Health centered | A conversation with Casey Ericson, owner of The Wellness Solution in Falmouth
Founded: May 2008
Employees: 1
Start-up costs: $92,000
Projected revenue, year one: $119,000
Projected revenue, year two: $140,000
Contact: 847-3242
366 U.S. Route 1, Falmouth 04105
www.thewellnesssolution.net
What does The Wellness Solution do?
We are a multidisciplinary center offering chiropractic, massage therapy, yoga, Pilates, nutrition counseling, Reiki, life coaching and holistic aesthetics. We focus primarily on preventative care through a team approach of education and support.
Why did you decide to start your own business?
I felt very strongly about working for myself [and] with other people, and I’ve had a lot of experience working in other people’s practices with other people. I just felt that in order for me to find the right space with the right energy and the right people, I needed to start from the ground up myself. So I felt really strongly, after starting my own business, about offering other people in complementary fields the opportunity to really be able to work and start up their own businesses within my business, which is what we’re all about here.
How did you finance this business?
It was with an SBA loan primarily and an additional line of credit, plus personal financing as well.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to start their own business in your field?
I would say if you want to do it that you make sure you do it, don’t just take the easy road and be an associate. I think that it definitely is a bit of a leap of faith starting your own business and your own practice, but I think it’s well worth the journey.
What were some of the most important things you did during this first year?
I think having a very clear vision of what you want is really important. To follow up with the vision, once you have your vision, being true to it — for me that meant that I had to go all out, I wasn’t comfortable with starting on a small scale and then building my business up from there. I wanted to work with other people, have a nice space and make it exactly what I wanted from the start. So I really didn’t spare expenses because that was part of the vision that I wanted. I think also creating the appropriate support group, whether that be your employees, the people you work with. For example, I’m part of a coaching management group, I have a great accountant, I have a great bookkeeper, all of the people that are going to be your support and your advice. I think it’s really important to make sure they’re trustworthy and very knowledgeable about what they do.
How has your business fared in this economy?
I think that everyone needs health care, so I don’t think that we’ve really been impacted that much, to be honest.
How do you build your customer base?
We’ve done print advertising, radio advertising, we’ve tried to take advantage of speaking engagements, getting our name out there, lunch and learns for local businesses. I run a women’s boot camp, which is a fitness program, and just drawing on that client base has been advantageous for building this space as well.
What’s been the greatest challenge for starting your business?
Finding the right place and location was the hardest thing, and then the build-out took much longer than anticipated — the timing of how long it took to open the doors, which is the biggest challenge. I also designed the space myself.
What are your goals for the future of your business?
The biggest thing that we do here that sets us apart from our competitors is that we really work as a team within the center, so if someone comes in to take a yoga class, for example, or to get a massage or chiropractic, we make sure that we communicate amongst ourselves about what is going on with these particular people, so they really feel like they’re getting care from all angles. A lot of people feel like they need to be more serious about the fitness they do and become more active, so it’s great having the classes within the center, so people can do yoga or Pilates. We’re also starting an exercise ball class and post-natal yoga for moms. Massage works very well complementary-wise with chiropractic and being able to go down the hall and talk to my massage therapist before I treat someone, I find really gives people optimal care.
Interview by Mercedes Grandin
New Ventures profiles young businesses, 6-18 months old. Send your suggestions and contact information to editorial@mainebiz.biz.
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