Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Heather Campbell, Founder of Ready Set Recover, located in Stockbridge, MA, USA.

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

Ready Set Recover is an online program empowering people to prepare for and recover from surgery with less stress so that they can get better faster. We've built a framework of action around the human side of surgery - how you talk about it, eat, sleep, do/don't ask for help, and so much more. Everyone who is having surgery is potentially our customer, and often the program is bought by a loved one as a gift.

Tell us about yourself

I needed to have surgery on my finger, and while my surgeon was supportive and helpful, I was scared. I looked for a program to set me up to succeed before, during, and after surgery, something that would give me a sense of control and purpose, and ease - but there was nothing! So I created one for myself. I took what I had learned from other wellness programs and thought about what would be specific to the surgery time that I should be paying attention to now. I recovered without pain meds and without PT and felt great as I went through the process.

When my surgeon told me he wished all his patients could be like me after I had recovered, I knew I needed to help others go through the process in a better way too. I created Ready Set Recover so people could stop being patients and start being participants. By taking control of what they can during this horribly stressful time, they can change outcomes for the better. When I first started, I received unsolicited feedback from a customer saying they had gone through surgery before and thought they knew what to expect, but because of Ready Set Recover, this surgery was completely different - for the better. It had changed their life. That's what motivates me!

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Changing people's lives for the better with our program feels pretty amazing. Knowing that during a time when everything feels out of their control, that we give people inspiration and education that allows them to take actions that are helpful rather than potentially harmful is incredible. I feel honored to be allowed into people's lives during this time of stress and change and to offer them ways to get better, faster.

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

One thing? You want one thing that's the hardest with being a business owner? That's impossible. Because being a business owner means you are responsible for everything! That's the hardest part. Or the hardest part is that when your business is mission-focused like mine, you want to succeed so badly, not just to make a successful business but because it matters. To the world. Ready Set Recover is a part of the revolution of health care where people engage and recognize that the decisions they are making around their health matter just as much as what the surgeon does with his scalpel. That's a lot of weight to work under. That may be the hardest part.

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

  1. Does your company need to exist? Should it be a part of the world? Then do it! Make it happen.
  2. Surround yourself with people who know what you don't. Get them on your board (official or unofficial) or pay them to lend you their expertise.
  3. Cash is king. You need cash flow to stay in business. So make decisions that make that possible. You absolutely have to invest in yourself and your company to build it, emotionally and financially. But do so in a way that is sustainable and still lets you sleep at night.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://readysetrecover.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-a-campbell/

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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