Track Workouts and Make Progress

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in fitness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Desmond McNamee, Co-Founder of Hevy, located in Ottawa, ON, Canada.

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

Hevy's goal is to motivate gym athletes to stay consistent and meet their fitness goals. To do this, our app lets users seamlessly log their workouts, provides insightful analytics on their workout data, and connects them with our community of athletes.

Tell us about yourself

When I first started going to the gym, I found the experience to be a bit isolating. I loved challenging myself and setting/reaching goals, but I was mostly doing it on my own and wanted people to share the experience with.

My co-founder and I started building Hevy to solve that problem. Now with over 500k users, our community has grown to be way bigger than we ever imagined. I'm motivated by that community to keep making Hevy better and better.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I felt the most accomplishment when we got our first few users and some of them actually found Hevy useful enough to add it to their lives. Having a stranger use something you built and actually find useful is an amazing feeling.

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

I guess the pressure. The buck stops with me. My boss is Hevy's customers, and as rewarding as that is, they can be pretty unforgiving. If something isn't working properly, they don't care if I'm having a bad day or if I have a really good excuse.

They expect the app to be flawless, and it's a high bar to always aim for. I wouldn't have it any other way, though :)

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

If you have an idea, just try it. I almost talked myself out of starting Hevy because I wasn't sure if it was a good idea. I'm glad I didn't.
Spend time working at other startups and learn as much as you can from them. Take the best parts and leave the worst.
Find a co-founder that wants to work as hard as you and has complementary skill sets. Some people do it alone, but my guess is they'd be the minority.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.hevyapp.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hevyapp/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HevyApp

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.

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