Основатель Mindful Roots не прошел в финал конкурса Verizon, но продолжает расширять сеть wellness-программ для школьников

Many entrepreneurs dream about seeing their business grow and thrive through the public on a national stage. Michael Allen was able to secure a spot among the Verizon Small Business Super Pitch regional semifinalists — already a significant achievement. Allen, the founder of Mindful Roots, did not advance to the next round of the competition, which was held on June 24 at the Verizon Innovation Lab located just west of Downtown LA at 1301 W. Jefferson Boulevard. The winner in the national finals will earn the opportunity to pitch to soccer legend Carli Lloyd, a $20,000 grand prize and tickets to the World Cup Finals. Allen believes the experience at the Verizon Small Business Super Pitch reinforced something he believed since launching the organization: every step one takes forward is an opportunity to make a bigger impact. “It means everything,” Allen said. “It’s very humbling just knowing that I started the business myself and that it’s gaining so much traction. Verizon and FIFA helped us realize that everything we’re doing does matter. It’s bigger than ourselves and bigger than what we sometimes think it is.” Based in Pasadena, Mindful Roots was created to improve the mental and physical health of young children. The business has partnered with over 40 schools in Southern California to provide sports, yoga and wellness programs. Its goal is to instill confidence, resilience and a healthy lifestyle into young children. The business wasn’t originally built around athletics. Allen first thought about the idea during a stressful time in his life working in corporate America. While looking for ways to help relieve his stress, Allen turned to yoga, where he discovered techniques that helped him regain balance. “I leaned into yoga and I realized it helped me make it through,” Allen said. “I started thinking, if adults need yoga, what would the world look like if we poured it into the youth at an earlier age?” When Allen first introduced the concept to his first school, the administration wasn't interested in incorporating yoga. To compromise, the administration asked if he could offer sports programming. Allen didn’t see that as a setback for his goal, but rather an opportunity to grow. With Allen having a longtime background in sports, he decided to combine sports with mindfulness which has led his program to serve over 40 schools across Southern California. The impact that it made isn’t measured only by the numbers of schools his organization reaches out to but the changes he is making to people's lives. There was a young student in Desert Sands Unified School District who was struggling to manage his emotions and found himself isolated by teachers. This student participated in a five-week summer yoga program. The student started to recognize when he needed a minute to relax and breathe so he could calmly communicate his needs to others instead of acting out. “It’s even something we as humans struggle with,” Allen said. “Whenever days are difficult, it’s a reminder to myself that maybe I need a moment to do those breathing exercises, too.” Growing Mindful Roots, however, hasn’t come without any challenges. One of the biggest challenges for Mindful Roots has been managing the unpredictable nature of school contracts while also making sure he has enough qualified staff members to meet demands. In today’s society the organization employs many part-time instructors, who are earning livable wages according to Allen. “We’ve never paid any of our employees less than $40 an hour,” Allen said. “It’s a really good feeling to understand that we’re not only employing people but we’re giving them something they can actually do something with.” After falling short in the Verizon competition, the main focus for Allen was simple — what is next? His immediate goal is expanding throughout Southern California before eventually reaching schools across the state. “We want all students to be afforded the sports clinics that we provide and also the yoga and wellness techniques that we share,” Allen said. One thing Allen credits the most is his own growth to learn that failure is a part of entrepreneurship and he wouldn’t be here unless he failed a couple of times and never gave up. “As you become an entrepreneur, you’re going to fail, and I’ve learned that that’s okay,” Allen said. “It’s really about getting back up and continuing to push.” That same philosophy anchors the advice he offers to aspiring entrepreneurs: keep pushing. “Every single day you need to accomplish something,” Allen said. “It doesn’t have to be large, but something needs to get done.” At its core, Allen believes that his company Mindful Roots isn’t simply teaching yoga or coaching sports. This company is helping students build their confidence, resilience and compassion that expands far beyond the classroom. "Michael and Mindful Roots stood out on all fronts,” Verizon Associate Director of Small Business and Workforce Development Katie Davis said. “The business is driving growth in its community by using sports to teach valuable life skills to young people and coordinating with local schools. Michael is intensely passionate about the business and he showed clearly how Verizon Small Business Digital Ready has helped Mindful Roots succeed." Learn more about Mindful Roots at mindfulroots.biz.