Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Christopher Lielasus Morrow and Aneesh Joshi, Founders of Protip Coaching Inc., located in Portland, OR, USA, and Toronto, ON, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Protip is a platform for coaches and athletes. We build tools that connect athletes with coaches regardless of location. We believe that a constructive feedback cycle is the best way to accelerate the growth of an athlete.
Tell us about yourself
Both of us (Chris & Aneesh) come from competitive sports backgrounds where we experienced a lack of high-quality coaching in our local areas. This was partly because the sports we were a part of were niche in North America. Aneesh represented the Canadian junior team in Cricket while Chris competed and then later coached Muay Thai in the Bay Area and now in Portland. We worked closely together at a healthcare startup in the Bay Area. During the pandemic, with the world coming to a standstill, we connected over the idea that receiving coaching should not be limited by your geographic location. We also noticed the trend that people had become a lot more comfortable adopting virtual services that previously were only rendered in the physical world. Thus Protip was born.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Taking the leap of faith, pursuing our vision, and not giving in to self-doubt or cynical criticism.
More tangibly, though, publishing our app to the iOS and Android app stores. In the big picture, it is one step of many, but it was very exciting to see our product live and available for athletes and coaches.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Remaining focused on the most important next steps while keeping an eye on the big picture. We often have a long list of exciting ways we’d like to improve the product, and we’re a small team, so we must focus on what moves the ball today while getting us closer to our larger goals.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Be persistent. Things will get in the way, and people will doubt you. You have to keep pushing yourself through the rough spots, don’t get stuck, and don’t get discouraged.
- Flexible thinking. Not every idea or plan is perfect, and you must have the ability to adapt and adjust to accomplish your goals.
- Get feedback and lots of it. Listen to your users/customers and watch how they interact with your product/business. Releasing something out into the world, whether that’s a product or your content, can be nerve-wracking. Self-doubt and fear of criticism can sometimes feel crippling. However, what we have learned and have tried to practice is that it is better to “ship” and learn rather than get stuck in an endless refinement loop. As Reid Hoffman (LinkedIn’s founder) has said, "if you are not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you shipped too late."
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://protip.app/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/app.protip
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/protip_app/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/protip_app
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/protip-coaching/
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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