The founder combining fitness with social events to help people stay healthy and make new friends

Vanessa Hoh runs Work Me Shape Me, a London-based business that combines fitness classes with social events to help people stay healthy and make new personal connections.

The entrepreneur was inspired to launch the company after discovering her love for the fitness and wellness space and struggling to meet new friends who shared a similar interest. 

As a first-time business owner, she needed advice and turned to the Amazon Small Business Accelerator e-learning programme for tips.

Vanessa shares her inspiring story.

The free Amazon Small Business Accelerator e-learning programme is advice from more than 30 business experts in over 200 bitesize videos.

If you're already an Enterprise Nation member, log in to your learning dashboard. If you're not an Enterprise Nation member, you can join the Amazon Small Business Accelerator for free here.

How did you come up with your business idea and turn that idea into a business?

"After graduating, I went solo travelling for nine months, and upon returning I started on a graduate programme in financial services.

"Whilst I was unhappy in my corporate job, it made me discover my love for fitness. After beginning my corporate career and fitness journey in London, I fell in love with the variety and experiences boutique fitness studios had to offer, especially through the ClassPass app. As someone who loves to travel, meet new people and experience everything in life, I love the classes at boutique fitness studios because it offers an experience instead of just a work out.

"Recognising that it could be daunting to visit a new fitness studio alone, I also found it challenging to make like-minded friends in a big city who I could share these experiences with. At the same time, I tried to overcome a significant lifestyle change of obsessive exercise and restrictive dieting, and that was also a very lonely journey.

"This gave birth to the idea for Work Me Shape Me, an events, network and media platform for people who are interested in staying active, meeting like-minded people, and trying new experiences in the city.

"The aim is to inspire movement and discovery whilst creating a community of like-minded people to share experiences and lifestyle. Alongside the mental and physical benefits of working out and connecting with people in person, my mission is to promote a balanced lifestyle in a fun way, with the message being ’work out, but also enjoy food and live life’ because loneliness, an unhealthy diet and exercise habits can mean missing out on experiencing life to the fullest. The events I offer are experience-led fitness and social events by partnering with boutique fitness studios, restaurants and bars.

"When I started Work Me Shape Me, I hosted my first fitness and social event by choosing a fitness studio and restaurant that I liked and I knew would deliver a good experience to first time attendees. I gave it a low price and invited all my friends so it would sell out. I hired a camera man as it was the perfect opportunity to capture amazing content to use for future marketing purposes."

What start-up challenges have you faced?

"The challenges are many. A big one is raising brand awareness whilst being a solopreneur with little expertise in the marketing and PR space, especially without funding as I’m bootstrapping.

"When I started the business, I posted in many Facebook groups for people looking to meet new people or who are into fitness. I also privately messaged people on Facebook chat and used Bumble BFF & Bizz to connect with my target audience.

"This was time consuming, but it did work.

"I am now more into networking, partnering and collaborating with brands where we can help each other raise brand awareness.

"Accounting and finance are areas I am still unsure and overwhelmed by. I will be attending more of Enterprise Nation's events to help gain more clarity!"

How has COVID-19 affected your business?

"Drastically! I started my business as a side hustle, a year before COVID-19 hit. I had planned to work on my business full-time but I had to delay my plans.

"At the start of lockdown, I tried to replicate my in-person fitness and social events online by offering people Zoom classes for working out and then a cooking class for people to exercise, eat and chat. It was a great way to get people to move and combat loneliness for people doing lockdown alone.

"However, with many other platforms offering free online classes and resources, it was extremely competitive. I was also experiencing burn out by working in my corporate job full time and also running the business. I later took the decision to stop because my business is all about in person experiences. I waited until it was the right time to re-launch, which I did in January 2022. I've now quit my job to focus on the business full-time."

What tips have you picked from the Amazon Small Business Accelerator e-learning programme?

"I have wanted to learn more about PR and pitching to the media but I have been uncertain about how to get coverage and how to position myself.

"The video on how to get press coverage with PR expert Liz Slee was very useful! She outlines how to become newsworthy, how to find journalists to contact, and the best ways to send news to your target journalists. For example, it is key to deliver a maximum of three messages and stick to short paragraphs with a catchy headline.

"Another helpful video is 'how to source reviews, testimonials and case studies' with Rachel Whittaker. This was a reminder of the importance of seeking reviews to provide social proof of my business and show new customers what they get out of our events!

“I also liked the tips that Rachel Whittaker provided in her video on 'how to use your community to turn customers into fans'. For example, emailing customers once they have bought a product to reintroduce yourself and the brand, or sending a voice note to thank them. Work Me Shape Me is all about community so I am always keen to understand how I can strengthen and nurture my community."

What actions have you taken as a result of the tips you picked up?

"I have signed up to Google My Business for people to leave reviews of the events. I thank attendees for attending the events and ask them to leave a review. I also remind them in the WMSM community WhatsApp group by sharing the link to the review page. I have been receiving more reviews which is great.

"I have drafted some content for PR pitching by adopting Liz’s tips. I am yet to send these off to journalists, but I am excited to see the outcome!

"I am also learning how to be more proactive with nurturing my community."

What are your plans for the future of your business?

"I hope to be able to partner with more brands to further raise brand awareness.

"I also want to run more corporate events to support employees post-pandemic by offering my services for team building events, to bring together team members who are working remotely.

"Finally, I am working on a membership platform, which I plan to launch in September."

What are your top tips for business success?

"Remain resilient and always show up for your business, because if you don't show up nothing will progress. There will be ups and downs during the journey, including some days when you are not so sure what the vision of the business is or feeling lost and demotivated. Accepting that this is part of the journey is important. I used to think that successful entrepreneurs are always clear on their vision and final product but this isn't always the case.

"Also, be ready and happy with having to pivot and change your business offering according to customer needs."

The free Amazon Small Business Accelerator e-learning programme is advice from more than 30 business experts in over 200 bitesize videos.

If you're already an Enterprise Nation member, log in to your learning dashboard. If you're not an Enterprise Nation member, you can join the Amazon Small Business Accelerator for free here.