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You Can't Afford Me
Making the leap from employment to entrepreneurship can be a scary time. The biggest fear people have is the unknown. Here on the “You Can’t Afford Me Podast” we speak with hustlers and innovators on how to make the most of your journey. If you have questions we have answers.
You Can't Afford Me
How A Nurse Practitioner Built A Mobile IV Wellness Business In Richmond Virginia
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Your body sends signals you can’t afford to ignore and sometimes the simplest fix is hydration, delivered the fastest way possible. We sit down with April, a family nurse practitioner and the founder of Inovitamin Solutions in Richmond, Virginia, to unpack what mobile IV hydration therapy and IV vitamin infusions actually do, who they’re for, and why convenience can be a legitimate health advantage when the alternative is waiting hours in an emergency room or pushing through work while depleted.
We get specific about safety and outcomes: experienced IV nurses, what a basic hydration drip includes, why absorption is dramatically higher through an IV than many oral supplements, and how to think about urine color as a practical dehydration check. April also shares real-world use cases from busy executives who stay in meetings while getting fluids to elderly clients trying to avoid repeat ER visits, plus a clear look at vitamin support like vitamin D, magnesium, and B12 for energy, mood, sleep, and brain fog in a world full of processed food.
Then we shift to the entrepreneur side: how she started as a side hustle, hired contractors first to keep overhead low, what startup costs really look like, and the marketing mistakes she’d never repeat, including long print contracts that don’t match the target audience. We also talk medical weight loss, microdosing GLP-1s to reduce food noise, and why coaching, protein, fiber, and hydration still matter. If you care about wellness, mobile healthcare, or building a service business the smart way, hit play, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave us a review with your biggest takeaway.
www.themrpreneur.com
No Fluff Show Kickoff
SPEAKER_02Welcome to the You Can't Afford Me podcast, where we skip the fluff and dive straight into the right. Real entrepreneur, real struggle, and the unfiltered journey behind today. Let's get into it. Hey guys, thanks for joining us on another episode of the You Can't Afford Me podcast. So today I know a lot of people are going to be interested in this interview. You ever had those moments where you just drank a little bit too much the night before, or you're training for something big time, or you're about to take that trip and you feel a little cold coming on and you want to make sure you don't get sick? Well, today I have a business owner on the podcast that can fix all of that for you, plus much more. So today we have April on the podcast. April, how are you doing today?
unknownI'm doing great.
SPEAKER_00How are you?
SPEAKER_02Awesome, awesome. So give her a quick rundown of who you are and what you do.
SPEAKER_00Yes, so I own Antivitamin Solutions. Um, it is a local company here in Richmond, Virginia. Started about in 2022, so it's been about four years.
SPEAKER_01Nice.
SPEAKER_00And we started out as completely mobile IV hydration and vitamin therapy. We would go pull up at people's homes, they're not feeling well, just like you said, need a little boost. We would set up, have all of mobile, completely mobile supplies, everything we need, set up and just infuse people. And it really just kind of came off of COVID of like how can what can we do to help? And um how is it safe? But also opening a brick and mortar was a little scary during that time where things were shutting down, just a you know, kind of a couple years from that, you know, from from our start. And so um we said, yeah, we'll take it on the road. Let's go mobile and around the Richmond area and just set up and just to help people feel better from the inside out, mobile hydration, or just any kind of vitamin boost that you're looking for.
SPEAKER_02Love it. All right, we got a ton to unpack on this episode. Let's start from the very beginning. Uh, where did you did you go? Obviously, you're in the medical field. Did you what school did you go to? Where did you study? All that good stuff.
April’s Medical Background And Why
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so I'm a family nurse practitioner, and I is this is actually my 20th uh anniversary of being an MP. I'm a family NP. Um I worked in liver disease for 16 years, and that's where my start was. I you know, um just really I worked for liver transplant, liver cancer, hepatitis C, hepatitis B, anything liver related is what I did for quite some time. And then I switched over to endocrinology for about three years and just really wanted to help those patients with uh with diabetes, obesity is on the rise. And um, and at the time with liver disease, fatty liver was a big thing. And a lot of people with fatty liver disease had diabetes. So I said, let me get in into that um sort of area to learn how to treat those people with diabetes that hopefully can prevent fatty liver and more liver damage, amongst other things. Um and so um and so that is my specialty, my background is just a lot of internal medicine. Um, even as a nurse on the floor, I was internal medicine and um and just been a nurse practitioner and just kind of um kind of got into business, kind of stumbled on business and learning a lot about business, sort of maybe the hard way, but just really got into, you know, having nurses on my team and evolving into um leaving my job April 1st, uh, 2025 to do this full time. So I've been a nurse practitioner for a while and really love what I do.
The Vegas Spark For IVs
SPEAKER_02Love it. Let's talk, let's talk about that transition from being a nurse practitioner to a business owner. So, number one, what even prompted this idea?
SPEAKER_00So it was supposed to be a side gig, you know, kind of a side hustle, you know, just to say, oh, I can make a few extra bucks to send my kids to school, you know, to college and pay for their college fund, that kind of thing. And initially I went to Vegas with my husband. He's a real estate agent for their conference. I was a plus one, so I was kind of hanging around the win on, you know, in Vegas and just going to the gym. And then I saw an infusion place. I was like, huh, what is that? You know, um, Ivy Infusion, let me kind of look at that and scan the QR code and realize that you know this is a real thing that you can actually set up and um and do it mobile. And um and I'm sure that's massive in Vegas. Yes, huge, huge from the hangovers and different things. And so then I kind of started to research a little bit in the Richmond area and realized there weren't a lot of places. Uh I saw one or two. Um, and I said, well, let's let's get this going here and see what we can do. And it's just really about health and wellness. I'm big on that. And um, and then got into it and realized that I had to kind of get all into it, you know. I had great nurses, four or five nurses to start out, but to really be hands-on like I like to be and really kind of work the business, you have to be in the business and then also work on the business at the same time initially, and um, and realize there's a lot more on the business side that I had to learn and just really kind of just just dove right in, you know. And it was it's been great. A lot of you know, kind of learning, you know, pains in a way, but it's so rewarding. I absolutely love the business part and just the health and wellness and making people feel better, you know, and that's I'm big on that and helping people. So um, but yes, just learning all about the business and really like realizing it's two full-time jobs when you're working your main job, but also the business piece of it is important too.
SPEAKER_02Absolutely. So, how did you when you actually let me ask this when did you know it was time to hire people on your team, or did you initially come out the gate hiring contractors?
Contractors And The Mobile Model
SPEAKER_00So I initially came out the gate having contractors because I still had a full-time job. I was still working, and I was like, well, how can I do this? So I got seasoned nurses who have been nurses for 30 plus years that could do day daytime shifts. You know, thing about nursing is that we're very flexible. We have day shifts, night shifts, evenings, very flexible. And these two nurses in particular um could work during the day when I had to work. And I hadn't done IVs in 16 years, you know, when I started the business. So I really relied on them and had to hone my skills, kind of brush up on my skills and everything. And so I had four nurses to start out, knowing that it was going to be like sort of a kind of an agency type thing where they are contractors and I'm just placing them, you know, with different um appointments and everything. And um, and then I got to the point that it, you know, when people are sick, they're not waiting to maybe book in two or three days. They want now, they want now. So I had to get out there and do now while they had the booked appointments and could kind of plan for those things. But um, and but I really took off when I got into it and really worked the business and didn't turn people away because we didn't have any availability because nurses were not available, you know, because they were also working full-time jobs and just trying to be flexible in that way, you know. So I had some daytime nurses, some night nurses. I was the fill-in, and I still do that too now. Um, if someone something calls up, comes up and I need to maybe do it in two hours, I would go and do it myself. I did that yesterday.
