Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and fitness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Candace Williams, Owner and Founder of Sling Bungee Fitness, located in Edmond, OK, USA.

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

Our studio uses bungee cords and harnesses to create low-impact, high-cardio flying plyometric workouts. Our workouts are mainly cardio and resistance and can burn upwards of 600 calories in a 50-minute class. Our clients range from their 20s to their 60s. Some need it for low impact, but everyone does it because it’s fun.

Tell us about yourself

In 2016, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder that made traditional workouts too hard on my joints. When I saw a viral video of Bungee Fitness, it looked like something I could do. My husband bought me some bungees and a harness, we hooked up in my garage, and the rest is history… Sling Bungee history.

My passion was to make this low-impact, high-energy flying plyometric workout class for the masses. I wanted it fun enough to make cardio appealing while also making the choreography easy enough for the masses. I began developing that program inside my garage, and now Sling Bungee has trained hundreds of bungee fitness studios across the world using this same format.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

When we started in 2018, we faced multiple challenges, from equipment failure to improper training techniques that led to an injury. We realized if bungee fitness was going to make it, we needed to be the change in the market. We have since created and developed our own equipment and offer a training and certification course to help others do this fitness properly. Sling Bungee now has the most sought-after equipment and training and has since led hundreds of trainees and affiliated studios worldwide. While that has felt like quite the feat, getting to know our clients and watching them hit their fitness goals and see their transformations inside and out is definitely the pinnacle of success.

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

I am nearing 20 years of marriage to my favorite person on the planet, Ben, and a mom to two of the most amazingly talented souls, Josey and Evey. My faith and my family mean the world to me, so sacrificing time away from family and serving has been the biggest struggle. However, my husband and daughters are my biggest cheerleaders! Even though we all feel the sacrifice, we know it’s changing fitness history as well as our family legacy. I wanted to show my family that my autoimmune doesn’t define me, but rather, I used it to create something unique and special where I had limitations. I want to show my daughters that even though life won’t always treat you fair, there will be limitations, but they can always find the joys ahead in their faith, their gifts, and their grit if they don’t focus on what is wrong but rather how to make it right.

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

  1. Don’t wait for perfection to start. When I started Sling Bungee, I didn’t have all the answers. I was pioneering something without the handbook or a “how to,” but I’ve learned a lot along the way. Almost all of Sling Bungee’s successes were birthed out of failures. Don’t worry if you don’t have all the answers because, eventually, you’ll figure it out. Since every business evolves, you’ll never perfect it anyway, so stop waiting for perfection and just go for it.
  2. Remember your “why”! Years 1-5 can be hard financially, physically, and mentally and business owners can lose focus on why they started in the first place. All the blood, sweat, and tears invested in those early years are laying the foundation, and that time is not wasted. You will soon see the fruits of your labor, so keep doing the hard things and focus on why you’re doing it.
  3. Be present. At times I found myself working 60-80 hours a week with very little time for family and friends. You are more than your business, so remember to be present when you’re with your family and friends. I had to learn how to turn off my brain from the millions of tasks at work and be truly present with those I love. If you can’t check out, then take a planned vacation or getaway. Make time so you don’t waste time.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://slingbungee.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/slingbungee
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slingbungee/

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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