We recently connected with Adrian Williams and have shared our conversation below.
Adrian, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.
Entrepreneurship is a huge risk. The risk becomes incredibly scary when you’re considering it and you have a “good job” making “good money”. That was part of my dilemma in the fall of 2022 when I was considering leaving my 23 year career as a labor and delivery nurse to build my business full time. For over two decades I had been in the delivery rooms of countless women as they gave birth, educated patients while going through their pregnancy journey and built friendships with coworkers. I was also making not only a comfortable income, but a stable one at that. The idea of walking away from all of that stability for the unknown came with a lot of questions; How will I make sure our bills were covered? What will I do for health insurance? And how much more will that health insurance cost since I’ll be paying for it by myself? What happens if my business doesn’t grow, but flops instead? Can I get my job back? Will I have to start at the bottom? What am I THINKING????
But then I had to take a real look at my situation and what I had accomplished so far. Yes, I had a 23 year old nursing career and was the most senior charge nurse on my unit. I was also the only black charge nurse on my unit who prided herself in supporting the new generation of black nurses who came behind me. I made it through the pandemic and helped deliver babies wearing trash bags as protective gowns when the hospital’s PPE was supply was scarce. It became “normal” to come home and remove my clothing right away so I could shower, cry, and then go kiss my husband. So what changed? George Floyd happened. Words I had never heard of like “gaslighting” and “Micro aggressions” put a name to unspoken feelings I had been experiencing for years. I realized that my secure job was not all it was cracked up to be and while trying to start an IV in one of the triage rooms, I burst into tears and could not stop crying.
That’s when it clicked. I had financial security because I did have job security, but I did not have emotional security. My mental health was at risk and even though I loved being a labor and delivery nurse, it was time for me to leave that place. But where would I go and what would I do? Thankfully I already had a solution in the small business I had been building for 5 years.
In 2017 I created Hourglass Body Contouring Spa as a passion project to make women feel better about themselves. As someone who always struggled with weight and body image, I wanted to offer something to help others feeling that same way. I started off with FDA approved non invasive treatments that aid in inch loss by tightening the skin and draining fat cells. I eventually added vitamin therapy in the form of injections and infusions to nourish clients from within. I loved being in my spa because I would always end up counseling clients on not only their physical health, but their mental and emotional health as well. I saw how in real time women would leave my space feeling better than when they arrived and I felt like I was making a difference.
Since I opened in 2017 we have expanded to not only a larger location, but we now offer a comprehensive weight loss program with maintenance support, beauty treatments such as anti wrinkle neurotoxins, facial and brow services with many more offerings coming this year. Our team has expanded to include 2 registered nurses, a nurse practitioner, medical assistants and other valued support staff. Hourglass has been able to support my family financially as she grows (and yes, I often refer to Hourglass as a person because she sure does have her own bills and responsibilities like one!). My fears remain unrealized. Shortly after leaving the hospital, I was accepted into and graduated from the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program and what I learned expanded the Hourglass vision even further. We couldn’t have seen it coming back when we first opened but now we have the honor of being able to address the gap in healthcare between traditional medicine and the black community. There is a long standing distrust of medical institutions and a deep rooted bias against people of color so many of them simply don’t trust doctors or attend doctor’s appointments. The black nurse plays a key role in the community because we are trusted by its members and therefore are in a position to provide education and medical guidance to them. How does it all connect? Because we may have a client come in for weight loss or a beauty treatment, but while she’s there our nurses are always assessing, educating and most importantly advocating for them during their time with us.
Was the risk worth it? Absolutely. I find myself in a place where giving back to my community nourishes my mental wellness and it doesn’t get any better than that. So for anyone who finds themselves in that place where you know you are not being served but you’re afraid to leave because it’s “familiar and safe”, realize that there is opportunity out there and a space that makes you feel fulfilled AND safe does exist. You just might have to create it yourself…and that’s ok!
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I think I addressed that on the previous question (didn’t know it was a separate question)
Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?
Mentorship. You have to find someone who has been through what you’re going through and has found success. They can help you by sharing their successes and failures. They can also help you not make the same mistakes that they did, which will shorten your path to success. Having a great mentor is invaluable.
Can you open up about how you managed the initial funding?
I funded my business with money that came from my own personal bank account. There are definitely pros and cons to this approach because it will decrease how much money you have on hand for personal expenses and lifestyle, but you will also not have a lot of debt to start out with with your new business adventure. Starting a business with a lot of debt can be very scary because you then have to have a sound strategy for repaying that debt, even if your business does not do as well as you had planned. Now there will come a time when you need to grow that you may need an infusion of cash, and at that point taking out a small business loan or opening up a business credit card should definitely be looked at. But when you are first starting out bootstrapping to me is the way to go if possible.
Contact Info:
- Website: hourglassbodyspa.com
- Instagram: @hourglassbodyus
- Facebook: @hourglassbodyus