Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Steven Heisler, a Business Consultant based in Deer Park, NY, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I'm an Independent Business Consultant with an MBA in Healthcare Management. My clients are healthcare facilities, outpatient physician offices, MSOs, ACOs, IPAs, physicians, medical billing companies, and healthcare and non-healthcare business owners.
Tell us about yourself
When I was 18 years old, I was an All-American lacrosse player. During my sophomore year in college, the first month of the fall, I was in a severe car accident. I broke nearly every bone in my body, including two vertebrates in my neck, lacerating several organs, having a handful of them removed, a traumatic brain injury, and titanium inserted where the bones wouldn't heal. I witnessed healthcare from a patient's perspective. It's rough and ugly. Fast-forward to earning my MBA in Healthcare Management, I have the privilege of knowing the business side, the physician side, and the patient side. I began working for myself once I started disagreeing with what was in the best interest of others. The irony in this next sentence is borderline hysterical. To me, the business has no business being in healthcare, but here we are. I wanted to do things the way I felt they should be done, taking care of people, period. I've said this to many physicians in my career, "the moment I enter an exam room and tell you how to treat a 68-year-old diabetic that can't keep their numbers down is the moment you can tell me how to run a business. You do what you went to school and had been training for, and I'll do the same."
Motivations outside of the obvious, money, would be my family. My fiancé is and has always been my rock to lean on, a pillow to vent to, and she isn't afraid to play devil's advocate. Our two-year-old daughter is everything to me. I push myself and take on all of the stress and pressure, so they don't have to. I've had my back against the wall a lot. I'm comfortable being uncomfortable.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Opening up physician offices. From finding a building to buy, applying to the state for a Tax ID, Medicare #, credentialed with insurance, negotiating contracts with carriers, negotiating with vendors, HR work to find talent and interview, payroll, and group insurance, to see its first patient within 90 days.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
During COVID. Convincing companies and clients that "now" is the perfect time to scale and grow. The "how to" do it was different than anything I've ever done. This was because things weren't changing, just weekly or monthly. They were changing in NYC daily. I commuted on the LIRR from Manhattan daily, most of the time on the train cart by myself, not even a conductor. OSHA was doing checks on offices, rent was changing, employees were making more money on unemployment, and IT controlled everything because the virtual appointments were all we had.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Passion drives results.
- If you turn around and see what's behind you, there's a chance you're going to run into something. So drive forward, but occasionally look to the side mirrors at where you came from.
- Surround yourself with the right people. People that aren't afraid to challenge you. Like-minded people view things the same way, so change it up.
Where can people find you and your business?
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenheisler/
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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