We recently connected with Isabella Daher and have shared our conversation below.

Isabella , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

Well, this has been quite an interesting process, and to be honest, we are still going through it. The decision for me to open a new pharmacy was one shared between my family, as my father and brother are both pharmacists. The opportunity presented at just the right time, as I had recently completed my clinical pharmacist training and was looking for a new adventure. The pharmacy location itself has been operating since the early 1900s, I believe 1910, and is a staple in the community.

To start the process, there was a lot of paperwork and patiently waiting for our license to come in. Once we got licensed and the keys to the pharmacy, we hit the ground running. We instantly inherited hundreds of patients and began filling their medications. However, this was not so easy, as there are many moving pieces that come along with starting pharmacy. Examples of this include setting up contracts with insurance companies and ordering new inventory, among dozens of other duties.

Things have slowly started to fall into place, and each day is better than the previous day. Some days flow smoothly and others can be very overwhelming. I am grateful to my family for helping take the load off where they can, to my staff, who have been with the previous pharmacy for many years, for fielding dozens of phone calls and introducing me to their community, and to all the customers who have shown patience, kindness and shared welcoming words during this process.

Isabella , 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?

I am a pharmacist and pharmacy owner currently serving a tight-knit community on the outskirts of Los Angeles. I spent 9 years training for this position with combined undergraduate/graduate school plus an additional residency year. I have only been in business for a few weeks, however many patients already call and ask for me by name, or come into the store and speak with me directly. In addition to offering clinical advice and counseling on potential side effects of medications, I am meeting new people, hearing life stories, and beginning to form deep connections with this community.

Pharmacists were once the most trusted healthcare professional, a title I hope to bring back to the profession. My years of pharmacy practice as a student plus my residency program have been successful at helping me to form a strong clinical knowledge base. I am able to empathize with my patients while also providing reliable information. This is my favorite part of my job. In addition, I do my best to go above and beyond for each and every patient. A recent example of this includes my personally delivering medications, after hours, to a patient who was just discharged from the hospital. The gratitude shown by him and his wife was an excellent reminder of why I chose to go into this profession.

My aspirations for the future include becoming a Board Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist (BCPS), becoming a Travel Health Specialist Pharmacist (at the request of one of my patients), and receiving California Pharmacist Contraception Services Training.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

My situation is very specific when it comes to fostering brand loyalty. As I mentioned, I inherited hundreds of customers from a previously existing pharmacy. Every customer who enters the pharmacy is welcomed with a warm smile and greeting by myself and my staff. I recognize that I am new to the community and am held to a certain standard, and I do my best to maintain that standard at all times. Any patient with a new prescription is counseled on all potential side effects or drug/food interactions. I always take the time to answer questions and listen to concerns about their medications and/or health, both in person or on the phone. I recognize for a lot of patients, their trip to the pharmacy may be the only human interaction they get that day, which is why it brings me joy to spend a few extra minutes chatting with them

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

I stepped into the role of a manager overnight. Thankfully, I have inherited an incredible staff, who show up to work every day and do great work. This transitional period has been hard on all of us, however, I try to recognize my staff for their good work whenever possible. I let them know that their efforts do not go unnoticed, check in with them regularly to ensure that they are not feeling burned out, and am honest with them about my feelings. This is something I am working on day by day.