We recently connected with Bereshith Adams and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Bereshith thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us 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.
“The harder the struggle, the greater the triumph,” was a quote I got out of a fortune cookie while eating lunch at the South Dining Hall at UCONN. It came at the right time because I was struggling financially and I could not afford to be there. Prior to starting the fall semester, some of my friends thought I should either drop out of college or go to college back home in New Jersey. Quitting was never an option because I felt that if I did leave, I would never finish. I told my mother that I was never dropping out of school and that I am not coming back home until I get my degree. At this time, it was my junior year in college and I was trying to juggle my academic and athletic career. I was failing miserably because I just could not balance both and maintain a job at the same time. I was trying to change my major from pre-medicine because I was just not happy. Since I could remember my mother loved her nursing career and treating patients in their home. So, I went over to the school of nursing just to get more information. Once they discussed that as a nurse I could work in any country, do flight nursing, trauma, work in the military, or for insurance companies I was sold. When I saw the opportunities were endless, I knew this was going to be my profession. I applied immediately and I was denied because I did not have the GPA required to get in the program. I decided to stay the summer on campus to take classes to bring up my GPA. That summer changed my life because as I was leaving class, I stopped by the school of nursing just to say hello which was something I frequently did. I wanted to let them know I was reapplying. There was a lady who worked in the Academic Advising Services who I came to know very well. She was there that day and said, “What are you doing here during this summer?” When I told her I was taking summer classes to improve my GPA so that I could reapply for the school of nursing, she looked at me and said, “I have an opportunity for you and it’s up to you if you would like to take it.” She told me right then that there was a summer class for Nursing Research going on right now and that I was three days behind. The class was from 2:00pm-3:30pm two days a week and she also mentioned that there was scholarship money available that I can use to pay for the class. Her exact words were, “What would you like to do Mr. Adams?” Of course, I kindly accepted her offer and she then gave me a card with the permission number to join the course. It’s been 18 years and I still have the card with me as a reminder of all the risks I have taken to get here. I pursued my collegiate academics career and quit the track team the following Fall. After that, I even ended up getting my masters at UCONN in Acute Care. I now specialize in general surgery, trauma, and wound care. I started my own companies called Green Logic and Proficient Nurse Practitioners. Thinking big and taking calculated risks have always been the driving forces instilled in me because if I had dropped out of school and not been at UCONN in the Summer of 2004, that opportunity would have gone to someone else.
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 have been working in the medical field for 15 years. I am an experienced nurse practitioner that specializes in trauma, general surgery, wound care, hyperbaric oxygen treatment, and medical cannabis. I have also started two businesses from the ground up. I created Proficient Nurse Practitioners and Green Logic which are platforms designed to created customizable care plans and natural skin care products for my clients. I believe in a holistic approach which is why both companies are essential to my medical practice. I am most proud of the fact that patients are able to trust me at a time when they are most vulnerable. Being able to partner with patients to achieve our main objective which is healing or getting them back to a productive level is truly important to me. I want potential clients to know that I pride myself on service and I bring it right to their doorstep or virtually.
Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?
I had to learn that being an entrepreneur is great, but it is not easy. You have to be more than a hustler. While trying to build my own brand, I was supporting myself and paying off my student loan debt. Once I became more experienced working as a full-time nurse practitioner, I took positions that allowed me to work part time and still get medical benefits. I learned how to get contract work and negotiate wages that were either double or triple my pay. I used these side hustles to fund my companies, save for the future, and pay off all my student loan debt. Learning how to be financially responsible early on as an entrepreneur is so important because it eventually gives you the flexibility needed to devote to your own brand. I am not saying you can’t enjoy yourself but you have to do it within reason in order to have success later on. Work smarter in your 20’s-30’s so you can live the remaining part of your life prosperously.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
While I lived in Connecticut over 5 years ago, I was working with an owner who developed a non-medical service program for patients that either suffered from psychiatric disorders and brain injuries. His service allowed patients to have a normal life in their own homes. He had over 1000 clients and he was trying to get a home care company up and running so he could deliver the medical necessities he needed for his patients. He initially hired a team of five people. These five full time employees could never get the company up and running effectively to reach accreditation status. He asked me if I could partner with him to bring the holistic model he envisioned. He could not pay me much, so I asked for 25% equity in the company. What that team of five could not do in two years, I did in less than a year. I organized all the polices, created training modules for both the nurses and the aids, established relationships with long term care facilities, integrated an electronic health system that fit the flow of the organization, and achieved the required patients needed for the accreditation process to occur. I thought we needed more time before the accreditors could come. I felt that we needed a trial run with the consultant we had already hired to come evaluate us just to make sure we would pass on the first try. The owner did not want to listen to me and he ordered the accreditation to take place. Unfortunately, we did not pass but they gave us 3-6 months to work on the areas that needed to be corrected. This company could have easily made over a million dollars in the first year. However, I was not happy about the partnership regardless of the earning potential. I understand that a lot of people want to be the “BOSS” or “CEO” but the moment you allow titles to affect your judgment on a particular matter that can help the company is when your title has clouded your effective ability to lead. This was the most important pivot in my life because I ended up relinquishing my ownership in the company. When I relinquished my ownership, I had more flexibility in my schedule. I remember that year, my aunt invited me to come to Atlanta for her graduation, it was 2018. I came to Atlanta for her graduation party and she introduced me to her professor that she really wanted me to meet. We exchanged numbers that day and the rest is history. We are getting married April 2023. So, you see had I stayed in the partnership that I was not happy with trying to build a multi-million-dollar company, I would have missed out on something invaluable. Always trust your instincts! Your instincts become sharpened every time you put yourself out there and make mistakes you can learn from.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.pronp.org
- Instagram: green_logic_company
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