Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Sharon MacGregor, Owner of Serenity Farm Yoga Sanctuary, located in Durham, NC, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Serenity Farm is a Yoga Sanctuary. It is the Triangle's yoga retreat center that's close to home. This 10-acre private farm is host to yoga and wellness classes, workshops, and retreats.
My customers:
- The local community is looking for yoga and mindfulness classes and experiences.
- Local yoga instructors and wellness professionals want a "retreat setting" for their classes, workshops, and retreats.
- Local businesses looking for a retreat setting for offsite meetings and planning sessions.
- Local businesses looking to bring wellness practices (onsite and offsite) to their employees.
Tell us about yourself
I started practicing yoga in my 20s. I really got serious in my mid-30s, when I had kids and a job, but I still felt very stressed out and was suffering from depression.
When my dosage of anti-depression meds was increased, I decided to try a different way: yoga as medicine, food as medicine, and lifestyle as medicine. I became a health coach and yoga instructor. I moved to NC in 2005 from NYC with my family. We bought the property in 2006 - the idea of a retreat center was just a kernel. It's where I started coaching people who were dealing with "life issues" like stress and anxiety—and realized that most health-related issues could be linked back to those issues.
2020 - Serenity Farm officially opened! The concept is to lead my own yoga classes, workshops, and retreats here at Serenity Farm—but also allow other teachers and practitioners to use the space as their own turn-key studio for hosting their own events.
Now, each day when I get up and think about what I'm going to do today, it's all about making sure every single person who walks through our doors feels comfortable, safe, and cared for. We want our guests to feel like they're part of a community—not just a customer or clients. I also want to bring as many different modalities to the Farm so every member of our community can find a practice that suits them.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
My biggest accomplishment as a business owner - is being in business after 2020. I have managed to bring the idea to life. Hosting Overnight Glamping Retreats is something I am very proud of.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
Understanding that Marketing is NOT optional and is a science and an art. The value of copywriting to make (or break) your business financially successful.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Start (small).
- Take a business course.
- Get your financial systems set up at the beginning.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.serenityfarmnc.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/serenityfarmdurham/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharon-a-macgregor/
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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