Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and fitness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Janna Ross, Wellness Coach at JL Wellness, located in Fort Wayne, IN, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
My wellness coaching business is geared toward anxious naturey nerds that want to overcome their mindset hurdles, learn how to practice self-care without guilt, and feel more centered and connected to their bodies through personal development and healthy habits.
Tell us about yourself
I'm a certified personal trainer through NASM and a nutrition and lifestyle coach through Precision Nutrition, and I have degrees in Health Sciences (B.S.) and Exercise Science (A.S.). My interest in and love for health and wellness started when I was a kid. I'd try to personally train my friends and would come up with workout programs for my basketball team (that I never shared).
In 2020 the gym I'd been working for five years decided to switch the system so that trainers were independent rather than hired by the gym. I was laid off because of Covid right around the time this was supposed to happen, and I just started building my business from there.
I'm motivated to do what I do because I've seen a lot of struggle with health and wellness - both physically and mentally. I believe my purpose is to help others find health, happiness, and peace. A coach of mine asked once, "What if you're holding someone else back and they're not able to grow because they need YOUR help, but you're letting yourself stay stuck in fear?" That's stuck with me.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
At this point, as simple as it is, having a business at all. I say this because I launched it in 2020 in the midst of the pandemic and had ZERO ideas about what I was doing. I took one business management class in college, and that's the extent of my knowledge. I also moved toward the end of the year last year, which led to me taking the business totally online. I'm proud of myself for having it for almost three years now.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
The hardest thing for me has been fear and feeling stuck. Fear that I'll make the wrong move and fail. Fear that I won't find anyone that needs my help and fail. Fear that I'll be enormously successful and not be able to keep up with it, if that makes any sense. Then being stuck because of the fear. Eventually, you just got to make moves and learn as you go. It's never as bad as you fear it will be. And any time things go south, you simply course correct and move forward.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Don't think about things too much because when you do, that's when fear grows, and you get stuck. Instead, take messy action. You can't learn if you don't do things.
- If you're trying to decide whether or not to do something and it makes you wanna puke or cry a little but also makes you excited, that probably means you need to do it.
- Invest in yourself. Ask for help. Hire a coach. Coaches have made the biggest difference and catapulted me much further, both in life and in business, then if I'd tried to do it all by myself.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.jl-wellness.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/pursuitofwellnesscommunity/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jlwellnesswarrior/
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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