Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Carly Takeda, Co-Founder of Vie Universoul Wellness, located in Calgary, AB, Canada.

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

Vie Universoul Wellness is a multi-purpose studio space providing energy & wellness therapies, yoga classes, and products. Our three main services include the Harmonic Egg, an energy therapy brand new to Canada, Infrared Saunas, and our Yoga Studio offering a wide range of traditional-based classes for all bodies at all levels. Our goal is to bring people to their optimal state of healing and support their continuous life-long wellness journeys. All of our services truly have the potential to help anyone; we have people of all ages, from pregnant moms and infants to elders coming in for Egg sessions and anyone 12 and upcoming for Infrared Sauna sessions and Yoga Classes.

Tell us about yourself

Vie was Co-Founded by three lifelong best friends and soul sisters. Our names are Carly, Stephanie, & Melissa. Stephanie and I are twin sisters, and we have known Melissa since junior high. We have all shared a vision to open a wellness center for over a decade. When we discovered the Harmonic Egg, we knew right away we wanted to build our center around this amazing new healing modality. After researching the extensive benefits of Infrared Saunas, we knew this would be another great addition to Vie. With Melissa's background spanning over a decade as a yoga instructor & personal trainer, having a yoga studio made complete sense. We are motivated every single day to help every individual who comes to Vie along their wellness journey, whatever that may look like for them, and lead them to reach their full potential. We have a strong mission to contribute to making humanity a better place for everyone, and we truly believe this begins at the root of the well-being of each individual.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Our greatest accomplishment as business owners is seeing the actual transformations people are experiencing from using our services. People have experienced an incredible range of improvements in their mental, physical, and emotional well-being. It's one thing to have a vision and a purpose of helping people, but to see these things come to fruition in real life is everything we could ever ask for.

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

We all wear so many hats around the business, and so much goes on behind the scenes to ensure our business is growing and thriving. Most people are unaware of what goes on outside of caring for our services and our beautiful community on a day-to-day basis. We operate 7 days a week and work some very long hours, constantly giving our energy to our community and any of the business's needs. While we are all incredibly grateful and passionate about what we do, we are still human and require time to rest and maintain our lives outside work.

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

  1. Find your purpose. This will be your driving force in everything that you do, and it is crucial to love what you do. Owning a business is A LOT of work. When you are able to come back to the purpose that motivates you to do what you are doing, you will be able to continuously put the right energy into your work, even in the most stressful of times.
  2. Find the right team. We are so blessed to have the team that we have to make our vision become a reality. Not only do we share a very special bond, always having each other's best interests in mind and communicating with full transparency in everything we do, but we each bring a particular skill set to the table. I have a background in both Accounting and Marketing, both necessary functions for any successful business. Stephanie is a former Dental Hygienist with a wealth of wellness knowledge she is able to share with our community and guide people through their Harmonic Egg sessions. Melissa has a background as a personal trainer, yoga instructor, and nutrition coach, giving her a strong foundation to lead our team of yoga instructors, teach private one-on-one sessions, and educate our community beyond what is offered in each class. Our skill sets truly complemented and played a big role in deciding how we wanted to structure our business.
  3. Always fill your own cup first. This is something we all had to experience as we dove head-first into entrepreneurship. Showing up properly every single day for your team and for your community can only be done when you've taken care of your own needs first. This takes constant work, but we have all learned that you truly cannot pour from an empty cup.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://vieuniversoul.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vieuniversoul/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vieuniversoul/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/vieuniversoul
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vie-universoul-wellness

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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