We were lucky to catch up with Jillian Imilkowski recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jillian, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Setting up an independent practice is a daunting endeavor. Can you talk to us about what it was like for you – what were some of the main steps, challenges, etc.

My path is not the typical for most acupuncturists. After graduating with my Doctorate and passing my board exams, I gave myself a 3-month break to recover and then jumped right into it. I started mentoring with SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) to learn as much as I could about starting and running a business. SCORE is a nonprofit that partners new entrepreneurs with seasoned executives and business owners for little to no cost. I took courses on how to write a business plan, marketing and business development and knew right away that I had to “go big or go home”. I was 49 when I graduated (which puts me on a might tighter timeline than a 25 year old) and understood that my biggest challenge was going to be making enough money to not only pay myself, but also pay down my student loans and save for retirement. The model we were taught in school, of running one room and seeing one patient/hour was not going to cut it. I requested to work with a mentor who had experience with lease negotiation and business growth. His assistance was INVALUABLE in not only finding my office, but in negotiating a fair rent and giving me loads of advice on how to set myself up for success from the group up (licensing, permits, buildouts and more)! Without the assistance and support of SCORE, I would not have the 5 room clinic that I run and love, today.

Immediately after opening my practice (only 6-months after passing my board exams), I realized that all the money in world would not help me grow if I was not mentally ready for that growth to happen. I hired a personal and business coach who worked exclusively with acupuncturists, and she helped me get right with myself. I spent a year unlearning bad habits, diving deep into my limiting beliefs and tearing apart the scarcity mindset I had been raised with. To this day, I still work with that coach and every moth I learn something new about myself and how to run my business.

My strongest piece of advice to all new graduates is: JUST DO IT. Go all in. You are not going to pay your bills by working part time. Doing house calls to save money or out fear of paying rent cost you more money. Decide to be a business owner and then become a business owner. Don’t reinvent the wheel. Hire personal and business coaches, spend the money to learn from those who have the information you need. All money spent on increasing your personal or business knowledge is money ALWAYS well spent. In just two years I have grown my practice from seeing 1 patient, 2 times/week to a seeing and average of 50 patients/mo and grossing 6-figures annually.

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 first experienced the power of Chinese medicine in 2004, when I was in my late 20’s, after a car accident that threatened to severely limit my mobility and put me on a lifelong regimen of “pain management” medications (aka opioids). My doctors told me to prepare for the fact that I may never ride a bicycle again, walking and every day activities would be a challenge and I would likely live with debilitating chronic pain for the rest of my life. Not satisfied with that prognosis, I took my healing journey in a different direction. Working several times a week with an acupuncturist for 6 months got me back on my bicycle for short rides. By the end of a year, with consistent work and strength training, I signed up, trained for, and completed a 100-mile bicycle ride! Over 20 years later, I still get regular acupuncture treatments and remain pain (and painkiller) free, active and loving my life.

I built Bonita Vista Acupuncture to be a safe space where all my patients can feel safe to heal. This clinic built on a culture of positivity and encouragement, allowing people to heal from the inside, not just on the surface. We are all on our own journey and I want my patients to know that I see them. I am their doctor and their cheerleader.

I love working with patients who have almost given up. The Western medical system has failed them, and they have nowhere else to turn. Being a part of their healing journey is honor and completely fills my cup. It is pure magic to watch a person walk without a walker, or to see a full smile from someone who was struck with Bell’s Palsy. Acupuncture is a powerful medicine and I love being the conduit.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

If you want to make the world a better place, you must be right with yourself. Make a commitment to invest in yourself. Spend the time to get to know yourself. Read books, listen to podcasts, talk to friends, attend the workshops and figure out what you need to do to become the most authentic, highest version of yourself. Not only are people are drawn to those who are present, you make yourself more open to fully participate in the healing of your patients. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Time and money spent on personal growth are always time and money spent well.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I personally had to spend A LOT of time rewiring my relationship to money. I grew up in the Midwest to a lower middle-class family and wasn’t raised with any sense of what financial literacy was. It was drilled into me that if I wanted to be a success, I had to save every penny, cut all the coupons and deprive myself of all the things that were “a waste of time” (aka: everything frivolous or fun). I was raised with the underlining thought that money was evil and only bad people were rich (think Lex Luthor and Trump). This scarcity mindset had kept me solidly in that lower middle-class (or lower) my entire life. Once I started to recognize how this was holding me back and what I needed to do to level up, my world changed! Living in an abundance mindset, fully open to making boatloads of money, has opened doors for me that I didn’t even know existed just a few years. Living in hope and excitement instead of withering fear have grown my business 10-fold. Shifting from a sarcastic, negative mindset to one of positivity and hope has brought more happiness, success and fulfillment to both my personal and business life than anything I could have imagined. And I am just at the beginning of my journey! How cool is that?!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.BonitaVistaAcu.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theacuqueen
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheAcuQueen
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bonita-vista-acupuncture
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@theacuqueen
• Yelp: https://tinyurl.com/BonitaVistaAcu
• Other: TikToc https://www.tiktok.com/@theacuqueen

Image Credits
Carina Fleckner Photography