Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and fitness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Jane Wareham, founder of Momentum By Jane, located in Toronto, ON, Canada.

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

A Toronto-based, all-female team, virtual fitness business empowering women to be healthy and active for life. We focus on helping women regain control of their mental and physical health through reframing their mindset, creating good habits, and finding joy in moving their bodies.

The #1 reason women aren't reaching their health and fitness goals is because their head isn't in the right place, they don't truly believe in themselves, and they are focusing on goals that aren't aligned to their core values. We help women reframe their mindset, unlearn what didn't work in the past, and find an easier way forward.

We preach that being healthy and active is a life-long journey; there is no start or end date, no right or wrong. When we help women truly understand and believe this, their potential is limitless, and the mindset transformation is incredible!

Tell us about yourself

I'm a former project manager of 15 years who was tired of being stressed out, unhappy and settling in life. I realized that over the last ten years, I figured out how to be healthy and active in an easy way, and it became my passion for helping other women do the same. This led me to get NASM Certified and start my career in health and fitness.

Momentum By Jane was started in March 2020, when the pandemic hit, gyms closed, and the women around me needed an outlet to move at home. After a single request to start running Zoom group fitness workouts, online classes began in less than 24 hours. Since then, Momentum By Jane has grown its team to 3 coaches (myself in Toronto and the two others in Montreal), offers daily group fitness live classes and corporate wellness programs, and created the 12 Week Empower Program.

Every day that I get up, I know that we're making a true difference in our clients' lives - mentally and physically. This is the most rewarding part of having this business and fuels me to show up and be the best version of myself each day.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Starting a business during the pandemic. It was challenging because I knew gyms that were shutting down while my virtual business was growing. I knew when and how to pivot, and that was critical to my success. I'm still prepared to pivot when I need to, as life post-pandemic is opening back up.

I'm proud that I didn't give up. I'm still in the early days of my business (just two years), and so there's been plenty of times that I didn't believe it would work or be successful, but it is and has been.

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

Having to wear ALL the hats and to know when to ask for help.
As a former PM, I'm very resourceful. But when it came to my business, I wanted to do it all. And doing it all (bookkeeping, social media management, marketing, program planning, daily admin, growth strategizing, etc.) just isn't possible.

I learned what I was good at and what I hated to spend my time doing and started to delegate those tasks out to people who were better at them than I was.

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

  1. Don't settle in life if you aren't happy. Go for your dreams. Anything in life is possible if you can imagine it.
  2. Have a coach/mentor for support - having a mentor/coach to help you believe in yourself, keep you accountable, and support you along the way is incredibly valuable.
  3. Give your business time to grow - nothing happens overnight, so if you're going to start a business, get ready to be invested for at least five years. You can definitely pivot the business as the world changes, but don't give up on where you see it going when times feel tough.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Set a goal for your business that feels so wild and that you have NO IDEA how you'll reach. The HOW doesn't matter. Goals are designed to help you grow, not a destination. If you know how to accomplish the goal, then you won't grow. So fantasize about what you really want, think about yourself living in that goal, feel how it will feel to accomplish it and embody that mindset. I promise you that your goal will become a reality.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.momentumbyjane.ca/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/momentumbyjane
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janewareham/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jane-wareham-9181871b/

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.