Live Well, Be Well - The Kaya Life Cannabis Clinicians

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Dr. Stephanie Johnson, Founder of The Kaya Life Cannabis Clinicians, located in Santa Rosa Beach, FL, USA.

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

Our business is Kaya Life. We are a team of cannabis clinicians and trained support staff who provide cannabis consultations and recommendations to patients who seek to treat their medical conditions with cannabis.

We are a patient-first organization, and our processes guide clients through the entire process of becoming a medical marijuana patient to customized therapeutic recommendations.

Our customers are patients of all ages, and all walks of life, with a wide variety of medical conditions. Our goal is to provide an excellent educational patient experience with compassion and dignity so patients can access the therapeutic benefit of medical marijuana and improved quality of life.

Tell us about yourself

I am a Board Certified Emergency Medicine Physician and Doctor of Osteopathy with a “whole person” approach to medicine. After graduating from residency in 2009, I moved to the Emerald Coast, where I began working as an Emergency Medicine physician for over a decade. Over the years, witnessing the opiate crisis firsthand, as well as the shortcomings of conventional healthcare, I needed to do something outside of the box to fulfill my need to serve others as a physician in an environment where work is a pleasure. The idea to start a new business treating patients with medical marijuana was sparked in November of 2016 when the new law was passed in Florida. I set out to grow the business with a few goals in mind provide a needed treatment option for patients & provide stable employment for a team in a family culture. My motivation comes from doing just that, serving our patients and our team.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment as a business owner is taking that first leap of faith to make a change, from the safety net of gainful employment as an ER physician of a large healthcare system to starting my own practice from just one patient. From that one patient, we have grown to 4 locations in two states employing over 18 individuals and, most importantly, providing customized holistic treatment plans for over 7500 patients and over 20,000 encounters.

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

For me, one of the hardest things about being a business owner is scaling labor growth to business growth. What I mean by that is new and different skill sets are needed as a business grows. It is imperative to have strong team members who can flex and change according to the needs of the organization. Finding and retaining individuals who are committed to patients, our team members, and the goals of Kaya Life has brought a group of very special people into my life. While this aspect is one of the hardest, it also brings many blessings.

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

My top three tips would be:

Know your core values and operate your business accordingly. Understand who you are, what you do, and why you do it. Do not compromise your core values, period.
Be flexible and willing to adjust your business operations to the ever-evolving factors that impact your business. Success relies on change.
Know your strengths and weaknesses. Surround yourself with people who are smarter than you.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.thekayalife.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kayalifecannabis/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheKayaLife
LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3vcsiMN

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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