SPEAKER_02See, people forget, like when you own a business, if let's say you have a janitorial service and they can't get there, guess who's scrubbing the toilets? Yep, El Presidente.
SPEAKER_00Yep, exactly. And you can't be afraid to get in there and work it because nobody's gonna love your business as much as you do. And I, you know, learned it's like sometimes you don't want to leave money on the floor, so on the table. So it's just like, okay, let me brush up my IV skills. Husband, come here, bring me your vein, and let's get to it. Yeah and really get out there and and and um and uh and work it.
SPEAKER_02I bet your husband was really hydrated in the early days. Very much so, yes.
SPEAKER_00Yes, he can tell you all about the ones that he likes and the ones he doesn't like, yeah, or you know, and how he feels after him because he got a lot initially in the first couple years.
Startup Costs And Lean Overhead
SPEAKER_02Nice. And I love how you started the model. So a lot of people, I don't want I don't want to brush over this. I want people to understand, like, number one, you can start a business and still be working full time. Yes. You did something different where I don't see a lot of entrepreneurs do, where like you uh set the foundation for the business and you're still working full-time, and you're not even the one hands-on providing the service. Um, a lot of people would just say, Oh, I need to wait until I can transition, then I'll start this business. You figured out a way to make that work initially. And then initially bringing in the contractor piece, that's how I built my business initially was I didn't hire people part-time or full-time, I only hired contractors, which the beautiful thing of that is like they don't get paid unless you're getting paid. That's it. So there's no money you're able to control that overhead, all those sorts of things. Um, speaking of the overhead piece, kind of give us a sense of what does it cost to start a business like this? Like, I always tell people like service-based businesses, I think, are that's the type of entrepreneur I've been my whole career is just service-based. I've never done products or restaurants or anything like that. Uh, but I love service-based because a lot of times it just takes a little grit and maybe a couple of G's to get things off the ground. So talk to us about what those initial costs are.
SPEAKER_00Exactly right. And I do want to just basically back up what you're saying about contract nursing. It's great because it's not the pressure on, oh gosh, I gotta find hours. I gotta make sure that I guarantee these certain, you know, these certain this certain amount of hours. I didn't have to worry about that. It's like if we got jobs, hey, can you take it? And I have now I have enough to say, okay, if this person does it's not available, I can use the other. So it's no pressure and requiring, like you said, part-time or full-time working. You have to give them hours. Contracting PRN or as needed. They work, like you said, if I have business, they work. If I don't, okay. No pressure, which really does help and it really does work out great for you know my type of business as well. And so to start the business, that was the other thing I was worried about overhead. Mobile is the best way. And and I've even heard to about other healthcare entrepreneurs that they work out of their house. You know, they work out of the house or they did for me. I did house calls, you know, I didn't want people to come to my house, but I went to theirs. And and so it, like you said, a few G's. It just wasn't um, you know, a whole lot. A lot of it is advertisement, a lot of it's marketing, about letting people know that you're here. Um, it was funny when I first started, I remember saying, Well, everybody wants to feel great, everybody wants to hydrate. You know, I just, you know, just put it out there to my my neighbors, my community, and said, okay, I'm open for business, let's go. The first month we had maybe two people book. And, you know, and I was like, okay, this takes a little bit of more work, and you know, and just really people seeing who you are and seeing you multiple times and popping up at bread, um, uh uh bridal or wedding shows, um, being a vendor, paying for that vendor, and really paying for the lead list, you know, different things. And it's just a lot of the marketing, it was a lot of the cost initially.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_00And then the supplies, making sure you order the right vitamins and the right amount, knowing how to stretch it, that um, you know, multiple infusions can use similar vitamins uh so that you don't waste a lot. You know, I I did waste a lot um because you know, you buy all this stuff up and then you kind of wait, like, okay, I'm ready to go. But the clients have to know who you are and that you're, you know, a business and know where you are and that kind of thing and know what you do. And so a lot of it is just um just putting yourself out there and and and so yeah, um, you know, you need the Ivy poles, you need the vitamins, you need the supplies and all of that, but it's not a huge cost to start up initially versus like a brick and mortar where you're paying tens of thousands. I would say it's definitely um five thousand or less. Um, and just like you said, if you get paid, they get your nurses get paid or your staff. Um, but really keeping it lean and really just being careful not to overextend yourself initially and just start small and build on that as you build your brand. Yeah, that's the most important thing.
Who Uses Mobile IV Services
SPEAKER_02I think that's where a lot of businesses end up going under. I don't think businesses typically go under because of uh you know, lack of knowledge or you know, it's a bad service or anything. I think most people just take on way too much overhead in the early days and find out later that they can't afford it. And I love any service like yours where it makes things convenient for the client. The fact that, like, I have my barber comes here every Wednesday to cut my hair. It's just the simple fact of like, okay, if I gotta get in the car, I gotta drive over there, it's gonna be a 15-minute drive, gotta get my hair cut, then drive back over here. That's two hours that I've just gotten sucked up. Versus him coming here, he cuts my hair in 30 minutes, I have my team meeting with me during that, or I'm taking last time he was here cutting me, I was on a Zoom call the whole time. Like, it's just that time suck that that people look at. And I've always said the the wealthy value their time. Um, we're they're willing to pay for people to save time for them. Um so that convenience factor, talk about like the the types of clients that you've seen. Is this going into businesses? Is it going into people's home? Describe what that looks like.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so it's been great, and you're exactly right. It's just all about your time, and people, even though I really keep my prices reasonable, people will pay that extra or tip my nurses great. You know, as nurses, we're not used to getting tips or taking tips, but they will pay extra for that actually for that convenience, right? And so um most of my clients are either there's two two of courses, those one-offs that you know just hang over. Hey, I'm not I had a fundraiser last night, I drank way too much, and now I need that's what that's Sunday, right? Sundays we get the one-offs that they look up, look up mobile infusion and we pop up and then we service them, and that's great. Word of mouth of that is great, and um, maybe even asking for reviews, that type of thing. But most of my clients, those repeat customers, are just like yourself that they don't want to sit and have to wait. Because you think about a barbershop, how long, how many times do you see hours that they're sitting waiting, or you have to, you know, you're just waiting. It's a lot of your time.
SPEAKER_02Oh, these old school black barberships are work. They don't even let you put your name on a piece of paper. You're just sitting there waiting.
