Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with David Gull, founder of Ogimi Labs, Inc., located in Marina del Rey, CA, USA.

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

Ogimi is meditation and mindfulness made easy. We're making meditation fun, free, and effective to help people make this practice a daily habit. The benefits of meditation are massive and demonstrated by science, but 19 out of 20 people in the USA still don't meditate regularly. This is often because people find it intimidating, aren't sure they're doing it right, or think they have to meditate 30+ minutes per day. We're here to help people make meditation as easy (and as consistent) as brushing their teeth. Taking just 3-minutes per day can help shift your mood and mindset.

Our users are anyone that has heard about meditation or mindfulness but hasn't tried it or anyone who has tried it but failed to make it a daily habit. Our users often have stressful jobs and need a routine for a simple reset on a daily basis. Our users also might experience daily anxiety or stress and are looking for non-pharmaceutical ways to manage these challenges.

Tell us about yourself

I'm a serial entrepreneur. Ogimi is the third startup I've helped build. Cliche, but I truly do love the process of creating something new and making it a reality. I found that although I enjoyed the entrepreneurial process of my last two startups, I felt like I was missing a strong sense of mission and purpose. When my co-founders and I got together to found Ogimi, it was super important to us that our primary mission would be to help as many people as possible live happier, healthier lives, using technology as a way to deliver on that mission as quickly and as broadly as possible.

On days when I hit a wall, and I'm tired or frustrated, it's the mission that keeps me going. Knowing that grinding for an extra few hours today could eventually help millions of people have a better day makes it all worth it. I wanted to help people make meditation a habit because I've been a meditator for the last 14 years, and it has really helped me stay grounded, focused, and relaxed through a stressful corporate job and growing two startups. I personally started meditating after my first year of a high-intensity architecture career. I went on a vacation after about 12 months of grinding, and stepping away for a week helped me see how exhausted and stressed I was, and I knew I needed to make a change. I found meditation and have made it a regular practice since. I would sneak away on my lunch break to a cemetery across the street from my work because it was the only place I could find privacy and a quiet place. At my next job, I found a nearby meditation center and took my lunch there as often as I could to eat and meditate. This was the time for me to create my own inner sanctuary to process, relax, and unwind. Now, helping others create their own inner sanctuary is my mission and purpose.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Prior to Ogimi, my biggest accomplishment was successfully exiting my prior business, Outer Realm VR. When you look at the statistics, it's just relatively improbable that any startup will succeed, so I'm pretty proud of facing those odds head-on, persevering, and seeing it through.

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

To me, it's the feeling that there's always so much to do, so many great ideas, and only so much you can execute at any given time. That gap is often an emotional roller coaster of frustration, impatience, and ultimately acceptance of that reality and focusing on what you can actually achieve.

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

  1. Start now. Even if you don't quit your day job right away, start planting seeds. Get something materially out into the world, whether it's forming an entity, creating a logo, or putting together a pitch deck, most dreams die in your mind, but once it's material, it's just a bit more likely to become a reality!
  2. Work on something that excites you! If you're lost on where to start, just think about what lights you up. What do you love talking about with friends? For me, I found I always lit up when someone mentioned meditation, biohacking, or human performance.
  3. Start a business, not a fantasy. Be realistic about what it will take for your business to generate revenue and become profitable. Pay attention to your financials from the get-go.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://ogimi.ai/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086430643875
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ogimi_ai/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidgull-vrar/

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.