Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Dr. Shayla Garland, a Naturopathic Doctor based in Toronto, ON, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I help my patients find the root cause of their disease and treat it using natural therapies to find balanced health. I focus on stress, digestion, and autoimmune disease, so my patients generally have one or all of those concerns.
Tell us about yourself
I discovered Naturopathic Medicine at 15 and unwaveringly committed myself to it from that moment! I love everything about it- healing humans on every level (body, mind, spirit), working with plants and nutrients, working with the body instead of against it, discovering what the patterns in our body/life are trying to tell us (from physical manifestations of emotional issues to nutrient deficiencies).
My motivation lies in the complete joy, satisfaction, and excitement I get from dealing with my amazing patients, seeing them learn and improve and thrive, and live their healthiest and happiest lives.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Just doing my job well! I suppose a little culmination of that would be winning the Reader's Choice winner for Best ND- that was quite an honour!
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
To be honest, the no-shows and the last-minute cancellations are killers when they happen. I don't think a lot of people understand the situation of a self-employed person and how that impacts them. Also, marketing and social media! Not my forte!
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- For NDs specifically, start the business courses ASAP if you feel like you did not learn enough from school. Also, hiring someone to do the parts you don't want to do is not a bad idea!
- If I could do it again, I probably would have got a degree where I could start practicing as an aspect of our medicine earlier, such as counselling or acupuncture, so you have a fall-back when you start practice and a way to bring in patients.
- I went straight into total entrepreneurship, and looking back; I maybe should have started as an associate in a practice to learn all the ropes first (though the benefit of what I did is that I learned how to run the whole business top to bottom, right from the start, but it was grueling!).
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.shaylagarlandnd.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShaylaGarlandNaturopathicDoctor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.shaylagarland/
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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