The roots of Shift, Set, Go go all the way back to 2011, when Emily was working as a practice manager for a chiropractor. She’d found a weight loss program that she really liked and wanted the doctors to offer it to their patients.
Among local business marketers, chiropractors have a reputation for being the worst clients ever because they typically chase shiny objects harder than a husky chases loose chickens. Perhaps her docs were immune to that, because they poo-pooed the whole (really smart) idea.
That’s when Emily said, “Fine, I’ll do it myself.” She invested about $5K in the rights to sell the program and made the leap. By 2013, the space she’d rented was bursting at the seams with clients, so she moved out on her own. By 2018, Emily’s husband joined the team full-time. And by 2019, the business had grown to serve six physical locations in Washington State, now featuring the program and products you’ll find at Shift, Set, Go clinics.
Taking It Online
Maybe Emily got a heads-up about what was to come in the not-so-distant future from some mysterious source in late 2019. That’s when she launched a wholesale version of her program. It includes all of the products and her custom program that clients go through to lose weight. This program went into about 50 wellness centers, weight loss centers, chiropractors, and naturopaths throughout the country.
Along the way, Emily read 12 Months to $1 Million and the “hey, maybe we should sell products online” seed was planted. She thought, “This book makes perfect sense. But not for my business. We sell products - but first, we’re a coaching company.”
However, adding the wholesale arm set the company up perfectly for spring 2020 when the whole of Washington State basically shut down. That’s when they added virtual coaching. While Emily had thought about going virtual sometime that year, Covid added rocket fuel to those plans. Amazing how a worldwide pandemic can nudge us into taking the next step. Emily’s team hustled to get an ecommerce site up and running to meet the demand. She says at first it looked like it was held together by duct tape, but it got the job done.
Up until then, Emily had figured everything out on her own - from marketing to manufacturing to inventory management, shipping, and… well, everything. During this learning curve, she got handy at Googling and asking good questions.
Scaling Past the 7-Figure Mark
Shift, Set, Go hit 7 figures years ago. They’ve got 20 employees and made the Inc. 5000 in 2021. (If you’re wondering, you pay to apply for that - it’s a great milestone to hit, and gives some awesome bragging rights, but it’s not like you need to do it every year, as Emily explains.)
When Emily started listening to our podcasts again, it hit her… it was now time to dive in and grow an ecomm arm of the business. After all, “we could sell 4 products at $30 each and make 100 sales per day.” The model clicked for her and then Emily joined the Capitalism Incubator.
She’d gotten really good at brick and mortar but didn’t want to go through the whole learning curve of selling online. The brand has about 100 SKUs - pharmaceutical grade supplements, protein bars, chips, oatmeal, soups, shakes, and more. Clients use specific products throughout the various stages of the program.
As one does when joining the Incubator, Emily’s first order of business was to really get to know her person. After all, it’s a lot easier to hone your brand and speak to your target client when you really, really know them. Emily calls hers the 50/50 woman - usually about 50 years old with about 50 pounds to lose. She’s gotten really good at talking to this customer so far, and now it’s a matter of gathering more and more of them.
Enter the Capitalism Incubator
One of the next big steps in the Incubator is to create a vivid vision and then a pitch deck (PITCH WEEK IS NOVEMBER 17th, yo! Eeeeeee!!!!). While Emily has bootstrapped 100% so far, she’s definitely not opposed to seeking investment now. Having a capital partner would sure make it easier to do more product innovation.
She’s already well on her way to sitting in the Owner’s Seat. Her husband is the CTO and helps a lot with operations and inventory projections. She’s got a warehouse manager who runs ops, a marketing director, and a general manager who oversees the six locations and their coaches.
The ecomm side of the business is the part that makes the most sense to scale, which fits perfectly with Emily’s long-term plan. While she’s building to sell, the side effect is having a business that’s a pleasure to own, with financial and lifestyle freedom growing at the same time.
Emily’s a third generation entrepreneur. Her grandpa started a company that her parents took over. Her other grandpa, aunts, and uncles joined the team, too. So business was bred into her from an early age. Given that set of genetics, it’s hard to imagine Emily would ever be without a business. She loves the impact her business has on its clients, helping them get healthier and feel great about themselves.
Emily, we’re proud of all you’ve done so far and can’t wait to watch what you do next to grow your business and serve even more of your beautiful clients and customers!
Your Turn?
Emily Countryman is one smart entrepreneur. She's a great example of the kind of business owner we love to coach - one who's building a smart brand while making the world a better place. We'll follow up with Emily soon and keep you posted on her progress, too.
If Emily's road to $1 million inspires you to build a high-integrity business that can create generational wealth, we'd love to help you.
In fact, we're on a mission to make one million new millionaires by 2028. We'd love YOU to be one of them.
Join this FREE course and get started on your way to building a million dollar brand now.
