Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in mental wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Rene Brathwaite, Founder and Owner of Turning Corners Inc., located in Newark, DE, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Turning Corners is a counseling practice for individuals and families. Our clients range from children as young as 4 years old to 70. We work with several populations of people from various stages of life in that window and have a range of specialties.
Tell us about yourself
The beginnings of becoming a private practice owner began in 2016 after finishing my second master's program in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and getting my feet wet with mobile therapy and outpatient counseling. I saw how in demand a young African American male was, and it became important for me to understand how the business of counseling worked. In 2017 I became fully licensed and was working full-time as a counselor, but my caseload was packed, I was burned out, and again, I was in high demand. I knew then that I needed to have better control over my time, my accessibility, and the type of treatment I could offer. Better control over my time meant more creativity, education, and innovation to pour into my craft.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
My biggest achievement was creating a plan to expand and grow, then following through by hiring employees and contractors, and eventually growing into a bigger space.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
One of the hardest things about being a business owner is the blindside blows you can take wearing all the hats and not having the time to be a master of the process so you can plan and avoid those hits. Eventually, you realize you have to pay others to help you avoid the punishment.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Understand and identify your "bread and butter." What will definitely get you paid consistently?
- Commit to marketing and branding so that word of mouth can travel fast.
- Do the work to get the best software fit for your organization, no matter what your business is - there is nothing worse than technology that does not work seamlessly with what you are trying to accomplish.
- Customer service is still king!
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.turningcornersllc.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CornersLLC
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cornersinc/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LlcCorners
LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3Huj3gA
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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