Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in mental wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Jeff Skolnick, Founder of SatoriWest, located in Seattle, WA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
The SatoriWest Method describes the spectrum of human experience and how we develop to our highest potential. It explains the Buddhist understanding of crises, suffering, stress, and dissatisfaction, as well as higher levels of maturity, happiness, and Awakened states using modern knowledge of the brain, western psychology, and life-wellness. Although the SatoriWest Method applies to anyone, it is successfully used in its initial phase in psychiatric hospitals. It answers the question of why patients experience crises and how they can reach their fullest potential—not in spite of their hardships but because of them.
We will eventually use our curriculum in SatoriWest LifeClubs—a longer-term, membership-based program used for a variety of populations: psychiatric, university, medical, health club, retirement, religious, etc.
Tell us about yourself
The SatoriWest Method is the culmination of my background as a 42-year Zen Buddhist practitioner, experienced MD psychiatrist, former neuropsychology doctoral student, and Ph.D. in Natural Health Science. What excites me is seeing psychiatric patients with transformational benefits from learning its principles and practices, as well as epiphanies of long-term Buddhist seekers. What motivates me is the vision of seeing the method adopted more broadly in society—helping the world become a more enlightened place.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Besides creating the SatoriWest Method, a powerful curriculum for transformational change, the biggest accomplishment was getting it trialed in a psychiatric facility's inpatient and outpatient programs and then getting it licensed in another. The positive metrics and testimonials are indicative of its efficacy.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
The politics of customer organizations and the difficulty of expressing your vision to them or to customers directly in a motivating-enough way to convince others of its strengths.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Have a clear vision of what you want to accomplish, enough to motivate you in spite of the obstacles.
- Then, keep going. Be tenacious. Don't see setbacks as failures.
- Get educated about business—e.g., finances, operations, seeking investment, HR practices, and policies.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.satoriwest.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/satoriwestmethod/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-skolnick/
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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