Actively Making a Difference
It was by a stroke of luck that I had the opportunity to meet Babson’s budding entrepreneur, Anna Bilah. The Babson Center for Entrepreneurship is renowned for its novel and innovative ideas, and it was by chance on a random call to their admissions office to find out more about the organization that Bilah picked up. After speaking with her briefly, it became apparent that she is one of the vibrant young innovators which makes Babson’s Entrepreneurship flourish. It was through the help of this Program in which Bilah was able to turn her passion for fitness into a growing entrepreneurial venture.
Bilah has always been extremely active. Growing up in Brazil, she played many sports, and in college her high level of fitness was recognized by her peers. It was early on at Babson when her friends began asking her for fitness regiments and about her own fitness experience. Bilah’s initial reaction to this newfound interest was to create a Youtube and Instagram account to document her health journey, but soon after, Bilah realized she wanted to find a way to reach more people without being an influencer and speaker. It was through her entrepreneurship studies where she found a solution. Bilah’s groundbreaking idea seeks to create uniformity within the rapidly growing fitness industry through an app: Actively.
Like every successful entrepreneur, Bilah identified an area where there was a need for improvement. According to Bilah, “there is much friction in the gym space.” The fitness industry has three layers of contact which is overwhelming for first-time and even rigorous athletes. Actively aims to organize the 320,000 fitness and health apps by creating a “central life path for fitness.” Actively’s overarching goal is to “create a hub for everyone to go and use no matter their fitness level.” This makes the app extremely appealing as it is user-friendly in a time where the fitness and physical health industry is rapidly gaining traction.
Founding a startup is no easy feat. Building a strong network of business contacts is just one of the many daunting tasks entrepreneurs face. Bilah’s best advice for budding innovators is to reach out to fellow entrepreneurs as well as investors to ask for concrete advice. It is not enough to ask “what can I do better;” instead Bilah suggests asking, “what would it take for you to invest in me?” In her experience, Bilah identifies that most of these answers circulate around revenue which most startups do not project to have for a long time. Upon asking these tough questions and pitching her idea to many, Bilah has had a myriad of responses, both positive and negative. In order to be successful in the entrepreneurship industry, Bilah believes thick skin is imperative. You are going to hear many no’s before receiving an opportunity, but it is important to believe that the opportunity presented is the right one for your business and yourself. Bilah believes that “money is not always the best choice;” rather, funding slowly and focusing more on the consistency of the product will result in long-term success.
Building a reliable product and a united team outweighs the importance of fundraising in the early stages of development. Bilah describes that it is important to pick a team who shares her vision for Actively; this includes the venture capitalist investing in the start-up. Bilah not only wants an investor, but a mentor to help foster Actively’s growth. Actively’s team, while in its infancy stages, already has nine like-minded, goal-oriented individuals on the team working towards its official launch. Although the app is in the seed stages of development, by this coming March, Bilah and her team plan to launch the beta app Actively on the app store.
Bilah epitomizes the entrepreneurial spirit. She is shrewd, motivated, and most importantly positive.