Q 1. Please give our readers an introduction to your business. Include what your business is all about, in which city you are located and if you have offices in multiple locations/ cities.
Ans: A Better Weigh Center is helping patients find “A Better Weigh” to live through compassion, education and integrity. We customize weight loss plans through extensive testing to assess which will be the best option for the patient. We do allergy testing, genetic testing and offer a wide range of services for health and wellness from supplements to surgery and minor cosmetic procedures afterwards. We have two offices located in Keller and Desoto but serve the entire DFW area.
Q 2. Provide a brief description about yourself (it should include your brief educational or entrepreneurial background and list some of your major achievements).
Ans: I went to undergraduate school at University of Houston and graduated summa cum laude. I also completed my graduate studies in Lyon, France in Biochemistry, and attended medical school in San Antonio at UT Health Science Center. I did my Residency in General Surgery at Eastern Virginia Medical School and fellowship training at UT Health Science Center in Houston in MIS and Bariatric Surgery.
In addition, I was named best general surgeon in 2016 after starting my own business in 2014. I am constantly educating myself and finding better ways to treat patients which is why I chose to go into private practice versus employment under a hospital. I wanted to be able to offer my patients new services without any restraints.
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 was employed by another practice and felt restrained that I could not offer the best for the patients and had to stick to the same thing. I wanted to do more than just surgery because I felt weight loss surgery was more than surgery. I wanted to look into micronutrients and more advanced testing to figure out why people did not lose or gain. I knew genetics played a role along with all these other factors and could not explore it until I was out on my own. I wanted to treat everything related to weight to maximize success to include other medical conditions and could not do that either due to time restraints until I went on my own. My appointments were limited to 15 minutes and what surgery they wanted. Now, I get to know my patients, their families and their whole history, and I feel I can treat them better. After leaving my last job, I prayed about it and was lead to start my own practice to make a mark in this huge field of unknowns.
Q 4. What three pieces of advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs?
Ans: 1. Write down your goals and vision statements.
2. Create a supportive team and have mentors.
3. It is okay to dream but stay within a reasonable means and never stop working to be better.
Q 5. What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?
Ans: 1. Vision
2. Passion
3. Motivation
Q 6. How many hours do you work a day on average?
Ans: I work about 8-10 hours a day now, prior to now it was like 16. I wake up sometimes and think about the business and how things can get better, so it is hard to quantify.
Q 7. To what do you most attribute your success?
Ans: Being obedient to my Savior and insuring I do things the right way.
Q 8. How do you go about marketing your business? What has been your most successful form of marketing?
Ans: I market through my patients, online, and radio. So far, my patients have been my best referral source.
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: No investors.
Q 10. What is the best way to achieve long-term success?
Ans: Being committed and being liked, treating people how you want to be treated no matter how successful you get.
Q 11. Where you see yourself and your business in 5 – 10 years?
Ans: Equipping others to be successful, I plan on having multiple offices and being less on the ground floor. but more training others to go and do.
Q 12. Excluding yours, what company or business do you admire the most?
Ans: Chick-Fil-A
Q 13. How important have good employees been to your success?
Ans: Very important to have the right team, in my business that is the first people my patients see.
Q 14. How long do you stick with an idea before giving up?
Ans: At least 6 months to a year, but I have not really given up on any business ideas yet.
Q 15. What motivates you?
Ans: Having successful patients.
Q 16. How do you generate new ideas?
Ans: They come to me either in my quiet time or in my sleep, energy from other people.
Q 17. How do you build a successful customer base?
Ans: By treating the patient as though they were your family member and most of my patients feel like family when they come in. They all think they are special and the only one important at the time.
Q 18. What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur?
Ans: Flexibility in schedule and being able to do things I want to do.
Q 19. What has been your most satisfying moment in business?
Ans: The growth, the patient referrals, seeing my business and reviews online and saying I built that from the ground up
Q 20. What do you feel is the major difference between entrepreneurs and those who work for someone else?
Ans: Having the vision and energy to run a business and hanging in there despite ups and downs, seeing the goal and vision for the business constantly, being able to change with the times, wanting to learn constantly, not wanting to just clock in and clock out, being unable to settle for… wanting to make a change and be the change
Q 21. What kind of culture exists in your organization? How did you establish this tone and why did you institute this particular type of culture?
Ans: Family atmosphere and that is among both my patients and staff, being comfortable about speaking up and talking and making my staff feel they contribute to ideas of growth also since we each function in a different part of the practice.
Q 22.In one word, characterize your life as an entrepreneur.
Ans: Favored
Q 23. How has being an entrepreneur affected your family life?
Ans: Being an entrepreneur has brought about a more favorable family life because I can control my own schedule.
Q 24. What is your greatest fear, and how do you manage fear?
Ans: My greatest fear is defeat or not being able to provide for my family and staff. I continue to trust in God and do good work.
Q 25. What are your hobbies? What do you do in your non-work time?
Ans: Working out, being outdoors.
Company Detail:
Company : A Better Weigh Center
Contact : Dr. Franchell Hamilton
Address : 8865 Davis Blvd Ste 100A
City : Keller
State : TX
Zip : 76248
Phone : 817-431-1059
Email : info@abetterweighcenter.com
