"Listen to your customers" with Courtney Ruth

Photo credit: Lisa Woods: https://www.rapportgroup.co/

Courtney Ruth is one of the co-founders of KOYA Innovations, a company aiming to initiate moments of meaningful connection. She is also a samba admirer, marketing fanatic, and adventure enthusiast with a background in Psychology and Global Communications.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

I was fortunate to grow up in an innovative household. My dad started his first company at our kitchen table. As such, I believed that entrepreneurship was a normal job title.

While I have always loved business, I set my sights on a degree in Psychology. Without furthering my education, my degree didn’t provide many viable career opportunities. To make ends meet, I took on any job that came my way and fell into marketing where I helped several entrepreneurs launch their businesses. Having my hands in other’s literal business is what steered me back into entrepreneurship.

In my mid-twenties, I helped the communication department at a global nonprofit. Traveling opened my eyes to a relational richness that I missed whenever I returned. The years I spent abroad gave me the necessary resilience to embark on my recent venture.

In 2018, I transitioned from the not-for-profit sector into tech and co-founded a startup with my family.
 
What inspired you to start your business?

As a family, we used to hide notes in each other’s bags before long trips. When I moved away, I began doing this with my friends as well. We would all get creative to extend love from afar. This is the origin of KOYA Innovations, Inc. We wanted to create a digital experience that replicates the feeling of in-person spontaneity.

Where is your business based?

The founding KOYA team resides in Austin, TX.

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

First, we created and filed a patent to protect our IP. We followed this up with a design sprint and development. The product has gone through several iterations and will continue to evolve.

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

Doing things that don’t scale. Although our app is free, it’s difficult to break through the noise to win a download. Having touchpoints with our customers has helped us raise awareness.

When our customers are happy and feel as though we provide a solution to their problem, they become our biggest ambassadors. It might not seem sexy to spend hours on Slack, LinkedIn, or other social sites, but it has led to incredible friendships and super fans.

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

As a geo-location app, we realized that staying safe at home makes using the KOYA app challenges. To help, we made it possible to schedule KOYAs using time-windows.

While making it possible to schedule a KOYA did help, COVID revealed a bigger issue. Social has distancing amplified the loneliness epidemic. Our recent pivot seeks to make KOYA more accessible. More on this later.

How do you stay focused?

I wake up early each morning to paint for an hour before work. It feels invigorating to have something small to look forward to. While I can’t change what is happening in the world, I can choose where I invest my time. This daily rhythm is grounding and helps me stay focused throughout the day.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

According to one of our users, “Zoom is good to reconnect, texts are fine for updates and cat videos, but KOYA actually makes me feel seen and loved and KNOWN by my people.” – Anna

KOYA isn’t a communication platform, like Zoom or FaceTime, or a payment platform, such as Venmo. Instead, we make it possible to send memorable moments and gifts that arrive at the right place and time.

The closest competition we have is friend CRM apps. Although, we straddle between intelligent message delivery and personal CRM. We aren’t trying to compete with existing technology. Instead, we are attempting to forge a new category.

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

Aside from doing things that don’t scale, we partner with like-minded businesses to help us grow. Our friends are incredible and often post on their social channels as well. We embody the definition of bootstrapped and rely on organic traffic.

As we continue to scale, I favor quality campaigns and steady growth over a big splash. It’s important that our product offers value and our marketing strategies focus on solutions overselling a product. This strategy also leads to the path of least resistance.

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

Listen to your customers. Let your customers inform the solutions instead of informing customers about your product. This means that you will conduct adequate market research before building your product.

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

My favorite book at the moment is “Play Bigger” by Al Ramadan, Dave Peterson, Christopher Lochhead, and Kevin Maney. This book explores the idea of becoming a category king. It pushes you to find and refine your niche until it can stand alone and dominate a new market.

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

I love Slack. It’s a helpful tool that enables me to communicate with my colleagues with ease. I consult other companies on the side and Slack also keeps me organized. The search bar is my favorite feature within Slack.
 
Who is your business role model? Why?

Bozoma Saint John is definitely my business role model. She if fiercely herself. I have a high value for authenticity and am inspired by her choice to show up in this world.

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

Aside from painting each morning, I make it a habit to read before bed. This is the surest way to wind me down before my head hits the pillow. I like having routines that bookend my day and provide a healthy balance between work and life.

What do you have planned for the next six months?

Earlier, I mentioned that pivot seeks to make KOYA more accessible. KOYA 2.0 is an approachable guide with thoughtful prompts, content from relational wellness and mental health experts, enriched profiles, and a platform to help people meaningfully show up for their loved ones.

Along with this, we are working on a new offering. I can’t go into detail, but this new feature will open up an unsaturated and highly personal marketplace.

How can our readers connect with you?

You can find me on LinkedIn and learn more about KOYA over at www.getkoya.com.

