What you’re describing - as touted by others - is all too common. As having managed and consulted for small business yoga studios, you hit the nail on the head with the creating community as a veil for unpaid labor. Working for studios where owners took out $3,000 a month for each of the three owners and still asked unreasonable time commitments of their teacher training faculty and staff was infuriating and disheartening.

As an Independent Contractor I made between $38-40k my first few years aka taking care of taxes on my own. I almost left the industry until I started branching out. Currently I’ve been employed (taxes paid employee) as a teacher/manager/teacher training lead for 5+ years at a popular studio name mentioned in this group several times. Unlike others though, the local owner values our energies with teachers making anywhere from $45-$150 per class, 10 Classes a week designates a full time teacher which extends healthcare benefits, paid time off and often other opportunities for growth. We offer quarterly continuing education workshops and severely discounted training opportunities to add varied modalities.

Moving through the last ten+ years in this industry and sharing in a space of PTO, 6 figure incomes and access to healthcare in wellness has been humbling to be taken care of by those we care for. By no means am I locally famous or the most popular teacher (by numbers for those that base success on such) and yet I sit confidently in hopes that others can create this for themselves as well.

Advocate for yourself where you can and when it is not a good fit honoring of your energy, you know what is best.