Meet Lora Ivanova: Entrepreneur, Author, CEO

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lora Ivanova and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lora, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I’ve always been enamored with stories about pioneers and entrepreneurs. When my friends bought superhero comics, I flipped through magazines covering inventors and new technology. People who ventured into the unknown or followed a hunch to discover new lands or new life-changing solutions. The underdogs turned champions. I had a very successful albeit soul-crushing corporate career and when following a car accident injury I found myself unable to drive to work, I saw an opportunity to reconsider my life choices and reinvent. The math seemed strikingly simple – even if I lost everything I had accomplished up to that point I still had the energy to rebuild. I had started from 0 before and built a successful career before, why not start again and this time build a successful business? The benefits seemed even more alluring – the opportunity to set my own schedule, be set free free from corporate politics and inefficient organizations, the ability to focus on true impact and not pointless metrics, to determine my own worth instead of always chasing after the next promotion or raise… Instead of constantly trying to break the glass ceiling I decided to step out of the box where perhaps that ceiling did not exist. I decided to give myself a year. I stopped my job search and instead I decided to focus my energy on working with people and ideas that inspired me. A year turned to 11 years and I have never looked back.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
myLAB Box started with the simple but novel idea of consumerizing the healthcare experience. At a time when e-commerce and on-demand services had long transformed everything from retail to dating, healthcare remained a bastion of the conventional norm decades behind in striving to create a positive and consumer-friendly experience. In 2013 we began working on a new paradigm in wellness rethinking the healthcare experience as a service. What if we could use all the great benefits of e-commerce to deliver testing services to those in need more affordably and with more transparency? myLAB Box quickly became the first nationwide testing to treatment platform allowing any consumer to screen for infectious disease and wellness from the comfort of home. We packaged lab testing in a way people could understand and access easily, no appointments, waiting or co-pays required. The journey has been riddled with challenges as we navigate stigma and an outdated healthcare landscape resistant to change. However it has been rewarding seeing how we empower individuals to own their wellness experience and improve their lives one test at a time.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
LA is tourist central but off the beaten path there are so many amazing places to visit and experience. Of course checking out the Hollywood blvd is a staple but some of my personal favorites are: The hikes in Griffith park and the Observatory with it’s sweeping views of the city Santa Monica Pier – one of the last standing amusement parks on an ocean pier in CA The Magic Castle and Yamashiro gardens with their authentic old Hollywood vibes and last but not least Neptune’s Net for some classic beach fare

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to dedicate my Shoutout to my myLAB Box co-founder, Ursula Hessenflow. We’ve been friends for over 15 years and business partners for over 7. While I have started businesses on my own as well, working with a strong partner, who always has my back has been an amazing opportunity for growth both personally and professionally. The best companies are built by strong teams.

Website: mylabbox.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mylabbox/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mylab

Twitter: https://twitter.com/myLABBox

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/myLABbox/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Mylabbox

Image Credits
Founders headshot by Fitz Carlisle