Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Sarah Goulding, Medical Director of Sequence Wellness, located in Ottawa, ON, Canada.

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

We are a virtual women's health clinic specializing in hormones and digestive health. We are a team of naturopathic doctors, nutritionists, psychotherapists, and counselors. Our patients are women who are frustrated with feeling less than optimal and who have a keen interest in getting to the root cause of their concerns. We are health investigators that do the deep dive to determine the "why" of a woman's issue so that we can once and for all resolve it.

Tell us about yourself

It turns out that business is my creative outlet. I have the analytical and educational background (neuroscience, biology, and naturopathic medicine) to see the full story and to understand the source of the problem and how everything connects, so creating a comprehensive healthcare team to fully investigate and address women's health concerns was a logical step.

I love learning, and I'm very curious about the intricacies of my patient's health and life circumstances. I'm motivated by the search for root causes and by seeing my patients feel so much better using simple interventions. The closer we get to the root cause, the gentler the interventions needed to get well.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment as a business owner has been the creation of a formula of care that straddles standard medical practices and evolutionary biology. We use modern medical assessment and tools to determine what a woman's obstacle to health is, but then we use natural therapies that work with her body to return her to a balanced, healthy state as nature has developed it.

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

Life balance is the trickiest aspect of entrepreneurship, in my opinion. Business owners have the drive and the pressure to continue to invest as much time as possible into the company to build and grow, but there is a point where the naturopath in me forces a slow down for a better quality of life.

With two small kids and an otherwise busy life, I allow myself bursts of business development and frame them as projects, and then I give myself a break by scheduling in more exercise, more time with my kids, and more sleep!

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

  1. Do the work. The difference I see between practitioners like myself who succeed and those that don't is usually drive. Those that put in the time create long-term careers and eventually graduate to a level of success that allows them to have a better overall quality of life after the big building phase is over. Those that are not able to put in the initial effort persistently ultimately end up having to work more in the long term, with less success and growth.
  2. Be flexible. It's great to start out with a rigid plan for what you think your business will be but modify it as you go. If a branch of your business is not doing well, cut it off, stop investing time, energy, and money into what is not working, and redirect that into what is.
  3. Revisit your big picture regularly. Every three months, sit down with your overarching business plan and see if it still fits. What has changed, what needs to be added, and what has been dropped? Make it a date. Sit down on an early Sunday morning with a cup of tea or coffee, take out your notepad, and let your mind creatively wander around big ideas.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.sequencewellness.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarah.gouldingnd
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sequence.wellness/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sagouldingND
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-sarah-goulding-nd-4ab08660/

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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