"Find people who will be the harshest critics of your business" with Kenna Johnson

Kenna Johnson is a Nike Trainer, NASM-certified personal trainer, yoga instructor, and co-founder of Sona Fitness. In addition to lifelong dance training (she dances professionally in the Chicagoland area), Kenna has extensive experience as a personal trainer, fitness instructor, and yoga teacher, having taught classes all over Chicago and the North Shore. In class design and personal training sessions, Kenna focuses on functional training; training that improves your daily life physically and mentally. https://www.sona.fitness/

Can you tell our readers about your background?

My love for movement first began with my dance career and evolved from there. I did not begin seriously dancing until I was 15 years old, which put me greatly behind in technique. Luckily, I have always believed you can do anything you put your mind to. While majoring in Dance and minoring in Business, I received my 200-Hr Yoga Certification and National Academy of Sports Medicine Personal Training Certification. Following graduation, I was hired by Inaside Chicago Dance Company in Chicago and started teaching fitness throughout the Chicago-land area. It was in these years that I became a Nike Trainer, Rehearsal Director of my dance company, and started my own business, and the rest, as they say, is history.

What inspired you to start your business?

I wanted to create a concept that was welcoming and encouraging to everybody!  Our culture tends to glorify a nearly unattainable physique, which can lead to insecurity, anxiety, and pressure around the idea of exercising.  Whether somebody is just beginning their fitness journey or is a seasoned workout warrior, my goal was (and still is) to create a space/platform where anybody feels comfortable to workout. 

Where is your business based?

Evanston, IL (North Shore suburbs of Chicago)

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

After I decided I wanted to go out on my own and partnered with my husband to start our business, we spent several weeks building out the back end infrastructure before anything else.  We set up the LLC, figured out our invoicing/payment systems, worked on our product offerings and pricing model.  Once we had these main pillars in place, then we began working on more ancillary items on our to-do list, such as our brand name, logo, website design, etc.    

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

Consistency over time...there is no substitution for staying active with networking groups, social media, community engagement, and of course word of mouth from our members.  We have remained steadfast in our commitment to these areas over the last 2 years and are just now starting to see it pay real dividends.

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

Since exercise is such a "mindset thing", it's incredibly difficult to connect with and market to someone who is not in a workout frame of mind.  To combat this, we are always striving to innovate to make our service the most accessible, convenient, and user-friendly as possible.  This way, when someone is in a workout frame of mind, they know where and how to find us.

How do you stay focused?

Having been in business for a couple of years, it is much easier now to stay focused than it was in the beginning (when we were just throwing stuff against the wall to see what would stick).  Since we now have a well-established routine in place, we know when we are reviewing our P&L, we know how our financials should be tracking month over month, etc.  We have been diligent to maintain accurate sales and client data.  The data that we have compiled over the last two years basically tells us where to focus. 

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

Sona is a Gaelic word, which translates to prosperity and happiness.  From our classes to the design concept of our app and website, you’ll notice the Sona influence.  That means Approachable and friendly instructors. Empowering and inspiring workouts. And personalized and fun fitness programming. Ultimately, we strive to use exercise as a tool to help our clients feel happier and healthier, on the path to total Sona. 

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

The most effective and efficient marketing strategy for us has been taking full advantage of client referrals.  Over time, we have developed an effective incentive program for client referrals which has outperformed our other marketing efforts from an acquisition cost standpoint.   

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

Find people who will be the harshest critics of your business.  Family and friends are a great place to start but choose wisely because they come from a place of love so sometimes, you may not get the critical feedback that you actually need. 

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

The favorite app is an easy one.  Our live stream and on-demand exercise video app are launching in the next several weeks, so check it out in the near future!  My favorite blog is asweatlife.com because we share similar values on how to approach exercise.  My favorite book is The Art of Racing in the Rain.  As an avid dog lover, this book really pulls at my heartstrings!   

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

I'm a big fan of Zapier.  It's a very useful tool to automate all sorts of online functions and tasks.  By no means do I have a tech background, and it is easy for me to navigate. 

Who is your business role model? Why?

My grandpa is my business role model.  His experience and success in the corporate world have made him a valuable mentor to me.  He always provides me with guidance and has instilled in me a tortoise approach to business...to not grow faster than we can handle.

How do you balance work and life?

With very few exceptions, the computer gets shut down for the night at dinner.  For weekends or vacations, I am strategic about blocking off some time to work/catch up.  Strict no work rule outside of those time blocks!

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

Life is about balance, right?  I may work in the fitness space, but I love ice cream!  My husband and I end most weekends with a walk to our favorite ice cream store around the block. 

What do you have planned for the next six months?

We were actually about to open a brand new studio in March, but we tabled the construction at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.  We are still planning to open our studio but are taking the tortoise approach :) with it.  We are considering modifications to our concept to be more conducive to a socially distant workout environment.  Otherwise, again keep an eye out for our new app coming out in August/September!

