Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Vin Miller, owner of Fitfilled, LLC., located in Stillwater, NY, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
My step-daughter and I help people, particularly women, lose weight and improve their health through online nutrition, fitness, and general lifestyle coaching. We ultimately help our clients get more out of life by assisting them to regain their energy and self-confidence.
Tell us about yourself
I spent much of my late twenties and early thirties exhausted and feeling pretty awful despite being active and healthy. Doctors were unable to help. Even treatment from specialists for chronic fatigue syndrome only brought modest improvement. Out of frustration, I took matters into my own hands and did everything I could to learn about and improve the one thing I had full control over - my lifestyle.
Fortunately, I was able to dig myself out of the hole I was in and, in the process, realized that many people are living far below their potential because of lifestyle choices they often don't even realize are hurting them. This inspired me to help others live better lives. It also made me deeply interested in learning the underlying science, which led to two master's degrees, a Ph.D., and career change. Even now that I'm many years in, it never gets old hearing a client tell us how much the benefits of a healthier lifestyle greatly improved their life!
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Paying my bills by doing something I love and being able to live a life that I feel like I designed. Instead of trading 40+ hours per week for a paycheck, "work" no longer feels like work. I love what I do, and I love being in full control of my schedule and what I work on. It was a long time in the making, but the wait and hard work have been well worth it!
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
For us, it was the uncertainty associated with giving up a stable paycheck to focus full-time on growing our business.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Unless you love the process of building businesses, make sure the business is something you're truly passionate about and would want to do even if there was no profit involved. Without that love for what you do, it will be difficult to get through the many challenges of turning nothing into a successful business that allows you to live comfortably.
- Be sure you love freedom more than security. Not having the comfort of knowing you have a paycheck coming in regularly can be pretty scary. Having a strong preference for following your own direction rather than someone else's will help make that uncertainty feel more manageable.
- Unless you already know a lot about business and marketing, hire a coach. The best ideas, products, and services aren't worth much if you can't get people interested in paying for them!
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://fitfilled.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fitfilledllc/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fitfilledllc/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vjmiller/
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.