• 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.
◦ Cactus Medical Center is an integrated medical clinic specializing in non-narcotic pain management. We are a group of providers that work together as a team to get down the underlying cause of pain and develop a plan to fix the problem to achieve lasting results. We offer individualized treatments plans that including physical medicine, joint injections, physical therapy and chiropractic care. We treat a variety of conditions from osteoarthritis and neuropathy to whiplash injuries from car accidents and injuries from falls.
• Kindly give us a brief description about yourself (it should include your brief educational or entrepreneurial background and list some of your major achievements).
◦ My name is Dr. Brandon Kulp, DC and one of the owners of Cactus Medical Center. I am from Western New York and received my undergraduate degree in Athletic Training from Caniusus College and my Doctor of Chiropractic from D’Youville College in Buffalo, NY. I started my first business, Kulp Family Chiropractic, about a year after graduating. As that business developed, I wanted to be able to offer my patients more services and opportunities to get better and manage their pain. That is what lead to opening Cactus Medical Center.
• What inspired you to (start a new business venture) or (to make significant changes in an existing business)? th people you trust
◦ Many patients see multiple different doctors and providers when they are suffering with pain and loss of function. The trouble is, most of those providers don’t communicate with one another and work together. I was and still am inspired by the integrated medical approach to treating pain. The combination of physical medicine, rehabilitation and chiropractic care is the answer to fixing the problems causing pain and doing so without narcotic medication and surgery.
• What three pieces of advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs?
◦ In the medical field you must lead with your heart first and genuine care for people and wanting to help them get better, the success of the business will follow.
◦ Surround yourself with people you trust.
◦ Know your weaknesses and when to seek guidance of others.
• What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?
◦ Perseverance
◦ Knowing when to take risks
◦ Listening
• How many hours do you work a day on average?
◦ 10-12
• To what do you most attribute your success?
◦ The passion I have for helping people get better without medication. Our office is what our community was asking for, I listened and we created it.
• How do you go about marketing your business? What has been your most successful form of marketing?
◦ We have a full time Director of Public Relations that helps make connections in the community and sets up speaking engagements and seminars where we can educate the community on our services. We are active online and Facebook as well that does help us reach new patients.
• Where did your organizations funding/capital come from and how did you go about getting it?
◦ The other owner and I had existing businesses prior to starting Cactus Medical Center that allowed us to fund the start up.
• What is the best way to achieve long-term success?
◦ Stick-to-itiveness and making sure you are providing a service people want and need.
• Where you see yourself and your business in 5 – 10 years?
◦ I see Cactus Medical Center continuing to grow and help more people. The goal is open multiple locations around the West Valley so that people have another option aside from pain medication when needing to manage and alleviate pain.
• Excluding yours, what company or business do you admire the most?
◦ Any self-made, self-started company that has expanded into servicing a large population is very admirable and inspiring. Too many companies are owned or funded by large corporate entities and we need more local people with business servicing the local communities.
Recommended Questions –
• How important have good employees been to your success?
◦ Good employees have been an integral part of our success. Knowing you can trust people to help run your business so you can focus on growing the business is very helpful.
• How long do you stick with an idea before giving up?
◦ If it’s something I truly believe it, I won’t give it up.
• What motivates you?
◦ Helping people manage pain without getting addicted to medication
• How do you generate new ideas?
◦ Talking, brainstorming with colleagues and listening to the community on what they need from us.
• How do you define success?
◦ To me, success is waking up every day and being proud of the business we created and knowing we are helping people life better lives.
• How do you build a successful customer base?
◦ Gaining trust. When your patients can truly tell you care about them the relationship grows from there.
• What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur?
◦ Having the ability to run a business the way I want to.
• What has been your most satisfying moment in business?
◦ The continued success story of our patients. The reviews, letters, cards and people stopping in to show their appreciation for what our team has done for them.
• What do you feel is the major difference between entrepreneurs and those who work for someone else?
◦ The stress level! I’m kidding (mostly). Entrepreneurs are typically more willing to take risks and invest all they have into an idea and are motivated by prospect of creating a company from the ground up. While others want to focus on their craft and the skills of their profession and development of the business. Having both types of people in a business is very important.
• What kind of culture exists in your organization? How did you establish this tone and why did you institute this particular type of culture?
◦ Our culture is very welcoming, to everyone. The patient is always first and our priority each day. They are the ones in pain and we are here to take care of them anyway we can to help them have a better day. We treat our staff well and like to reward excellence and those who give us 110%. We believe that we never stop learning, we practice, quiz, and test one another all the time to ensure we are always at the top of our game.
• In one word, characterize your life as an entrepreneur.
◦ Busy!