Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal and business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Kristen Olson, Founder of KO Alliance, LLC., located in Denver, CO, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
As a lifelong team athlete, a passionate, creative, and true believer in living a healthy lifestyle, the KO Alliance mission is to strategically align fitness, wellness, creative, and lifestyle forces (brands) with zealots to further spread the gospel of fitness, wellness, and lifestyle.
KO Alliance, LLC in a nutshell: Culture. Companies. Influencers. Impact. CONTENT. KO Alliance strategically aligns, partners, builds, and activates brands into the fitness, wellness, creative, and lifestyle spaces, creating mutually beneficial relationships for athletes, gyms, and companies at large. We focus on mission-driven businesses and humans. If you are looking to establish or share your company, brand, mission, message, or voice- strategically and authentically, reach out to us!
The KO Alliance, LLC Team:
The KO Alliance is a dream team of exceptional human beings. They are experts in their respective sports that lead with their heads and minds. These trailblazers were hand-picked for these amazing qualities. This team can positively influence local, national, and global fitness consumers. They love spreading the gospel of fitness, wellness, creativity, and lifestyle.
We are the one-stop shop to handle your business marketing and branding goals soup to nuts- in a cost and time-effective fashion. Our customers are mission-driven humans and companies. These are people aligning their personal and professional pursuits with their core values, often with built-in kickbacks to charity or a larger mission/cause they are passionate about. All ages and genders, statistically men/women 21-65.
Tell us about yourself
The KO Story: As a professional within the fitness (and fashion) business arena, former D1 Top 20 Collegiate athlete, and currently a high-level competitive CrossFit athlete, I recognized a gap and lack of productive, professional strategic partnerships for fitness/wellness/creative humans- with equality at the forefront. Key community leaders (influencers) did not know how to work with companies, and companies did not know how to work with key leaders.
This is a huge fitness/wellness/creative market space with a massive upside and is led by a small tight group of leaders (influencers) with the highly conscious, savvy consumer. To gain entry into these fickle markets, a brand requires a well-thought-out strategy- led by authentic core values. With powerful partnerships, the fitness/creative passion spreads. Working together (brands and fitness/creative enthusiasts), everyone can achieve top results. This is the gap that KO Alliance fills. In addition, KO Alliance's resident podcast, Turmeric & Tequila™, highlights and features mission-driven, varsity humans questioning a better way.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
We have been blessed to have great monetary success, but our biggest accomplishment I sour a positive impact- helping those in need, creating opportunities for all, and assisting in all voices being heard and represented. We have worked with all major brands, from Red Bull to Nike to American Express, but the impact and inspiration happen at the ground level. Marketing and branding for us are about working with the right people with passionate missions to make this world a better place by doing the business they do.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
There are no off days... but if you do what you love, you don't work a day. That's 60% true. We are blessed either way.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Be prepared to stay in it no matter what.
- Build your team of support early- emotionally and for work, and outsource the things you are not good at right away so you can focus on the core mission of the business; if budget is a factor (it always is), trade!
- Know your core values and apply them to our business- this will keep you in it for the long game, and the consumers will show up the same.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://koalliance.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/koalliance
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madonnashero/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ko_alliance
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kolson23/
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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