Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Dr. Jillian Stansbury, Owner of BG Healing Arts Apothecary on Main Street, located in Battle Ground, MA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
BG Healing Arts is a medical group in Battle Ground, WA, affiliated with a stellar natural products medicinary, the BG Healing Arts Apothecary on Main Street. In business for almost 35 years, we are experts in natural medicine, feature licensed physicians and acupuncturists whose services are covered by insurance, and our apothecary is open to the public and serves as a resource hub for those interested in alternative medicine, primary care, healthy foods and supplements, and our unique teas, gifts, and live plants.
Tell us about yourself
I started studying plants, ethnobotany, and herbal medicine in 2nd grade, checking out plant guides from the local library. I went on to be an outdoor enthusiast and backpacker, cultivated many homesteading skills, and graduated with honors in my premedical studies. I found my calling in medical school, focusing on herbal medicine and natural product chemistry. I founded Battle Ground Healing Arts in 1988 and opened the professional medical apothecary to the public in 2002 as the town's first alternative medicine business. I love serving as a physician for my community, and I currently enjoy running the town's only professional medical apothecary to help introduce the public to all that natural medicine has to offer.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
I received an academic award for my research and teaching as a professor at the National University of Natural Medicine in Portland, OR in 2019. I published a series of academic textbooks, Herbal Formularies for Health Professionals, which were selected for a literary award by the American Botanical Council in 2022.
As a business owner, I've created a sustainable green business run by solar power, extensive gardens maintained with water catchment systems, and a strict no chemical - all organic policy. We are pleased that BG Healing Arts has become the anchor of natural medicine in Battle Ground and was one of the first alternative medicine businesses in all of Clark County.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
One challenge of being a small business owner is being responsible for so many tasks besides those of your primary profession. In addition to doing your "job," you are the accountant, the cleaning staff, the maintenance man, the errand boy, the social media and webmaster, the human resource officer, the conflict and complaint manager, the vacation coverage staff, and much more. When you finish your formal job, there tend to be half a dozen or more side jobs waiting for you.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Try to purchase your own real estate if at all possible.
- Keep your overhead low by doing as much as possible yourself and having modest investments other than real estate.
- Network with local businesses to use word of mouth and free "guerilla marketing" instead of expensive print advertising.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://healingartsapothecary.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088076014911
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bg.healing.arts.apothecary/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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