Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Dave Sinha, Founder of Synergy Collaborative Health, located in Cochrane, AB, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
We are an interdisciplinary team of healthcare professionals serving the community from Cochrane, Alberta. A confluence of East and West, science and spirituality, medicine and healing - our collaborative approach is integrative, evidence-based and above all - grounded in compassion.
At Synergy, we believe that healing is as much about tending to the fruit as laying the axe to the root. Our services span the breadth of medicine, innermost to outermost; from psychotherapy to medical aesthetics.
Our team consists of physicians and surgeons who through medications and procedures address the most gross manifestation of disease. We work with psychologists and hypnotherapists who shed light on the deeper mental and emotional antecedents, while practitioners with specialized training in Ayurveda, naturopathy or functional nutrition, may address the behaviours and biochemistry from which the condition arose.
Tell us about yourself
I am a family physician with a procedural medicine and psychotherapy practice. My wife Swati, is a paediatric hospitalist at the Children's Hospital. We have two dogs and spend a lot our free time walking in beautiful places as a family!
As long as I can remember, medicine has been my inspiration! As I began to consider a profession, there was a desire to do no harm in any way. When I discovered the physician's foremost principle to be, 'primum non nocere' meaning 'first, do no harm' - it resonated to the depths of my being.
I reasoned that if the essence of life was love and to serve its singular expression, being a doctor was profoundly aligned. Finally, I was looking for a career that could be a means to a greater understanding; of myself, of life, of our existence. In medicine, with its proximity to birth, death, suffering, and healing - the intricacies of science and the breadth of humanity - the universal is ever present, both imminent and transcendent.
Synergy was founded, as I was seeking a space which resonated with what I had experienced and knew within, was the essence of healing. As Mahatma Gandhi said, "be the change you wish to see in the world." This coming together of potential, people and perspectives is the heart of ‘Synergy’.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
When we founded Synergy, we made a commitment to sponsor, through Seva Canada, a sight-restoring surgery, every day and each time a patient accessed a third party aesthetic service at Synergy or any affiliated satellite site.
This has proven to be a challenging commitment, as there are instances where our services can essentially run losses, as a result. Furthermore, central to our vision is integrity - taking care of every patient, practitioner and staff skillfully, selflessly and lovingly - all the while striving to ensure the feasibility of the business!
Ultimately, this has emerged as our inspiration, fuelling our passion and driving ever deeper innovation. Since inception we have sponsored 1128 sight-restoring surgeries to those suffering from blindness, who otherwise did not have access to care.
When I think that there are children who may have otherwise lived a lifetime never seeing a sunrise or the faces of those who love them - who may have been held back in sharing their gifts with the world - I am ever grateful to Seva and their incredible compassion. A service that resonates with our mission at Synergy to, "Care. Comfort. Cure."
To me, this is our greatest achievement.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
In essence, balancing diverse, and at times, opposing considerations - clinical, humanitarian, business and personal - without compromising integrity, is certainly one of the hardest things we face every single day.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Connect with your deepest driving desire - your 'why' - and as Rumi says, 'let the beauty of what you Love, be what you do'.
- Understand that every challenge is a reflection of something within us, seeking resolution. Regardless of how busy you may be, take time for daily internal dialogue; delve into the practical problems, but also your personal patterns and resistance to what is.
- From the very onset, and at every juncture, prioritize personal, family and work-life balance. Recognize that they constitute a mutualism that is enhancing, not exclusive - both the means and the end.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
The final words of the Buddha, 'Strive Earnestly'!
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://synergycochrane.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/synergycollaborativehealth
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/synergycollaborativehealth/
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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