Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey by launching a wellness and fitness business, but not sure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Jan Taylor, the owner of Get Lively®: Health & Fitness, located in Watertown, MA, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

In short, I'm a lively gal on a mission to help you smile more! You see, health and fitness need to be fun. It needs to make us smile, and that's what I aim to do in my fitness classes, training sessions, and health coaching programs. Who says we can't enjoy the process? We need to smile more! When we smile, we feel good about ourselves and then naturally make good decisions for our health. I work with people looking to eat well, move their bodies, laugh a lot, smile, and have fun doing it all!

Tell us about yourself

It all starts with a smile. Did reading that make your lips curl upward? I hope so, as that’s my main goal at Get Lively®: Health & Fitness. When you smile and feel good about your life, all the other stuff seems to fall into place. As a health coach, personal trainer, and group fitness instructor, I’m on a mission to help you smile more. But let me give you a little back story on how this all began… My passion for health and fitness traces back to the 1980s as a young girl jumping along to Jane Fonda videos and begging my mom to wear the gray Flashdance sweatshirt with the cut-off neck, but my “work-life” initially had different plans. I pursued a degree in theatre at Roger Williams University. I then spent most of my career at Simmons College, where I received a Master’s degree in Communications Management and worked in event planning and fundraising. But then the health and fitness bug started chasing me, or as I like to say: the return of the gray, cut-off neck sweatshirt.

We’ll keep this story short and sweet, but my love for health and fitness – and a desire to help others feel the same – led me to establish Get Lively®: Health & Fitness in the summer of 2014. Offering small group training, personal training, and various virtual health coaching programs, I’ve got what you need if you are looking for some FUN! Because, as my students and clients often hear me say: “If it’s not fun, what’s the point!” If you are wondering, I hold the following credentials: ACE certified Personal TrainerACE certified Group Fitness InstructorBalanced Body Pilates InstructorInstitute for Integrative Nutrition Health CoachAnd yes, I now proudly wear that gray Flashdance sweatshirt as my uniform.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Helping people get stronger when they didn't think it was possible. So many people come to me, especially women, who say they don't want to get old and weak. Never do they consider how much STRONGER they can get! But I know they can, and I see it happen all the time; that is the great gift of my work and what keeps me heading to the studio each day.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

Isolation! I'm a solopreneur and have been at this for seven and a half years, but I come from a 15-year career in fundraising and event planning. I was around people all the team; I had tons of co-workers and managed a vast group; now it's just me. I've had to find new ways to collaborate with people on the work that I do.

What are the top 3 tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

First, know this is going into it... you are probably only going to be doing your actual "job" about 60% of the time. As a health and fitness coach, that is the case for me. I'm working with clients and coaching about 60% of the time, and the other 40% is spent marketing, managing, and growing my business. Second, learn to manage your time in a way that works for you. After a few years, I finally realized that I didn't transition well from working with clients to back-office work, so I had to adjust my workflow accordingly. And finally, find ways to have FUN, try not to take yourself so seriously, because if you aren't enjoying the process, what's the point??

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.getlivelynow.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/getlivelynow/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getlivelynow/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.