Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Kim Pomares, CEO of Mendability, located in Provo, UT, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
We developed a brain stimulation program called Sensory Enrichment Therapy for families, health professionals, and special educators to help with brain disorders.
Tell us about yourself
My mother, Claudie, is the pioneer behind Sensory Enrichment Therapy. My role in this story has been to turn her private practice into a Saas company. Her story starts when she was 5 and became best friends with a boy with Down syndrome called Simon. One day Simon stopped coming to school. This experience and others with members of her family who committed suicide and struggled with mental disorders led her to look for a solution when she chose a field of study. Back then, the field of neuroscience that looked at environmental enrichment and the types of experiences that had an impact on brain development and brain plasticity was very new. Claudie saw hope there and decided to create a program for families by translating the lab protocols into hands-on activities that could be done at home with little equipment. Soon her private practice grew, and Claudie needed help. I was running a fairly successful graphic design business at the time, so I felt I could step in, help my mother for a while, and go back to my passion for creating beautiful things for people. This was almost 20 years ago. I never looked back. Helping children is far more fulfilling. And I still get to do what I love once in a while!
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
My biggest contribution has been in getting Sensory Enrichment Therapy validated in randomized controlled trials and in developing an expert system that can prescribe the best activities to do based on your profile and your feedback.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Change. After 20 years years, technology has changed, and client expectations have changed. New opportunities come with challenges in transitioning from old business models to new ones.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Focus. Make sure you know exactly who needs your product, and stick there until you have the resources to expand.
- Fun. Make sure that there is something about your business that will bring joy into your life because it will be tough.
- Team. Make sure you are not on your own. With a good team, you can brainstorm, share the weight, and share the joy of the small wins that will come along the way that no one else will understand.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.mendability.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mendability
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mendability/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Mendability
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kim-pomares-14020526/
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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