Safety Absorption And Hydration Basics
SPEAKER_00You just walk in and you have to wait, you know, that kind of thing. So a lot of my our um company execs, you know, will go into their office and they're having I've been in there where he's had a meeting, and you know, you just hook them up and and then they're to they're talking to their team exactly what you do. And then a lot of it um is you know, those people, those elderly people that just want to stay out of the emergency room. Uh we actually get th that population as well. They're just dehydrated, they're not drinking enough, and it's like their caregivers and their family members don't want them to continue to go in the emergency room and have to wait or have to cat catch some other, you know, germs or bacteria or something. And then we service them every every you know week to 10 days to 14 days, and they are a repeat business. Um, but then also those professionals, it was professionals that don't necessarily want to leave their home if they don't have to, and they just need, you know, some you know, sort of um hydration, vitamin therapy, some energy, that kind of thing to keep going and they know they're not taking care of their of themselves, you know. Company business owners, we um one in particular is a research company and she runs it, and I know she works just long, long hours. And we come to their home and she has small kids too. So a lot of times with mothers and professionals and all of that, they don't have time to say, okay, I need a sitter, then I need to go to the infusion center and then get infused, and I gotta come back, but I still have to work, you know. So those busy moms, busy fathers, busy, you know, professionals, um, a lot of times we're just the convenient ones that will pop up. We're in and out an hour. We do not like to spend any more time than an hour at people's homes because we know you're busy too. And also um it just makes it super convenient that way. Um, so a lot of a lot of those young professionals or not even young, just all professionals, or those elderly individuals that just need hydration and just need to stay out of the emergency room, you know, because they're having UTI, you know, urinary tract infections, or didn't getting dehydrated and they go and wait for hours just to get a bag of fluids. You know, we're happy we're happy happy to help them avoid that, and that's gonna actually be pretty effective. Yeah, so talk.
SPEAKER_02I know there's someone listening to this right now that's a little skeptical. Yeah. That they're like, uh, is this really healthy? Like, are you putting fluids directly in your arm? So obviously you've worked in the medical field for a long time. Talk to us about, unless I want to go through each of the categories with you, but let's first talk about just simple hydration. Um why is this safe and why is this a healthier option?
SPEAKER_00So it's super safe. Um yeah now my nurses, I I didn't poach, but I borrowed them for their from their daytime jobs. A lot of them have emergency room experience, so they're the ones who uh acutely, you know, take care of those acutely ill patients, you know, and then endoscopy suites where they have to do IVs for people who are getting colonoscopies and endoscopies. So my you know, my nurses would that who was in the endoscopy suite, she was doing 60 IVs a day. So these are experienced IV, you know, um, because all nurses are not made the same, you know, but these are super, super experienced people that will get in and get out and do the IVs, and it is super safe, especially with the hydration. It's basically drinking, you know, two, you know, um 16 ounces of water, bottles of water. Um, that's in a liter, a liter of fluid. And it just gets you get you hydrated quicker, makes you feel better quicker. You don't have to try to chug, you know, water or fluids when you're not feeling well, or if you're having diarrhea, or if you're vomiting, that kind of thing, it really does help get it in you and you're not vomiting it back up. And um it just hydrates you much quicker. The absorption rate is 95 to 100% because it's going straight to the vein, and you really do get it in, and it really does help a lot. And sort of the proof is in the pudding that we do have our clients that have stayed out of their emergency room because we go and see them every 10 days. And since we've been seeing him, a Parkinson's patient in particular, since we've been seeing them, he has not had more falls, he has not had to go to the emergency room, and he's you know been able to stay in the comfort of his home. So and we have many examples of that that's you know that we see all the time.
SPEAKER_02And just that the the one simple thing that you just said there, them not slipping and falling and having to go to the emergency room. Right. That literally so how much is that service? Like you come one time, how much is that?
SPEAKER_00So it's$125.
SPEAKER_02Okay, so I can pay$125 now, or I can pay$10,000 at the emergency room later.
SPEAKER_00Exactly. Exactly. And then when you come to the professionals and you know, they continue to they are able to work, they're able to function. They, you know, like I said, a lot of them know they're not hydrating or taking care of themselves because they're taking care of everything else, including their household, their work, their, you know, if their business, you know, if they're you know CEO, all of that, and to be able to keep going and stay hydrated and take care of themselves so they don't end up in the emergency room because simple dehydration or you know, hangover relief, you know, all of that. The vitamins we know, we know that it is absolutely more effective. Um, when you take vitamins by mouth, whether it's a B12, a B complex, um, iron, um, any kind of um um vitamin that you take by mouth. Exactly. It takes it absorbs maybe 30 to 50 percent each time you take that pill where the hydration IV vitamin therapy is 95 to 100 percent, should go straight in and it works within 90 minutes versus those pills because it's broken down so much, it can take three to six months for you to really get that therapeutic effect. And um, and so our you know, our three to six months taking the pill versus doing exactly to get what we can do in you know less than an hour and really get that boost. You get that energy boost, you get that hydration, you get, you know, we have a migraine relief formulation where you can actually help with migraine so you don't lose a weekend from being, you know, having migraine symptoms, any of those things. We have a like you know, we have about uh six or seven different blends that can really help, you know, kind of people with whatever their need is, whether it's immune system booster, whether it's energy booster, whether it's just simple hydration, skin renewal, you know, migraine relief, hangover relief, all of those.
SPEAKER_02Let's let's stick on I want to stick on the hydration thing for this. This is a question that I've always had. And I heard uh someone in the medical profession talking about this on the podcast the other day. The color of my pee in terms of figuring out dehydration. Like, obviously, like a neon yellow, if you're pissing that, that is very bad. Yes. But then I heard from someone the other day, because I remember I used to celebrate that I've drinking enough water that my pea was coming out clear. He said, You don't want it to be crystal clear, you want something to milk. So break that down. When someone's looking at their urine, how do they know if they're dehydrated or not?
SPEAKER_00Light urine is what, excuse me, light yellow is what we we aim for. Okay, that light urine, because um, light yellow, because that means that you are flushing, you know, things out that your body doesn't need um and that you're you know well hydrated. If it's dark, and really if it's dark yellow or even like an amber dark, dark brown, there's something going on there. So not even the neon yellow. I've never seen that before. Yeah, so you know, so with liver disease, right? And it means, you know, your body may not be working properly or super, super dehydration or dehydrated um patients, and it can be very, very either, you know, really gold or yellow or even dark. You know, so you worry about uh certain things so things are not filtering through or getting through the way they should. And it can be sometimes or not absorbing things like they should in your system, and it just spills out into your urine. So yeah, that light yellow um appearance, you know, very light, faint is our goal. Is our goal. That means you're you know, you're getting your nutrients and vitamins in. Because if you think about vitamin therapy, um a lot of B12 and um B complex, those things are you sort of when you see that yellow bag, yeah, um, that's what that is. So when you pee that out after you get, you know, Ivy hydr um vitamin therapy, it could be like a glowing neon yellow, and it's because of the B vitamin. So you do want to make sure you get nutrients in and um as well as hydration, but that means that your your nutrition also is on point. So, yes, that light yellow is is the goal. That means you're nice and hydrated and also flushing out, you know, things that you don't need and it's just not sitting there.
SPEAKER_02So, what's the the clear mean? Why is that not ideal?
SPEAKER_00Clear, um, you know, so so clear means you want to make sure that you're flushing things out. And so sometimes with clear, either some and you know, I wouldn't say people are overhydrated, but you do want to be careful not to, you know, um hydrate too, you know, now most people don't hydrate too much. So I don't want to say that.
SPEAKER_02Most people aren't negative drinking nearly enough.
