Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Courtney Kinnett-Hooper, Owner of Summit Coaching LLC., located in McGregor, MN, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I am a health and gut health coach passionate about helping you heal from the root! I particularly help women heal their bodies and lose weight without having to diet ever again. Sometimes the best journey to a healthier you happens when you don't even think about your weight and start healing other aspects of your body, like your mindset around food, leaving the all-or-nothing mentality behind, finding joy in healthier habits you look forward to, healing your organs or even understanding what is happening inside your body causing you not to lose weight.
Tell us about yourself
My path to becoming a health coach came from unhappiness in the career path I thought I wanted to pursue. I cried every day after work, suffered from the Sunday blues, and the only thing that I found solitude in was moving my body and eating healthy. One day my best friend introduced me to the Institute of Integrative Nutrition (I had NO IDEA this was even a career option), and within a week, I enrolled and embarked on my health coaching journey! And within one year of my enrollment, I quit my full-time job to pursue my business as a health coach.
During my time becoming a certified health coach, I became EXTREMELY passionate about the mindset behind becoming a healthier version of yourself, including getting to the root cause of dis-ease in the body. Your health is deeper than food and exercise...unhappiness, trauma, and unwanted bacteria, you name it, can all be a root cause of discomfort that a diet will never fix or help you lose weight. And this is how I became OBSESSED with helping my clients focus on ditching the diet mentality and getting ground in just feeling like themselves again.
Helping women feel confident, excited, and energized about their day again is what drives me to keep going and helping heal! Everyone deserves to feel amazing.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Trusting myself enough to quit my job to pursue coaching. I know I did this years ago, but the fact is, if you don't trust yourself in your business, how do you expect to succeed? I am proud of every hiccup, mistake, and struggle I have made because it only means I am that much closer to helping more people in this area of business; plus, if it were a perfect journey, I would be doing something wrong, lol.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
In a sole entrepreneur business like mine, the hardest part is being EVERYTHING in your business. I am the marketing guru, the health coach, the saleswoman, the accountant, the creation station, the idea generator, the social media expert, the ads figure-outer, the website expert and designer; everything a business needs, I had to figure it out and just do it. Am I grateful for everything I have learned on my entrepreneurial journey? ABSOLUTELY. But, it can be a lonely road that you just need to prepare for and keep going!
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Stop over-planning and just do it! Now, should you have a plan? Yes, but you don't need it down to every last detail and let that "this plan isn't ready yet" keep you from actually starting your business or launching your idea. It will never start perfect, so release the perfectionism, just go for it and watch the magic unfold. If I told you every launch I had I actually had to course made prior to the start date, I would be lying; sometimes you just need to run with the idea and see what happens before throwing hours and hours worth of work into something people maybe don't even want!
- You are allowed to change your mind. This applies to your niche, your business, and your identity. You are going to grow forever and evolve. And when that happens inside of your business or your offers, it's ok to release what you once created and change gears. Some will follow, and some will move on (remember: you are not for everyone). When you stay aligned with what feels good in your business, you will see how easy it becomes. If you are fighting and creating because it's what you think your audience wants, it is really hard to see the ease of success.
- Find another entrepreneur. I say this because when you find someone who knows what it's like to run a business alone, it helps you keep going and growing! You suddenly have an ally to bounce ideas off of, learn from each other, and see the trial and error; you can be a pro at one thing and them at the other. Just because it's YOUR business doesn't mean you need to be alone! I am lucky that my best friend is also an entrepreneur, selling courses but in a completely different niche. If I didn't have her by my side, who knows...I may still be stuck and square one instead of evolving in my business!
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.summitcoachingwellness.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/summitcoachingwellness
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/courtneykinnett_/
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.
Turn your craft into recurring revenue with Subkit. Start your subscription offering in minutes and supercharge it with growth levers. Get early access here.