Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Carol Bender, Founder of Joy Wellness Partners & Enliven Aesthetics, located in San Diego, CA, USA.

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

Joy Wellness Partners (JWP®) is a regenerative wellness clinic that believes in the body's natural ability to heal itself.

I founded Joy Wellness Partners in 2016 to provide individuals with the highest level of regenerative and wellness services to help them live active, pain-free lives, no matter their age.

From vitamin infusions to bio-identical hormone and peptide therapies to regenerative injections and stellate ganglion blocks, our services are natural and non-invasive approaches to achieving optimal wellness. While we can't promise miracles, our providers offer you their 50 years of combined experience caring for patients with regenerative, integrative anti-aging medicine. We promise to treat our patients with kindness and care.

Over 4,000 clients have already become a part of our JWP® family and are happy with the care they have received.

Tell us about yourself

I grew up in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. In 2009, I earned dual Bachelor's Degrees of Science in Economics and Nursing from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business and School of Nursing. Upon graduation, I co-founded LifeNet International, a non-profit conversion franchise of healthcare clinics in Burundi, Africa, and worked at Princeton Hospital as an Emergency Room (ER) nurse.
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In 2013, I completed my Master's of Science in Nursing from the University of Pennsylvania and became board-certified as a Nurse Practitioner specializing in Adult-Gerontology Acute Care.

From 2013 to 2017, I worked as an ER NP in several hospitals in Southern California and as a regenerative medicine NP in the Temecula Valley Advanced Medicine (TVAM) Clinic in Murrieta, CA. In TVAM, I learned to help patients find solutions to their pain through regenerative medicine's powerful, life-changing results.

In 2016, inspired by my patients' outcomes in this cutting-edge field of healthcare and determined to help more patients, I engaged my healthcare management degree, my success with a healthcare startup in the heart of Africa, and my own clinical experience. I founded Joy Wellness Partners in 2016 and Enliven Aesthetics in 2019 in San Diego, CA, with the vision of achieving solutions to patients' problems through regenerative medicine.

The inspiration for what I do each day comes from the stories of my patients...

  • the grandpa who can ski again with his grandkids
  • the couple who found renewed joy in their marriage
  • the veteran who decided his life has hope after PTSD

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Creating a culture of positivity in the healthcare space where patients and staff feel heard, understood, and truly cared for.

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

How to transition from direct patient care to work "on" the business instead of "in" the business.

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

  1. Know your customers and what they want.
  2. Work in your strengths and build a unique ability team.
  3. Know your numbers.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website:
https://joywellnesspartners.com/
https://enlivenaesthetics.com/

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/joywellnesspartners
https://www.facebook.com/enlivenaestheticssd

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/joywellnesspartners/
https://www.instagram.com/enlivenaesthetics/


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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