How can our readers connect with you?

Find me on Instagram @kennagetanamen or email support@sona.fitness

Q&A with Serena Holmes

Serena Holmes is the President & CEO of Tigris Events, a multi-award winning experiential marketing and event staffing agency based in Toronto. Tigris Events works with top brands such as Bell Media, WINNERS, Toronto Star, Grace Foods, and many others. Serena has won numerous accolades including CV Magazine’s Canadian Events Professional of 2017 as well as the W100 Top Women Entrepreneurs through PROFIT and Chatelaine Magazines.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

I got into events, quite by accident, back in 2001. I was working at a gym part-time while I was in university and someone referred me to the owner of a promotional modeling agency. At the time, this industry was not mainstream at all so this was new and exciting for me. I absolutely fell in love with the work! Once I graduated, the opportunity to work with Tigris came about - and a part-time gig became my full-time career.

What inspired you to start your business?

I actually didn’t start the company! I began working with Tigris part-time in June of 2004. The founder asked me to come on board in a management capacity that falls and shortly thereafter offered me a partnership. We began booking events with large brands like Motorola, Rogers and CHIN Radio. Before we knew it, we were operating nationally with over 500 staff on our roster. I took over company operations at the end of 2008 when the founder chose to leave the company for personal reasons.

Where is your business based?

Our head office is located 30 minutes east of Toronto. However, we operate across all of Canada and have recently launched in the United States.

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

As mentioned above, I didn’t start the business - I got involved shortly after it was created. This said, the foundation of the company was a bit fragmented and very confusing in the beginning. The founder launched not only one but three companies. After I took over, it took some time to amalgamate the divisions - event marketing, event planning and event staffing - under one umbrella. Now we operate as a streamlined agency under Tigris Events.

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

Internet marketing and social media have been the most effective ways for us to raise awareness about Tigris. Since we are the brand behind the brands we represent, we have to work that much harder for people to get to know us. Launching our SEO campaign in 2012 has revolutionized our business and allowed us to grow an average of 25-30% annually year over year.

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

The biggest challenge - but also the biggest opportunity - was losing our biggest client back in 2011. This forced us to look for other ways to increase our client base and revenues - which we accomplished through SEO. Prior to this, we had been largely referral based only. Now we have a steady stream of new leads coming in constantly and transition the majority of them into repeat customers.

How do you stay focused?

I am extremely consistent and self-motivated so I find it relatively easy to remain focused. This said, I like to keep a clean and organized inbox. I use folders for everything and once an email is dealt with, I file it immediately. I only leave things in my inbox that need to be dealt with. I also try to structure my time to complete a task before checking my email or moving along to something new. I also live for lists. I wouldn’t get anything done without them.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

At the end of the day, the service we offer is not entirely unlike what our competition offers but I believe how we do it is. Our communication and customer service is exceptional so every customer feels like a VIP (which they are). We have a sense of urgency about everything we do.

We also strive to make things easy for the people who hire us as well as the people who work for us. Lastly, we try to incorporate unique elements into our events, when we can, to further set us apart. This isn’t always possible if we are only staffing an event, but if we are concepting an experiential marketing campaign or planning an event, this is a great opportunity for us to showcase our capabilities.

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

Hands down, SEO has been the most effective marketing strategy to grow our business. We have gained approximately 100 more leads every year since we have invested in SEO over the year previous and close nearly 60% of them. It’s been absolutely huge for us.

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

Find a mentor! This will help you advance your growth much more quickly than trying to figure things out on your own. I didn’t find my first mentor until 8 years in. It was one of the things I had wished I had done sooner.

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

App - LinkedIn - it helps me keep track of clients who come and go from the company’s we work with as well as market our business.

Blog - Search Engine Journal - I love reading about SEO since it has such a significant impact on our business.

Book - The Power Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie - this provides a common sense way of looking at the value of relationships to impact your business and career.

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

I think our blog is my favorite resource. It brings in the majority of our income and new leads. We don’t simply write about whatever we want - we spend time on targeted keyword research and competitive analysis so our blogs will rank well and be easily found by people searching for that keyword. This is an extremely important part of our strategy.

Who is your business role model? Why?

I have a few but I think the owner of Training Business Pro’s would definitely be one of them. I started taking courses with them back in 2012 - and signed up for a 5-year membership.

Paul was a jazz musician for much of his career and had to find a new path after that career ended. He has been very successful in creating a successful digital marketing training company to help thousands of entrepreneurs and business owners. He’s made a huge impact on my life and my company.

What do you have planned for the next six months?

We would like to launch a software platform that we have been developing for the past 18 months. This will help us to automate a large part of our business. We are also continuing our expansion into the United States. Aside from that, our focus will be on growing the business and our team.

How can our readers connect with you?

• LinkedIn

• Twitter

• Instagram

• Tigris Events blog