Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in fitness and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Dawn Condon, owner of Connected Living Yoga and Wellness, located in Sudbury, ON, Canada.

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

Connected Living is a safe and welcoming space using the philosophy Come as you are. Use what you have. Do what you can. Our physical yoga studio and online community was created to offer a safe and welcoming space for people to explore using yoga and meditation in a way that is accessible to all to connect mind, body, and spirit.

Connected Living guides clients and a holistic way of living through community classes, corporate collaboration, one-on-one lifestyle coaching, and yoga therapy in honour of the historical yoga philosophy. But the secret sauce is in the way we make it accessible to everyone.

Tell us about yourself

I have been in the fitness and wellness industry in Sudbury for almost 30 years. After years of watching, many people try and drop out of, or never start, fitness and wellness habits because they believe they don't belong. Seniors, those with health issues, those with generous bodies, those in wheelchairs.

It bothered me that so many people felt left out. I began by creating fitness classes that were fun and inviting. I developed personal training programs that saw results in people who were not models in magazines.... everyday people. I knew the benefits of wellness habits, programs, and rituals. I experienced those benefits, and I watched my clients experience the benefits.

I ran classes and programs in rented halls and basements for many years. And over time, built a following. I realized that I needed to operate out of my own space large enough to accommodate all types of people, including those in wheelchairs.

Over the past two years, I have watched as we alternate between states of calm confidence and barely restrained anxiety that comes trying to deal with the chaos of living under a pandemic. Science has shown that people with a practice of moving, along with learning how to breathe and manage stress, become more resilient and are able to affect calm to others around them. Being a place of refuge, helping to settle some of the anxiety, and contributing to the resiliency of my fellow humans is the single goal I aim to achieve every day.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

The year 2020 was very difficult for all businesses. Connected Living was no exception. As the lockdowns began, Connected Living had to pivot on a dime to continue to survive. Within 24 hours of the announcement, I made the decision to offer all my programs online.

Making other big decisions to take this business to the next level by completely overhauling the business plan, which included moving to a new location. Overcoming a big blow when my contractor, without warning, walked off the job two weeks before I was to move in with none of the leasehold work started. My loyal clients continued to show up for class stepping over construction material and clearing a space in the drywall dust while the renovations took place.

During that time, I launched a brand new website that we built from scratch, creating our own client management and booking system. As well as a member portal that gives access directly to the online platform. I also created a specialized yoga teacher training and mentoring program. The mentoring program has allowed Connected Living to draw from a pool of qualified yoga teachers to promote the Connected Living philosophy of come as you are, use what you have, do what you can.

While 2021 continued to see turbulent times with the ongoing COVID pandemic, It took almost a year of calling in favours and doing much of the work myself. I finally got my leaseholds done. Over the past year, I added an on-demand video library to my e-commerce site. I refined the live streaming process to give clients a better quality product. I am also improving the e-commerce website to create a smoother client experience.

While most businesses were closing brick-and-mortar locations and reducing staff, I decided to include a retail section. I proudly increased my staff in the past year. I continue to run successful in-person classes and programs alongside my Livestream offerings.

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

One thing I've noticed that makes me different than other business owners is that I am completely on my own. I have no partner, no spouse, no business partner, no one to bounce things off of. It makes it difficult to get good feedback about my ideas and decisions. But I belong to business owners organizations like the Chamber of Commerce and especially the Rotary Club. Just spending time around people in business has been a good opportunity to both watch and learn, but also to get out of my own bubble and do some good in the community where I live.

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

  1. I had to spend an enormous amount of time learning how to create administrative habits and systems. Take the time to set up your backend and behind-the-scenes work so you aren't spending the day doing what you are passionate about and then up all night learning how to create a spreadsheet before you can actually use the spreadsheet.
  2. Learn as much as you can from all kinds of sources about the aspects of operating a business. My Chamber of Commerce and Board of Trade have lots of free webinars and programs. Jump on them.
  3. Lean on the experts as much as you can and ask lots and lots of questions. My Regional Business Centre has an affiliate program with a credit union and Business Development Bank. I call them all the time and ask them for advice.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Really understand what your why is. Just having an idea and getting up one day and deciding you want to be a business is a path of frustration.
If you get to the why of what you are trying to give birth to, it will open the door to what direction to take and who you want to attract to you.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://connectedlivingyoga.ca/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/connectedlivingwithdawn/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/connectedlivingwithdawn/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawn-condon-264a4392/

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.