Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Dr. Patrick Callas, co-founder and director of Psy Integrated Health Inc. dba Empower Health, located in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

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

Psy Integrated Health Inc. wears two hats regarding its vision and mission. First, we run Empower Health, an integrated community-based wellness centre in East Vancouver. Empower Health is one of the first integrative spaces to offer integrated Ketamine Assisted Therapy (iKAT), starting in September 2021. KAT is the first and currently only legal psychedelic-assisted therapy in Canada. We have a dynamic team of Medical Doctors, Naturopathic Doctors, Psychologists, and Counsellors and a Neurotherapist, a Registered Massage Therapist, and an Osteopath. We specialize in mental-emotional health, including depression, anxiety, trauma, and PTSD. We also have an addictions expert on our team.

Second, Psy Integrated Health is also building a network of community-owned clinics that wish to provide integrative care and psychedelic-assisted therapies as they become legal. Our goal is to help develop and advise on the best therapeutic and business practices.

Tell us about yourself

I am a Naturopathic Doctor licensed in BC and who has been in practice for a decade. I practice at and am a director at Empower Health Wellness Centre. I am a clinical supervisor for the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine Boucher campus (CCNM-Boucher).

I love connecting with and helping people. Every day I am thrilled to get to know my patients better and help them achieve better health. Similarly, I love working with my diverse team members at Empower Health and those in our clinic network. I am an enthusiastic lifelong learner and learning from my patients, colleagues, and my continued education as a Naturopathic Doctor. The Latin root of the word doctor, docere, is to teach, and I take it very seriously that my role is to teach my patients when they come to see me. Inherent in being a great teacher is to be a good listener, to be a good student, and to be passionate.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment has been to create two thriving health businesses. First, in 2013, I founded Island Natural Health Naturopathic Clinic on Salt Spring Island. In 2020, I co-founded Psy Integrated Health Inc. Psy Integrated successfully reopened Empower Health in East Van after it was closed at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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

One of the hardest things about being a business owner is the long hours it takes to start a successful business and to get it to be self-sustaining. An integrative practice space also has the complication of managing a wide variety of different health professionals and complying with all their professional requirements. The administration level is much higher than most businesses and more than a single professional practice (e.g., Naturopathic Doctors only or counsellor only practice). However, it is worth the added challenge to provide a truly integrative care model under one roof to our patients and clients. This integrative practice model also enriches our practitioners because we all get to learn from each other and effectively refer clients between us.

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

  1. Start or get involved in a business that you are passionate about! The days and years can be long and are more likely to discourage you or burn you out if you run a business you are not passionate about. This does not apply to every aspect of being a business owner. However, those areas in which you are not passionate or have weaknesses are important to identify early and to find team members or support services to help you with these. For instance, I have a bookkeeper, accountant, program coordinator, and administrative staff.
  2. Most people overestimate what they can do in a day or week but underestimate what they can do in a month or year. Here good planning with built-in flexibility is key. Also, set realistic expectations of what you can accomplish each day, week, month, and year. If you don't know these timelines, then reach out to those who are successfully doing what you plan to do in your business.
  3. Find business mentors. We are social beings, and we can learn so much from accomplished mentors who have learned, failed, and ultimately succeeded. I also learned early that reframing failures as learning opportunities are really important. It is better to fail quickly and often fail early on so you can learn, grow and be more successful in the future.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.empowerhealth.ca/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/empowerhealthca/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/empowerhealthcare/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/empowerhealthca/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.