Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health & wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Jeremy Hassell, Co-Founder of City Cave, located in Brisbane, Queensland, AU.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
We are a franchise system that focuses on the health and well-being of our guests. Our locations provide an urban escape focused on mindfulness, relaxation, pain, and stress management. Our core services are Floatation Therapy, Infrared Sauna and Massage. We have 65 locations across Australia and New Zealand and will soon launch in the United States.
Tell us about yourself
I come from the construction industry, and before this, industry import and wholesale. Once we sold our last company, we heard about Floatation Therapy and decided to give it a go. After the first session, I realized how beneficial the therapy was for me. I predicted this was not a luxury, but it soon became necessary given our overstimulated world.
So we put everything on the line to open our first location in August 2016. From there, seeing the results of our guests, I knew I wanted to continue to help more people than our local community. We are opening these locations as fast as possible to solve the global stress and burnout issue.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
My biggest accomplishment is multifaceted. As a franchise business, we have doubled in size year after year, making our locations accessible to more and more people. Plus, we have been able to give passionate people a business model in a relatively small industry and make them uber-successful beyond their dreams.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Being a founder means you are all in—financially, with your time, and with all of your focus. You become hyper-focused and hyper-emotive and it is all-consuming.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
The three top tips change as you go from start-up to established.
Startup.
- Persevere. There is always a way to make it work. Stay there despite any challenges you face.
- Back yourself. You must be self-motivated. You can't rely on anyone else to do what you have to.
- Surround yourself with the right people. Feel free to let relationships fade if they are not on your team or on a similar path. You need people with sound advice that are better than you. They will also change your journey.
Established.
- Know your numbers. Refrain from assuming you have the answers. Employ help with better financial literacy (Accountants, advisers, CFO, etc.).
- Wait to sell out. You started the business not to have a boss. Having those conversations for someone to buy in takes even more time to keep them at bay when you should be focused on growth. They become your boss. (We are still solely owned and funded.)
- And again, surround yourself with the right people. Feel free to let relationships fade if they are not on your team or on a similar path. You need people with sound advice that are better than you. They will also change your journey.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.citycave.com.au/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/city.cave/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/city.cave/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremy-hassell-225b57123/
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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