Meet Katie Webb, founder of women’s fitness nutrition brand Aila | making the most of your workout
Welcome to our Female Founder series! It’s a great place to be. Every month, we connect with female founders who are inspiring us with their stories, letting their light shine and doing the damn thing.
This month we had the pleasure of talking to Katie Webb, founder and CEO of aila. We dove into COVID-19’s impact on her business, building community at a time when we need it most, meditation and how her company is empowering women through an active lifestyle.
Q: Could you introduce yourself and tell us about what you do at Aila?
A: My name is Katie Webb and I am the CEO and founder of Aila. We are a fitness nutrition brand for women focused mostly in pre and post workout supplements. Our products help with optimizing and energizing before your workout and that recovery after your workout. Our mission as a brand is to really empower women through an active lifestyle.
Since it’s a matcha supplement, our product can also be used if you’re a tea drinker, if you’re looking to replace coffee or if you’re someone who just needs a convenient boost to get you through your next meeting. Our customer base is interesting because the core user is mostly women that have tried pre workout before and have abandoned it because they didn’t like how it made them feel, or they never tried it in the first place because a lot of pre workout products are really high in stimulants. It’s early on and the product has primarily been adopted for that time period before the gym but we’re leaving it to become whatever it needs to become for you.
Q: Tell us about what made you want to start Aila.
A: I’ve always been a morning workout person and I never really had the time for coffee before my fitness classes. I’ve always found that I can roll out of bed at that time, make it there and do my best or I can make an effort to really optimize that time at the gym. It makes all the difference in my day. That’s why I really wanted to create something.
In this space particularly, those specific products have always been a little bit intimidating and in general, they’re mostly just marketed to men. I really wanted to create something natural that women could trust and feel good about putting into their body to help with that part of their workout. For our post workout products, we look to ingredients that help in reducing soreness and inflammation as well as help you to rehydrate and relax.
Q: What were some of the fears that came up for you with selling your products as opposed to selling for the previous companies you’ve worked for?
A: Jumping into a company that I might not have the traditional background in on paper is tricky to overcome. You’re almost more inclined to think that people are questioning your capability. I think my biggest strength there is that I was a seeker and user of products that Aila produces. I think that’s almost stronger in certain ways—when you’re not reading somebody else’s mission on somebody else’s pitch deck. When it’s truly coming from a problem that you saw or a feeling that you had or a passion that you feel, it becomes that much easier. I’ve really just leaned into that conviction when I start to have those feelings.
Q: That’s great advice just in general because people in all roles struggle with that and when you start a company, I think it can be easily amplified. What other mindset shifts, strategies and methods have helped you with that?
A: It’s obvious but I think one of the first things I had to come to terms with is that you’re not supposed to be everyone in your company. The company founder is like the story and the glue. From there, you look for people to support you in places where you’re not as strong. That’s the normal thing you’re supposed to do when building a company but for some reason, in the beginning I kept thinking things like, “Oh god, I don’t know how to build a website” or “I don’t know how to target people and market it” and things like that. You have to come to terms with the fact that it’s okay. You can take a step away from those things and hire or bring on partners that are good at doing those things.
I also think in the beginning—and this is probably just from my old way of doing things in previous roles—I was constantly scheduling, calendaring and trying to check as many boxes as I could throughout the day across different areas of my business that maybe shouldn’t have been a focus at that time. Whereas now, especially with everything that’s going on, I recognize that there are a lot of things out of my control and a few things that don’t have to be obsessed over right in this second. Instead of trying to do everything at five percent everyday, I’ve really tried to take two or three things that I’m focusing on right now and not reach too much outside of that.
Q: That’s definitely a skillset that takes some learning, especially when you’re being pulled in 14 different directions. What are you working on project-wise that’s most exciting for you right now?
A: So I was mostly focused on fundraising before the current changes ensued. I’m not completely turning away from that. I’m looking at some different methods than I was before so that’s still on the schedule in terms of focus. Right now looking a little bit more into building community and content again—building out our social a little bit more, making some updates that I’ve wanted to make to our website, adding more content. So community and funding are my two focuses right now.
Q: What made you shift to focusing on the community?
