1 – Q) Kindly give our readers an introduction to your business. Please include what your business is all about, in which city you are located and if you have offices in multiple locations/ cities.
A) My business is called Jacklynne Marder Psychotherapy and is located in Los Angeles. I am a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and I specialize in trauma healing. I utilize body oriented approaches such as EMDR, somatic therapy, and internal family systems for a holistic and dynamic trauma treatment approach that goes beyond traditional talk therapy. These modalities allow for deep healing from trauma at the level of the brain and nervous system, where trauma is often stored, resulting in long lasting sustainable change and healing. In addition to my private therapy practice, I also lead community wellness and healing events such as retreats , group therapy experiences, workshops and classes. These community experiences typically incorporate nervous system regulation education, somatic movement, trauma-informed yoga, sound healing, and an opportunity to connect with others who are on their healing journey in a meaningful and deep way.
2 – Q) Kindly give us a brief description about yourself (it should include your brief educational or entrepreneurial background and list some of your major achievements).
A) I am from Los Angeles and graduated from University of Colorado in 2015 with my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. After graduating, I went on to receive my yoga teacher training certificate in India and began graduate school at Pepperdine University in 2016, obtaining my Master’s in Clinical Psychology. Since then, I have done extensive therapy trainings including Somatic Experiencing, EMDR institute, Internal Family Systems, and Trauma-informed yoga. I have weaved all of these modalities into my private practice that I started building in 2022 after obtaining my California license in Marriage and Family Therapy.
3 – Q) What inspired you to (start a new business venture) or (to make significant changes in an existing business)? How did the idea for your business come about?
A) I’ve always wanted to have my own therapy business. Since being in graduate school at Pepperdine, I have been clear about wanting to start my own private practice as a therapist. I spent a lot of this time networking with established therapists who owned their own private practice and learning about the ins and outs of having a private practice. The benefits of having creative freedom to integrate any modality that resonates with me (vs. having to utilize modalities that I weren’t my choice as it goes at a group practice) was the main draw for me to start my own private practice.
4 – Q) What three pieces of advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs?
A) 1. Get crystal clear on what your ultimate vision is for your business— the long term goals of what it would look like for the business to be whatever your own personal definition of success is.
2. Take small steps toward achieving that long term vision.
3. Be patient in the process of getting there and remember your “why”- the reasons that have motivated you to start in the first place. Staying connected to these “why’s” is essential when motivation fades, and it usually ebs and flows.
5 – Q) What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?
A) 1. Being a self starter- being able to hold yourself accountable to completing the things that you need to in order for the business to grow and become successful.
2. Creativity- thinking outside the box about the ways in which the business can grow.
3. Honoring your capacity in order to avoid burn out- knowing your limitations vs. overextending yourself.
6 – Q) How many hours do you work a day on average?
A) 6 hours a day
7 – Q) To what do you most attribute your success?
A) Having specializations that stand out and Word of mouth referrals from current or previous clients- most of the new clients (who usually hear about my services and modalities from someone they know who has seen me for therapy) I have phone consultations with who are looking to start with a new therapist let me know they are interested in my services because they are niche, backed by neuroscience in their efficacy, and different from traditional talk therapy which they haven’t had full success with.
8 – Q) How do you go about marketing your business? What has been your most successful form of marketing?
A) Educating people on my services and the unique modalities that I incorporate into my therapy practice through making videos, blogs, and posts on social media, as well as through networking events with other healing practitioners and leading group experiences such as workshops at various public spaces in order to gain greater community recognition.
9 – Q) Where did your organizations funding/capital come from and how did you go about getting it? How did you obtain investors for your venture?
A) My own personal savings- No investors
10 – Q) What is the best way to achieve long-term success?
A) Breaking down big goals to smaller tasks, creating weekly goals, monthly goals, yearly and 5 year goals and assessing what resources may need to be in place in order to achieve these goals, working with collaborators, learning as much as you can about building your particular Making sure to take time to take care of yourself and strike the right work/life balance in order to avoid burn out. Become inspired by others who are at the point that you are one day wanting to be at with your business. Stay connected to them. Believe in yourself and form a good relationship with your inner critic in order to quiet the voice of doubt if it wants to make you give up.
11 – Q) Where you see yourself and your business in 5 – 10 years?
A) I see the therapy practice expanding and becoming a supervisor- having 3 associates who are pre-licensed and getting their hours to become licensed. I see the practice going from individual therapy to becoming a full fledged healing center with various workshops, classes, and group therapy experiences.
12 – Q) Excluding yours, what company or business do you admire the most?
A) I admire so much the business Cutting Edge Counseling- I was an associate therapist working with the women who own this therapy practice and it very much inspired me since it’s a very thriving therapy practice that sees a diverse and wide range of clientele.
13 – Q) What motivates you?
A) The most motivating and inspiring thing that fuels me to keep going is when I receive client reviews and get to hear firsthand how they are benefiting from the therapy and being positively impacted by it and the healing that has occurred for them from the therapy. I am also motivated by my own healing experiences in therapy and the experiences I have had utilizes the very modalities I bring to my own clients.
14 – Q) How do you generate new ideas?
A) New creative ideas regarding my business often come to me in quiet moments, such as while in nature , hiking, or at the beach or in the Mountains, times in stillness , pausing and slowing down often helps me cultivate new ideas
15 – Q) How do you define success?
A) Client retention- not just having a lot of clients, but having clients who stay for several years in the therapy practice.
16 – Q) What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur?
A) The Freedom in lifestyle , flexibility and creative freedom.
17 – Q) What has been your most satisfying moment in business?
A) When someone I admire and look up to as a celebrity reached out to me for therapy and found out about my therapy services from her sister who had successfully healed and resolved her PTSD symptoms from her time in therapy with me.
18 – Q) What do you feel is the major difference between entrepreneurs and those who work for someone else?
A) Entrepreneurs life does come along with a certain instability financial, there is not a stable, predicable salary given, however I find the benefits to be very much worth the cost of the ups and downs of having your own business.
