Questions: Kindly give our readers an introduction to your business.
Answer: Pink Ribbon Lymphatic Massage provides evidence-based care for individuals after cosmetic surgery or after cancer. We also provide lymphatic massage for individuals who are seeking detoxification from metals or mold. We have offices in Both Scottsdale and Mesa, Arizona.
Questions: Kindly give us a brief description about yourself.
Answer: My name is Deborah Kellogg and I am a physical therapist assistant, a massage therapist and a certified lymphedema therapist. I, in collaboration with other rehab staff, created and implemented the oncology lymphatic massage for MD Anderson, Gilbert. Several years later, I created Pink Ribbon Lymphatic Massage which is now available to all cancer survivors regardless of where they received their cancer treatments.
Questions: 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?
Answer: When I worked as a Physical Therapist Assistant in acute care, I was focused on keeping patients strong and safe so that they had improved capacity to tolerate and complete cancer treatments. My objective was to help them be their best so that they could have the best quality of life possible. With my background as a massage therapist, I knew that an element of support provided after cancer treatment was needed and I was determined to bring that care to our cancer survivors at MD Anderson Gilbert. I later moved on to open Pink Ribbon Lymphatic Massage and expected to have a majority of clients be post cancer treatment. I was surprised to learn about the need for lymphatic massage after cosmetic surgery and with my rehab background I knew this was another perfect addition to our service offerings. Lastly, we have individuals being treated for mold or metal toxicities who’s physicians are suggesting lymphatic massage to aid the lymphatic system with chronic inflammation from these exposures.
Questions: What three pieces of advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs?
Answer: You are going to make mistakes and those are your greatest teachers. It’s not failure it’s just part of the journey. Be clear on what you want and use that as a compass. It’s easy to get distracted with what is working and if you only follow the success, you will not end up with the focus you initially set out to achieve.
Questions: What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?
Answer: Perseverance, patience and collaboration
Questions: How many hours do you work a day on average?
Answer: That varies greatly. I would say about 6 to 8 hours a day.
Questions: To what do you most attribute your success?
Answer: My education and exposure to my area of expertise. Exposure and experience for sure!
Questions: How do you go about marketing your business? What has been your most successful form of marketing?
Answer: I use a SEO company to improve online exposure and Google ads. Word of mouth has quickly outpaced our paid advertising in Scottsdale. We hope to have the same outcome in Mesa.
Questions: Where did your organizations funding/capital come from and how did you go about getting it? How did you obtain investors for your venture?
Answer: I started working from home and as I became busier I moved to a Salon Suite and then onto my Scottsdale location. I try to keep expenses low and provide the best care possible. In the first two years I have reinvested my profits back into the business to fund business growth.
Questions: What is the best way to achieve long-term success?
Answer: We will find out! We are still a new company. But my strategy will be to keep expenses down and to provide more than our competitors.
Questions: Where you see yourself and your business in 5 – 10 years?
Answer: I see big growth for Pink Ribbon. We are starting to implement training classes this year. Our community does not have enough qualified providers and we feel it is essential to create a safe lymphatic community of providers for individuals who are seeking lymphatic massage outside of the traditional lymphedema clinic setting.
Questions: Excluding yours, what company or business do you admire the most?
Answer: I am a Banner Health girl at heart. This is where I learned to be diligent with the safety of my clients, to go the extra mile for safety standards and to provide the best care possible.
Questions: How important have good employees been to your success?
Answer: My contractors are absolutely the heart and quality of the company. I hire only certified lymphedema therapists. We truly are a company of lymphatic specialist.
Questions: How long do you stick with an idea before giving up?
Answer: I have to laugh here… I never give up. If it does not work I set it aside and wait for the opportunity to present.
Questions: What motivates you?
Answer: I want to help people feel more comfortable in their own bodies. Healthcare and specifically lymphatic care does not have enough providers. I want to make it easier for cancer survivors and post operative clients to find quality care. Cancer survivors need someone who can provide maintenance care with the needed level of expertise or they can be adversely affected and have a progression of their disease. Post operative clients are being subjected to providers who have no lymphatic training or very little. We can save clients time and money and offer more focused care because of our training.
Questions: What are your ideals?
Answer: Quality, Compassion and respect for the profession of certified lymphedema therapists.
Questions: How do you generate new ideas?
Answer: By seeing the need of my clients, my therapists and my community.
Questions: How do you define success?
Answer: Make a comfortable living helping other people be more comfortable and educating the public
Questions: How do you build a successful customer base?
Answer: Delivery Quality results.
Questions: What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur?
Answer: I can try things without getting approval! I feel free to be creative. If it doesn’t work I have the freedom to hold onto that idea and repackage it for later.
Questions: What has been your most satisfying moment in business?
Answer: Two things, first helping clients who have lost hope after cancer to find ongoing support. Second, collaborating with the lymphatic community and learning and growing as a part of this group.
Questions: What do you feel is the major difference between entrepreneurs and those who work for someone else?
Answer: You have to be able to absorb the financial risks if the objective fails in the short term. I had a support system in place and a phasing out of traditional employment that allowed me to make the move from employee to owner.
Questions: What kind of culture exists in your organization? How did you establish this tone and why did you institute this particular type of culture?
Answer: Quality and evidence based care. My therapists are competent and capable and don’t need direction from me in regards to client care. Quality care is how we navigate. And we do not make claims in regards to our care that cannot be backed up by evidence based science.
Questions: In one word, characterize your life as an entrepreneur.
Answer: Freedom