A: It’s not to say that I wasn’t focused on it before but I think now more than ever is a time when people are looking for a sense of community. It’s been interesting to look at some of the email lists I’m on for other brands to see who’s continuing to market-market-market versus who’s just trying to talk to their consumer and where the line is. I think I’m trying to find that balance. Of course I would love to sell product right now, but I’m trying to get a little more in touch and personal with the content in terms of how I’m feeling, what I’m seeing and things that might be helpful for our audience to read.
Q: So to bring up the elephant in everyone’s room right now with COVID-19, as a very real thing on this planet impacting all of us, what are some of the changes you’ve experienced with the adjustments that we’ve had to make as a society?
A: In addition to starting the fundraising, we were in R and D with some new products that we’re looking to put out later this year and that’s still moving along. It’s hard to even admit but I think I was kind of trudging along in that process, following up and looking into things. You have to remind yourself that, “Oh wait, just because I’m behind my computer and I’m able to send these emails, it doesn’t mean that the person I’m working with is able to move at the same pace in their trade.”
We’re not all lucky enough to be able to work remotely or to stay connected from wherever we are so I think that was one of the bigger changes—realizing that we’re not going to be moving that as quickly as we could and it’s fine. We’re still moving it slowly, having the conversations and getting everything in place but it’s okay to just take a breath right now and focus on other things.
Q: How did that shift feel for you?
A: It was hard at first. I think the first week or two, it was a weird back and forth of, “I need to do everything,” trying to go do everything and realizing that you can do nothing. I had to really sit down and write out everything we were planning on working on in the next six months. From there I sorted out what can still be pushed forward, what can’t be and what can be but needs to be approached in a different way. I tried to let go of what wasn’t in my control. I’ve also started meditating which I’m super excited about.
Q: That’s amazing! What got you into meditating?
A: I was always one of those people that did it on a case-by-case basis. I’ve had apps and stuff on my phone that I’d turn on if I couldn’t get to sleep at night. I’m trying to make it a part of my morning now just because frankly, there’s so much space in our day to be anxious about. It’s really helped me calm down and level set before everything comes rushing back in during the day.
Q: I’d love to get your take on any other areas in the business where you feel like you’ve had to pivot with COVID-19.
A: Until recently, I wasn’t really trying to put too much of my own voice into the brand, if that makes sense. But I’ve always really liked writing and recently I started doing it again. That sort of worked into this idea that, “Oh this is relevant content for my consumers and readers. Maybe I’ll add a blog portion to the site.” It seems like a no-brainer but I’ve been putting it off. I’m putting more of myself into it because I think people really want to relate to something right now.
And with all that is Instagram Live right now and all of the trainers that are doing all of these workouts, it’s been amazing to see that there was no hesitation with staying connected to their community and continuing to offer something of value even though we can’t be in the studio. I’ve had some trainers reach out to me to have Aila sponsor their IG Live which is not something I ever considered before but there’s been such an outreach from that community to just help each other—whether it’s something like that or a giveaway with a bunch of small businesses or female founded brands. It’s not something I was actively looking to do just yet in marketing but it’s come my way and I’ve started looking to those avenues a lot more now.
Q: What’s been an exciting part for you with the changes and the pivot?
A: Since we’re still early, it’s exciting to be somewhat in control and small enough to where it’s a disruption but we still have a lot in front of us, a lot of opportunity and a lot of things we can do. I think that just overall, it’s not that bad right now, at least in the business perspective. I also think seeing the fitness and wellness community come together even more so amidst this is really amazing. And again, from a business perspective, anticipating that people will come out of this with a new appreciation of health and taking care of their body is exciting. I think it will mean a lot for our brand and the opportunity we have.
Q: So do you have specific tips, outside of what you’ve already shared, for women who feel frozen by what’s happening right now?
A: Yeah I’ve definitely found a lot of help in connecting with other women in my community who are in a similar spot. Being part of networks like Female Founder Collective, they’ve got a great listserv that women are constantly communicating through trying to help each other out. If there’s something specific you need help with, it’s an open door there.
It’s really helpful to lay out what your goals are for the next six months, and pick apart what needs to wait and what needs to be worked on. Then you can pull those things that can be worked on and really dig into them a little bit more than you were before. Speaking to my earlier issue of thinking I can just tackle everything at once, you’re not gonna necessarily make as much progress in each of those categories if you try to do it that way. Now you’re forced to refine a little bit so it’s a blessing in disguise in that way.