Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Matt Walton R.TCMP, Founder of The Inspired Living Studio, located in Toronto, ON, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Since running my private "Roots to Sky Health & Guidance" practice for the past ten years, I'm now looking to bigger horizons by launching my lifelong dream business, "The Inspired Living Studio."
The Inspired Living Studio will combine co-working with healthy living, community training/events, and coaching & customized therapeutics - to assist members such as millennial entrepreneurs, artists, or activists in reaching their personal & professional goals from the inside out, preventing burnout & optimizing wellness on the path to success amongst a supportive community.
We are different. Most wellness spaces tend not to have a target niche, and if they do, it is not this market. And here, we see a lot of untapped potential. Talented professionals who are unhealthy behind the scenes and heading for burnout or chronic health concerns. Conversely, healthy people or talented visionaries who are at the lost stage of not knowing how to bring their gifts to the world. This space aims to build a network to strengthen the foundation of conscious networking and the vital importance of non-flakey wellness & lifestyle in the startup/entrepreneur community. We aim to help grounded visionaries expand their community and achieve their goals - while remaining healthy. In the world we want to achieve - we do not see a separation in these facets.
Tell us about yourself
My professional career and entrepreneurship blur together. Always the rebel, I've always carved my own path - so launching my Roots to Sky private practice (alongside working in a Community Acupuncture clinic that focussed on marginalized communities) came naturally. My passion for writing continued to blossom, and in this period, I rapidly became obsessed with business development & marketing, a side of myself I never knew I had.
I soon found myself specializing in mental health & developing coaching programs until I began working with a business advisor who asked me where I saw myself in 5 years. I began to tell him about my plans for launching my own lifestyle concept studio, and he challenged me - "why wait?". This rapidly caused a change in course; I soon discovered MaRS Discovery District and enrolled in the first-ever cohort of Entrepreneur 101.
I'm now completely committed - and convinced - that launching my Inspired Living Studio is a natural evolution continuing to fuse each of these fronts I've described. Another red carpet has rolled out, with this naturally fitting into my life story. I'm starting this company to help people find their own "red carpets," an all-in-one lifestyle and career development studio, but above all, a community critically needed as a new decade unfolds.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Besides the literal countless patients from all walks of life whose health & success have been transformed by my programs, my biggest accomplishment has been graduating from Founder Institute! I was the only one in my cohort launching a physical brick & mortar business. The accelerator began with only some 40 members from Chicago, New York, Toronto, and Waterloo and was reduced to about 18 by graduation, and every step of the way, I was convinced I wouldn't make it (as I'm sure all my colleagues felt!) - but especially since my business really *was an outlier. And then I graduated! So we are now considered "Investor Ready" and preparing for the next major milestones, opening all the doors we can.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
Biting off more than you can chew! Especially at the beginning, where everything is all on you, we have to be marketers, developers/designers, students, and professionals in our craft - there are so many moving parts! And even for someone like me with a background in wellness & mindfulness, it's all too easy to burn out. So my sneaky solution is to build camaraderie & support to prevent my own burnout. By launching the Studio so I can be surrounded by inspiring people every day!
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Recognize the signs of burnout. Just keep yourself "surrounded" by following burnout experts in your social media accounts to have it in the back of your mind.
- Delegate whenever you can. I know it's hard to give up "control," but getting familiar with what tasks you really can offload, even if it means doing exchanges with someone, can be a lifesaver.
- Keep yourself organized. I'm neurotic about this because it's so easy to have lists here, half-baked ideas there, and scattered documents. I've created programs to master this because when you have a solid system, it cuts work down immensely since your past and future selves are actually working together!
Where can people find you and your business?
Website:
https://inspiredliving.studio/
https://rootstosky.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/InspiredLivingWarriors
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rootstosky/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RootsToSky
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rootstosky/
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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