You started Gorgo in 2013 and Sisters in Shape in 2014. What inspired you?

There is a lack of empowering and real-life information and support for busy working women in fitness and nutrition. I think the modern-day career woman is the most underserved market right now (likely because we’re so busy keeping a handle on our lives it doesn’t leave much time to blog about solutions to better it!).

Describe the basic business model behind your company.

Sisters In Shape is an online personal training business. Each client has an experienced and knowledgeable trainer to work with her on both exercise and nutrition through our mobile workout app, instant message and video chats, so our clients experience the highest level of personal training possible, even without having a physical body with them (and no hassle of appointments to schedule).  

We keep our clients accountable and supported no matter their hectic schedule (along with getting them the results they are after). Our clients are all over the world, and are serviced by our team of elite trainers from across North America. We have a core team in Canada that handles the back-end aspects of the business as well as a full-time virtual staff in the Philippines. 

What is your core market?

We love working with super-busy women that are trying to balance career, motherhood, entrepreneurship, and life, or all of them at once!

Did you create a traditional business plan? Any other documentation?

An entrepreneur’s “business plan” is very different from a traditional corporate business plan.  My business plans evolve rapidly so there’s certainly no formal polished report like I used to do in my corporate CFO days. That said, I do have quarterly business plans that get refined into 90-day detailed execution plans.

Process documentation is actually very important in my business. With a team that spans a few countries and everyone working remotely, my experience and strength in process documentation has helped streamline processes and improve quality.

Did you seek advice or mentorship from anyone or any group?

Absolutely.  “Success leaves clues” is one of the best lessons I learned early on, and so I continuously reach out to those that I see as successful and connect.  From partners at my old CA firm, to my alumni network, or online entrepreneur groups. To keep good karma, I respond to those that email or contact me about my success, looking to start out, and give tips and encouragement to them. 

Did you solicit investment and/or business loans? Or did you “bootstrap” (i.e., fund the start-up with your own savings) the business?

100 per cent bootstrapped to this point.  It’s been slower growth but the right choice for me for a number of reasons.

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