Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and fitness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Andrew Takata, Owner of HNL Movement, located in Honolulu, HI, USA.

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

HNL Movement is a company built to provide credible online educational resources that focus on improving the quality of life and performance of virtually anyone who wants to live an active lifestyle. From my diverse experience working with thousands of clients, I emphasize the importance of addressing many key aspects that influence everyone’s capacity to sustain optimal performance: Holistic health, consistent nutrition habits, efficient movement patterns, functional strength and conditioning, and a lifestyle that brings out the best in you.

I blend a multidimensional approach that integrates sports medicine, strength and conditioning, and nutrition strategies to help people of all activity levels reach optimal performance. You can find these resources on The HNL Movement Podcast, my YouTube channel, social media (@HNLmovement), and my website HNLmovement.com.

Tell us about yourself

Growing up, I was not a gifted athlete. Being undersized compared to most successful athletes, I had to make up for it by training smarter, developing sharper techniques, and working extra hard to succeed. Without a doubt, those experiences are the catalyst for my lifelong personal mission and career focus—to help active individuals prevent injuries and train more efficiently, so they can focus entirely on optimizing physical capacity and ultimately reach their full athletic potential.
Over the course of my career, I’ve been fortunate to work with a broad spectrum of both recreational and professional level athletes. With a diverse clientele that runs the gamut from avid fitness enthusiasts to world-class NFL players and MMA fighters, I’ve had ample opportunity to hone my multifaceted ability to successfully treat a wide range of unique orthopedic and sports injuries.

I believe it is essential to always maintain a high level of academic growth to excel in my profession, which is why I am passionate about elevating my knowledge in athletic training, strength, and conditioning, and sports nutrition by pursuing my Ph.D. in biomechanics and continuing education programs, seminars, and certifications. My passion is to share the most up-to-date, effective strategies that contribute to the field of human performance. This is about improving the quality of people’s lives. This is why I created HNL Movement.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I enjoy learning in my field and helping people with my knowledge and experiences. I’ve always had to work hard on aspects of public speaking, teaching, and creating online content tailored to reach more people than I can in person. I am not a natural speaker and have come a long way with practicing speaking (in public and on video). Years ago, I was not comfortable with any type of public or recorded speaking, but I have managed to work hard to improve. In addition, learning video editing to create more helpful content was also a steep learning curve. Currently, I have recorded 125+ podcast episodes on the HNL Movement Podcast and enjoy sharing information to help my listeners. If I can do it, everyone out there can do it too!

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

There are so many things that you want to work on and complete as a business owner. Finding how to best utilize your time efficiently and effectively to get priorities done is key. Being organized, managing your time wisely, and still maintaining a good work-life balance can be challenging at times.

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

  1. Create your vision and have a direction for your business. That will help a lot of things fall into place. There will always be challenges and obstacles along the way. Just continue learning, improving, and embracing the process of running and growing your business.
  2. Be customer/client-focused with your product and services. Deliver your product and services with your target consumer in mind, not with only your perspective of how they should be delivered. A client-centered approach helps to create loyal, long-term customers!
  3. Be consistent! Great things take time to develop. Consistency will contribute to more opportunities and greater success in the future.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Growing your business is not always sunshine and roses; there will be trials and tribulations along the way. Learn and grow from the “failures” or things that didn’t go as planned. Focus on providing value to your customers/audience, stay true to what you represent, and be consistent over time. This will lead to many opportunities to meet and work with great people along the way!

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://hnlmovement.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HNLmovement/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hnlmovement/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HNLmovement
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewtakata/

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.