Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Alex Davis, Founder of Ryan and Alex Duo Life, located in Medellin, Columbia.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
What started as a way to hold ourselves accountable for a healthy lifestyle has grown into a successful lifestyle blog helping couples of every kind around the world.
As a husband-wife duo and two former engineers, we created Ryan and Alex Duo Life to guide couples to live their healthiest lives together. From exercise to nutrition to relationship science, we rely on our engineering backgrounds to dig through the latest research, experiment on ourselves, and work with experts to bring health techniques that are simple and effective.
We realized that there were not many resources for couples who wanted to improve their health together. So, we've created a multitude of programs that help couples level up their wellness and relationship, leveraging the added accountability and couple psychology. Our most popular programs are the 6-week Couple Yoga Program and Just Duo It, our one-year course of daily health hacks for couples. We also share our latest research in a free weekly newsletter.
Tell us about yourself
In 2010, Ryan and I met in a research lab — goofy safety goggles and all — on my first day working as an engineer. The next eight years of our relationship were a whirlwind as we dutifully moved up the corporate ladder, including three years working in China. Outwardly, we had it all. That is until Ryan hit rock bottom with burnout shortly after our wedding in 2017. It was a brutal wake-up call and one we wouldn't risk ignoring. So, we left our corporate jobs to become health coaches, bought one-way tickets to South America, and went all in to refocus on our health journey. We created our blog, Ryan and Alex Duo Life, to document and share what we learned with other couples along the way.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
As business owners and entrepreneurs, there are a million milestones, from big to small, that add more depth and meaning to our lives than our corporate jobs ever did. For example, every time a couple reaches out to thank us for helping them feels as special as the first time.
One thing we underestimate when becoming entrepreneurs is the unexpected opportunities that can come our way. We recently published our first book, Ultimate Bucket List for Married Couples: A Couples Journal for Planning Your Best Experiences Together, with Penguin Random House. Writing a book has always been on my personal bucket list, and it's one of the accomplishments that I cherish most.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
One of the hardest things about becoming a business owner is learning how to play every role a company needs. From content creation to marketing to accounting, we wear more hats in a week with our business than we ever did in our combined 16 years of engineering and sales. This can be extremely daunting, but know that it takes time to build a strong business. Just be patient and stay diligent.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- It's important to find a strong community of fellow business owners in your field to ask questions and, ideally, to find a mentor. Having people you trust to bounce ideas is incredibly important.
- Don't shy away from investing in yourself and taking courses to help you learn the business. We've taken courses on search engine optimization and product development, and it has ultimately saved us lots of wasted time and energy.
- Be authentic and share in-depth, meaningful content with your audience. One of the best ways to do this is through a newsletter.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.ryanandalex.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ryanandalexduolife/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanandalexduolife/
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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