Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Linda Townsend, Founder of Release Well-Being Center, located in Westborough, MA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
At Release Well-Being Center, we believe in an all-encompassing approach to health and self-care. The cumulative effects of nourishing all of the essential parts of yourself have a major impact on your overall well-being. Neglecting even one piece will affect the holistic prosperity of your mind, body, and spirit. Our center offers the facility, expertise, guidance, and support to integrate wellness as a whole so you are able to achieve an optimal state of living.
Tell us about yourself
My dream to open a wellness center began when I visited Canyon Ranch in 2000. At the time, I had a high-stress job and life and was expecting my second child. I felt exhausted and overwhelmed, and my well-being was at an all-time low. So I went on the trip with a mission to learn how to take better care of myself. While I was there, I tried every wellness approach that I could squeeze into my 4 days visit, from nutrition and cooking classes to different forms of exercise to using positive mantras. And it was truly life-changing. I felt better than I ever had in my life, and I held onto that feeling by changing my lifestyle using the strategies that I'd learned.
Afterward, I started noticing how many people around me were white-knuckling through their stressful lives and suffering as a result. I wished that they could access similar well-being immersion. But at that time, that was only available at a destination spa, with a high price tag and time commitment. So I started dreaming about opening a wellness center in Westborough, and I slowly pieced together a vision of what that might look like, and a couple of years ago, I took the plunge, and the dream of launching Release Well Being Center became a reality. We opened our doors in Westborough, Massachusetts, in 2017 and will open a second location in Boston in the fall of 2023!
I am passionate about promoting self-care and helping people explore ways to take care of themselves consistently. Regular self-care is often the difference between a long, vibrant life and chronic illness, pain, or general unhappiness. I hope to help more people carve out time to take care of themselves!
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Manifesting my dream to open Release is definitely my biggest accomplishment! Surviving a pandemic and now opening our second location are other accomplishments that I am proud of and grateful for.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
You can't disconnect from the business, really ever. Building a solid team helps with this, but if something significant occurs, you must be on call to support. In the end, you are responsible for everything that happens and need to make the hard decisions, have challenging conversations, and make yourself available as needed to keep moving forward. I also personally find it challenging that the business is so interconnected with my personal life.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Write a business plan! Nobody wants to do this -- it's a lot of work -- but it will provide a road map for your business, and you will need it to receive any financial support.
- Build a team that you trust and has your back. However, this should not include personal friends or family, as it will be hard to keep boundaries.
- Make sure you pick something that you love because it will dominate your life!
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://releasewellbeingcenter.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Releasewbc/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/releasewellbeingcenter/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/release-well-being-center/
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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