Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Tom Ingegno, owner of Charm City Integrative Health, located in Baltimore, MD, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

We are Charm City Integrative Health in Baltimore, Maryland. We offer over a dozen therapies to help everyone from professional athletes to people who suffer from autoimmune diseases by our proprietary way of "Stacking" therapies to provide a synergistic effect to not only address the symptoms but help the whole-body function better.

Tell us about yourself

I have my doctorate in Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine and have been practicing for over two decades. My doctorate focused on combining traditional East-Asian medical practices with modern medicine. That's exactly what we are trying to do at our clinic.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

It's great to win awards, be quoted in national articles, and appear on TV, but I would say the biggest accomplishment is when patients I haven't seen in years refer family and friends. It's amazing to have an impact on people's lives that is strong enough that they remember you and trust you with the care of their loved ones, even after a significant amount of time has passed.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

If I'm being completely honest, managing the business. I'm a clinician first and have stumbled on every obstacle when it comes to the running of my practice. Fortunately, I've been able to learn something from every mistake. Now I have an amazing team that helps and takes some of that pressure off of me.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

Okay, I'm going to be giving myself some advice here as well:

  1. Don't compare yourself to others. Everyone starts at a different place, and even if you're doing something similar, you aren't the same. Focus on your business.
  2. Don't expect to know everything. Mistakes I've made have always come down to trying to understand something that wasn't my expertise. It's okay to find an expert and lean on them.
  3. Keep learning! You won't know everything, but increasing your knowledge base by finding mentors, reading, or classes will better prepare you for issues in the future.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Please check out our clinic. I'm very proud of my clinic. It is my fourth incarnation here in Baltimore. If you are looking to open a center like mine and would like to have me as a consultant, I'm currently working with a few professionals with similar aspirations.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.charmcityintegrative.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CharmCityIntegrative
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ccintegrative/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CCIntegrative
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/charm-city-integrative-health/


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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