SPEAKER_00Right. And so you just want to make sure, you know, kidney wise and everything else that things are going. So clear is not the worst thing in the world, but you want to make sure that you're also getting your nutrition in and things are flushing out the way they should. That's the bottom line. Okay. You keep the good, you get rid of the bad, and any kind of you might want to make sure things are filtering out. Yeah.
Urine Color And Vitamin Truths
SPEAKER_02Gotcha. Now on to the the vitamin port. You're tripping me out here in that the over-the-counter stuff that we get at like Walmart and Target takes three to six months to really work in your system. Talk to us about give us your top three vitamins that the everyday like working mom or dad should have in their system.
SPEAKER_00So I think, and we do not do this IV-wise, but you can do it through a shot, is vitamin D. Vitamin D is definitely something that is very important, especially in this in the winter months when we don't get our the sunlight and all of that. Seasonal depression a lot of times comes from vitamin D deficiency.
SPEAKER_02So what exactly is vitamin D? What does it do for us?
SPEAKER_00So vitamin D, it is actually a really good one. It actually even helps other vitamins absorb better, even prescription medications, like certain statins, when you have, you know, um high cholesterol and you're taking statins, you want to make sure you have good vitamin D levels. Um so it really does, it's instrumental in when it comes to helping other things absorb medications, other vitamins, different things like calcium. It helps in bone health, helps with energy, and also helps with mood. And so it really is good to kind of get that vitamin D. You can get it, of course, through sunlight. I don't tell people to stand out in the sun because of skin cancer risk. Yeah. Um but I'm not sure. Because I ain't trying to look like Wesley Smith. Absolutely not. Absolutely not. But you also want to make sure, and and then people who have um, you know, melanin, you know, African Americans, we tend to be a definitely a vitamin D deficient because of our skin tone. And so our absorption of that is may not be as well when it comes to sunlight. And so the vitamin D supplement can be helpful with that as well. And we do injections, we do vitamin shots for that.
SPEAKER_02Now hold on, let me ask you, because this will help me out with with me and my wife. So what you're saying medically is that I should be golfing as much as possible so that I can be outside. That's what you're saying, right? That'll work. I'm gonna clip this up and send this to my wife.
SPEAKER_00Okay. Get that sunlight, get that sunlight. Yeah, it does help with mood and everything else. Um, so you know, when it comes to like B12, B2.
SPEAKER_02Oh, wait, let me ask you one more thing about vitamin D. How how are adults traditionally getting that? Because like I remember my mom telling me, like, after she took me off the bottle as a kid, I have not drank milk since then. Plus, we're the only mammals that actually drink milk after like those infancy stages. So, what's another way that we can get vitamin D besides going outside and playing golf?
SPEAKER_00So, so I always say um vegetables are nutrient dense. That's where vegetables and fruit, you know, that's that's where the nutrients are, right? And also seeds, different seeds, different um vegetables and fruit are where the nutrients are. Of course, protein is definitely important. Yeah. But when it comes to nutrition, um, that's where it is. Now, things are fortified a lot, like you said, milk and different things, but I don't tell people go and you know, um, you know, eat drink milk, because I don't agree with that either. I agree with you that we should be getting it in things like our um green, you know, vegetables, things like broccoli, things, you know, the roughage type things and all collagens? Yes, that's fine.
SPEAKER_02Okay, without the turkey neck in there.
SPEAKER_00That's right, that's right, without the high sodium and all of that. We really want to get it through fruits and vegetables. All the vitamins we talk about are really coming from, yes, certain meats, things like even seafood, salmon, different things. Um, but really, you know, you want to do your vegetables, seeds, um, and definitely fruit. You know, a lot of our like vitamin C. We don't make vitamin C, we get it from our fruits and vegetables and different things, vitamin B12. We cannot make vitamin B12. So a lot of that comes from animal products. So if you're vegan, you have to do a vitamin B12 supplement, uh, B complex. All of those are those, you know, dealing with superfoods, things like blueberries, things like mushrooms are great, broccoli, different things. It really does come from our food. Uh unfortunately, a lot of our, you know, a lot of our focus is protein these days. And so I think a lot of us can be vitamin deficient in a lot of things because we're not eating a well-balanced, whole food food diet. We're doing a lot of processed things, unfortunately. And a lot of a lot of focus, like I said, our focus is really is protein, and you want to make sure you're getting your vitamins in as well.
SPEAKER_02That's why I like what you're doing, like, we're getting this in its purest form. So, like, I'm salmon is one of my favorite foods. And I told my wife the other day, I was like, stop buying salmon. I I saw a report talking about just showing the color of farm-raised salmon here in America versus what it actually is supposed to look like. Right, they add that coloring in, yeah. And that can actually be one of the worst things now that you could put in your body. Yeah, and I've been doing a lot of studying. One of my friends is uh he has Wonderlust, like you wouldn't believe. So like he's always trying to convince, man, we gotta get over to Europe. Like, because when you eat there, like the stuff's pure, like it's real food, it's it's real, it's from its natural.
SPEAKER_00Because I remember and it was so funny, I was listening to listening to a podcast recently. It's like, yeah, I remember growing up that grapes were not always in season at certain times of the year that grapes were in season or cherries or strawberries. That's when you buy it when they're in season. Now we can get it year-round, you know. And so you're you're right. And it's not the of course, obviously, it's great to have the access to certain things, but yes, you want to eat real foods. You don't want to eat things that have been manipulated, whether it's farm raised, where they're not, you know, wild caught, that kind of thing, because it does look very different, you know. And so it's not all of our fault, you know, that we're obese and we're not as healthy as we should be, because there's such a plethora of things out there and processed things and manipulated things that we're eating that it makes it very difficult unless you really le read labels. I mean, sugar, they put sugar in everything, condiments everywhere, you know. So, and also salt are in a lot of things, so you just have to be careful. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02So we got vitamin D was your number one. What's the second one?
SPEAKER_00So the second one, I would say um, you know, um, so this is not magnesium. Magnesium is also an underrated vitamin. I feel that's very important, it helps with sleep.
SPEAKER_02I don't hear anybody talk about magnesium.
SPEAKER_00I love magnesium, and we have a couple of uh vitamin blends that have magnesium. Vitamin, so the reason why I say that because magnesium can really enhance the other vitamins too, like vitamin B complex um and other things, you know, that we have. But magnesium is great. Um, mushrooms have a lot of magnesium in it uh in them. But um magnesium is great because it really helps with sleep. A lot of people will take it for sleep. A lot of people will do it for um bowel movements, actually keeps you regular, kind of moves things along. And so it's it's also a good one. And then I also would say B12. B12 is sort of under not really an underrated. I think people know about B12. B12 you primarily get from fish, you get from animal products, that's right. And fish, um, anything dealing with you know meat, but they were and in recent reports say even our animals are not uh because the soil is different and the way things are they're raised and different things, it's not more natural and sort of like you like we talked about wild caught, and they're they're being controlled or restricted. That a lot of times sometimes even the animal products didn't have enough B12. But B12 is great because it really does give us energy, but it also helps burn fat um and it keeps your metabolism going and also helps with brain fog.
SPEAKER_02So I was about to say it helps with your memory too.
SPEAKER_00Yes, memory too. So I really like uh B12 as well, and that's actually one of our most popular ones because people really do feel the effects of B12, it really is helpful.
SPEAKER_02So there's really no way to get all the vitamins and nutrients that we need in our body without being able to supplement like with a service like yours.
