Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Kara Delwo, operations manager of Valley Race Productions, located in Langley, BC, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I co-own an outdoor events company called Valley Race Productions (VRP) which has two main channels, trail running events and mountain biking events. The goal of these events is to bring together our outdoor community and make running and biking events accessible to everyone. My business partner and I both share a deep love for the outdoors, people, and hosting events, so it seemed natural to bring these things together and create our company. Our main customer base is from the Fraser Valley, but we also have racers coming from the USA and from the other provinces in Canada. It's a beautiful thing to get to share the incredible trails we have here with people from far and wide!
Tell us about yourself
There are a few things I love more than anything else in the world:
- Challenging myself through physical activity
- Being outside
- Sharing these experiences with other people
After a few serious knee injuries from playing soccer, I hung up my boots at the end of my University career. I searched for the next opportunity to combine these three loves of mine. I met my business partner through my time spent in the soccer world. We realized that we both wanted to find a way to bring together our local community and connect with others through physical activity.
We had both gotten really into trail running and exploring the incredible trails we had in our backyard. We began to notice that almost all of the races that took place were located outside of the Fraser Valley. My business partner already owned an events company, and I had worked with him for that company in the past, so running events came naturally to us both. We launched our trail races in 2019, and had two very successful races that sold out! Since then, we have been surrounded by the most incredible, loyal group of racers who have supported us through challenging times and who give us the motivation to work hard every day to make sure we can put on the best events possible!
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
My biggest accomplishment as a VRP business owner has been building a large, committed runner and rider base of community members who love and care about our races as much as we do. The feeling you get hearing excited runners and riders post-race conversations about the amazing time they had participating in the event cannot be topped. And by receiving this type of feedback, I know that the event was a success and that we have accomplished what we set out to do in bringing together the community through sport in our own backyard.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
The challenges we face are often in the form of natural disasters impacting our courses, such as flooding or slides, as well as in the form of the health crisis that the entire world has been impacted by over the past two years. The uncontrollable variables are frustrating because, as business owners, we always vow to do everything in our power to make sure the events can happen and go off as planned. But, sometimes mother nature says no. And while it is out of our control, it tends to feel like we've let down our racers by not being able to carry out the event that we wanted to. And that's always hard.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Find your WHY. If you know why you're starting the business, and that reason is firmly embedded in your heart, nothing can stop you.
- Commit! Put your full attention and efforts into the business. You will always face obstacles, but if you invest your time and effort into what you are doing, there will always be a way to overcome the obstacles.
- Keep it fun. Don't get so caught up in the end goal so much that you don't enjoy the process in the early days. There's something magical about the start-up phase of a company and the people you meet along the way.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.valleyraceproductions.com/
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/FraserValleyTrailRaces/
https://www.facebook.com/fraservalleybikeraces
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fraservalleytrailraces/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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