We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jonathan Barnhill. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jonathan below.
Jonathan, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Getting that first client is always an exciting milestone. Can you talk to us about how you got your first customer who wasn’t a friend, family, or acquaintance?
I launched IV Bird in the fall of 2022, right as ACL music festival weekend 1 was starting off. As the weekend began, my high expectations of the phone ringing off the hook for servicing festival goers with hangover IV treatments were quickly diminished by zero phone calls. After all the careful planning and preparation it took to get the business live in time for that weekend, it was discouraging to say the least. But, in that moment I felt as I evolved as entrepreneur. I packed up my backpack full of medical supplies and IV poles and saline bags, and proceeded to walk up and down the downtown corridor- speaking to bar owners and bartenders, handing out business cards to as many pedestrians as I could, placing flyers on car windshields. It was the moment that I needed. To meet resistance and still continue to put one foot in front of the other. I made my first dollars in this business on that weekend, but the experience earned far outweighs that.
Jonathan, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Career firefighter turned entrepreneur. I stumbled into my current industry by picking up a part time position with another IV clinic. Loved the interaction with clients. Money was good, so the idea blossomed to make my own IV therapy business. Made my exit from the emergency services sector, and started the climb of building IV Bird. The learning curb was steep. Without any real business experience, every day was a new lesson learned. It took about 4 months to get IV Bird ready to go. Much of my attention was placed in how I differentiate my business from the other IV clinics. The name IV Bird luckily landed right in front of me. I was in the weeds coming up with basic unoriginal names that fit the mold of current standard of IV clinics name, I.e. Drip this, fluid that.. It was a mess. But, I had a bird light on the rail in front of me at the coffee shop I was working at, and it was all history after that. IV Birds mission is to make IV therapy approachable and fun. My brand book that I decided on was colors that resemble “fiesta” or fun! Working in the industry prior to IV Bird, I learned that much of the clientele is people who party a little too hard. Including bachelor and bachelorette parties. Which these groups are looking for providers to bring the energy to the room, not suck it out. My next task was designing a website that is very user focused. Make it as easy as possible to book. My goal was to get granular and reduce the number of clicks it took for the website to gather demographics and book the client. Now in to the third year of business, to look back its been awesome ride. Proud of myself for betting on myself and the professional development that followed.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
For my business, it was realizing what the true ethos of my industry is- and we are a service based industry with a medical skill attached to it. What we do primarily do is at-home/concierge IV therapy. So, creating a “secret sauce” was important to me, and my strategy for that was to simply out work the competition, That is generally a loaded response, but for me that meant opening my doors up earlier, staying open later, accommodating my clients when they requested and off-loading zero of the imposition onto them. Delivering the highest level service to each client. Through that process, I earned loyal clients one at a time. I earned Instagram followers one at a time. I earned 5-star Google reviews one at a time. I showed up when no other company would. That was my value I brought to the industry. Now three years into the business, my current goal is to scale that intention. My team of nurses have done an amazing job of stepping into the role that I was previously doing. Teaching others the skills I developed over the two years of hustle is my current mission.
Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?
Pay people well. That one is pretty straight forward. Find unique ways to give team members an extra bonus, I recently traded services with a local yoga studio- to get each of my nurses a 6-month pass membership. Something that cost me very little, will go along way. My role now is managing my team of nurses, so I try and make there life easier. Making sure they have everything they need to excel at there position.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ivbird512.com
- Instagram: @ivbird512
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-barnhill-195664254
