Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Ashley Daidone, co-founder, and CEO of Exhale Wellness at Work, located in Denver, CO, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
We’re in the business of making people happier at work... and home. Exhale was created with the intention to provide easily accessible, lifestyle-based wellness solutions, including livestream and on-demand classes, workshops, and programs for individuals and businesses.
We believe happy and well-balanced employees are not only beneficial to the bottom line; they are crucial to the greater good of the world. The time when work life and home life were separate has long passed. Today, there is no dividing line. Our lives are closely intertwined with work, and for many, work has become part of life at home. Finding the balance is more important than ever.
Exhale is dedicated to creating wellness solutions that encourage a healthy, balanced lifestyle. Our certified practitioners combine mindfulness, yoga, self-care, nutrition, and holistic lifestyle expertise into easily accessible online resources designed for a growing community of busy professionals. It is our ultimate mission to put Wellness at Work into everyone’s lives.
THE INDIVIDUAL:
Individuals have access to over 200 classes ranging from meditation, Vin Yin, Restorative, Gentle Vinyasa, Adaptive Yoga to Power Vinyasa, Sculpt, HIIT, and full-body, high energy options. The classes vary in length, providing the opportunity to squeeze in a class on a busy day or a longer class when time permits. Each Exhale teacher brings a unique teaching style to the platform accommodating all levels of health and wellness. Participants are contacted regularly by our wellness professionals offering personalized wellness plans to serve each individual need.
THE BUSINESS:
Exhale provides companies and organizations wellness programs tailored to the specific needs of the businesses. We work with the leadership of the organization to identify areas of need. We conduct a survey that creates metrics to measure levels of stress, health, happiness, and productivity within the organization and return with a proposed wellness program tailored specifically to improve the company score-knowing that healthy and happy employees are productive employees.
Tell us about yourself
My career began working in a corporate environment in the hospitality and tourism industry. My roles as General Manager and Corporate Sales Leader for the Joie de Vivre Hotel collection took me from San Francisco to England, focusing on developing solutions for corporate executives. I held management roles for Westin Hotels and was the Director of Group Sales for Starwood Hotels and Senior Sales Leader within the Vail Resorts collection. I am intimate with the needs and pressures of a corporate environment and how crucial it is for employees and team members to keep a balance at the center of their working lives.
In 2012, I made the decision to bring more balance into my own life and became a Certified Yoga Instructor. I began teaching yoga in various studios around the Denver area, creating classes designed for all levels, with the strong belief that yoga should be accessible to all. I began expanding my teaching to local businesses wanting to offer wellness to their employees.
In 2020, I merged my corporate background with my passion for yoga and wellness and founded Exhale along with my co-creator Alicia Rae. This started when the pandemic happened, and stay-at-home orders were put into effect. I began teaching my classes from a digital platform. I taught my existing clients and then began donating my time teaching complimentary classes to nurses and health care workers. These classes quickly became a critically important part of the workday as many weren’t accustomed to working from home, remotely, and without human contact. We truly created a “together when we’re apart” experience during a time of uncertainty and transformation…a much needed “Exhale.”
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Every class, workshop, and program are presented with the highest quality audiovisual technology, multiple camera angles, and most experienced instructors providing exceptional and impactful content. While starting a new business, especially during changing and uncertain times, can certainly have its challenges, I’m extremely proud that Exhale has never compromised in providing our member partners an exceptional user experience.
Whether it is an individual yoga class, corporate wellness module, or a session from our Yoga Alliance Certified Registered Yoga School. Exhale never publishes substandard content or performances with compromised technology. In fact, there are hours of costly productions that we’ve ended up pitching due to content not meeting our standards or technological snafus compromising the user experience. Rather than considering the disposed content as a financial loss, I consider it an investment for our users.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Operationalizing your vision. Staying innovative, ahead of your competition, and powering through every challenge to produce products and services superior to that of your competition not only has its challenges but requires dedication. Developing an efficient and effective operation allows you to keep the cost down while providing consistent, high-quality products that your customers come to expect and will promote for you.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Listen and communicate with your customers AND your competition regularly. Know your market.
- Have a clear plan and make sure your plan is adaptable. Know that you can pivot with the changing markets and economic times.
- Never compromise the quality of your deliverables. Whether it’s a simple email or a complex product, know that quality is key, and cutting corners will only jeopardize the growth and future of your business.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
I'd love to share a 30-day free pass with your readership for unlimited wellness classes on our digital platform. Here is a link to share: https://www.union.fit/orgs/exhale-yoga-wellness/passes?access_code=&pass_id=Jmtt1u8BAadbk98Dh7TK358d
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://exhalewellnessatwork.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Exhalewellnessatwork
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exhalewellnessatwork/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/exhale-wellness-at-work/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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