About 20 years ago, Becca Hewes’ life looked drastically different than the relaxed and welcoming atmosphere she has created for herself on Yogalife.TV.

Back then, she was juggling quite a lot: she had just moved to a new city while caring for her young children. She was also navigating waves of depression and anxiety that so many parents experience in silence. When the clock struck midnight on January 1, 2002, Hewes pledged to take up yoga and the New Year resolution changed the course of her health and career. “That year I found my anchor in yoga, and with that grounding my practice began to expand and flourish,” says Hewes, who is based in Norman, Oklahoma.

She started YogaLife.TV in 2005, but it wasn’t until 2018 that she brought her practice into the digital realm. “When I first started Yogalife, the biggest struggle was learning to promote a brick and mortar yoga studio and get new students in the door,” she recalls. Then she launched a teacher training program, and saw ten students immediately sign up. “I saw the need in my community for a different style of training, and despite lots of people telling me I couldn't do it, I did it anyway and within a few years became the largest yoga teacher training school in Oklahoma,” says Hewes.

When the pandemic hit, she had to pivot and quickly learn more about digital marketing. “I felt like I was a startup all over again as online business is so different.” Hewes designed the website to help yoga teachers and their students improve their lives through gentle yoga videos and education. In 2021, she published her first book on “Teaching Yoga” which she also sells on her site. “My proudest moment is when someone posted a review of my book in a Facebook group, and the sales on Amazon rocketed the book to #5 in yoga for awhile. I knew that all that work making videos and writing was starting to pay off!” Her goal is is to publish additional books focused on helping young yoga teachers create engaging and safe classes for students.

Most importantly she publishes classes on Yogalife.TV. Such a multi-faceted yoga site requires the right marketing from the start. When she started producing yoga videos in 2008, she added the .tv domain to reflect the new direction of her business. "Originally in 2005, I had a .com and this worked well for my brick and mortar,” she recalls. “In 2018 when I realized that I needed a digital aspect to my business, I added an extra .tv domain as a way of letting potential customers know that I was committed to delivering new high quality yoga and fitness videos every week..” But when the pandemic hit, she put all her live yoga classes on Zoom and decided to make the .tv domain her main business URL.

Hewes encourages other online-driven business owners to do the same. “If you want to signal to potential clients that you are producing video, then a .tv domain makes a lot of sense. It gives the impression of having a channel, like you would on YouTube, but what makes it better is that you can monetize it from day one.” She learned that while many yoga instructors upload free sessions onto YouTube, only a few teachers actually make money because they are mostly distributing free content for that platform. “I chose to create my own .tv subscription style site… and immediately made money the first month,” she says.

While she’s proud of building a profitable online business, she clarifies that monetization can not be the only end-goal. “Being an entrepreneur takes so much work and discipline that what ever it is has got to be in your heart. You have to believe in it, and you have to want to change the world or make a difference in some way.” In addition to passion, she says having laser-focus is another essential trait. “It is easy to get distracted by all the possible products/services etc. that you can do as a business owner. Focus on what is working, and let the rest go.”