Take Control of Your Career

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with J.R. Lowry, Founder of PathWise.io, located in Boston, MA, USA.

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

PathWise provides career-related coaching, content, courses and events, and community. We offer a structured career management approach and a range of services and price points, giving our customers choices regarding how intensively they manage their careers.

We've designed our offerings to support our clients throughout their careers as they're presented with new opportunities, face inevitable challenges, arrive at inflection points, and grow professionally. Our platform isn't tied to their employers, meaning it's built for people individually and portable as they move from one employer to the next. Our clients are career-minded individuals, usually between 5-25 years into their careers.

Tell us about yourself

I founded and began backing PathWise in 2021 as a "passion project" to help others find purpose and joy in their careers. I've been fortunate to participate in several leadership development programs. I have always found them inspiring and thought-provoking.

My goal with PathWise is to democratize career guidance so that it fits our members' budgets, needs, and time availability, particularly as they progress through the critical middle years of their careers.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Continuing to grow the business - adding members, content, and services - in my "spare" time while working full-time as the COO of my company.

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

You have to figure out - and do - a lot of things on your own, especially when managing a tight budget. When you work in an established company, you take a lot of things for granted. They're just there, not so in a start-up.

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

Research before diving in and committing real time and money. Make sure you are solving a real, unmet need.
Do, learn, adapt - in a "rapid prototyping" fashion.
Don't lose faith too early - most ideas and businesses take time to take off - but know when it's time to pivot.

I'd also suggest a helpful book by Brown professor Danny Warshay called "See, Solve, Scale."

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://pathwise.io/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/pathwise_io
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pathwise-io/

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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