Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Mark Ma, Founder of Acupuncture One, located in Scarborough, ON, CA.

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

We provide acupuncture service. Our customers are those whose healthcare needs cannot be met with conventional therapies.

Tell us about yourself

My initial acupuncture training was provided to me by my mother. She is a veteran acupuncturist with more than 30 years of experience. What I find fascinating all along is that many health conditions cannot be treated well with conventional medicine, but they are easily dealt with using acupuncture, which is a thousand-year-old practice. The speed of recovery using acupuncture is amazing; often, you see instant results right after treatment is provided. We are at supposedly a post-electronic age, yet ancient therapies like acupuncture can still do better than modern medicine with some conditions. The joy of seeing patients recover has motivated me to continue to provide this service to other people with difficult problems.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Being good with the technical aspect is not sufficient to run a business. You would also need to do well with all other aspects of business operation to succeed. As a solo entrepreneur, you will have to deal with everything, from cleaning to bookkeeping, so it takes a lot of time. I feel fortunate to have been able to handle everything well all along.

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

As I said, you have to be good all-around to be a successful business owner. I guess dealing with people is a big transition from the classroom to the real world. Being able to work with different people is very important for the business. Also, it may seem you are the boss, but when you do not work, you do not get paid, so people usually end up working overtime regularly.

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

Before starting, it is important to be prepared for the tasks that would come along when you start a business. It would be beneficial to take some kind of a course to familiarize yourself with all the issues you will face. For example, it would be helpful to create a business plan to get everything organized before you start, so you would not face something totally unexpected. It is important to get everything ready, from bookkeeping to government rules; everything has to be done properly to avoid future surprises.

While, in general, all businesses can survive, declining businesses would not fare well in the coming years, so it may not be a good idea to get into that. Some market research may be helpful to ensure that you take part in something that in the future will be booming, which makes it much easier for the business to survive, rather than the opposite.

Having a mentor who can offer advice when you have problems would be very helpful. A veteran business owner can greatly help a new business, or a lawyer/business consultant. When you can learn from other people's mistakes, you do not have to make those mistakes yourself, and that would save you so much time and money in your own business.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

While the purpose of running a business is to make money, it looks to me that the most successful ones are those that put the customer's needs first. A business that takes advantage of its customers would not do well in the future. One instinct people have is to reward those that treat them well. If you can make a customer happy, they will bring more business to you.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.acupunctureone.ca/

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.

Turn your craft into recurring revenue with Subkit. Start your subscription offering in minutes and supercharge it with growth levers. Get early access here.