Q1) 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: We are Body Scientific Aesthetics, a medical spa specializing in Medical Weight Loss, Body Contouring, and anti-aging Facial procedures. We provide a unique set of services in the aesthetics market with unparalleled customer service. We offer the most advanced Body Sculpting technology in the market, our process is pain-free, offers zero downtime, and sculpts figures while tightening muscles. We offer a unique medically managed weight loss program, known as clean start. This program resets the metabolism and you are guided through your weight loss journey by our Family Nurse Practitioner. We also offer Botox injections, dermal fillers, anti-aging facial treatments, chemical peels, and Microdermabrasion. Our business is built on the foundation that everything we do is backed by science and is evident in every procedure we offer. We are located on York road in Timonium at the intersection of 695 and I-83 in the peppermill building.
Q2) 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: My name is Heather Alleyne and I am a Family Nurse Practitioner with over 14 years of Advance Practice Nursing and Registered Nursing Experience. I became a certified Aesthetics Nurse Practitioner and medical weight loss specialist and opened Body Scientific Aesthetics In January of 2022. Prior to opening my business, I practiced Medical Weight Management for 4 years and was trained in the use of Botox and worked as an independent Botox injector for 2 years.
I have a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing from Johns Hopkins University and a Master’s degree in Nursing from the University of Maryland. I worked as an Emergency Room Nurse Practitioner saving lives for over 8 years. I was a primary care provider for 3 years, and also worked in urgent care, intensive care, Endoscopy, and as the director of school-based health for the Baltimore City Department of Health.
Q3) 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 inspired because I saw the direction that health care was headed. There was no focus on true patient care or customer service. Instead, medical professionals are driven to meet quotas and to cut corners. I decided to take my extensive medical background to work for myself where I could provide the patient care that people deserve. I decided that I would not be a high-volume provider; instead, I chose to build my practice on high-level, individualized care and therapies personalized to everyone’s individual circumstances and needs. I help my patients achieve total body transformation inside and out. I selected the most advanced body sculpting technology and I offer the Clean Start weight loss program that achieves results by resetting patient metabolism to keep weight off permanently without permanent weight loss medications.
Q4) What three pieces of advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs?
Ans: 1. Your customers are everything.
- Be available, flexible and resolve any and all concerns they have promptly.
- When you decided to get into business you made a commitment to serve customers so always keep that in mind.
Q5) What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?
Ans: A commitment to high levels of service (to employees and customers), expertise in whatever field you pursue, and the ability to build relationships.
Q6) How many hours do you work a day on average?
Ans: Anywhere from 6 – 14 hours. It really depends on patient flow.
Q7) To what do you most attribute your success?
Ans: My ability to build relationships with my customers and expertise in the business that I am in.
Q8) How do you go about marketing your business? What has been your most successful form of marketing?
Ans: Word of mouth from satisfied customers and Internet placement. I employ an internet marketing firm and my customers provide me plenty of free marketing when they share their experiences and five star reviews!
Q9) 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: It is funny, I thought I would have people beating down my door to provide funding because of my unique value proposition and business plan. The feedback on my business plan was always extremely positive but all investors had the same feedback. You never owned a business so we wont invest in you until you can show that you can generate profits.
My husband and I have always been astute investors and instead of continuing to run on the investor funding hamster wheel, we decided we would invest in ourselves. We started off by making some small purchases like a bulk order of Botox and medical-grade facial and skin products. Our first major purchase was our micro-needling and infusion machine. We slowly made some sales and gained a few customers who referred other customers. When we gained some momentum we opened a brick and mortar and made our first major capital purchase all on our own. Our story is definitely not typical but when people close doors you can figure out ways to open others on your own!
Q10) What is the best way to achieve long-term success?
Ans: Understand your customer base and know your finances. Do not over-extend yourself. Sales people will promise you the world but be patient, do lots and lots of research and invest only when you are ready and have the financial wherewithal to do so!
Q11) Where you see yourself and your business in 5 – 10 years?
Ans: I see my business expanding to multiple locations and I plan to be the teacher and business developer that my husband and I have been while we were small and up and coming.
Q12) Excluding yours, what company or business do you admire the most?
Ans: I won’t give specific names, but I admire two medical spa’s in the local areas. Both are female owned and have built themselves to be the leaders in the market.
Q13) How important have good employees been to your success?
Ans: Extremely important. I would not be where I am without them. They work to provide top notch support and I would not be successful without them.
Q14) How long do you stick with an idea before giving up?
Ans: I stick with an idea until I see that there is no way forward or if I see the way forward as being impractical.
Q15) What motivates you?
Ans: Providing my patients with amazing results, providing for myself and my family and being successful as my own boss.
Q16) What are your ideals?
Ans: Commitment to Family and Community, Honesty, Service, Responsibility.
Q17) How do you generate new ideas?
Ans: Reading, attending educational and training seminars, talking with my clients, and collaborating with other practitioners in different fields of study.
Q18) How do you define success?
Ans: First and foremost, making sure we as a family are self-sufficient and independent and providing consistent results to clients with honesty and integrity and building my business to achieve those goals.
Q19) How do you build a successful customer base?
Ans: By providing a high level of service, value and personalized care.
Q20) What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur?
Ans: Developing relationships: That goes for everyone I deal with from my customers to my vendors to my teachers and other industry professionals.
Q21) What has been your most satisfying moment in business?
Ans: When I saw my business at the top of the chart and having customers say they were looking for something else and decided to come to me because of what I offer.
Q22) What do you feel is the major difference between entrepreneurs and those who work for someone else?
Ans: As an entrepreneur, you have a greater stake in the success of the business. If you fail, your business fails, you do everything, make all decisions and are ultimately responsible for all outcomes. Whereas if you work for a business there is a team and additional cushion from the corporation.
Q23) 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: Excellence and customer care. I established this by making it clear in everything I do beginning with my business plan.
Q24) In one word, characterize your life as an entrepreneur?
Ans: Fulfilling!
Q25) If you had the chance to start your career over again, what would you do differently?
Ans: I would have pursued entrepreneurship earlier. I have an extensive medical background which has definitely been a major positive impact to me and my family. I would have jumped into the entrepreneurial world when I felt the change in the medical field where the focus shifted from quality patient care to churning out numbers.
Q26) How has being an entrepreneur affected your family life?
Ans: It actually has been something that has been a major benefit to my family life. We all participated in this business. My daughters designed our logo, constructed the first iteration of our website and managed our social media presence. My husband co-manages the business and of course, I handle all medical procedures. The experience has brought us closer together as a family.
Q27) What is your greatest fear, and how do you manage fear?
Ans: I have a fear of failure in general so I constantly work to improve and update my knowledge and skill sets to avoid failure.
Q28) How did you decide on the location for your business?
Ans: It was actually an accident! I needed a small place that wouldn’t cost me an arm and a leg. I had a friend who has a CPR business who rented an office suite from the same company I rent from now. I went for my CPR recertification and liked the office she had, I decided it would be a great brick-and-mortar starting point for me as well. The rest is history!
Q29) Do you believe there is some sort of pattern or formula to becoming a successful entrepreneur?
Ans: Yes, Work hard, be prepared, and provide a world-class experience to your customer base.
