Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Al Wynant, Co-Founder of Ingomu, located in Denver, CO, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Ingomu is a coaching app, changing the paradigm of coaching from exclusive and one-on-one to inclusive, accessible, and equitable. Rarely can one coach address all aspects of a problem. The Ingomu app ensures that users have unlimited access to dozens of coaches, supporting them with what keeps them up at night around their current and future life, soul, wellness, and work issues, anytime, anywhere, when they need it most, 24/7. We do this in live virtual group sessions and on-demand video.
Tell us about yourself
I'm the kind of person who wants to adopt every stray puppy and help every homeless person I come across. Helping is in my DNA. For a while, I have been trying to figure out how to do this at scale. How to positively impact humanity by helping as many people as possible? I've worked nonprofit jobs, volunteered, served on boards, and donated money. All positive, with limited impact.
One day, about two years ago, my co-founder and I were sitting in a coffee shop, and the idea of Ingomu came to us. What would happen if we could make life, soul, wellness, and work coaching accessible, equitable, and affordable? What would be the positive impact on the lives of our users? Ingomu (in-go-moo) was born. Yes, it's a funny word; it's a portmanteau made up of the words coaching and community because we deliver coaching via an app in virtual live group coaching communities.
Understanding that coaching truly makes a positive difference in the lives of the people being coached is my motivator. Quantifying that positive impact on an individual, a family, a community, a company, or an organization is what drives me every day. That, and the incredible coaches, advisors, and team members who surround me daily.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Having an idea is one thing; executing that idea and proving the efficacy of a new concept is challenging. I am incredibly proud that our coaches, team, and users have been able to report on the efficacy of what we do. Our users report an average increase in self-reported well-being between the start and end of a coaching session of 2.8 points, or a 34% increase. I am incredibly proud we've accomplished this as a team. As a business owner, you're not an individual; you are as good as the people you surround yourself with.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Where to begin? There are so many challenges, from isolation to needing to know everything. A new concept or idea comes with the additional challenge of needing to change the paradigm of how a specific industry does business. It is your willingness to make sacrifices in relationships, life, and at times well-being to bring to fruition the idea, the concept, and the business you so believe in. The challenges are endless but perhaps a bit cliche; every challenge is an opportunity.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Surround yourself with mentors, people who will challenge and inspire you.
- Create a culture of innovation, inclusion, equitability, and balance.
- Be authentic in everything you do.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://ingomu.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ingomu.coaching/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ingomu.coaching/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ingomu/
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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