Finalist Q&A: Sobo

Sobo, an acronym for Soul and Body, offers fitness for your mind and body through a fun dance exercise program that also focuses on mental attitude (building confidence and learning to love yourself just as you are).

How did you come up with the idea for your business, and what, or who, is your main source of motivation?
The idea for Sobo came about when I was in her early 20s. While living in Miami, I loved to experience the high energy of the dance clubs of South Beach. My moves are fun and unique moves which inspired other women to inquire, "Can you teach me to dance like that?" What began as guiding a few eager "students" through some basic moves in the club, eventually evolved into a dance-based aerobics class at a local gym.

As my classes progressed, my students provided invaluable feedback on what they really wanted: to be praised, loved and encouraged. This comes very natural for me as I truly love to make people smile and feel good about themselves. My "a-ha" moment came as I recognized the incredible, life-changing power that feeling good inside and out has in a person's life and Sobo was born!

What is a unique feature of your business?

For starters, the fact that I've combined personal development into a cardio exercise program for the first time ever. To me, this is one of the most important factors that separate me from the crowd. I believe in complete health, not just physical health. And from my research, I have not found another company out there doing this. The dancing is something I have personally created, so that is also different. And many workouts today are too hard for some people and aren't much fun, but Sobo is easy for any level - beginner or advanced - and it's extremely exuberant! Third, we will be coming out with a monthly membership program, sort of like a gym membership, which no other fitness company has done before in the way that we will be doing it.

What are your thoughts on the connection between small business and the local community?
Connecting with the local community for any business, especially small businesses, is extremely important and having a following of regulars and people that support your company. Small businesses rely on the community to help them succeed, so the connection is a must.

Why should the Idea Cafe regulars vote for you?
You should vote for me because the vision of my company is to help people and change the way fitness is being executed. I believe that to be completely healthy, you must be healthy in mind, body and spirit. Being healthy on the outside is great, but you are not balanced if you are not healthy on the inside as well. With the grant money that I will will with Idea Cafe, it will go into helping my marketing strategy to launch my company even further. We are still at the beginning stages and need as much support as possible and Idea Cafe is offering us that support, but it is through YOU that we can make the difference in the world that we want to make.