Liz Grantham is the founder of TheOptimal.me. She has more than 30 years of experience in marketing and advertising providing innovative, integrated, thoughtful solutions for global clients such as Visa, Shell, and Sony Mobile, working on projects including the Olympics. 

Can you tell our readers about your background?

I was born in 1967 and raised in a small city in South Africa during the Apartheid era. I am the youngest of five and spent most of my school years at boarding school. When I finished high school, I studied fashion design but then ended up working as a temporary secretary in a small ad agency, and my fate was sealed! I fell totally in love with one of my projects – the “Shell Road to Fame” talent search – which opened my eyes, my mind, and totally changed my perception of our country and the real meaning of Apartheid. Until then, I’m ashamed to say I had no idea of the hardships faced, nor the extraordinary talent, grace, goodwill and utter determination to succeed against all odds by the majority of South Africans, and it set me on a course that has led to where I am today.

In 1995, my daughter was born. She changed my views on what good work, good clients, and generally being a good, present human being meant. She has provided me with my “true north” for the past 25 years.

What inspired you to start your business? 

Before I started TheOptimal.me, I started my own advertising and marketing agency. It’s 21 years old! I have been privileged to work for Fortune 50 companies from the start on global accounts with projects across our continent and the globe. The birth of “digital” meant so many things we were doing had the opportunity to change – provide a greater reach for less, learning how technology could help rather than hinder – and fortunately my eyes were opened to greater opportunities.

Getting to grips with how digital could be used to benefit the lives of many, and that perhaps constructing a totally new business model – working for many clients at a low cost rather than two or three clients for a premium – got me thinking. 

Having had a life-changing experience through starting to practice integrated functional movement with an extraordinary teacher, the idea for TheOptimal.me came whilst in a hotel room in Barcelona as I was feeling the aches, pains and physical impact of long-distance travel, and all I wished for was my teacher to be at my fingertips! That was my “a-ha” moment…Why not?

Where is your business based?

FireFinch Ltd is based in Mauritius, with the team working around the world.

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

Once the idea was born, I started just as I would start any massive project: define the concept; do a thorough SWOT analysis, look for and identify the right implementation partners; gather potential costs, run a lot of numbers and budgets, etc. Then it was time to put my money where my mouth was!

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

For a lifelong marketer, this has been the most difficult part of all. It’s been a slow and steady grind, using existing networks and the networks of the core team; but overall, so far, I believe that traditional PR comes out tops.

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

On a personal level, it’s been standing strong and unwavering when almost everyone I talk to for the first time responds to me like I’m an idiot – and this includes potential suppliers, team members, good friends that are top businessmen and women.

On a business level, it’s been learning about tech, development, UX design, and all that goes with it. The terminology is the same as in advertising/marketing, but the meanings often quite different. It’s cost me the equivalent of a Master’s degree! But I’m getting there. 

How do you stay focused?

I always keep the big picture top of mind, and then on a daily basis drill down into what needs doing. I start out my day listing out my top three priorities, plus a list of smaller “to-dos.” I make sure my first few hours are spent on the most important work or strategic thinking required to keep the team focused on moving forward.

I take regular breaks from sitting behind my desk – whether it’s to do a quick five-minute Integrated Movement Routine to stretch out and relax, or do some deep breathing. It’s amazing how even a small change of scenery brings clarity!

How do you differentiate your business from the competition? 

TheOptimal.me has a completely different offering. It’s not “just another exercise app.” It’s been designed and built specifically for those nearing mid-life and beyond. We’re not focused on looking good, but rather on feeling good and ensuring that our users are going to stay active for longer, physically and mentally, doing the things they love with less pain or risk of injury.

We have made sure that everything – from the UX to how the movement videos are made, plus all the content – is specifically for our members. We know people’s time is precious, and we don’t want to waste a minute of it.

Plus, many on our team ARE our key audience so we understand what the issues are, what we’re going through, and that we’re living longer and need to ensure that we take care of our health as a priority. But let’s have some fun doing it!

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business? 

Surprisingly, it’s been good, old traditional PR. Whilst our audience may be active on social platforms, purchasing decisions are a different matter. Because we’re educating, it’s important that our message lands in trusted media, rather than simply in social media or digital campaigns. We’re finding that planning the good, old-fashioned way is working best – even though we focus on digital magazines and media as opposed to print, which is just way too expensive right now. 

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

Do the groundwork. You have a much better chance of succeeding if you build very strong foundations. I also am a great believer in the truth. There’s no room for rose-tinted glasses, and you have to be able to cope with the very worst-case scenarios. 

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

Monday.com is has become integral to how our global team works together. With the latest updates, the project management and dashboard capabilities ensure we get quick, efficient views of what’s going on across multiple projects and work streams, plus it’s made the team so much more efficient with the weekly admin with the integration of various tools like Slack and Toggl.

Who is your business role model? Why?

Esta Viviers is the Founder, Executive Director, and Shareholder of a very successful, best in class human capital performance solutions company in South Africa called Connemara. There are countless reasons I admire and am inspired by Esta: she is whip-smart and always curious; physically small, her presence is large; quiet and thoughtful, always processing what she’s hearing; and then her remarkable way with words that provides both the insight and solution so succinctly, you wonder why you hadn’t figured it out yourself. At 60+, Esta is most definitely the youngest 60+ women I know!

What is your beauty routine? What are some of your favorite products?

I am quite lazy about a beauty routine so take the easy way out and keep it really simple: wash and moisturize (plus eye serum) twice a day; sunscreen always. Because I hardly ever wear make-up, Georgio Armani’s Beauty Maestro UV Skin Defense Primer SPF 50 is my daily go-to; it gives me a great finish and keeps the rays away.

How do you balance work and life?

Thankfully, I love my work! But I love to travel, so until our new Covid-19 lockdown happened, I always had some exciting travel on my schedule to keep me motivated. For me, there is nothing more inspiring and regenerating than visiting a new place or going back to an old favorite.

On a day to day basis, I am very strict with how I use technology and my devices. When I leave the office in the early evening, my computer stays off until I log in in the morning, I don’t get email on my phone, and phones are banned at meal times!

I also make sure that I stick to my daily movement routine. I have experienced the disastrous impact of being stuck behind my desk 9 – 10 hours a day and then spending my evening on the sofa, so my daily IMRs make sure that my body and brain stay aligned and pain-free so that I can enjoy my downtime. 

What’s your favorite way to decompress? 

A good laugh with friends always works well for me, especially if we also get to drink great coffee or enjoy good food. I am a talker, so being able to let it all out and get the insights of people I respect or I know are going through similar challenges really helps. 

I have a wonderful psychologist that gets life’s bigger purpose so that always helps me put things in perspective. 

Time out in nature and the glory of the natural world can be the best way to show what a small little part we are in the universe and help us realize that no matter what, life will continue to unfold. 

What do you have planned for the next six months?

Now that’s an interesting one…a month ago my answer would have been quite different! In this time of lockdown, life is slowing down. Outside of the immense suffering, those of us who are healthy can use this time to reflect and reboot. It’s extraordinary to have space and the silence to focus and concentrate on big blocks of work, rather than juggling a million little things all the time. 

During this time I look forward to building TheOptimal.me and making sure that everyone in midlife and beyond starts thinking about functional movement, and how if we use this time wisely, we can come out of the other side in a much better space than we were when the crisis began! I am dreaming about and conceptualizing exciting new offerings, and how we’re going to keep improving! 

How can our readers connect with you? 

https://theoptimal.me/

https://www.facebook.com/TheOptimal.me

https://www.instagram.com/theoptimal.me/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/theoptimalme/