Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Emily Walsh Ribeiro, Founder of bZenYoga, located in Winter Park, FL, USA.

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

bZenYoga helps companies create a healthy corporate culture by implementing weekly wellness strategies. We've helped over 15,000 people on their journey to wellness with a holistic approach to healthcare. We offer guidance in nutrition, fitness, and mindfulness with simple, easy-to-follow suggestions that make a huge impact on our students' overall health and wellness. In turn, this reduces stress-related illnesses and lost workdays, which helps promote strong businesses.

Tell us about yourself

Yoga has absolutely saved my life several times, and it's my passion to share this amazing resource with others. From severe sciatica pain to a crippling injury, multiple surgery recoveries, to beating hypertension and diabetes, yoga has played a huge part in my wellness strategy. I've been a Yoga Health Coach for almost a decade, and since the pandemic, it's clear that the workforce has shifted. Employees care about their well-being and look for companies with competitive resources to help them, and I'm here for it!

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I value success a little differently than most. Earlier in my yoga career, I taught a kid's yoga class and had a little boy with autism whose mother brought him every week. He never participated in class, and he barely even looked at me. He just stacked blocks in different piles, week after week. One day his mother came in and gave me a big hug. She was teary as she told me the story... They were in the grocery store, and he had an episode. He started destroying a display, and as she tried to stop him, people gathered around. The manager threatened to call the police. "Something has to change," she told him. "I know what to do, mom," he said, and he sat down and practiced the meditation I had taught every week in class...that he never practiced with me. Then he stood up calmly, took his mother's hand, and they walked out of the store. "You saved us jail time," she told me. So maybe it's not an impressive dollar amount or data set, but accomplishments like this mean the most to me. I'm helping to change the world, one person at a time.

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

The hardest part of being a business owner for me is being my own cheerleader. I know I'm good at what I do, AND I'd much rather be out there helping people than trying to explain why I'm good at it! I've had to implement a system to stop working in order to promote myself and my business each week, and it's still hard to do!

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

  1. Follow Your Passion. As a business owner, you are submersed in work 24/7, so it better be something you love!
  2. Get Used to Juggling. You'll have to work in multiple areas, from accounting to advertising, so be prepared to split your schedule to juggle all these roles.
  3. Take Time OFF! Your wellness matters a lot! Build regular time into your schedule to do things you enjoy. That's why you went out on your own in the first place, right?

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Your health and wellness determine your quality of life. They allow you to participate in activities you like and enjoy time with people you love. Take it from me; take care of yourself. You're worth it!

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.bzenyoga.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bzenhealthclub
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emzenyoga/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-walsh-ribeiro-4a66981b9/

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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