This is the Year for Pretzel Kids Yoga!
By Robyn Parets
It’s February and this is about the time when you begin to wonder whether you’re actually going to succeed at your New Year’s Resolutions. Am I right or am I right?
No one understands this better than I do. You see, I have some major goals for 2018. In fact, these are the biggest goals in Pretzel Kids’ history.
If you follow Pretzel Kids on social media, you may already know about this first goal: to raise enough financing to train public school teachers – for free. Better yet, if we reach our financing goal, we’ll be entered into a pitch contest through iFund Women Boston, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh’s office and WE BOS (Women Entrepreneurs Boston). We have until March 31 to hit our funding goal and make it into the pitch competition.
We have wanted to do a project of this scale for years. What held us back? Fear and lack of funds. So, I decided now is the time to send my fear packing and team up with iFund Women. You see, I’m not the only female founder to shy away from raising financing.
Support Pretzel Kids and Help Close the Funding Gap
Less than 2% of venture capital funding goes to female-run companies. IFund Women, the city of Boston and WE BOS are working to close this gender funding gap. They are doing this by helping women-led businesses, like Pretzel Kids, raise much needed capital.
“Boston is home to a vast network of entrepreneurs, startups and thriving business – and we are committed to ensuring women play a major role in our business success. One of the biggest barriers is the lack of investment funds going to women-owned businesses, so we’re thrilled to welcome iFundWomen to Boston to help us move toward closing that gap,” said Mayor Walsh, in a city of Boston press release.
“This partnership is a big step forward in building upon the success of WE BOS and we’re proud to offer this resource to help Boston’s women entrepreneurs take their businesses to the next level,” said Mayor Walsh.
A Deal’s a Deal
To make our dream a reality – and help thousands of kids learn the tools of yoga and mindfulness – we are raising funds by selling our Pretzel Kids Teacher Training courses at a marked discount. We’re also selling Pretzel Kids birthday parties, yoga classes, and even content marketing services (that’s my secret sauce!)
Surprisingly, however, most of our contributions thus far have come from those who simply believe in our mission at Pretzel Kids and want to support us.
Our Second Goal
As I mentioned above, I have some major goals for 2018. The first, as you already know, is to raise financing. This will not only help us roll out our mindfulness program and get into the pitch competition for more funding but we also hope to roll out a series of products that you can use with your kids and students. These include a board book, card game, and an app.
But, we also have a second major goal: To enter a partnership with an education company to introduce Pretzel Kids to thousands of early learners. We spent months searching for the right partner. When we found that company, I headed out to California to meet with their education leader to discuss our trainings and brand.
After months of discussions, we are ready to roll out the Pretzel Kids training to hundreds of preschools and teachers. Want to hear more? Stay-tuned for a major announcement to hit your news feed this week!
Here’s to Dreams Coming True
Indeed, Pretzel Kids yoga is off to a great start in 2018. Here’s to never saying never, succeeding at your New Year’s resolutions and doing good in the world. Let’s all say OM to that!
