Natalie Holloway and her husband Maximilian Kislevitz started BALA in 2018. BALA is an LA based movement company that features stylish workout accessories. I first saw BALA through Instagram and knew I needed to get my hands on a pair of their chic ankle weights. Don’t we all feel more motivated to move our bodies when we have a cute outfit and accessories on?! I love the idea behind their company and that she started it with her husband so I reached out to feature Natalie on AOBF.
We had the best time getting to know Natalie, her husband, and her sweet baby boy. Read the interview below to find out more about Natalie and how she created BALA…
- How did you come up with BALA? My husband and I came up with the idea while on a sabbatical in Asia. We thought there was an opportunity to challenge ourselves during a yoga class and thought added weight was just the thing. It then dawned on us that the old school wrist and ankle weights had not been redesigned since the 80s. We sketched out the idea right then and there.
- How did you turn BALA from an idea to an actual product? After we sketched out the idea on a napkin, we got to work. We had a lot more questions than answers but we knew a family member who knew about toy manufacturing so we approached him to ask for a factory connection. We then found a factory that would prototype the product for us.
- What challenges did you face when you first started? Not knowing the next steps to building a business. We had to just keep moving and be very resourceful along the way trying to figure out the next steps in launching our own business. Specifically, manufacturing was our biggest hurdle.
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- How have you been able to successfully build your social media presence? We decided authenticity was the most important part so we decided who we were from a branding perspective and we stayed true to that. We also regularly engage with our community and are always a DM away. We ask our audience questions and learn from them. And aesthetically, we knew we wanted to be a true mix of fitness meets fashion so from day 1 we put a girl in heels with bangles on.
- How do you feel about influencer marketing and has it worked for BALA? Influencer marketing is definitely one of the huge ways we have grown. It can be VERY powerful and authentic. Early on we would gift in exchange for posts and it really helped us grow. We still look to our influencers to help us launch products and keep the momentum going.
- What’s it like working with your husband? What sort of boundaries have you had to set? It is challenging at times but very rewarding because we understand what each other are going through on another level. We had to set boundaries early on to make the partnership successful. We both own certain areas of the business which allows us to not step on each other’s toes and understand who is owning each area of the business. It helps us collab but also divide and conquer, which is necessary when there is so much to do on any given day!
- What was it like being on Shark Tank? Terrifying and thrilling. It was a very intense day where our entrepreneur dreams came true. We prepped so much before walking into the tank. It is scary to have the most successful business people peppering questions at you for an hour but we got through it. And then all 5 Sharks wanted in, which is still crazy to think about. We left with our dream sharks, Mark Cuban and Maria Sharapova.
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- What put you on the map? Early on, a few months after launching the brand, the Free People buyer saw an Instagram post that we tagged them in. They reached out and wanted to sell Bala. That was a huge early win for us.
- What is your best selling product? Right now, the Beam! Overall it is the 1lb Bangles.
- What are your biggest retailers? Free People, Anthropologie, Nordstrom
- How have you had to pivot your business throughout this last year? We had to quickly pivot to appeal to the at home fitness crowd. We started making online workout videos and doing IG lives. We quickly pivoted our marketing towards at home fitness.
- What is your proudest moment thus far? Has to be taking a deal with Maria Sharapova and Mark Cuban. Or seeing Adam Levine wear Blush 2lb bangles on his IG reels.
- What is the biggest risk you’ve taken? Launching a brand!
- What do you love most about your job? I love the creative aspect and the diverse nature of it all. One day I will be at a photoshoot and the next day I’m reviewing samples with a manufacturer. It is always interesting and I’m learning a ton daily.
- How has life changed since you had your baby? My priorities have shifted. Baby comes first. Hard stop. Business comes second. Never thought I would see that day come.
- How do you balance motherhood, time for yourself and your business? A lot of help from my husband and being able to partner so that I can have a few hours off of baby duty and focus on the business or myself. I try to make myself a priority now. In the early days of motherhood, that is impossible but someone once said to take care of yourself first and then you can care for your baby better so I try to make the time to do a little yoga or meditate so I can be a better mother.
- What advice would you give to someone starting their own business? Just get to launch, one step at a time, whatever it takes. An idea is just an idea until you get to launch. Launch can be very scary and intimidating and it is easy to overthink it but I think if you can get there, you can iterate and get better along the way. It does not have to be perfect.
- Can you share any exciting upcoming projects for BALA? We will be launching some very exciting things over the holidays and new year new me! Until then, you will see some heavier items and some cute color launches sprinkled over the next few months.
- What does “The Art of Being Female” mean to you? Being female is definitely an art and there is a lot of pressure on being female, being a mom and just doing it all. You have to juggle all day every day and that is just what is expected, which is a lot of pressure at times. I think the art of being female to me means to embrace it all: the good, the bad, the ugly. And embrace your fellow females and build each other up through community. Females are capable of so much it is truly an art!
Follow along with Natalie and BALA on Instagram at @nnholloway and @bala