We recently connected with Brandon James Thompson and have shared our conversation below.
Brandon James, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?
When I started in the professional world, I was selling copiers right out of college. This position introduced me to the world of corporate culture in America. I’m the type of person who seeks to better myself and grow in my professional and personal life. I wanted to be not only the very best copier salesman but also a leader in the company. Unfortunately, the company only wanted me to sell copiers and was not interested in helping me grow my career. This trend continues throughout my career in the corporate sector. Each position, while better than the last, came with a leader who did not want to mentor me, instead, the leader only wanted me to produce what would make the leader look good and help the bottom line of the company. It was very discouraging. In fact, I was working on a different sales team in a medical device company where my sales outcomes were 200% of the goal when COVID hit the country. The March 2020 shutdown left me, a father of two going through a divorce, without a job or source of income.
The day I lost that job I came home, cried, went for a run, and made a life-changing decision. Losing my job could be the worst day of my life or the BEST day of my life. I decided to take a bad situation and turn it around for the betterment of myself and my family. I realized this was an opportunity! My next steps were to take to social media, be honest about losing my job and my difficult story, and reach out to others for networking and support. The response was amazing.
Within a few weeks, I found a business that produced Ultra Violet lamps that could destroy bacteria, viruses, and even COVID. The device could help healthcare offices re-open to their patients with a safe, clean environment. What a great opportunity. However, even this position did not really meet my needs. I realized I needed to be autonomous in my work; I needed a position that would give me control over my professional and personal life. I realized; I had an entrepreneurial spirit!
As my connections grew through social media, I began helping others find work in the medical aesthetic space. I enjoyed helping people to overcome a jobless situation. Then I met a colleague who suggested a recruiting company and from there I was able to launch Careers in Aesthetics. I was able to use my expertise in sales to help folks build their personal brands and land the career they wanted AND get paid! With the help of my largest recruiting partner Sciton, Inc. my recruitment business grew into a full-time job!
Through these connections, I consulted with medical practices to evaluate their needs and pair them with Best-in-Class technology. Helping a business maximize profitability and develop efficiencies is one of my favorite things to do. This experience gave rise to BT Medical Innovations and expanded my market to Dental, Dermatology, Plastic Surgery, Med Spa, and Vision Specialists. I bring knowledge of devices and help practices implement these new technologies to better their patients’ lives.
Having complete control over my professional life has allowed me to be the best father and partner! I’m happier, healthier, and headed in a great upward direction. Honestly, the layoff and COVID failures were the best things to happen to me!
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 help aesthetic & medical practices keep up to date on the latest technology that improves their practice, increases profits and reduces their workload.
Plastic surgeons, med spa specialists, dermatologists, ophthalmologists, optometrists & dentists come to me when:
➡️ They opened their practice to make people feel like a million dollars but most of their time is being spent on admin, financing, marketing or chasing unpaid payments
➡️ Their patients seem to only come in for procedures when they absolutely have to and upselling them feels like pulling teeth
➡️ There seems to constantly be new devices & products coming out but they feel overwhelmed about which one to invest in
Your patients want more than a nice waiting room or good results. They want a feeling. THAT’s what draws them back. And that’s what makes you the go-to practice in your area. But it can be hard to think about that when managing the day-to-day of your practice.
That’s where we come in! We match you with tech that…
✅ Improves your practice – Cutting-edge devices & products for your patient offerings. Software that provides the smoothest customer experience
✅ Increases your profits – A branded app that does your marketing & cross-selling for you. Software that eliminates hidden costs.
✅ Reduces your workload – Devices that help you do your treatments in less time and with less effort.
And the best part is…
👌 It doesn’t cost you a thing – we get a percentage from the technologies we successfully match you up with
👌 We focus on increasing your availability & sales of cash-pay services
👌 We negotiate the best deals for you through our strong rapport with vendors
My background in medical sales, consulting, recruiting & launching practices has allowed me to deeply understand the pitfalls of running your own practice – and more importantly, how to avoid them.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
I am the type of person to push myself to be the very best at anything and everything. I want to be the best employee, the biggest revenue producer, the best dad, friend, and partner! I am driven to keep my personal and professional life moving forward in the most positive ways. However, I worked for several people who had no interest in helping me grow or achieve my goals.
