased that I came up with the idea  I am proud to have built a platform where I can aid people in their wellness journey alongside promoting small business. I am happy to help people make connections with each other. You can think of me as a wellness matchmaker!

AK — What are your three best wellness tips?

PR — My three great ones:

1. Listen to your body!

2. Get enough sleep.

3. Play and have fun, engage in recreational activities. Play and the enjoyment of life is just as important as your wellness activities.

AK — What are your three best business tips?

PR — Good question! Hmmm –

1. Give before you ask.

2. Keep going — never give up!

3. Take care of yourself, mind and body, when you’re trying to build a business.

AK — What are the most common questions you receive about your business?

PR — When I started this platform, I was so excited about what I was creating that I didn’t think about revenue at all. Actually, I didn’t want to charge membership or anything. The first question from others was always: where is the money coming from? Now that I am more established, I have three clear streams of income: advertising, memberships and premium listing.

AK — What is the most common misconception people have about what you do?

PR — I named my business YogChakra because I loved the name. However, now people see the name and think that the entire business is all about Yoga. I always like to explain that yoga is the beginning, but not the end. Yoga is maybe the gateway to the many varied alternatives for holistic care.

AK — What is your favourite part of making YogChakra work?

PR — I love connecting with like-minded people! I like it when I talk to people who are trying to do the same thing as me ie help people with lifestyle or physical health. And I really love knowing that at the front end of the YogChakra platform, people are finding meaning and being helped to live a better life.

AK — What is the most unexpected thing you found, going into business?

PR — I came from an import background — I used to do import of goods. So when I started this, I had ever practiced yoga, and that too just by myself usually. Now, my platform provides entrance to all different wellness practices are provided.

As I developed my business, my knowledge of all the different types of wellness developed alongside. I learned about so many different traditional methods of care, and alternative and complementary therapies. I am still learning! This was unexpected — I was not aware there were so many different healing ways in the world!

AK — What offers would you like to give our followers so they can begin a conversation with you?

PR — I would like to offer a free basic listing, plus support with making a profile. I know it’s difficult learning how to use yet another site, so I will happily help with profile set up.

And if they send their details in to you, I will offer them one free blog posting that is usually worth $90.00.

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That concluded our time with Preeti. Please head over to YogChakra and check out the brilliant work Preeti is doing to connect people to wellness resources.

As ever, we are The ClearGivers Platform, a gift registry for charities, exclusively supplied by small businesses.

Small businesses sell stuff → charities wish-list stuff → donors buy stuff.

Click the links above to find out more, join in and help out. You can follow us on IG or FB (we’re @ClearGivers). We’re new, small and spunky, so if you’ve got ideas and want to join in, holler!