SPEAKER_00So yes, so correct. And you can do a pill form as long as you don't mind doing that pill every single time long term. Exactly. And really kind of build, build, build that slow burn. It really can help, but it takes a while for it to get up.
SPEAKER_02Even that, I want to do some quick math on that real quick. How much do you think a tablet of uh B12 costs? Like a bottle of B12.
SPEAKER_00Um, you know what? I have not priced those in a while. Probably probably around that.
SPEAKER_02And it may last, what, 30 days? 30 days. Okay. Yeah, you're gonna do that. So you're I'm paying$60 and getting basically no nutritional value till I hit the six months.
SPEAKER_00You hit that. The three to six months. And to really maintain. And so what I even tell, yeah, so it can add up, and especially if you have to do it every day and continue it long term. And so I always tell people for us, it's always good to get, you know, the your vitamin, you know, therapy, IV vitamin therapy, and then you can maintain with the supplements because then your levels are up. And then you can keep them up but that way because you know, we get it in there like 95 to 100% absorption, and then you can start supplementing to kind of keep it up while you are the same thing with vitamin D injections that we do. It's good to go ahead and do like um weekly four times, and then you can do the supplements to keep it up, but you just get those effects quicker that it can get up much quicker, and you can feel the effects and feel better much quicker. And it's all about feeling your best or feeling good from the inside out, and really can help with that.
Microdosing GLP-1 For Weight Loss
SPEAKER_02Gotcha. Let's touch on um because I think part of your service, you guys do some pieces with like weight loss and things like that. So let's use myself as an example. Yeah, I think I have the type like I work out, I'm in the gym four or five times a week. I I have the body type of like you can tell I'm in the gym, but you can tell I also don't say no to a cookie if somebody offers it to me. So for someone like me that's like constantly in the gym, I'm pretty much watching my diet for the most part. Yeah, that's good. And I have those last few pounds I'm trying to get off with the love handles. What would you recommend for someone like me?
SPEAKER_00So I for you, I would say microdose, which is a very, very small amount of um the GLP1s that are out there, um, which is the active ingredients semi glute uh which is semi glutide or trzepotide. Trzeptide is a newer version.
SPEAKER_02Um is that like the AG green stuff that you see on Instagram?
SPEAKER_00No, there is actually an injection once a week. It actually for medical weight loss. And now for that, and it's just talking about the weight loss that we offer. Um, but yes, I will get back to that. But the food's gonna be very helpful too, and not knocking that at all. So um microdosing is basically just a um small amount of the GL um GLP ones or the weight loss medication once a week. Um, and it really does help help with the snacking or the food noise. And it's a very small, you still eat, you still can eat healthy, those healthy um options. But you're not craving those sugars and things, yes, a sugar piece, that receptor that um it just kind of gets you those cravings of sugar, whether it's sweet or savory. A lot of it's broken, both of them are broken down into sugar. It really cuts down. Some people are chocolate lovers, some people are like, I need bread, I need, you know, pasta, rice, potatoes. Any of those things, it really does cut down that desire or that um those cravings for those things, and really cut and it kind of helps that food noise that makes it very difficult to push through and not eat those things, you know. And so it can be helpful. But yes, you may you mentioned aging, one greens and all of that. Those are great because it's fiber, and fiber can be really helpful. Number one, protein and fiber are great because it can be filling, but also it can make you feel feel full longer. But also the fiber is important for your GI health and just kind of can keep move things moving along, you know. And that's where that magnesium comes in as well. It keeps things moving to kind of help with that midsection, that visceral fat, the things we worry about as we get older, that can um just basically the fat around your organs, your solid organs that you have to worry about, heart disease, you know, high cholesterol, you know, fatty liver disease, all the kidney issues, all of that.
SPEAKER_02Gotcha. Yeah, the AG, I've never had the AG one greens or whatever. Like, it just looks like it doesn't taste good.
SPEAKER_00It doesn't taste good, yeah.
SPEAKER_02So getting a shot or something like that. So you said like for the hydration sessions, those are typically up to an hour. So for this, what does that typically look like?
SPEAKER_00So with that, um, so I do education. I'm big because most of people who come to me is because they struggled with weight, um, whether they're perimenopause and they're weight and they eat the same, it's like I can't get rid of this excess weight. Um, or say they've struggled all their lives or with weight or whatever, or they haven't, they're having issues, right, with weight problems. So I do education. It is about lifestyle changes. We do want you in the gym. We do want you waiting to get it.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, you can't just take this shot and then be going to Dunkin' Donuts every time.
SPEAKER_00Absolutely not. Oh, you'll be my customer for life, and that's not what I want for you. That can be a very expensive habit to have. So we really do talk about diet and exercise as a part of the you know, lifestyle change. It has to be diet, exercise, and this injection will help you with a diet and being able to um, you know, cut down on your portions or appetite suppress your appetite. However, when you do eat, that's important to focus on those healthier options and really kind of help navigate your behavior around food much easier. And so when you do sort of, you know, it stop or get off or wean off, or um, then you're able to make the continue those um healthy habits and making those um, you know, healthy uh options or not going through through a drive-thru and just making sure that you take a beat and think about what you're eating, and then that exercise habit, making sure that you're consistent. And so that my first consultation can take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, as much as I need to make sure that we do that education piece. Yeah. After that, I give you one um four injections, whether you want to take them home, you can, or whether you want that weekly check. People shooting themselves, couldn't do it. We go there, we go to that the first session. That's why I can take up to an hour.
SPEAKER_02There's no way I could be diabetic because to give myself a shot every day, there's no way.
SPEAKER_00And so you would be the ones that we check in once once a week. You come and see me once a week, and then we um kind of talk about diet. I love the weekly um people, I don't charge extra for our weekly visits because those are the ones that I can really keep the education going with the diet and exercise. Make sure you do protein, fiber, fiber, and water. We talk about hydration. Some of our weight loss clients do get IV um infusions every week too when they come in for their shot, and I'm okay with that. Um, but we do try to teach those healthy habits, and so once a week, that could be a 10 to 15 minute visit if that. Because I really we just weigh in, we make sure you have any any side effect, you know, side effect management if you have any side effects, and then um we do the injection for you, and then you're on your way and we see you once a week. Um, but the initial consultation could be anywhere from 30 to uh minutes to an hour, and then those other visits can be you know 10-15 minutes, it just depends.
Hard Business Lessons On Marketing
SPEAKER_02Gotcha. Love it, love it. You're convincing me more and more. I'm like, this woman about to get my money pretty soon. Um let's switch back to the business side. Let's talk about um you talked about how when you were coming up, like some of the mistakes you avoided once you started your business, but that you had to cut your teeth a lot and learn some lessons. Yeah. Um, what would you say are some of the top three lessons you learned since launching your business?
