Starting a new company is never easy, but it doesn’t hurt if you’re doing it with your best friend. Physical therapist Sandra VanGilder, ’97, wanted to create a few exercises specifically addressing the aches and pains of new moms. She approached her best friend Kim Evans, ’97, who was a new mom at the time and the result was Fit + Giggles, a company that released its first post-natal exercise DVD in July. It features exercises for moms to do with their babies.

“We’re learning a lot,” Evans says. “This project has taken our friendship to a whole new level, but it worked out really well.”

Evans handles the marketing and business side of the company while VanGilder developed the exercise moves. According to VanGilder, the movements are designed to stimulate the baby, improving their motor and sight skills while at the same time strengthening mom’s muscles.

The company is currently made up of only VanGilder and Evans, but they are also collaborating with a team of designers, contractors, consultants and website developers. They initially invested $30,000 into the company and are hoping to gain back double that amount by next year.
The Fit + Giggles video is available in Dreamy, a boutique in Encinitas, and on their own website http://www.fitandgiggles.com/.

Entrepreneurs Corner by Marnette Federis, ’06, Raymond Hardie and Doug Ramsey.

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