Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in mental wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Jeremy Schumacher, Owner of Wellness With Jer LLC., located in Milwaukee, WI, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I am a mental health provider who does couple, family, and individual psychotherapy. My clients are predominantly couples, but anyone can go to therapy, so people from all walks of life with all kinds of concerns find me and want to work with me if they feel I'm a good fit for them personally.
Tell us about yourself
From a young age, I knew I wanted to help people, so I thought I was going to be a doctor. I got to college and realized that organic chemistry and I didn't get along. I also had a big interest in psychology at that point, so I shifted my focus to counseling. I love the personal approach to helping people in that each person I work with requires something different, and in helping them, I really get to build something new and unique all the time. It's very humbling to see people grow and make progress, and it's this amazing, fun, messy journey we get to go on that never gets old.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
I think opening my own business was my biggest accomplishment. I went from giving my notice to opening my own place in under a week, and there were some hiccups and some things I obviously had to fine-tune over time, but I have been told/taught that running a business was really difficult and only for business-minded people. So, being successful in running a mental health facility the way that I wanted to based on what works best for my clients was incredibly rewarding. I've worked in a lot of different settings, and this is by far the healthiest and happiest I have been able to be while doing this work.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Every job comes with things you don't like, so as a therapist, I'm not super fond of all the paperwork I have to do. But as a business owner, there are way more of those areas that you may not like or may not be good at. So, I think building up a good support system is the hardest thing. It's necessary, and the longer you put it off, the harder you make it, but it is difficult to learn what type of support you need, and then finding good people to fill those roles for you can take a long time.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Stop putting it off!
- Get your team together, whether it's mentors or moral support, or someone who thinks in a different way than you, no one does this alone, so get your support system in place.
- Automate and delegate. You want to have as many systems running as simply you can to take things off your plate and delegate the things that you either have no interest in or that you aren't very good at. Someone out there excels in those areas, so tap into their skill set in order to complement your own skills.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://wellnesswithjer.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wellnesswithjer/
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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