Inspired . Grounded. Powered - Taylored Technologies

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Rachel Kelly, Co-Founder of Taylored Technologies, located in Hamilton, Waikato, NZ.

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

We work with people who are curious about unlocking who they were born to be. We personalize their healthcare journey based on their unique genetic code and bodily exhaustion, helping them upgrade how they think, live, eat, and move to support a path to extraordinary health.

Much like a SMOG check helps keep a car in good working condition, we help humans, and their bodies (more comparable to a premium Formula One car) reach and maintain top condition. Many of our customers are high-level executives who run multi-million dollar companies, but we also work with stay-at-home moms and dads who are just trying to be the best for their children (and often also have part-time jobs).

Tell us about yourself

My grandmother suffered from Alzheimer's, and in my early teenage years, someone very close to me was sexually assaulted using a sedative drug. As such, I grew up wanting to solve really hard problems and find ways to keep people safe.
By the time I was 22, I had started developing new technology to give drug-facilitated sexual assault victims and their lawyers proof that they were drugged. That was then used to put guilty assailants behind bars and helped me finish my Master of Science degree in Forensic Toxicology and Biochemistry, passing with first-class honors and a William Georgetti Scholarship.

By 24, I was in California working at a biotechnology company, helping scientists in North America develop better drugs to combat things like cancer. Coming back to New Zealand several years ago, I've been working in the start-up scene, helping to develop new wearable devices, better patient management systems, faster data processing in machine learning systems, and AI that helps to match people to jobs they love. I returned to my love of life science, genetics, and biochemistry because I was sick of feeling unhealthy, unhappy, and anxious. I was sick of my chronic cystic acne that wasn't getting any better and stomach pain that wouldn't go away. Google had a million answers... which would take more lifetimes to try to fix things than I have.

So, I decided there had to be a better way, and with my business partner, we embarked on our journey of preventative and personalized wellness. As a young child, I promised my mother that I'd find a cure for Alzheimer's. I'm not sure I'll find THE cure for this particular disease, but with my business partner, I'm working to ensure as few people as possible don't lose life earlier than they need to, lose their memories, and control over their bodies, or die any longer than they should.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Saying "no" to $1,000,000 from an investor because they weren't aligned with our values or a fit for our long-term, 500-year vision.

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

The hardest thing about being a start-up business owner is seeing so much of our hard-earned revenue (that comes from real blood, sweat, and tears) go to taxes when all we're trying to do is help people.

That's probably because we're still small and simply don't have the resources like the big companies do to "tax smarter" and find loopholes that help them get ahead. It often feels like we're frantically pedaling the bike just to stay in the same place.

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

1. Take it or leave it. Here are my tips when you have an idea and an interest in building a technology product.
   Validate your idea and the market you think you'll serve while you still have a paying job. It will save you time and money later on. Perhaps you'll get less gray hair.
2. Once you have a real, working prototype, "show ten people who already trust you and already like you. If they don't tell anybody else, it's not that good, and you should start over. If they do tell other people, you're on your way" (courtesy of Seth Godin).
3. There are so many problems in the world. Some are really simple. Some are more complex. But if that problem doesn't irritate the crap out of you, too (and you don't have an insatiable desire to solve/fix it), you're probably the wrong person to tackle it. When money is low, and you're struggling to find the will to carry on, you must have a big enough "why" and resolve to be a part of the solution.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://tayloredhealth.co.nz/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rachelkellynz
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unmaskedexecutive/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/rachelkellynz
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelkellynz/

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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