Running a business? Or sharing a passion?

I have been thinking a lot lately about the ‘why ‘ behind Flow. It always felt very organic & natural. I never set out with a business plan or model… I simply kept doing the things I enjoyed & sharing what I learnt & valued to support a healthy balanced lifestyle

There’s so much noise surrounding being healthy now, I think it has clouded what it means & perhaps disabled us from exploring what unique happiness is to us - that inner contentment where nothing ‘big’ is happening but you feel happy. That happiness from the inside.

I want people to find & know they have the tools to access that - be it through getting to know their body more with physio, moving it through yoga or Pilates or exploring nature with paddleboarding. However you choose to connect, connection with yourself & others is a huge part of supporting our mental wellbeing.

Lockdown forced us to review what & how we worked, but it also made me take a step back. Perhaps we got comfy? Perhaps we were resting on our laurels. I have been reflecting on the ‘effort’ I put into Flow when I first started, it never felt like effort because I was passionate & excited, we grew & we thrived. But when I look back I realised maybe I don’t give me in the same way, I perhaps haven’t had my why as at the forefront as before. There will be many reasons, but ultimately I feel like my confidence went. Everywhere you look is a fitness/wellbeing studio, paddleboarding school & physio clinic. The pushback for me is I am not here to be competitive, I don’t want to tout for business or feel like I am trying to get people to engage with us - that to me is the wrong way round, I’ve always wanted to showcase a lifestyle & environment that you want in on. A space & opportunity to feel like you can get to know your body better, take care of your mind & let go of what you feel you ‘should’ be doing to support your health.

So with that comes realisation that this is a new opportunity for growth, for change. We don’t need to do the basics anymore, everyone else now also has that covered, we need to adjust our sails & keep bringing our focus back to sharing our values. If we focus on numbers, engagement, doing more, we become a business. And I don’t think Flow is a very good business. It is a passion, a space for the ‘why’ to guide what we do. I have realised that if I keep coming back to, ‘is this experience serving me?’ I will find my answers. I haven’t got all of them yet, we are gently exploring them, but it feels like the clouds are clearing… it feels like it’s making sense.

If we keep focussing on our passion, our ‘business’ flourishes. It isn’t about the numbers, the numbers come with authenticity, providing opportunities & offering a service that feels familiar, interesting & something you want to be part of.

I am excited to share more & to look back on these moments & be so grateful for these shifts, as thats where change comes from and change is growth & growth is healthy & exciting.

Love Katie