Name: Julie Walsh
Age: 29
Job Title and Description: Founder of fitBallet
College Name/Major: UC Irvine/Dance and Global Cultures
Website: www.fitballet.org
Twitter Handle: @fitballet
What does your current job entail? Is there such a thing as a typical day?
Julie Walsh: Right now, I’m juggling all aspects of owning a business. I train individual clients, teach classes and handle social media and marketing. There really isn’t a typical day, both because my training schedule is different every day and because I’m always trying to jump-start new projects.
What is the best part of your job?
JW: It’s a pure meritocracy. You need some luck to make it big, of course, but for the most part it’s all about how hard you work and how creative you are. I really like getting out of bed every morning knowing I get to shape my day: what do I want to solve, who do I want to talk to? I really need to impose a meta-structure to make sure I don’t get lost on social media or the Gilmore Girls archives, but having that freedom makes me feel fully awake and like I’m working to my full potential.
What was your first entry-level job in your field and how did you get it?
JW: I’m not sure there’s an entry-level position that leads to starting a business! You kind of have to just dive right in. That said, everything I did before starting fitBallet helped prepare me in some way. I went to Harvard Law School and practiced as an attorney for several years, and that made me comfortable with working long hours and with the legal aspects of starting a business. Teaching dance classes helped me understand how to break down and explain physical concepts. Even my summers as a camp counselor in college were helpful, because they taught me how to be “on” as a teacher and hold the attention of a difficult crowd.
What is one thing you wish you knew about your industry when you first started out that you know now?
JW: I wish I’d known that the fitness industry is about support and motivation rather than information. Most people don’t need information on how to work out. They need help getting out of bed in the morning, getting to the gym. Once I understood that, I revamped the services I offered to be more personal, and that really helped the business take off.
Who is one person who changed your professional life for the better?
JW: My father. He owns a business also, and watching him constantly hustle from the time I was a child really informed my idea of what it meant to be an entrepreneur. I never went into this thinking that running a business was a 9-to-5 endeavor. I knew I was going to have to work constantly, and I was excited about it, because he’d shown me how thrilling it is to be responsible for your own future.
What words of wisdom do you find most valuable?
JW: “No one knows what they’re doing, either.” When you’re starting a business, it’s easy to think the advice that more established people give you is pure gold. Just listen and do as they say and you’ll be a huge success! But what worked for them might be totally wrong for you, or they may be misremembering their own first steps…a million different factors are at work in everyone’s personal story.
People love to look backward on their own lives and superimpose a narrative: “I did X and then Y, and then Z happened. So if you also want Z, do X and Y!” You can mine that advice for the parts that’ll work for you, but then you just have to evaluate each situation as it comes and do your best.
What is one mistake you made along the way and what did you learn from it?
JW: Taking things too personally. When I first launched my business, I had this latent assumption that I wouldn’t have to promote myself too much. People would see what I was offering, and they’d come to me, and it would be this great sitting-around-a-campfire situation. When that didn’t happen, I took it personally, thinking what I was offering wasn’t right or wasn’t enough. That was a mistake.
I was confusing the need for intense marketing with the inherent value of my business. I’ve noticed that women often feel uncomfortable marketing themselves and their businesses. Once you stop conflating yourself with your business, it’s easier to promote the business.
What has been the most surreal moment of your career thus far?
JW: Watching the transformation of my clients’ bodies. It’s so incredibly rewarding to see someone’s physical shape change—to know that their life is now objectively better, because they’re healthier—and to know that you were partially responsible for that. It’s so intimate when someone invites you to be part of his or her struggle for health. When he or she succeeds because of something you created, that’s a crazy moment.
What do you look for when considering hiring someone?
JW: Responsibility. Mistakes can be corrected, but you can’t fix the attitude of someone who isn’t reliably showing up ready to work. I’m incredibly invested in the success of my business, and I need to get the sense from an employee that they care, too.
What advice would you give to a 20-something with similar aspirations?
JW: Be sure you’re picking something you’re absolutely passionate about. Starting a business is work, regardless of how much you like the area you’re working in. You need an enormous amount of drive to carry you through all the taxes, scheduling issues, and everything else that crops up. Wait until you find the subject that speaks to your soul and then go for it.