Natalie Holloway: Co-Founder of Bala and Balacize

Second Life

Who What Wear

Business, Fashion & Beauty, Society & Culture, Arts, Personal Journals, Careers

4.8 • 3K Ratings

🗓️ 5 February 2024

⏱️ 46 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Natalie Holloway and her husband, Max, had their aha moment during a yoga class in Indonesia. As the class was more meditative than sweat-inducing, they wondered, Why isn’t anyone making chic wrist or ankle weights that could turn up the resistance on everyday exercises? They immediately began brainstorming their idea on a napkin, and after returning to the United States, the two created prototypes of what would eventually become the best-selling Bala Bangle. With the help of a Kickstarter campaign and a successful Shark Tank debut, Bala has grown to include a range of fitness equipment sold in retailers including Goop, Saks, and Target, as well as a digital fitness instruction platform called Balacize. But what led Natalie and Max to Indonesia in the first place? The two met while working at global advertising agency 72 and Sunny, where they thrived but ultimately felt burnt out. They decided to take a sabbatical to travel, and a year later, returned ready to use their branding expertise to give the ’80s-era fitness equipment a fashion-forward makeover.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi everyone I'm Hillary Kerr, the co-founder and chief content officer of who
0:10.3	what where and this is Second Life, a podcast spotlighting women who have truly
0:16.7	inspiring careers. We're talking about their work journeys, what they've learned from the process of setting
0:22.2	aside their doubts or fears and what happens when they embark on their second life
0:27.4	Today, I'm speaking with the co-founder of Bala
0:30.9	Natalie Holloway
0:32.8	Natalie spent much of her early career in advertising,
0:36.0	beginning at a small boutique firm and later
0:38.8	landing at Global Advertising Agency, 72 and Sunny, where she worked on major accounts like Jeep and Starbucks.
0:46.8	While there, she also met her future husband and business partner Max.
0:51.0	Discovering their mutual burnout from the demanding ad agency work schedule, they
0:55.0	decided to quit their jobs and explore the world together. Throughout their travels,
0:59.6	they brainstormed a variety of business ideas, and during an unchallenging yoga class in Indonesia,
1:07.2	it clicked.
1:08.2	Why wasn't anyone making chic wrist or ankle weights that could turn up the intensity on everyday workouts.
1:14.8	As they wrapped up their whirlwind year of travels, they got to work developing and launching
1:18.9	the now ubiquitous Bolib Engel with the help of a successful
1:23.3	Kickstarter campaign.
1:24.9	Then, in 2020, the brand grew exponentially
1:29.2	after an appearance on Shark Tank,
1:31.1	where they received an offer of $900,000 for 30% of the company from Sharks
1:36.0	Mark Cuban and Maria Sharapova.
	...

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