We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kathleen Ketola a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Kathleen, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory of how you established your own practice.

Before starting Beachside Community Acupuncture PLLC, I worked as a 1099 contractor in private practice clinics. At that time, I owned a general business as a sole proprietor, which required a bit of research and upkeep…but nothing that compared to running a full clinic! When I got the idea for Beachside, I immediately filed for an EIN and started the paperwork to create the PLLC, gathering information about supply resources, possible furniture pricing, and decorations along the way. What I didn’t know – even though many other business owners had mentioned it to me – was that it would take months to find the perfect space. I also didn’t realize that legal fees associated with reviewing the lease would cost so much, or that services such as bookkeeping, payroll processing, scheduling, and payment processing should be continuously shopped to get the best deal.

I don’t regret any of the snags that happened in starting Beachside as they all taught me lessons that make me a more mindful business owner. I enjoyed teaching myself the various aspects of my company – social media, accounting, customer service, etc. – and eventually delegating those tasks to others. I recommend that aspiring business owners write an extensive business plan that covers everything from marketing strategies to day-to-day operations, using it a tool to visualize how your company will run and grow. Along those lines, having another source of income for at least the first few months will provide a financial safety net (because even the most amazing businesses can take time to gain momentum). Continue to work on yourself even while focusing on your company, and know that you will be challenged in a variety of ways that you couldn’t have expected. All of it is a journey, so having a positive mindset is key.

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?

Health has always been a fascination and passion for me. I have very clear memories of teaching myself the bones and organs using GeoSafari (an electronic memory game) in kindergarten, and my mom photocopied images from her medical texts and put them in a Lisa Frank binder for me to use as a coloring book. During my childhood, I spent time at surgery centers with my mom but also attended health fairs and open houses at healing centers like Hippocrates Health Institute in Florida. My family started using Young Living essential oils when I was nine, and in high school I started studying exercise physiology as I became more involved with yoga, weight training, and sports. In college I was pre-med, earning degrees in Biology and Nutrition while also continuing to learn about holistic wellness. My graduate degree in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine and additional Bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences brought me full circle, as I integrate Eastern, clinical, and holistic nutrition in my practice and view my patients’ issues from all of the perspectives that I’ve gained from my experiences.

After moving from Florida, I spent three years in private practice around greater Dallas, and during that time I had patients that really needed to be coming in a few times a week but could only afford to see me once a month. I would have loved to refer them to a community clinic to get more regular treatments…but there weren’t any around! I saw the need for one and was inspired to start Beachside Community Acupuncture to provide affordable acupuncture to those who might not otherwise be able to experience the ancient medicine’s healing effects.

We always put our patients first. Beachside is a community clinic, which means we offer treatments on a sliding scale so that everybody can afford to have holistic care. Natural medicine can be expensive, and our patients truly appreciate that we give them the option of choosing how much to pay for their treatments based on their own personal health budget because they are able to take care of themselves without causing extra financial stress. We treat everyone the same, regardless of their circumstances, and take the time to really get to know a patient’s health to offer the best acupuncture treatment and appropriate advice on lifestyle, diet, supplements, herbal medicine, and/or essential oils based on his or her needs.

We are proud of our awards because they reflect what our patients and community think of us. We were voted “Best Acupuncture” in the Addison Guide’s Readers’ Choice Awards in 2019, 2020, and 2021, and Top Rated Local named us “Best Acupuncture in Texas” in 2019 (#1) and 2021 (#2).

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

Most of our new patients find us online, so we’ve always prioritized our website and SEO in our marketing strategy. Offline, we also get a lot of new patients from referrals. We create a really great patient experience at the clinic so that people love to tell their friends and family about us. Finally, we also network in the community, especially as a member of the Dallas Holistic Chamber of Commerce. Through this nonprofit, we build relationships with other healthcare providers so that we have resources for our patients and can give confident referrals for other therapies within the field of holistic medicine.

Overall, if you treat your patients well and they value what you provide them, they love to support you in any way that they can. Don’t be afraid to ask for online reviews and referrals.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

The community acupuncture model involves treating a higher volume of patients at a lower cost, often in one large treatment room. When the threat of COVID-19 began, this created a big issue! We closed for two weeks following the initial mandate to do so and spent that time evaluating what changes needed to be made to ensure our patients’ safety. We cut back on the amount of patients we saw per hour to decrease traffic through our waiting room, spaced our treatment room chairs more than six feet apart, and implemented strict cleaning procedures. Quarter two of 2020 was slow as we grew accustomed to these new adjustments, but we’re happy to say that we’ve been helping members of our community at a steady pace since.

There will always be challenges in running a business, and the pandemic presented an extreme one! Adaptability, resilience, and creative thinking are all imperative to success, as the only constant in life is change.

Contact Info:

• Website: BeachsideAcupuncture.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/beachcomacu
• Facebook: Facebook.com/beachcomacu
• Linkedin: Linkedin.com/company/16276117/
• Twitter: Twitter.com/beachcomacu
• Youtube: Youtube.com/channel/UCNVQsM5yXgymn4TF9m15AlQ
• Yelp: Yelp.com/biz/beachside-community-acupuncture-dallas
• Other: Pinterest.com/beachcomacu

Image Credits
Tim Drake Photography; Addison Guide Awards Ceremony; Sarah Anna Hansen Photography