I found myself spending all my spare time on ideas. That I would take more joy in a breakfast meeting about building something than I would in a night out. Once I started ideating I couldn't stop, most of it I had no idea how to build but somehow my ignorance kept me interested and then sooner or later I was able to find the right people to help me build one of the many ideas. I have always the importance of focus and knew that I couldn't work on all of them at the same time. So I picked one or two that were related and then tested the ideas on friends to see what they enjoyed the most. Ideas are cheap however building things and testing them and then selling are far from cheap, I have managed to find joy in the many different phases. This is definitely part of what keeps my interest alive. The most recent business pivot came out of a true personal need and pain point. I was very frustrated by the amount of money I was spending on fitness and never really felt like I was getting the personalized attention that I was paying for. We had also been building products with haptic feedback in the past and so I knew that it was theoretically possible to build a fitness/yoga product that could guide me with vibrational feedback so that I don't need to keep over paying for my wellbeing. Nadi X has woven-in technology for easier yoga paired with our app (available in the app store) the wearer gets audio guidances and the touch of the teacher. Moving forward, I don't think this is a "one woman" show. My amazing team who work hard on our products with passion deserves the credit, kudos to them.
What were the biggest initial hurdles to building your business and how did you overcome them?
There have been many hurdles and challenges. The location, where to put the battery - known as the pulse. That took some time and testing. We used human centric design to iterate and learn exactly where on the body this could be located. Just behind the upper left knee is an unusual spot but it is truly one of the magic locations that allows the wearer to be truly unaware of teh device while practicing yoga.
Did you ever deal with contention from your family and friends concerning your entrepreneurial pursuits? How did you handle it? What would you do differently in hindsight?
Yes, most definitely. They all have made mention of the fact that I "work too much". However your true friends will want to support you through the times when you need to be heads down and eventually I managed to surround myself with amazing group of fellow entrepreneurs who definitely empathize with the amount of work it takes to launch your ideas. I had multiple relationships fail due to this lack of understanding however I regret nothing. And I know deep down that this is what I am meant to be doing and that the true friends and family will allow you to be your best self and you will also be there for them to be their best selves also. Compromise is not a scary thing when it is for the right reasons.
What would you say was the single most influential factor in your business success?
I cannot think of one thing other than true perseverance.
What do you know today that you wish you would have known when you first got started as an entrepreneur?
That products takes about 3 times longer than you think they will. And that the process is as important as delivering.
What advice would you give to an upcoming entrepreneur locally and internationally?
Trust your gut. Be kind to others and definitely to yourself. Give yourself more time. Don't rush but create urgency. Think of creativity as a muscle and something that must be stretched. Hire slow and fire fast.
