Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Dr. Amanda Ge, Managing Acupuncturist of Herb4Us & Acupuncture, located in Sunnyvale, CA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
We are a growing holistic health clinic for women's health, metabolic syndrome, and pain management. Our majority of patients are local, men, women, kids, and seniors, and they are often amazed by what acupuncture can help them with. We also help customers all over the states with online consultation and herbal supplement mailing services.
Tell us about yourself
My name is Dr. Amanda Ge, and I obtained my engineering degree in the US and led a regular busy life in the software profession in Silicon Valley for more than ten years. Until struggling through some personal losses, I tuned in to health issues and studied Chinese medicine during that time, meeting renowned herbalist Dr. Robert Xie at a seminar. The turning point of making it a new career was to convince him to take me as an apprentice in 2013; more of that story is in this blog and the original letter.
I spent three years in Beijing in Dr. Robert's startup as VP of Engineering to lead the teamwork of pulse to diagnose hardware and software. I started my own clinic to help more patients in the bay area after I came back and continued the journey to help more acupuncturists to support patients remotely with online herb dispensaries.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
We have established a friend of TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) circle from zoom webinars, Instagram, YouTube, and Bilibili posts. Many patients tried for themselves first, turned into believers, and brought in the whole family. We inspired those patients to maintain their health through non-invasive procedures, foods, supplements, and a healthier lifestyle.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Since the pandemic, we are seeing fewer patients face-to-face. But as an essential business, we never closed the door and expanded to serving customers online and by mail. The hardest thing is to see if we have a good solution for COVID, or long COVID, but have only reached a very limited population. Well, we still proudly helped 200 plus COVID patients in the past three years.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
For holistic clinics, acupuncturists specifically, I highly encourage you to set your goals high. First, ask yourself what your passions are and what kind of clients you want to attract. Before you start the business, ask the acupuncturist friends about what their successes and challenges are, then pick the location carefully. Then do all the prep work yourself until you can transfer the responsibilities to new hires. In terms of hiring, go creative, virtual assistant, local part-time admin, online marketing, etc., and we have to be the strong team lead.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.herb4us.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yun.ge.10
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/herb4us_official/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-yun-ge-259b191a/
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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