Sister company alert! YAY now has its first subsidiary, Right as Run coaching. This launch has been nearly two years in the making. Like is often the case in entrepreneurial journeys, it wasn’t a straight line from A to B.
I actually started Right as Run in January 2019 as a little side project, inspired in part by my reflections on the year before and planning for new year goals. In the beginning, I primarily thought of it as a running blog, an outlet for putting my creative writing degree to use, and a place to share my travels as I attempt running a marathon in all 50 states. I did some name brainstorming, and chose Right as Run because 1) it spoke to how running made me feel, and 2) the wordplay of right as rain/right as run and the alliteration delighted me. Then I whipped up a quick logo and started writing.
Mostly I was just writing for myself. I wasn’t sharing openly. It felt kind of like a secret. Under the radar. It’s nice sometimes to give yourself a playground like that with little to no pressure. It’s hard to remember all of my initial thoughts, but I think I had an inkling I might one day grow it to offer writing workshops for runners, or something not yet known to me. But maybe not for many years. There definitely was no plan.
One of my YAY clients actually jumpstarted the process for me. The City of Bloomington hired me to lead a retreat focused on team-building and strategizing for the future. My project partner Devta asked whether we might include a break with some movement, either a walk or light stretching. Those long retreat days are great for getting things done, but they can be long. Managing energy is key, and movement can be an incredible catalyst for creativity.
I didn’t feel qualified to lead physical activities (Devta ended up leading a stretch break!), yet it got me thinking. And I’d already noticed on the fringes of the business world that leadership retreats included running were popping up. Could there possibly be overlap with my love for running with Yes and Yonder? I decided then I’d get run coach certification through Road Runners Club of America.
When I launched the blog back in 2019, I didn’t go through my full brand process like I would for a client. I skipped some steps to just get going. So for this launch—I guess we can call this Right as Run 2.0—I took a few steps back to refine and build it out, adding lock up variations, more thoughtful font selection, color perfecting and Pantone matching.
I started dreaming about team or group run retreats. Writing and running workshops. Along the way I got excited about the idea of coaching individuals too, which is where I’m starting. Virtual coaching will be open starting November 1, 2020 for a small number of athletes. I want to keep it limited to make sure I can offer a premium experience to everyone I work with. I’m also re-upping on my commitment to share writing prompts for runners. And I’m throwing it out into the world that for the company who wants it, I’m ready to design and facilitate retreats with a movement break.
When I started thinking about all of this I wasn’t sure how it all fit together in my life and current business. I think it’s important to be okay with some measure of figuring things out as I go. Purpose isn’t always mapped out in a neat and tidy steps. The runway is getting clearer, and it’s allowing me to forge a bigger vision for what Right as Run could be, one day. I can’t wait to see where this path leads!