Today we’d like to introduce you to Megan Hanrahan CEO Founder, VIBE Tech Utah.
Hi Megan Hanrahan, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Thank You for letting me share my entrepreneur journey! I’m the founder of VIBE Tech Utah, and the creator of the Flowstate Knee Brace. My invention, the Flowstate Knee Brace is a fusion of my life experience as a ski racer, physical therapist, and yoga teacher. As a Physical Therapist I help people return to work, sports, and recreation while remaining highly active. The problem I saw was that painful knee injuries stop us in our tracks, and “bring us to our knees!” Knee injuries require patience, and self-care that are inconvenient to perform, and often require buying multiple pricey products. You also have to remove knee braces to apply ice or heat. My Flowstate Knee Brace solution is a modular knee brace system that provides: Protection, Compression, and Ice or Heat therapy. You can Ice or Heat your knee while wearing Flowstate and resume your active lifestyle.
My idea to design this knee brace first manifested 10 years ago as my class project for my yoga teacher training course. This course was fittingly called “Be the Change” you want to see in your offering of yoga. I was 6 months post knee surgery. I thoughtfully had to modify poses, and deal with frustrations from not being 100%. Returning to yoga, skiing, and other sports fueled my imagination to design a modern knee brace that is flexible, therapeutic, light weight, and comfortable, like activewear.
My yoga mentors whole heartedly encouraged me to keep building my knee brace after yoga training was completed. My husband, Chris, a Physician, motivated me to outline in detail my design and file a patent application to protect my idea.
Next, I developed a drive to further secure I had a “great idea” and bravely entered the entrepreneur contest at the U of Utah, called
“Bench 2 Bedside Medical device competition. I joined a team for 6 months with business, medical, and engineering students working together in entrepreneurship. Our team won the Best in Business award and a generous $5,000 cash prize! I’ve won other pitch contests, and $7,000 more in prize money including “Innovation Idol” at the Leonardo Museum, and grant money from the University of Utah. These opportunities were extremely validating and motivating to keep striving to pursue with my business dreams!
I knew very little core business skills, so I enrolled in graduate school in the Master of Business Creation, degree at the University of Utah. My MBC degree provided me, camaraderie, teamwork, and customized mentoring and business education. Our homework assignments, and projects were tailored to our own unique relevant start-up company. I am so grateful for this opportunity of entrepreneurship at the U of Utah. While designing and prototyping the Flowstate Knee Brace, I found love and inspiration in outsourcing my own pattern making, textiles, 3D printing; all of the highest quality and performance available. My company VIBE Tech Utah, manufactures Flowstate here in Cottonwood Heights. I offer an in person and virtual customer experience customizing fit, sizing, and product features for “Active Healing for Active Lifestyles”!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I’ve learned to appreciate and accept my unique life-long challenges as my “road obstacles and hazards” that have inspired my start-up journey. I’ve had season ending injuries of both of my knees’ Anterior Cruciate Ligaments. I also have over 15 years’ experience as an athlete wearing knee braces. With hard work and trusting my injury recovery, I overcame all my doubts and fears of whether I would return to my sport of ski racing. This resilience built early on, in my life helped shape me and motivate me to connect with my customers through my practical product designs and Flowstate solutions.
Building a business in this modern landscape, I am constantly challenged with business “potholes” that deprive me of sleep, funding, and peace of mind. I’ve learned this vulnerable, blocked, stuck, feeling requires asking for timely consulting with accountants, engineers, and manufacturing experts. Working in Cottonwood Heights has been an ideal location for VIBE Tech Utah. I have a local engineering company, High Rustler Systems Design, supplying me with 3D printing, and many technical solutions. I have also received lots of opportunities through the city of Cottonwood Heights to showcase my business, at their block parties and Halloween events with other business owners, and the local residents and their families
Looking back, it’s truly my vision, and life purpose of creating Flowstate that has been smooth and super exciting to take the wheel, and start my own company. My friends and family have lovingly supported me from the very start, wearing Flowstate logo, products and swag, they share my vision with their network. This support and sense of freedom feed my fire of incredible internal drive to build and make Flowstate. I have a better understanding now how to navigate and anticipate the rough terrain, trusting my soul is guiding my “GPS”.
As you know, we’re big fans of VIBE Tech Utah. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
Flowstate optimizes Active Healing for Active Lifestyles!
Physical Therapist designed and built, our goal is to create functional performance specific to an ideal knee joint healing environment. I borrow from the concept “sthirasukha,” taught in the yoga philosophy. “Sthira” refers to firm and steady, while “sukha” means easeful, comfortable, and fluid.
I source my gel packs for icing and heating from Calgary, Canada. They are handmade “with love”, with the Flowstate logo inside every gel pack.
My neoprene brace is sewn using superior fabric and textiles. Our knee band is softer and modern, with a bamboo charcoal cloth liner to wick moisture, sweat, and is antimicrobial. As founder of my woman owned business, and creator of practical solutions I strive to help bridge the gap of product innovation in the wellness industry. I’m inspired to be on the cutting edge of physical therapy.
Our brand, Flowstate, is very eye catching and inspires a sense of adventure, imagination and play!
What were you like growing up?
I grew up on the east coast in Westford, Massachusetts. My parents were practical and frugal and our family vacations involved mostly outdoor recreation, camping, and canoe trips that kept us in awe of nature. Sports were my happy place, and I pursued dance, golf, skiing, soccer, soft-ball, and running track. I just loved to be on the move and skiing became my main interest quite young. I started competing by age 7. In ski racing, I thrived on being outdoors, exploring mountains, and pushing myself to be fast! I thrived from being mostly a kinesthetic learner needing lots of activity and hands on experiences.
My grandmother was a dance teacher, who ran a successful dance studio, out of her home in Rhode Island. As kids, my sister and I spent time exploring her studio, and playing dance, trying on shoes and recital costumes. My Gramma taught dance well into her retirement years, so it dawned on me if I love what I do, retirement is more of an option, than a necessity!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://flowstatekneebrace.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meganvibewellness/
