Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Kate Mihevc Edwards, Founder of Fast Bananas, located in Atlanta, GA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Fast Bananas is for people who run. It is an online membership portal that gives you access to top-running medicine experts and performance experts. It is the first place you can go to get all the information you need in one place to support your whole health: mental, emotional, and physical.
Tell us about yourself
I have been working in running medicine for a long time. My first company, Precision Performance, and Physical Therapy was built to treat runners. Fast Bananas is a culmination of the conversations I have had with athletes, my experience treating athletes, and teaching. I love running, and it is a part of my DNA. The idea of Fast Bananas came to me after teaching a running course and recording a running podcast in April 2022.
I had been struggling for a long time with how what runners believe they need and what they actually need to be successful and healthy. I realized that running culture needs to change. The current running culture doesn't teach us that physical health can also be a reflection of mental and emotional health.
Training strategies, workouts, and mindsets are passed down from generation to generation of runners, even when the information is not beneficial but harmful. I wanted to create a fun and accessible place for runners to go to get everything they need to stay healthy in one place with the best information directly from the experts.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
I also own Precision Performance and Physical Therapy in Atlanta. My biggest accomplishment has been curating a culture at Precision that allows employees to make mistakes and learn from them, speak openly and feel supported, and take care of themselves so that they can take care of their patients and enjoy coming to work every day.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
Even if you lead a company with compassion, intention, and collaboration, sometimes you must make tough choices that not everyone in the company agrees with. I truly care for everyone that works with me, so it is really difficult when I have to let someone go or tell them they are not living up to their potential and have to make changes. No one likes being told what to do or how to do it, but as the leader, it's my job to help my people grow, even if it is uncomfortable.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Find a good mentor.
- Have a support system at home that is willing to pick up the slack when you have to head down in the weeds for days, weeks, months, or years.
- Just keep going, nothing will ever be perfect, and if you get stuck on perfection, you will never get out of the idea phase.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.fastbananas.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fastbananasrun
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fastbananasrun/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-mihevc-edwards/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
Turn your craft into recurring revenue with Subkit. Start your subscription offering in minutes and supercharge it with growth levers. Get early access here.