SPEAKER_00So um number one, and it's interesting because they got me like soon. I started my business one month, the next month they came sniffing around. And oh, I think you'd be a great fit for our magazine. Yeah, yeah. And I'm not knocking any um any any business. However, when you're starting a business and people get you early on because you want that exposure, you want, you know, to make sure people know about your business and they know that you want that, and but you're locked in for three years. Um and they get they get that money from you every month for three years, and it's not cheap. Um, I would say um the print and marketing in that way with magazines, those monthly magazines is not the way to go. I have had some other companies approach me about you know contributing once a year, and that's their neighborhood directory, and you advertise in that once a year, I would say that is okay because it's once a year, it's no contract. But when they lock you in and it is ironclad for three years, you're locked in for that print of that quarter page um, you know, advertisement, and it's every month it comes around, it is very expensive. And I would tell you to run, and that is not that's not where the bulk of your clients are gonna come from. And I wish I somebody would have told me do not do this when you're starting out because um sort of a hard lesson learned that I finally was finished of you know done with that last year. Three years, three years, and it is no way of getting out of it. Um, so I would say don't do print um with magazines, local magazines at all, just because you're locked in and there's no once or twice, you're locked in for three years. Every single month that money comes out automatically, there's nothing you can do about it.
SPEAKER_02Well, let's break that down for a minute, because one, let me first apologize to you on behalf of everyone that's in a marketing business. Yeah. Uh because that's not how it's supposed to be done. Um one, I obviously I'm a digital marketing guy, so that's where I have a strong belief. Yeah. But I'm not opposed to print. I'm not opposed to magazine, I'm not opposed to billboards, I'm not opposed to radio. It just depends on your business. Right. And if you're going after high net worth individuals, I mean, I'm not the richest guy in the world, but my net worth is up there. And I cannot tell you the last time I opened up a magazine. Right. I don't even I didn't even know they were still printing newspapers. Like, so that audience is not there now. If you're and I don't mean this in a bad way, because we have clients that serve these populations, if you're serving the population of people that are gonna be at home on a Tuesday at 10 a.m. watching Maury Povich, then yeah, TV advertising and radio and things like that are gonna work just fine for you because that's it in the target audience. This is content that they're getting for free and they don't have to pay for it, they're typically locked in on that. But knowing the right demographic, uh how to lock in, I would just double back on what you just said. If you're working with a, I'm not gonna say PR firm. Let me let me stick with what I know on the marketing side of things. If you're working with a marketing agency, if they're trying to lock you up for more than a year, you need to step away. Don't do it. Because the my approach to things is so we typically do six-month deals with people. And we got plans starting as low as 700 bucks a month. I want to grow with the business. I want to prove that what we do makes a difference in your business and that if you want to continue to grow, whether it's us or another company, you understand that hey, marketing has to be a component of what we do. And I actually recommend to all the people that I talk to, five percent of your gross revenue should go to marketing. Doesn't mean like I need people to spend 5% here at Enzo. 5% needs to go to marketing, whether that's TV, billboard, radio ad, social media, video marketing, whatever the case is. But 5%. You got 95% of your gross revenue to do whatever else you want, but 5% of that uh targeted towards your marketing because this is what always happens in business. We have these huge peaks where we feel we are the king and queens of our industry. Can't nobody touch me, man. Business is coming over left and right, we ballin'. And then at some point, things slow down a little bit. And then that's when people panic and they're like, okay, I need more clients, let me turn the marketing machine on right now. It's just like with your service. Like, if somebody is regularly doing these pieces, they're gonna be much healthier and happier long term versus like getting the one, oh, I put on another 10 pounds, let me do this for another couple weeks or a month or something, and then you know, I'll fall off again. Like consistency, no matter what it is, is the big key. Um so that marketing component was a big lesson you had to learn. What was number two?
SPEAKER_00So know your audience. Uh you gotta know you who your people are, and you know, and understand not all people are your people, and that's okay. And all money ain't good money. Yeah, exactly a hundred percent. Not all money is good money and it's sometimes not worth it, right? But you know, my nurses, we used to pop up, you know, do pop-ups everywhere, you know, especially the bridal shows because, you know, and the weddings at expos and you know, women's health and just health, you know, we try to pop up everywhere. And of course, somebody's gonna have something negative to say, even gems, like I would pop up at Crunch or Orange Theory or wherever, you know, we used to pop up everywhere and just would bend like crazy, you know, just be vendors, you know, everywhere. And just knowing, you know, my nurses was like, Well, hold on, what do you mean? You know, I said, Wait, wait, wait, they're just not our people. It's okay. You know, not everybody has extra money to spend on something that you know they may not feel feel valuable. We're not we're not everybody's people. And just knowing your audience and knowing who your people are and where to target is gonna really save you a lot of time and energy, whether you have people to help do it, you know, with marketing, to help you figure out your target, target audience, know your people, know who your people are. Not everybody's your people, but know where where to uh really put the energy your energy into.
SPEAKER_02And that's such a valuable point because people like when I break it down, I'm sitting talking to somebody. Imagine if everybody in the central Richmond, Virginia area who needed your services came to you right now. Right. Could you handle the business? Nine times out of ten, the answer is no. So why are we fighting over scraps? Exactly. Like all these people aren't meant to work with you. Uh like I'm not everybody's cup of tea. Doesn't mean that they don't need marketing services, they just don't want it from me, which is cool. Which is okay. There are clients that I don't want to work with. I've fired clients before. Matter of fact, there's a I'm not gonna mention any names, there's an agency I worked with. I thought I saw it as a huge opportunity. I was super excited to work with them. Yeah, it was a pain in my behind every step of the way. And I vow to my team, I don't care how much money they offer us coming up, it's not worth the peace of mind. It's not worth it. They could stroke me a check for 200k right now, and I'd be like, nope, find yourself another firm because it's just not worth it. So understanding that and then understanding you're not meant to sell to everybody. Right. Like everybody doesn't need your product. I heard Myron Gold say this, and I know I've said this a couple times on the podcast. Sales isn't hard if you sell it to the right people. If you're bending over backwards trying to convince someone of why they need you, no, I want to work with people that say, you know what, I see the value in what you do. We know we need that. Let's talk. Versus like me scheduling four or five meetings trying to convince them why this is the best thing since like I ain't got time for that. And those often end up, not to their fault, but uh, those often end up being the worst clients because the entire way you're just trying to prove yourself over and over and over again, versus like we got a call from a client the other day, like somebody on their team had told a vendor that we would give them raw footage or whatever, and we have that in our contracts. We don't do that. Um the owner of this company called me up and he was just apologizing profusely for his stuff. I'm like, nah, man, it's all good. Like, I'm I didn't feel any sort of way, like blah, blah. But like They understand how valuable we are to what they do, and they want to make sure that we're also having a good experience and it's not just that one-sided piece of that. So that was very valuable tip. What's your third?
SPEAKER_00So my third is people of a profit. I think it's very important in my profession.
SPEAKER_02Hold on, hold on. Say that again. Say that again. Say that again.
SPEAKER_00In what we do, and that's how I lead. And it's always gonna be people of a profit. People over a profit. Don't chase the money. Money will come if you do people right, if you treat people right. You, you know, want the best. Like I love, I get in goosebumps because I really do love what I do. And I have a passion for it. I absolutely enjoy every aspect aspect of healthcare, but this by far, that's why I left my job. And I love my veterans. I I worked with in the VA system and I work with veterans at endocrinology and diabetes health. And I loved it. But I the freedom you feel when you're building something and you know you're making a difference and you're helping people, and it's all about making sure you have you find your value and how you, like you said, how you can deliver value to other people and your people, and just putting those people first versus the profit. As you said, it's not all about the money. I I will not chase money. I will not, I will turn down money if it's not, if it's too much work for me and I don't wake up enjoying what I do, I'm never gonna work, wake up and chase money. I'm gonna work up make wake up and help people. And so it's gotta be people over a profit every day. And the money will come if you always put the person first in business. I think it's important not to forget that even though I'm in healthcare, it applies to all businesses that you always put the customer, the client, the patient first. And then, you know, making sure you keep your reputation and your your, you know, um, your name in the best light for all people. Word of mouth is golden. You know, marketing is needed, but word of mouth, if you do a person right, they will tell everybody about you. If you do a person wrong, they will tell probably more people about you. Yep, they sure will. You want to make sure you put that person first and that client or that customer or that patient first and all things.
