We were lucky to catch up with Carol Bender recently and have shared our conversation below.
Carol, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Have you ever had an amazing boss, mentor or leader leading you? Can you us a story or anecdote that helps illustrate why this person was such a great leader and the impact they had on you or their team?
My favorite boss, Michael Spraggins, was a high-energy, unconventional, successful, results-driven entrepreneur in the building industry in Florida. He led me and the founding members of LifeNet International with zeal and a business mindset to make a difference in the poorest countries in the world: sub-Saharan Africa. He taught me the invaluable lesson of building a strengths-based team, where each member learns what they’re naturally best at and works in those strengths, and delegates their weaknesses to someone else (who is strong in those areas). He was so supportive of me as an entrepreneurial college student that he agreed to back me up when I volunteered to go perform the initial proof of concept trip for LifeNet. He visited me in Africa at the end of the research trip and discussed the business decision like any other business person. He agreed with me that the need was great and we indeed should proceed to launch LifeNet together.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I have a passion for improving healthcare quality worldwide. Here’s my background:
BSE, BSN, and MSN from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School and School of Nursing. Board Certified AGAC-NP.
Co-founder of LifeNet International in 2013.
www.lninternational.com
Founder of Joy Wellness Partners in 2016 and Enliven Aesthetics in 2019.
www.joywellnesspartners.com www.enlivenaesthetics.com
Led over 4,000 client visits in the San Diego wellness clinic in the past 5 years of operation.
At our wellness clinic, we provide alternative and natural medicine to help the body heal itself.
Our services include:
Regenerative joint injections
Stellate ganglion blocks for PTSD/PTSI Vitamin infusions
Microneedling with PRP
Hormone balancing
Naturopathic consultations
Filler/botox/Sculptra
Shockwave therapy for ED, tendinitis, cellulite and more
Can you talk to us about how your funded your firm or practice?
I worked in the Emergency Room picking up extra evening and weekend shifts. My boyfriend (now husband) loaned me $25,000 and I paid him back $26,000 after 7 months of clinic operation.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
I believe that excellent patient care with results that exceeded expectations is what built our reputation in our market. We didn’t come into the San Diego healthcare space with a big well-known brand or the MD titles behind our name, but we delivered results, and the word spread. Our clients are sharing with their friends about how our wellness center improved their quality of life, and after they hear “Go to JWP” from three different people, they sense we have something special and they want it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://joywellnesspartners.com & https://enlivenaesthetics.com
- Instagram: @joywellnesspartners @enlivenaesthetics
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carol.joy.bender
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carol-bender-1405139
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCDNFOnPwfFZUQiG_y60RGyg & https://youtube.com/channel/UCu6vJU2HM2MSfOa-K_xldNA
- Yelp: https://yelp.to/4JhidJKDpnb & https://yelp.to/sv4mXJMDpnb