Q 1. 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.
Ans: Aligned Center is a Chiropractic office utilizing the Gonstead Method, which is a highly acclaimed form of analysis and application. Most people don’t like the idea of their body being twisted cracked-but by having a more thorough analysis, we take the guesswork out of chiropractic and apply a very specific non-rotary movement into the joint to correct the misalignment that was causing nerve interference. We also offer functional nutrition services (also referred to as ‘functional medicine’) which does in-depth lab analysis to find patterns of irregular functions with different hormones or processes in the body. Combined, chiropractic and nutrition helps children and adults be able to self-heal again.
Q 2. Kindly give us a brief description about yourself (it should include your brief educational or entrepreneurial background and list some of your major achievements).
Ans: I graduated from the local high school, Bridgewater-Raritan and then received my Bachelor of Arts in History graduating Cum Laude and Dean’s list from Boston University. I then stayed another year to receive my Master’s in Teaching from Boston University. I met my husband on the Ultimate Frisbee team at BU and moved with him to Los Angeles where he worked on various television shows and I completed my Doctorate of Chiropractic, graduating Cum Laude. We moved back to Bridgewater to open Aligned Center in 2017.
Q 3. 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?
Ans: I grew up watching both my parents be self-starting entrepreneurs-my father a chiropractor and my mother a massage therapist. I saw how happy they were being their own boss while being able to help others in a field they were passionate about. Nothing else besides that seemed appealing to me.
Q 4. What three pieces of advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs?
Ans: Have built in break times throughout the day and week to rest and restore-otherwise you’ll be knocked out for much longer than an hour a day from exhaustion
Keep reminding yourself that the process is a marathon–not a sprint
Know that all of your mentors and idols started small and took time to reach the point he or she is at now, so give yourself the same patience.
Q 5. What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?
Ans: Adaptability to step outside your comfort zone and give presentations even if you don’t like public speaking or making small talk even if you consider yourself an introvert. You’re a chameleon 24/7.
Q 6. How many hours do you work a day on average?
Ans: In the office I alternate 12 hour days and 4 hour days in the actual office. Otherwise I’ll be writing patient notes or analyzing x-rays and labs outside of that
Q 7. To what do you most attribute your success?
Ans: Perseverance-but it doesn’t always feel like I’m doing just that!
Q 8. How do you go about marketing your business? What has been your most successful form of marketing?
Ans: There are a lot of misconceptions about chiropractic in the public and medical spheres. People either are scared to try it or think it is only for back pain. Really, chiropractic should be thought of as akin to going to the dentist-you brush twice a day to avoid cavities, you get quarterly cleanings to avoid cavities, and then when a cavity still happens you go to get it corrected. My best success has been speaking to groups of people to change their thought process about the field of chiropractic and what it means to be “healthy” which, as the WHO states, is more than just the absence of disease.
Q 9. Where did your organizations funding/capital come from and how did you go about getting it? How did you obtain investors for your venture?
Ans: I was very lucky to be able to open in a lean and mean way-I sublet a room in another office and had bought all my equipment second hand from retiring chiropractors over the years while I was in school. It makes the first year very tight on spending but gives me peace of mind that I have no debt.
Q 10. What is the best way to achieve long-term success?
Ans: I’ll let you know in 30 years!
Q 11. Where you see yourself and your business in 5 – 10 years?
Ans: I’d love to be 100% referral based for new patients. The idea that people are so happy with the care they receive and how they are functioning again that they send in their entire family and co-workers and friends would make me feel I got the right messages out there to the community.
Q 12. Excluding yours, what company or business do you admire the most?
Ans: Other philosophy-minded chiropractors that have been grinding away in their offices for five, ten, to thirty years-they are the reason I know I have to keep pushing.
Company Detail:
Company : Aligned Center
Contact : Ila Clemente
Address : 7 East High Street, First Floor
City : Somerville
State : NJ
Zip : 08876
Phone : 908-332-9200
Email : drila@alignedcenternj.com
