Unlocking the Brain's Self-healing Potential

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in mental health care but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Marie Lesaicherre, Founder and CEO of Akesa Health, located in San Ramon, CA, USA.

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

Akesa Health offers a self-guided therapy app helping users transform anxiety and emotional distress into resilience without needing a therapist.

Tell us about yourself

Ten years ago, I was finishing my executive MBA and about to launch a business when some long-forgotten childhood traumas surfaced and derailed my career. I spent years looking for solutions to heal, realized I suffered from PTSD, and got frustrated with the lack of affordable and science-based mental health solutions. I eventually found therapies that saved my life, and while researching those, I realized that the brain has innate self-healing potential.

To address the issue of access to care, I created Akesa, an app that helps people tap into their brain's self-healing potential and transform anxiety and emotional distress into resilience- the ability to face life's setbacks. Every day, I am motivated by all the people around the world that Akesa can help live the happy and healthy life we all desire and deserve.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Being able to develop and launch the Akesa app while raising very little money from friends and colleagues and signing paid pilots even before the app was launched.

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

The intensity - it's a constant rollercoaster of ups and downs, and ups and downs. Also, being the sole founder creating the products and running the business, it's hard to stop because we feel that when we stop, the whole business stops.

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

Be prepared for the intense rollercoaster experience, and know it's part of the journey. When things get worse, do know that they'll most probably get better and that when it's all going fine and smooth, some hurdles might come.
Focus on developing an MVP and getting it out to customers as quickly as possible. User feedback is key, key, key. As the saying goes... a business without customers is not a business.
Know your blind spots, and surround yourself with people who can help you see these blind spots and compensate for them. Nobody can do it all alone.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.akesahealth.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/akesahealth
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AkesaHealth
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drlesaicherre/

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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