Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in healthcare but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Maggie Bergeron, Co-Founder and CEO of Embodia, located in Toronto, ON, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
We are on a mission to transform the way healthcare is delivered by empowering clinicians with the tools, technology, and education to deliver data-driven care that improves patient outcomes. Embodia offers an all-in-one platform for physiotherapists and rehabilitation professionals, including a complete practice management system, EMR, telerehabilitation, home exercise prescription, and two-way messaging. An online continuing education library of 1000+ on-demand online courses and live online courses are offered for the professional. Web and mobile apps are available for practitioners and patients.
Tell us about yourself
I'm a physiotherapist who has come to understand how powerful technology can be in healthcare. Elie, my co-founder, was a chemical engineer who taught himself how to code on the train to and from his engineering job. We met by happy accident while dragon boating in Toronto in 2014.
I reported (ahem, complained) about how much time I spent on administrative work, designing patient education and exercises, and traveling to continuing education courses. With Elie's newfound coding skills, he proposed that we build an app to solve these problems. So in October 2014, we embarked on this journey together which has evolved from a side hustle to a full-time job.
As a physiotherapist, I have come to recognize the incredible impact that technology can have on our patients' lives and the efficiency of our practices. At Embodia, we believe we can build technology together as a community that best serves us, our practices, and our patients.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Bootstrapping and building a business that is fueled entirely by customer revenue.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
Sleeping and self-care :) Business, especially one that you have a deep connection to and feel very passionate about, can be all-consuming. But you can't serve from an empty vessel. Take care of yourself - future you will thank you.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Think big, start small. Pick a niche and figure out their biggest current pain point and how to solve it.
- Balance how much time you spend networking with folks in your industry and how much time you spend developing your business.
- Work on your business, not in your business. This one is tough for those with a profession, such as a healthcare professional and likely accountants or lawyers, who are building their practice and providing the service. Minimize how much time you spend providing the service. Hire and delegate if possible.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.embodiaapp.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Embodia
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/embodia/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoinEmbodia
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/embodia-inc/
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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