Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and fitness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Mickie Carter, Founder and CEO of One Strong Southern Girl LLC., located in Paris, TN, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I’m the Founder and CEO of the popular brand and website, One Strong Southern Girl. I’m the host of the podcast Crunches and Cosmos and founder of The Aerobic Step Shop, an e-commerce store that sells workout steps with modern, innovative features for total body conditioning. A former medical professional and home exerciser for over 20 years, since 2016, I’ve written 100s recommendations and reviews of the top programs, products, and services for women who exercise at home. My mission is to create generations of strong women who feel capable of accomplishing their biggest goals.
Tell us about yourself
I’m a former healthcare professional (a board-certified Physician Assistant for 20 years) turned fitness entrepreneur. I’ve always wanted to help other women experience the impact that regular exercise can bring to their life. It’s a tool that’s free to everyone and will never fail to benefit you. I was lucky to have a lot of amazing female role models as I was growing up, and I want to help other women be role models for the sisters, aunts, wives, mothers, grandmothers, and young girls around them. Giving women guidance and tools to live healthy, active lives goes on to touch and empower the lives of so many more. It’s what excites me about my company every day.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
My biggest accomplishment as a business owner was the 12-month project that I took on to develop an updated workout step for home exercisers. The aerobic step that was created in the 80s has sustained a place in the market for over 40 years because it’s one of the best, most versatile fitness tools ever created—but it’s never been updated. I worked with a team of designers, engineers, and beta testers and developed the safest, sturdiest, most beautiful workout step on the market today. We were able to keep all the best design features of the classic aerobic step and add a new modern look with innovative features to make it even better.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
One of the hardest things about being a business owner is prioritizing your time. You have to be incredibly disciplined and fiercely protective of your schedule to be successful. It’s also important to understand that many, many times, things won’t work out like you expect them to. I’ve learned how to not be attached to specific outcomes but be open to learning from whatever happens so that I can make a smarter (or just different) decision next time.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Be humble. You don’t know everything you need to know on day one, and that’s ok.
- Don’t give up. Overnight success is a rarity. Don’t expect that.
- Be incredibly organized. It’ll help you create systems down the road that will save you massive amounts of time.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://onestrongsoutherngirl.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onestrongsoutherngirl/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bestaerobicstep/
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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