Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Julian Baker, Founder of Functional Anatomy, located in Frome, Somerset, United Kingdom.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I teach anatomy through the medium of human dissection to manual and movement therapists, showing them a different view of the body from that which is normally taught.
Tell us about yourself
I was working and teaching a manual therapy called The Bowen Technique that I brought from Australia and introduced to Europe. I found that the things I was seeing and feeling in my clients were represented in the anatomy books, and I couldn't find out what I was really touching. It inspired me to start studying the body in the way it really is, rather than the sanitized and reduced way that it's taught in medical schools. I realize now that the way we teach about the body needs to change, and every day I think of a dozen ways in which to explain things differently that will enable therapists to help others.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
In 2020 my business (along with many other people's) ground to a halt, and I had nothing to fall back on. I took some of the footage I had taken of dissections and started to teach online webinars with technology I knew nothing about. From there, I ended up buying more technology and traveling to the USA in the middle of the pandemic to undertake a hugely ambitious live stream dissection. Using cameras, wires, and lots more stuff I had never done before, I effectively started a new business from the ground up while the whole world was shut down.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Keeping going. Getting up in the morning and getting to the desk and doing it. It's especially hard in the start-up phase (where I still consider myself), where I am earning very little and creating the building blocks for what I know will be huge. There's no one there to pat you on the back and tell you you're doing great, you're on your own, and it's pretty isolating and lonely, especially when you have setbacks or things aren't going well.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Believe in what you do, and dedicate yourself to giving your customers an excellent product and service first and foremost.
- Don't expect to make any money for the first three years; if you do, put it back into the business. Don't spend it on yourself; make sure you put that tax money aside.
- Don't spend money on branding, logos, business cards, names, and stuff that no one really cares about except you and your Mother. Build a solid brand by answering questions, being available to your staff and your customers, and being accountable for what you are selling or promoting.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://functionalanatomy.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FunctionalAnatomy
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/functionalanatomycpd/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jbbodyworks
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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