Keith Engelhardt Combines Ancient Practices, Advanced Technology to Scale His Brand

Name: Keith Engelhardt

Business: NeuroYoga Zone

Founded: December 2016

For much of his career in Dayton, OH, Keith Engelhardt worked for various corporations exploring cutting-edge technology related to robotics, lasers and more. He honed his skills as an innovative web developer and designer, too. But Keith, a self-professed introvert who admits he’s highly sensitive and unusually intuitive, was miserable. He felt stressed, unhealthy and fundamentally out of whack. Weighing his career options, Keith decided to commit full-time to a decades-long side passion: teaching yoga, meditation and mindfulness. Keith decided his best bet for making NeuroYoga Zone successful – and scalable – was to combine his beloved ancient practices with the technology of today.

What was the tipping point that inspired you to turn your “side passion” into a full-time business?

For years, I’ve helped people overcome the “tyranny of stress” and live happier, more healthful lives through yoga, meditation and mindfulness. I’ve always had the itch to focus full-time on those activities. A health-related event woke me up to my need to switch gears professionally. I decided to focus on practices that have grounded me and helped me cope with the fast-paced, high-stress world of technology.

What advice do you have for building your brand?

Like most small business owners, my biggest challenge is marketing and getting new clients. I had a loyal following of local yoga and meditation students, but I was starting from scratch when it came to reaching a broader market. I’ve spent a lot of time strategizing about building an audience in this global digital age.

My advice is to learn as much as you can about “neuromarketing” and “persuasion marketing.” That means understanding why people buy something – and why they don’t. What catches someone’s attention and motivates them to go from cold (no action) to hot (taking action)? Facebook is a solid platform for exploring persuasion marketing. You can choose so many demographics like the age, gender and location of your target audience, as well as their general and specific interests.

In this age of global communications, small businesses have the opportunity to access audiences on the same scale as big companies. I use my technology skills to connect with markets on a global level. When I teach a meditation class both to a live and online audience (through Skype, FaceTime or the like) the whole world opens up. Technology creates exponential opportunities for entrepreneurs!

I’m also a “maximizer,” which means I’m very good at leveraging things in different ways. For example, I post inspirational photographs and messages on Instagram and then make those items available as calendars and notecards. I’m doing everything I can to build a “top of mind” brand presence.

What do you hope to get from being part of a small business community?

Two things. I hope to contribute to the community and learn from other members’ entrepreneurial experiences.

Do you have any tips for people who work for themselves?

First, remember that despite countless stories in the media about people achieving overnight success and making billions, no business is an instant success. Building a company that’s strong and sustainable takes patience, persistence and tenacity.

Second, think about offering a product or service that really addresses someone’s pain-point. If you can bridge the gap between where someone is now and where they want to be – whether it’s about fitness, stress reduction, weight loss or something else – you’ll have long-term clients and little need for marketing. Don’t just peddle a product. Give people a roadmap for solving a real-life problem.

Finally, I think all entrepreneurs – and everyone else, for that matter! – must recognize their stress triggers. Running a business is hard. Mitigating stress is crucial for sound decision-making, effective learning and all-round performance. Pushing yourself to work harder and ignoring warning signs of stress will catch up with you at some point – and then, the cost will be huge.