A Nurse & A Nomad - Adam Rozendaal

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in healthcare but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Adam Rozendaal, Author, Former Army Medic, ER Nurse & Travel Nurse based in Lone Tree, CO, USA.

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

Well, my "business" is Healthcare. I certainly don't own the industry, but I've been involved in Critical Care or Emergency care through the role of Nursing for 10 years. Through years of experience and multiple places of employment, I saw on the ground level how Critical Care is like that saying, "the more things change, the more they stay the same." I journaled about my experiences, eventually turning my thoughts and experiences into a book that was released in August of 2022 called "Get A Pulse." The intent of Get A Pulse is to provide the public with an inside idea of what that world is like when you're trying to marry together the medical urgency of situations while actively working to not make people feel like herded cattle or seen as only their medical issues. The greatest demographic would be aspiring Nurses. My ultimate goal for the book would be to land on a Nursing Program's suggested reading list.

Tell us about yourself

I got into Nursing with an absolutely broad sense of wanting to help. It did not take long at all to realize the uphill task that helping people can be. Nursing really is one of those jobs where you live for small victories. It's worthy of celebration when large victories occur. However, if you count on those to return to the hospital and punch that clock, you're going to cave. I now travel as a Nurse. The job allows me to see the country, and I love it. I was made for the mountains, and mountain regions are where you can usually find me. Any Nurse working 12hr shifts will tell you that the work-life balance is a perk. I will never tell you that it's a job you don't take home with you because if you're not receiving emails from the powers that be on events and various forms of reviewing your work, then you yourself are constantly reflecting on situations.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I am proud of the fact that I've held my own as an RN in every setting, from rural 12-bed ERs in the Great Planes to 50-bed ERs in urban cities. I've honed skills to the point of training new nurses and moved into Intensive Care Units of the same capacities. Small hospitals test your critical thinking and assessment abilities because they don't always have resources and technology readily available or available at all. Large hospitals test you through sheer pace and capacity.

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

I have never been an 'in your face' personality. Becoming an Author and wanting success for my book comes with a required amount of sales. Initially, I worried that people would view any interaction as my attempt to sell them my book. I quickly learned that my friends and family were just as excited to talk about Get A Pulse as I was. I also became comfortable very quickly bringing it up to people I met. It feels natural because it is. The next area of growth for me is definitely social media. Using social media appropriately to turn any business or project into a success goes without saying. Being present on multiple platforms is work. A very different type of work that I am familiar with.

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

1. Don't filter yourself. My book began as hundreds of pages of unfiltered thoughts and emotions that I would put into pursuing after a shift. If I tried to edit things from the beginning instead of getting down the raw emotions, I would still be looking at blank pages. So whatever your industry may be, don't shoot for perfection from the planning stage. Perfection truly is the enemy of progress.
2. Next, I sought out a professional in the business once I had a rough outline. And it was indeed ROUGH. I absolutely love working with people that are experienced in whatever they do. It's like fast-tracking years of formal education that's also taught by the most passionate of instructors. Never undervalue a passionate person's experience.
3. The last part was answered above. To take on a project and have it be a success, it can't be a double life for you. It needs to be you. It will need time and attention. That time and attention may need to come from preexisting relationships, which will force them to go through a growing period. But you can't nurture your business or, in my case, my book into success if it is "this other thing that you do." It needs to meld into your life as a part of you. People need to understand that when they are dealing with you, it goes without saying that you and your business are one and the same.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://adamrozendaal.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lord_have_mursey/

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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