We were lucky to catch up with Emma Vollrath recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Emma, thanks for joining us today. Parents can play a significant role in affecting how our lives and careers turn out – and so we think it’s important to look back and have conversations about what our parents did that affected us positive (or negatively) so that we can learn from the billions of experiences in each generation. What’s something you feel your parents did right that impacted you positively.
From a young age my parents always held me to a certain standard in both school and sports. They always wanted me to do my best with everything I do, even if it was just a homework assignment. My parents also let me try different things and explore new hobbies (some lasting a day and others for months). This helped me experiment with what made me happy and what I could see myself doing when I got older. They always encouraged me to try new things and be kind to everyone I meet doing so which helped me find what I am passionate about as I grew up.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Growing up, I really struggled with my body image, and wanted to find something that would help me improve confidence in a healthy way, so I became infatuated with fitness and wellness. After always trying the “next big thing”, I decided to become a personal trainer to help other women who had felt the same way about their bodies as I did. While getting to know my clients, they usually all had the same goal, which was to target the lower stomach area for a number of reasons. There was nothing on the market I could point my clients to that would help them with their concerns, so I decided to make something myself. The process of starting and developing product definitely wasn’t linear, but starting was the most important thing.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
Doing things in-person. Having a clothing brand, it has been really beneficial to set pop-up shops up and meet my customers in real life. I love seeing people try on the clothing and see the product in hand, it makes it so exciting and helps you build credibility as a brand by going out and meeting everyone.
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
here are a few books I highly recommend to read before, or during your entrepreneurial journey. The first one would be The Power of One More by Ed Mylett, which is such a great resource if you are lacking motivation or self-belief. If you are looking for more of a story, I’d opt for Creativity Inc. by Ed Catmull, co-founder of Pixar, who shares some of his great business and creative philosophies. Lastly, Start with Why by Simon Sinek was another great read to find your “why” and then execute it with action.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://emmalouthelabel.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emmalouthelabel/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-vollrath-4582a8159/