If you already know how my Genetic Consults business came to be, skip the next few paragraphs.
Since things have cooled off a bit from the 2018 Elevate Summit, I’ve heard from many pharmacists that they love the idea of X, but they couldn’t do it because Y and Z….
They said they needed a step by step plan to follow. A turn-key program they could emulate and implement in a few weeks.
So I’m going to go through the entire process of setting up, marketing and planning a brand new business, getting customers and showing profitability for the sole purpose of HELPING YOU.
That’s right, I’m starting a pharmacogenomic and nutrient deficiency consulting business from scratch called Genetic Consults.
If that sounds a bit crazy, well it is!
It aligns with my commitment to help pharmacists advance their practice in whatever way I can, even if it means being a human guinea pig.
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So on April 8th, 2018 I bought the domain GeneticConsults.com and built my website on Weebly for only $29.95.
It could actually be done for only $19.95, but I like adding the extra layer of privacy protection.
Then I went to my favorite logo creator on fiverr.com and paid $16 for the logo you see above.
The logo step is also one that could be skipped saving you an additional $16, but I kind of like the creativity involved in creation of a new logo.
If focusing strictly on Minimum Viable Product (MVP), one could create a free Weebly website and buy a domain through Weebly for only $19.95.
Though not a rate-limiting step by any means, I also recommend starting to build an email list of potential customers. You can also integrate this totally free by adding some kind of email service provider (ESP) like Mailchimp (free) or Convertkit (paid).
I have used both, but if you want something a bit more sophisticated and you expect to have over 1000 people on your email list, I’d recommend using Convertkit straight out of the gate.
For Pharmapreneur Academy members, I’m creating a step-by-step tutorial for how to create the website, purchase your domain and build out your site with professional stock photos.
If you’ll notice on the GeneticConsults.com website, all my marketing and language is focused on my target market. My customer “avatar” is parents of children or young adults on ADHD and psychiatric medications.
As with any good marketing, the site is focused on:
- Identifying what the problem is
- Describing who has this problem
- Sharing how your product helps solve the problem
For my consulting business, the problem is ineffective drug therapy and lack of alternative methods of treatment.
Therefore, my patients are children and young adults on psychoactive medications, but my CUSTOMERS are their parents (ie. the ones with the money to pay for the testing and consult).
My solution uses genetic tests to avoid “trial and error” prescribing by identifying SNPs that cause poor/rapid metabolism, nutrient deficiencies, and food sensitivities.
It is super important to have a laser focused customer avatar when first starting your consulting business.
In my next post I’ll talk about how I identified my customer avatar and share my marketing strategy as I’m getting ready to solicit patient and provider referrals in the next few weeks.
If you want to follow the results of my Genetic Consults business experiment join our Newsletter at btpharmacyconsulting.com/newsletter
Have questions about starting your own consulting business?
Email me anytime @ blairthielemier@btpharmacyconsulting.com
