Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in skincare but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Lee-Anne Reuber, Founder and CEO of Sekond Skin Society, located in Walkerton, ON, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Sekond Skin Society is a health and fitness app designed around accessibility and inclusion. Our app allows those with vision loss, hearing loss, and other physical disabilities to access health and fitness in a way that works for them. Our content is designed so people with disabilities, along with their family/friends/caregivers/coworkers, can participate in classes together while still meeting each individual's needs.
Tell us about yourself
I first started the business as a brick-and-mortar yoga studio. We launched one year prior to COVID-19 and shifted to building a virtual membership platform at the onset of the pandemic. Instead of focusing on direct-to-consumer customers with our web-based application, we decided to offer our membership to corporations who offered their employees gym/studio memberships as part of their employee wellness benefits (given that wasn't an option because of COVID). We spent two years expanding our services and learning how to serve employees through our corporate clients. Through that time, we received recurring, positive feedback about our accessible options. Because I spent over 20 years supporting people with disabilities prior to starting my business, getting this feedback led me to create something even more accessible and truly inclusive in our new app. Breaking barriers for people with disabilities, supporting all bodies with all abilities, reducing stigmas, and creating a truly inclusive community motivates me each day!
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
My biggest accomplishment is our new app. The business has gone through many twists and turns over the four years I've been operating it; I've made a lot of mistakes, I've tried many things that haven't worked, and I've become one of the most resilient humans I know through it all. It's because of my resiliency and belief in myself that I am now able to create, innovate and build something that should have always existed in our world. The development of our new app is something that will create an impact far beyond just supporting people with their health, and I know the impact will be felt far beyond my years on this Earth.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
Uncertainty. There will ALWAYS be uncertainty in business because people change, trends change, pandemics happen, etc. Uncertainty is hard, but the way to overcome it is to be certain of who you are. Be certain in your abilities, in your faith in yourself, in your mission and vision.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- DO. You can spend years gathering information before you start doing... the best way to find what people really want and need is to DO. Ask, yes. Research, yes. Plan, yes. But DO. The sooner you get a product or service out there, the sooner you can change it based on the feedback you receive.
- Know your support system. And it will likely change as you develop your business. The number one person in your support system has to be you (you need to keep clapping even when no one else is), but also know who your numbers 2 and 3 are. You will need them.
- Always look for the way. You're going to be faced with circumstance after circumstance that shows you what is NOT the way. It's hard. It feels impossible at times. But always look for the way, and you will find it.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.sekondskinsociety.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sekondskinsociety
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sekond_skin_society/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sekond-skin-society/
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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