After opting for a career change, Richard Murphy, CEO of Zevo Health, took his passion for health and wellness and applied it to business.
What is Zevo Health and what do you offer?
Zevo Health is a workplace wellness company that consists of a team of healthcare professionals, with backgrounds in psychology, exercise and nutrition. Some of the services we provide to our clients include on-site workshops, wellness technology and our research tailored programmes.
We offer a range of tailored workshops that focus on the areas of nutrition, physical, emotional, mental and workplace health. These workshops are designed to improve employee’s overall wellbeing.
Another service we offer clients is our science-based platform. Our technology is based around three pillars; move, nourish and inspire. These three core pillars cover every aspect of wellbeing. Our application is psychology-based and backed by our expert health coaches to ensure we have a positive and lasting effect on individuals.
Having spent several years in the construction trade, it gave me a feel for the importance of staying healthy at work. I re-educated myself in Melbourne in the area of exercise and nutrition and saw a gap in the market two years ago when I established the business.
What was your background?
My background was originally in construction where I worked in Australia for many years. I always had a passion for health and physical wellbeing, so I went on to study personal training. I realised this was the area I wanted to grow in and help people become the best version of themselves.
“Having spent several years in the construction trade, it gave me a feel for the importance of staying healthy at work”
How did you go about developing the brand? Is there anything you would do differently?
I knew that I wanted to develop a company and a brand that helped people become healthier and happier, inside and outside the workplace. I have a passion for wellbeing, so I think that drove me to create Zevo Health and ensure that it was successful. I was very fortunate to secure a big client from the very beginning of creating Zevo Health, which has helped the business expand rapidly over the last two years.
Looking back, thankfully there is not many things I would do differently as I am a firm believer that mistakes offer a chance to learn and improve.
How did you go about recruiting staff?
Zevo has been very lucky that we have been able to expand the team to nearly 30 over the last 2 years. When acquiring new staff, I always have the mindset that, how can I enhance our clients experience even further and what employees do I need to help achieve that.
“I wanted to develop a company and a brand that helped people become healthier and happier”
Would you have any tips for businesses looking to develop their staff?
Over the years, I have sat down with many entrepreneurs to pick their brains. I believe that everyone should have a mentor and talk people who have gone on this journey, as there is always something new to learn. This approach helped me to identify what areas of the business I need to invest in.
What’s the biggest misconception you find people have about wellness?
That companies need to focus only on the physical health of their employees and not their mental health. This misconception needs to shift as employers need to ensure they are looking after their employee’s mental health, as both are directly linked to how well employees perform inside and outside work.
How do you go about dispelling that myth?
Through health promotion and supporting leaders in organisations to be enthusiastic about supporting their employees when it comes to positive mental health. We have developed programmes that equips leaders to recognise when an employee may be suffering from mental health issues and have the tools to deal with that situation in the most professional and appropriate way.
Our mental health workshops have become one of our most popular workshops, so I think this is proof that this is dispelling the myth about mental health in the workplace.
“I believe that everyone should have a mentor and talk people who have gone on this journey, as there is always something new to learn”
What advice would you give someone starting a business in the health and wellness area?
For me the most important aspect is having an experienced and hard-working team to drive the business. I know that Zevo Health would not be where it is today if it was not for the dedicated team.
What are you most proud of?
I have many favourite moments, but I think the ones that stand out the most are having the opportunity to expand the company globally, the creation and launch of our Zevo Health app and growing the team to just under 30 staff in two years.
What are your growth plans?
Here at Zevo Health, we are constantly looking at ways to grow the company. Our science-based application has been a huge success with our clients and has helped us expand into many different sectors. Our plan over the next two years is to launch our B2C application.
We currently have our application only available to B2B so our strategy for growth is to make that application available for B2C. This will also help us further expand outside of Ireland and into different sectors and industries. Our vision is to have everyone being able to access our wellbeing platform and to make positive health changes in everyone’s life.
We are also working on expanding globally with one of our main clients. This expansion gives us the opportunity to learn about different cultures and how to provide the perfect wellness programme for them.
Are there any other companies in this space that you are big fans of?
I am a fan of Headspace as it has made people aware of the benefits of meditating. It has also made it more accessible for people to mediate.
By Barry Walsh
Published: 27 January, 2019
