Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Lacey Gerbrandt, Founder of Vita Sana Naturopathic Wellness Clinic, located in Spruce Grove, AB, Canada.

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

Vita Sana Naturopathic Wellness Clinic is an integrated Naturopathic clinic. Our aim is to provide you with one-stop-shop care. We currently offer Naturopathic medicine, which encompasses a wide scope of modalities, ranging from traditional methods, such as botanical medicine, Chinese medicine & acupuncture, and homeopathy, to more western modalities, including intravenous/injection therapies, lab workup, and physical & pap (women's wellness) exams.

Further services we provide include massage therapy, emotional polarity therapy (EPT), and holistic nutrition and weight loss coaching. We provide service to anyone who needs care! We are always growing and looking for Practitioners to expand our team to give patients the wrap-around care we aim to provide!

Tell us about yourself

Growing up, I was quite sickly, as were members of my family. I felt the burden that poor health creates and the desperation that comes out of hitting roadblocks on the path to wellness within the conventional medical field. It was out of sheer chance that I stumbled onto natural medicines and, to my great surprise, found a cure to my ailments. That is when I knew that would be the direction of my future. If I could heal and even be cured, then so could others! Helping people day in and day out along their journey to healing is an incredibly fulfilling vocation and one I am very grateful to be a part of.

I believe that every human deserves a life of health and happiness, and I am fortunate that I can be a part of bringing that to others. In total, I have 11 years of postsecondary education and have been in clinical practice for 10.5 years now and am still blown away daily by the amazing new things that medicine, people, and the world have to teach me!

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment as a business owner would have to be my clinic itself. I started my clinic after graduation. It was small and just me. I worked as a Doctor, receptionist, cleaner, etc. It was a grind and required a lot of sacrifice of time and money. As the years went by, the clinic grew bigger and bigger. We added yoga and massage therapy. Near the end of 2021, it became obvious that our small space could no longer accommodate everything we had to offer.

In February of 2020, we signed papers to expand our clinic into its current home in Spruce Village. Two months later, COVID hit us. I take a lot of pride in my business, not only in surviving a pandemic but in surviving a pandemic in the middle of a pricey expansion. Furthermore, I am very proud that even though our own hardship, we have always kept up on giving back to the community through our Karma Clinic, which is a program we host on the first Tuesday of every month, providing 1/2 price services to low-income persons.

I'm happy to say that all of our practitioners participate in this, and it warms my heart to have a successful business, amazing practitioners, and to have maintained the original dream of having a safe and caring space for all humans in need of care.

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

Sacrifice! In owning a business, you truly do learn the definition of sacrifice. It comes in many forms, including time and money. Time away from family and friends, creating and maintaining relationships, and time away from oneself and the self-care and self-learning that gets put to the wayside when you are simply too busy. And money. I don't think it is uncommon for new businesses to run out of the pockets of the owners for many, many years before becoming able to maintain their own accord. I have to live a very basic life and give most of what I earn to my company.

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

  1. Save up double what you think you need before starting! Money goes fast, things always cost more than you expect, and there is always a mountain of costs that you didn't know would come up.
  2. Learn from others first! Don't reinvent the wheel. Watch other businesses, talk with other business owners, etc. Business owners love to give out advice and likely already went through the gambit of things you're about to, so use their experience to your advantage.
  3. Create a team! I'm a doctor, that is my training, and that's what I do best. I'm not an office manager, an accountant, or a massage therapist. If you want these jobs done the best, you hire others that are trained to do it the best! The better your team is, the better your business will function.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Never give up! I truly believe that anything in life can be accomplished as long as you have the perseverance to keep at it! I have failed many times in my life and encountered many setbacks and hardships, and each time I tried again, rose to the occasion, or overcame my limitation, it taught me a lesson that today is a part of my success!

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: http://www.vitasanaclinic.ca/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vitasanaclinic
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vitasananaturopathic/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-lacey-gerbrandt-nd-87488a174/

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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