For example, when I was selling copiers right out of college, I was the top revenue producer month over month. I approached my boss and asked to discuss growth opportunities in the company and the career development I would need to obtain a leadership position. He was annoyed at my questions and stated, “Your job is to sell copiers, that is all. That is what we hired you to do. You make my life easier and the bottom line of the company better. That is all. Stay in your lane.”
After a time, I left copier sales and worked for a start-up. I was so excited about the position and opportunities a start-up could get me. I believed if I worked hard enough, I could work my way up the leadership ladder and grow my career. Soon, I was the top revenue producer and lauded by the company for the sales I contributed to the bottom line. Nonetheless, I quickly learned the culture was awful and the leadership had no intention of helping me in my career. Even after the VP left the company and I applied for the position, no one would even consider me. Another clear “Stay in your lane” message.
This went on position after position. I was a top producer but continually looked over for promotional opportunities. It was extremely frustrating. Once I found another opportunity to help a business grow, I was able to set up a service line for a medical supply company that wanted to break into the wound care and surgical dressing space. I worked with a partner and in my two-year tenure, launched an entirely new service line from scratch. That’s when COVID hit and I lost my job.
I was very distressed. I was about to become a single dad and had no source of income. Initially, I responded with self-pity, frustration, and anger. Then I made a decision. I could wallow in my current state or work to lift myself up and start again; this time Bigger and Better! To cope with the stress, I exercised (I like to run), removed toxic relationships from my life, and surrounded myself with positive people who wanted to see me succeed.
I also got involved in my Church, Eleven22, and my Pastor, Dan Johnson, was a great emotional and spiritual support. I learned to meditate and pray, change my mindset, and discover who I really am. I am an entrepreneur; I need to work where I am valued for my contributions, build things and watch them flourish, and help people like me, get a leg up in their careers.
These experiences lead me to found Careers in Aesthetics, a recruiting firm to help place top performers in companies that have great cultures! With the success of Careers in Aesthetics, I was able to found another business, BT Medical Innovations, where we match up healthcare businesses with the newest technologies in care and help them launch successful service lines. I started my aesthetic device company Nuvissa and became an advisory board member and equity partner in Pink Luminous Breast and MedRep Meeting. I also am an integral part of RepeatMD where I launched the company and became an equity shareholder.
Each of these businesses allows me to challenge and better myself every day! Without the negative experiences of the past and my decision to change my life, neither of these companies would exist. I have to say, these past failures and job losses made me the resilient person I am today.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
I learned the ins and outs of social meeting workings for a company whose sole objective was to market physicians. My job at a healthcare startup was to be active on a private social media network developed for physicians. This was only the first step.
Then the company went under and I was out of a job again. I saw social media’s power on businesses and thought, “What have I got to lose?” I converted everything I learned at the healthcare startup and built my own social media platform on LinkedIn. I posted my stories of job loss and other professional failures hoping to connect with others for support. Then something amazing happened. My posts received record-breaking responses from professionals nationwide wanting to offer support and share their own stories.
This experience convinced me; social media is a very powerful tool, and when used correctly, it can help anyone launch a business. I signed up with Shay Rowbottom Marketing and immersed myself in her courses to grow my brand through social media. This was a game-changer for me! And the rest is history.
My advice for others beginning their social media journey; learn everything you can, take courses, follow influencers, sign up for newsletters, and jump right in. Don’t be afraid of what others may think or say, negativity is already pervasive in our world. Instead, move ahead fearlessly, surround yourself with people who support you, and invest in your education to make a successful social media presence.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://btmedicalinnovations.com/;
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/btmedicalinnovations/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BTMedicalInnovations
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonjamesthompson/