Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Cody Bressette, Co-Founder of District Psychiatry and Wellness, located in Alexandria, VA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I operate a concierge psychiatry and wellness clinic with my partner and co-founder, Dr. Erika Kappes. Our customers include people from across the country who seek to improve their health and well-being through customized, integrative medicine.
We offer both methods of treatment delivery (in-person and telehealth), direct access to providers via text and email, and customized treatment plans that consider the whole person.
Tell us about yourself
After serving in the Army for seven years, I decided to transition to the defense and aerospace industries as a project manager. My partner took a job with a large telehealth provider and found herself quickly burnt out from the factory-style nature of it, sometimes seeing up to 30 patients in a day. We sat down one evening to identify the approach and to set where she would be the most satisfied practicing medicine, and we quickly realized that such a clinic did not exist in Northern Virginia/DC. Though the concept of entrepreneurship seemed scary at first, we knew that since this clinic was unique and offered more to the patient, we could instantly capture a portion of the market.
We did successfully capture a portion of the market in our home city of Alexandria and elsewhere. Patients who wanted to feel heard, who wanted a treatment that was customized to their needs, and who wanted to leverage diet, exercise, sleep, and lifestyle to improve their health seemed to flock to us. Each day I find myself motivated by the patients that my providers treat, many of whom are high-functioning professionals, college students, and other business owners. Many of them are big contributors to society, the economy, and academia, and I am proud to play my part in improving their lives.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Contributing to the well-being of patients is, of course, one of the first things that come to mind. However, I would say that my biggest accomplishment has been creating a clinic where my providers enjoy coming to work. Almost all of them have experienced professional burnout from large, insurance-based practices that see patients as more of a number than a person. Many of them were losing empathy for patients and had trouble focusing during sessions, and one even considered leaving medicine all together.
My partner and I have drastically improved the professional lives of our employees by giving them more time with a smaller body of patients, creative input within the practice, and autonomy. Creating a place where people love their jobs is definitely my biggest accomplishment.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
Patience is undoubtedly the hardest principle to maintain during the course of business ownership. My partner and I have a shared vision of a highly effective integrative clinic that has every tool in the "wellness arsenal" for our patients. This vision includes a dietician, an athletic trainer, a large room for group therapy programs, and a transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) machine for treatment-resistant depression (the latter of which we have recently purchased and are excited to roll out next year).
All of these exciting additions take careful planning, money, and time. Keeping them in sight and executing at the correct time for the posterity of the business is tough but essential for success.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
Start now. Mark Twain once said, "The secret to getting ahead is getting started," and I cannot think of more powerful words for an entrepreneur. Many people wait until the timing is perfect to start their own business or until they have conducted sufficient research on the matter. My biggest piece of advice if you have a business idea you want to pursue is to start now. You will learn everything else along the way.
Find experts and ask questions. Running a business is not intuitive, and you have to know a little about everything. Find a friend or colleague who has a CPA, and ask them questions when bookkeeping has you stumped. Take the IT guy from your office out for a beer and ask him about website design and how to set up a small office network. If you surround yourself with experts, you increase your ability to solve problems and make things happen.
Have fun and enjoy what you do. Everyone remembers that teacher who seemed to hate kids for some reason, and no one liked attending their class. That particular teacher did not do well at enticing "customers," but if you love what you do and create an atmosphere that you want to be in, others will too. Have fun and take pride in your work, and customers will seek out what you're offering.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.district-wellness.com/
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/district-psychiatry-and-wellness/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cody-bressette-631474187/
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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