We were lucky to catch up with Michelle Larivee recently and have shared our conversation below.
Michelle, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.
I was inspired to start WTHN following my own health transformation through Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine. After a ski accident left me with chronic pain and dislocated vertebrae in her neck, I tried everything from physical therapy to shots and injections, pain killers and muscle relaxers and nothing was working, the many Western modalities were failing me…. Eventually my doctor suggested I try acupuncture and although I knew not much about it, I was willing to try anything! I felt immediate pain relief and as I was going regularly to manage the pain, I was trying acupuncture, cupping, herbal medicine and more – I realized that I was also sleeping better, less stressed and getting sick less often. I had always eaten healthy and exercised, but this felt like the next level and was so empowering to discover an entirely new, entirely natural system of remedies. A year or so into my journey, and I was struggling with fertility issues but through acupuncture and herbal medicine, was able to naturally get pregnant.
I became a huge advocate for Chinese Medicine and introduced many friends to acupuncture and other modalities. However, I often found that there were barriers and frustrations to the current experience – it was expensive, hard to get an appointment, the spaces were not always modern or welcoming. I became determined to find a way to reimagine the experience of acupuncture as a way to introduce more people to this, time-tested, science-backed incredible system of medicine. There was really no offering on the market that met all the criteria for a modern consumer wellness experience in the acupuncture space.
I was convinced that this was a worthwhile idea not just because of my personal experience or the interest that my friends and colleagues demonstrated when I introduced them to the medicine, but also because of there being so many positive related factors in the market. Including increasing consumer demand for natural, holistic solutions (alternatives to addictive painkillers and sleep drugs in particular!), the increased awareness and destigmatization of mental health leading people to seek more solutions and certainly after the pandemic, an increased awareness of the need for preventative care.
One of the things that is really exciting for me that we are doing and has never done before is investing heavily in education in order to create a new market. Most people have no idea the breadth of conditions that acupuncture can treat effectively and by introducing it to new people, we are therefore opening their minds to new possibilities and opening up new ways of healing that help our clients live their happiest, healthiest lives. I often compare this to what happened with Yoga 15 years ago or meditation 5-10 years ago. Similarly time-tested modalities that have powerful effects, but prior to access and education for everyday consumers, they were niche markets in the US. Today they are huge! We are doing the same thing with Chinese medicine and think that it can reach an even wider population because there are over 100 benefits recognized by the WHO that it can effectively treat.
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?
WTHN is the first omni-channel modern wellness brand for acupuncture, rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), that offers a one-of-a-kind, immersive and personalized experience. Ranging from acupuncture and cupping services to herbal supplements and acupressure tools that can be used at home, WTHN makes the transformative, science-backed benefits of TCM easier to access, helping you to find relief from everyday stress and pain. For more information, please visit www.wthn.com and follow @WTHN.
Since opening, WTHN has introduced the transformative powers of acupuncture to over 50,000 first-timers and nearly 100,000 total clients, through tailored treatment sessions that focus on anxiety, fertility, digestion, pain and more. Our expert team of Licensed and Board Certified Acupuncturists and Herbalists, specializes in injuries + pain, stress, anxiety + depression, fertility, menstrual cycle regulation, gut health and more.
WTHN has 3 studios in NYC – Flatiron, Williamsburg and Upper West Side and a vision to expand nationally to 100+ studios. In addition, our best-selling products are available online at Nordstrom, Saks, Neiman Marcus, Erewhon, Poosh, Goop, and over 100 brick-and-mortar stores.
WTHN makes wellness accessible with affordable acupuncture and an array of products and services designed to support your well-being. From luxurious treatment rooms to personalized care, their studios provide a restorative experience.
.WTHN is the first ever acupuncture membership community – and we offer different membership options, including Acu, Acu+, or Acu+ Herbs, that include discounted add-ons like Cupping, Ear Seeding and Body Balance Magnets.
We set ourselves apart with our commitment to being accessible in every sense of the word – from being affordable (treatments start at $85 relative to the NYC average of $150+ in NYC), open 7 days a week, beautiful ground-floor spaces where we emphasize hospitality and create a welcoming environment, content and education to help people understand how to get the most out TCM.
Most proud of having given over 50k people their first ever acupuncture treatment (truly bringing to life our vision of introducing the medicine to new people and opening up new healing possibilities), and of the incredible results we are delivering to clients every single day. There is nothing more rewarding than hearing the tangible impact To helping women struggling with fertility successfully become pregnant (acu-babies), to treating digestive disorders such as IBS, GERD, etc, to helping clients with anxiety and depression feel like themselves again…. there are thousands of stories of people we’ve helped in a short time and we are just getting started!
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
The first step for me was being very clear on the type of business that we were building and what the resource needs were to successfully get started because that informs not only the amount of capital but the types of capital we would take.
Given that we are building a capital intensive business that involves building ground floor spaces in NYC as well as manufacturing supplements, we knew that we would need $2M+ to get started. In addition, since our vision from day 1 is to build a national brand, we were actively seeking long-term capital partners (institutional capital), that could continue to fund that vision.
Lastly, an important component for me was finding strategic angel investors that have built similar businesses or have expertise in areas that are critical for WTHN : brand building, 4-wall service operations, real estate strategy, etc. So I focused on adding incredible angel investors to the cap table including the founders of Soul Cycle, Heyday, Sweetgreen, SLT and more.
Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.
One of the biggest myths I find in entrepreneurship is that if you’re going to do it, you have to drop everything and quit your job immediately, invest all your savings right away etc. I fundamentally believe that it is important to test and learn start small and build up to something bigger and that most businesses could or even should start out as a side hustle.
At the point in my career when I was thinking starting WTHN, I was pregnant and not at a stage in my life or career where I could afford to completely take blind risks. I was very meticulous in laying out a plan with various milestones each of which would convince me to keep going. It started iwth a lot of research on the market exploring both the consumer side – is there enough demand? What would get someone in the door? What problems are we solving for customers etc. Also did a deep investigation on the supply side since people (acupuncturists) are our “product” – how many acupuncturists are there? Is there enough of a supply to meet our vision for expansion? What would acupuncturists find interesting about working for a company? What are their pain tpoints etc?
After that it was figuring out the business plan and economic model – does it financially make sense etc. Also looking at spaces in NYC and understanding the market. And then from there it was fundraising, and until we had a certain amount of capital raised, I wasn’t comfortable quitting my job. So, there was a LOT that was accomplished from a side hustle and exploration perspective before turning it to a full-time career.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://WTHN.com
- Instagram: WTHN
Image Credits
Cody Lidtke