Since 2010, Matt Fraser has been focused on growing yoga studio chain Yyoga. The business now has nine locations in Vancouver and has just opened a studio in Toronto.
Fraser said the learning curve for the business has been pretty much continual.
"We jokingly refer to each studio as our first and last mistake as we open it, because as soon as you open it you think, oh, I wish I'd done that differently," he laughed.
Fraser said that's partly because the company is offering a new product: a yoga studio chain with a range of classes in different styles offered, spa-like services such as showers and a sauna and a philosophy to make yoga as accessible as possible.
The cornerstone of the business is good design, which contributes to the all-important user experience.
Fraser said that by constantly asking customers and staff what they think about how the studios function, the development and operations teams have been able to continually improve each new studio.
"Like in some of our first studios, we had these big bins everywhere for towels," he said. "Now there's these slots in the wall, like mail slots, and you just chuck them in there and they kind of disappear ... That comes back down to watching usage."
Recently, the company has been growing more slowly than during its earlier years. That's a good thing, said Fraser.
"When we were growing, we were growing so fast and we were building [studios] on top of each other …. With more space between builds, we're able to incorporate what we've learned."