SPEAKER_02And that staff.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and that staff. Yes, take care of your people. Always take care of your people and your staff. I love my staff. I can't do it without them. And I make sure they know that, and I'm sure they do, but I take care of my people. I think it's very important, like you said, not even just your customer, but also your staff. Because they if they're happy, you know. If I'm happy, they're happy. Everybody is happy to be here and do what we do. Yep, you know.
SPEAKER_02Let's break that down, what you just said. So, yes, people over profit. I 1000% agree with that. I don't want to negate the fact that when you first start a business, a business, if if you don't have cash flow, you have a hobby. You don't have a business. You gotta have cash flow. You gotta know your business. So in those early days, we've all done it. You say yes to everybody. Yes. Yeah, you need that, yeah. I'll do it. Oh, oh, you can't do that price? Okay, I'll do this. You're just trying to rev up the business.
SPEAKER_00You're in a hustle right there. Yeah.
Keeping Great Staff With Care
SPEAKER_02But once you get to a place where you can operate and it's not, you're not operating from a place of fear, you're not operating from a place of lacking. Like, once you're in a place of abundance, you can that's where I feel businesses really take off. And it's not the fact that like cash flow is so good, it's that a mindset shift happens with the owner. Now I don't have to go out and hunt for this. I don't have to go out and work as hard to do this, and I don't have to bend over backwards convincing people of the service we provide. Either you want us or you don't. Um, and I've come to people all that's probably the most freeing thing as a business owner when you're like, I I didn't even said to you when we were consulting. I was like, here if you need me. Like, if you need us, cool. If you don't, ain't no skin off my back. And nine times out of ten, when you handle things that way, the person ends up coming to you later on down the road. And those moments where I thought I needed that business the most, it was actually more important when that person came back around to me the second time. And I think building a business that way off the relationships first, um, because people are gonna do business with people they like. Yes. It doesn't matter what, like you said, there are other people in town that provide the same service as you, but it's gonna be who you are, the way you treat people that's gonna keep them coming back time and time again. Um, and the sooner someone can recognize and learn that lesson in business, the less headache you're gonna have building. That's true. Because a lot of people don't get that concept until they're years into the business. It probably took me a while. Just banging my head up against the wall, trying to figure out X, Y, and Z, da, da. And then on the staff side, like um recently I had a staff member, and we were actually vlogging that day, and it ended up working out. Um she got very emotional about a client that we were serving, and it was just like, she was like, I feel like I'm doing everything I can, but I just can't make this person happy. Like, what am I doing wrong? And she was getting emotional about it, and I was like, and she kept apologizing to me. I was like, number one, never apologize for that. I was like, that is why you're on this team and you're a valuable asset, because I've had people work for me before that just like, all right, I got that done. I checked the box, what's next? Versus like, no, how can I really focus and make sure that this client is getting the absolute best possible results and service that they can from us? Um, so having that component, I I want to keep touching on the employee side of things. Um, for you, how has it been retaining your team? Because I think the the detriment or the success of a business really falls on the team that you're able to assemble. It's just like you compare it to sports, like Michael Jordan, he needed his Scotty Pippen, he needed a Dennis Robin, he needed a Phil Jackson to coach him. Like you need all these different components. So, what have you done to not only attract the right people to your business, but keep them there?
SPEAKER_00So that's a great question. So um a lot of my staff that I started with are still with me, except for the ones who became grandmoms and they, you know, took the grandm role or one moved away. But um my lead nurse was with me since day one. And um, and she actually left her endoscopy job when she had her son to work with me more. She's like, you know, and I was like, yeah, absolutely. We're in a place now that I could add more, you know, you know, give you more hours with our, you know, um growing, you know, our growth or expanding. Um, but I I just really am big on taking care of uh my staff. So it's whether uh whether it's I used to early on, even though we may not have a lot of money, but those invitamins that were about to expire, okay, let's have an infusion party. Let's go ahead and go. So because they can speak to it when they experience it. So even if you don't have, you know, certain things like a big bonus structure or anything like that, you can maybe help, you know, with the products you have or help, you know, and just give that's the perk of the job and say, hey, you know, let's do do a team meeting and let's all get infused while we're doing our team meeting and just so we can speak about the product and know that it does make us feel better or whatever. Or are you so incentivize of um, you know, whether it's, you know, of course, given, you know, I did at the end of the year. It wasn't a big bonus, but it was a little bonus because we were doing all right. And to make sure, or even if they're you know, weekly, you know, um, when I do payroll, I may give them an extra hour, you know, just little things, but also making sure they their voices are heard. It may not be the necessarily the direction I'm thrilled about, but I always ask them, what do you think? Making sure there's a voice, they have a voice and they have an opinion. Yeah, and I listen to it. Some of it may not work or align with what I want to do, but some of it I absolutely don't know everything. And they had they they're just they're just great, and I'm flexible and I show them grace. People are people, people have personal things, and yes, you want them professional, but they also have real lives, you know. And then just being able to be present and like, how is your son doing, or how are you doing, and checking in, I think it's very important, but also learn to give grace that these are not robots, these are people, and being able to, you know, and I've learned that that not every works be everybody works so or loves a business like I work it, right? Or work the way I work and understand that you know grace is an important thing. Um, and also being able to, you know, give maybe some perks or certain things to show the appreciation. We do a team dinner every year. It's not it's not a you know a big thing, but we do, you know, try to make it nice and everything else. And we do it in January just because December is such a busy holiday month. Let's just do a team dinner and let's talk about like what do y'all want to do this year? You know, what did we do last year, right and wrong or whatever? And I'm always I think it's very important to listen. I don't know it all, I don't have an ego. I'm like, let's how can we serve our clients better? You know, and being receptive and to making sure they feel like they're a part of it. I think that's very important when you're leading uh, you know, um people and also to retain them, showing that they are important and they're valuable in your in your practice or in your business, you know, and be able to be able to do that and have those conversations that you're approachable. And you can have 50 million things going on. Even this morning I have 50 million things going on, but they text me, I'm gonna answer. You know, they call me, I'm gonna answer, you know, even though I have a lot of my plate, I make sure they know that they're supported. And especially when we go on it, we're going in people's homes and um and making sure they're safe, making sure, you know, um, you know, they're they're you know in a safe space. I always check in with them, you know, making sure they're they're supported. I think that's very important as an employer, um, a business owner, to making sure your people take care of your people, make sure they're supported, make sure their voices are heard, and then make sure that you've got their back, you know, in all ways. And if you have a bonus structure or if you're able to give a little, that's okay. Because one business owner that made millions, um, and he used to be one of my clients, and he would tell me, I said, What's what's one thing you would go back and change? He said, I would have been more generous with my employees. And so I actually take that and I'm trying to be as generous as I can without with keeping the lights on, right? I try to be generous because he said, Because if I would have known how things turned out and how successful we were, I would have been more generous with my employees. And so I actually do always hear that. So if I'm like teetering, oh should I you I'll go ahead and give it. It's just because I think you know that little bit goes a long way with my employees. Oh, absolutely. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02And most people just want to know that like you value them. Yeah. And it could be it's also understanding the love language that each one of your employees has. Like, there's some people here on the team that I'm I'm results oriented. Like, if somebody's gonna stroke me an extra check, like that's gonna get me motivated. Right. But not everybody on my team's like that. Some of them are just like, hey man, you're doing a really good job, man. I just want you to know I appreciate you. Like, I think I unconsciously do this, but like I've realized over the last couple weeks I I say it to everybody. Like when my team's leaving, they're like, all right, man, I'll see you tomorrow. I say, hey, have a good evening. I appreciate you. Yes, yes.
