Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and fitness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Wendy Bottrell, Founder of Vision Quest Wellness, located in Mississauga, ON, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Our business is health and fitness transformation for women over 40 who have taken care of everyone else except themselves for many years. We have outsourced our lifestyle for way too long! We help women over 40 get fit and healthy by coaching them to clarify their WHY, say yes to the mindset and self-discipline to take the step-by-step actions to get them to move in the direction of their goals each and every day.
Holistic Lifestyle Transformation Coach and Founder of Vision Quest Wellness, I believe that we have outsourced our health, body, mind, spirit, and abundance. Now it is time to begin the journey back through a lifestyle transformation from the inside out using the Pillars of Wellness as the cornerstone principles. Thinking Well, Moving Well, Eating Well, and Sleeping Well.
These are what I stand for with my clients:
- Every client is already creative, resourceful, and whole
- Health First – Eat Well – Move Well – Sleep Well – Think Well – Play Well - Hydrate Well
- Healthy Movement
- Fun/Play/Adventure to get fit
- Helping Clients Fall in Love with Their Health, Well-Being, and Fitness
- Practicing a Positive Mindset
- Lifelong Independence
- Making Real Organic and life-affirming food their best choice where possible, including Local and Farm-Raised Pastured Beef, Pork, Poultry, and Lamb
- Home Cooking – a lost art in our modern world and eating at the dinner table
- There Is No One Right Diet for Everyone - We coach our clients to learn and practice finding the best food choices for them
- Toxin Free - Certified Organic Personal Care and Home Care Products
- Simple
- Practicing an “I Can” Mindset in a world where most women are told they can’t
Tell us about yourself
I began working on my business over 30 years ago when I was struggling with my health and weight. There was no real help for me to lose weight, and I decided to figure out how to make changes myself. It was a challenge, to say the least. 30 years ago, I had outsourced my eating habits to the closest fast food joint, my thinking to the boss, toxic family members, and oh so much more. My self-discipline was non-existent, and my mindset was anything but fit and healthy.
Change is a process, and my journey has been an interesting one. Through my journey so far, I have learned how to create my strong and unwavering WHY, which has proven invaluable for me in sticking to my defined goals and developing daily practices that have sustained over the past 30 + years.
In my business, I have learned over time that a holistic lifestyle transformation can mean different things to different people. I began my transformation with what I felt were the basics—moving well and eating well. Little did I understand at that time that the most important transformation is to think well. I began moving each day and learning how to eat real food again. I don't like to call an eating strategy a diet because, for so many, this feels like missing out on something, and that is not a long-term strategy for success. A real food organic way of life is where I have found the best solutions for long-term health and fitness success.
I've learned that my mindset about food has changed from a junk food-based eating lifestyle to cooking at home with high-quality real organic foods, and this has been a game changer. I renewed my passion for moving well through a daily walking practice and getting back to a consistent resistance training program that is now over 25 years in the doing. I use these powerful life experiences with my clients to help them take the step by step actions so they can have their own successes based on their WHY and their goals. With these simple daily practices, I have reduced my weight by over 150 lbs.
I'm in my 60's and am strong, fit, and healthy. I walk the talk. Live my WHY every single day, and I am here to help. The results of my personal life transformations got me working on my business because if I could make these changes, I felt I could help others to do the same.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
My biggest accomplishment as a business owner is seeing a client achieve what they said they wanted to. For example, my young 16-year-old client that not only reduced his weight by 100 lbs and has now kept it off for over 15 years, to my client who simply wanted to squat so she could go camping with her family and the tears in her eyes the day she accomplished this goal.
These examples are just a few that show the courage, discipline, focus, and commitment of my clients as well as the trust to allow me into their lives to begin a journey they had done many times before with no real long-term results to finally push through their boundaries to allow themselves to succeed. These strong and courageous clients are exactly what inspires and motivates me each day to continue to do what I do.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
The day-to-day business owner stuff. Being a fitness professional, I have a passion for moving and lifting heavy things in the gym and learning new ideas to help clients improve, as well. Sitting at a desk doing paperwork and marketing is a challenge for me. I use the same practices though in my business as my health and fitness practices and show up every morning step by step to grow the business.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Find your WHY and be crystal clear, then act each day!
- Like fitness, weight loss, and better health, growing a business happens over time. Just don't quit.
- Find a business mentor/coach early on in your business. It will make your journey much simpler! Make the investment in yourself, and it will be worth it.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.wendybottrell.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/visionquestwellness
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wendybottrell/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wendybottrell
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendybottrell/
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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