Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Amanda Laine, owner of Othership, located in Toronto, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
We actually have two businesses. One is a digital guided breathing app for peak experiences that inspire a sense of awe and belonging.
The other is downtown Toronto's physical location combining ceremony, performance, and education using the sauna + ice bath and social experiences.
Tell us about yourself
My name is Amanda Laine. I was born in Canada, and my family is from Finland and Ireland. I have lived in Toronto for seven years. Previously, I lived in Manhattan, NYC, for four years, working full time as an international high fashion model. But I was born and raised in a small town called Orillia.
My love for the sauna + Ice came when I met the love of my life and now business partner, Harrison Taylor. We used to sauna every day at the cottage, and it was in this place, we would dive deep into the conversation surrounding our life, our purpose, and what it is we want to do. It all stemmed from wanting to help others and inspire creativity. Soon, it clicked. The sauna was the place where everyone's creativity sparked and where transformation would occur. People always leave feeling amazing and connected to themselves and others.
Five years later, after many research trips around the world, training, and education, and we are about to open a 50 person sauna with four ice baths in the heart of downtown Toronto. We are living our dream!
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
I think it was the way that we used the pandemic as an opportunity to help people in our community, and as a result, our second business, the breathing app, came into existence. Instead of letting the shutdown deflate us, we adapted to the environment (The build-out of our first physical space was canceled, and two years of hard work was halted). It felt amazing to help people when they needed it most!
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Work-life balance! Especially when one of my business partners is also my husband. It is hard to shut off the working brain during very busy times after work is done for the day and focus on my relationship.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Make friends with your competition. Who knows, they may end up being your business partners ;)
2 . Research and more research. Find and talk to the Pros!
3. Put something out there before it's 'perfect.' Gather feedback, talk to your community, then start to perfect it.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.othership.us/
Digital Breathing App's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/othership.us/
Physical location: https://www.instagram.com/othership.to/
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.