SPEAKER_00That's what they want. That it just may be all that they need to hear.
Fear Faith Mindset And Not Quitting
SPEAKER_02Yeah. That's it. So as we wrap up, I ask I asked everyone on this show uh the same question. Um describe to us your lowest moment as an entrepreneur and how you were able to overcome that.
SPEAKER_00So as an entrepreneur, I really think we have all in some way, sometimes somehow has fear has crept in. Okay. You know. And so I remember that first year just trying to figure it all out. Because I made the this business, it didn't sound a franchise. I didn't have a blueprint. I was making my blueprint as we were going along and you know, and trying to figure things out, and knowing I was like, is this gonna work? You know, is this gonna is this gonna be successful? And what I did, and I think it's very important to know, and I do believe faith over fear, right? You have to have faith. You have to have faith, and it's a mindset. You mentioned mindset earlier, and so I think it really is important that if you lose that mindset and you fear and doubt and everything creeps in. I have so many books that I listen to, audible because I'm thriving quite a bit every day. Uh so many books, and um, and and the constant theme that or consistent theme that I heard with these books is that you know, don't give up. You know, it's gonna happen, you know, abundance and you know, and you your thoughts become things, and you're you know, what you think about is what it's gonna be. And knowing that if I have doubt and fear, that's gonna be a problem when I want something to be successful, you have to speak into it. You know, you have to say, This is gonna work, and don't give up. Like it's gonna work. And you know, if you work, if you work hard, put the time in, put the work in, knowing that, you know, nobody could tell me, you know, it's that two-year hustle that it's a truly two-year hustle. Oh, yeah. Nobody's gonna tell me and within those two years that I was working and hustling that I would be where I am now for you know, two years later in in four years, that I could leave my job. I just couldn't see that h you know, but yes, you know, you have to have faith, you have to know, have the right mindset. And if you don't have the right mindset, if you doubt yourself, then you need to listen, you need to go places, you need to have the right energy around you, and you have to have that, that, that, that, that, um, I don't know, I don't know what to even call it, maybe that grit or that determination or you know, tenacity to say, no, this is gonna work, you know, and and I'm gonna be fine. And don't don't fear, you know, have that faith and know that you know you you it will work. It will work. And I think that's very important the mindset. And that was very uh, you know, very difficult to say, okay, I I don't know. I'm I'm you know, I've put money into I'm in it now, like you just gotta work, and just know don't give up and keep pressing, keep pressing forward and just know your mindset is very important to know that you're gonna make it and continue on, you know. And you sometimes you have to pivot and that's okay, but pivot and keep going. Don't don't quit. You know, I think a lot of people make it because they don't quit, and you have to put the ego to the ego aside and know know that sometimes you do have to pivot because it's insanity trying to do the same thing if it's not gonna work, you know, you have to figure something else out and be creative and be open to receive and then also just get your mindset right. Yeah, you have to.
SPEAKER_02I think I'm more convinced than ever 80% of the success is just not quitting. Yeah, like you you just can't quit. Yep, like if you just continue to move forward, like you even think you started your business during COVID. I was trying to get through it. Yeah, and coming out on the other side, that showed me there is nothing that can be thrown my way that we're not gonna figure out and continue to grow. And that that mindset piece, like, I'll never forget this. This is maybe I want to say two years ago. I'm I'm not the type of person where I need cheerleaders around. I don't need people to tell me how good I'm doing. I need you to tell me what I'm screwing up on so that I can improve. So I'm very self-motivated. Like, Mondays are my favorite day of the week where most people are Friday. I can't wait for Monday because it means I get to come back to the office and we get to do it all over again and take it to the next level. I'll never forget this about two years ago. I just got in a mental funk where I was just like, you talk about that fear and doubt. And it was like, I'd already been doing this nine years, like I knew what I was doing, but I was just like, Am I phony? Am I fake? Like, should I really be leading an organization? Like all these facts, and then I just found myself like not even wanting to go to the office. And this is my happy place. Yeah like my wife doesn't hear this part, but like I enjoy, I look more forward to coming to the office to get to work than I do going home. And that's not a dig on my family. I love my family, I love my kids, like I enjoy being home, but this is who I am, this is what I'm meant to be. And at that moment where I was having all that self-doubt, I parked my butt on the couch, I pulled up YouTube on the TV and I searched entrepreneur motivation, and I sat there for two hours and I just pumped as much motivational crap in my head as I possibly could. Um and it ended up getting me out of that funk, and like I haven't been back to that. Another piece I've noticed is like taking that time to reset. Yeah. Like, if I wasn't married, my my wife is very good at making me stop when I need to. Like, she can see it coming before I do. Yeah. Um, and taking that time to travel, relax, like getting comfortable with in the middle of the day. You know what? I'm a little stressed out, the levels are high. I'm gonna go to a movie.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_02On a Tuesday at like two o'clock when nobody's there. I'm just gonna go to a movie, sit there for two hours in a dark room and detox.
SPEAKER_00Uninterrupted. Yep.
SPEAKER_02And I think that's probably the hardest thing for people when you have that grit and you have that determination is to understand that sometimes move forward, you gotta slow down. You gotta slow down. Like really set. I think it's very important. Sit down, get that IV.
SPEAKER_00Get that IV and just have some time for yourself. Yeah, take care of yourself. Take care of yourself.
How To Book And Final Words
SPEAKER_02That's it. I love it. Yeah, April, appreciate you being on the show today. If people want to get, which people should, they want to get this service, they want to book you, they want to come to your location, they want you to come to them. Where can they get more info?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, thank you so much for having me, having me. I really appreciate the um the time. So Inovitamin, I-N-N-O-V-I-T-A-M-I-N, vitamin, inovitamin solutions.com. Um, Inovitamin um is my handle on um Facebook as well as um Instagram, Haji. And also TikTok. I need to do more. Oh, yo, TikTok, there we go. But yes, I am on it. So, yeah, so Inovitamin, innovative way of getting your vitamin therapy, inovitamin solutions um is uh is our name. And so you can always reach out.
SPEAKER_02Beautiful. I know I know some of y'all listening to this podcast right now, and your P just came out super yellow. You need to book this lady, get her to come to your office, you go to her, whatever it is. Uh April, appreciate you being on the show today. This was an awesome episode. I think a lot of people are gonna get something out of this.
SPEAKER_00Thank you so much. Thank you.
SPEAKER_02Absolutely. We'll see you guys on the next episode.