Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Trish Reyburn, Owner of Blissworks Yoga & Healing Arts, located in New London, CT, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Blissworks Yoga & Healing Arts is a holistic health center that opened in 2004 in New London, Connecticut. We serve a community of individuals who are looking to find some peace in this crazy world. Our focus is on adults who realize they need to take time and pay attention to their bodies in order to age gracefully. We offer yoga, massage therapies, tarot readings, workshops, and trainings, all geared to help people be more self-reflective.
Tell us about yourself
As a teenager, I had been diagnosed with two auto-immune diseases, RA & Lupus. I discovered yoga and alternative therapies in my mid-20s and realized there was a way to turn my health around, and now I have been completely symptom-free for over 25 years! Yoga & lifestyle changes take more work than popping a pain pill, but our health and quality of life are our most important assets. I believe in the body's intelligence and ability to heal itself if given the proper time and attention. Yoga and bodywork are avenues towards self-awareness. How we speak to ourselves in our minds and our belief systems all affect our body. Teaching people to slow down and pay attention to the messages their body is offering is essentially what I do with great enthusiasm. So many people are suffering from their internal dialog, and with practice that can be changed.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Staying in business for almost 20 years in a small, depressed city and through a pandemic is a great success in itself. Touching so many lives and leaving a positive impression upon my clients is also a success. But the greatest accomplishment is staying clear on my vision and attracting in so many wonderful teachers and practitioners who love what they do and want to offer their service to the community. I am very blessed by the people who are involved with the studio.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
My biggest challenge has always been the ongoing efforts to market the studio and continue to engage new audiences, educating them about what we have to offer to the community. People come and go, some move out of the area, and others drop off a regular practice for themselves. There is always a need to get the word out to more individuals who will hopefully tell their friends what an asset we are to the area.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Write down your vision, your plans, your dreams. Be specific and as detailed as you can, and return back to your mission again and again. Make sure to keep it juicy!
- Ask for help. There is the Small Business Association, SCORE, and the Women's Business Development Council in our area, and they are likely in your area as well. Let people who have more experience than you, help you to work out the kinks.
- Know that things go up and down in business, just as they do in life. Plan for the slow periods, put money aside, and get a line of credit or a loan to help you keep going.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website:https://www.blissworksyoga.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blissworksyoga
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blissworksyoga/
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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