We were lucky to catch up with Veronica DeLeon recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Veronica , thanks for joining us today. We’re complete cheeseballs and so we love asking folks to share the most heartwarming moment from their career – do you have a touching moment you can share with us?
I admire every small business owner out here and never thought I would have one myself. Before I ever became a business owner, I remember crying to one of my really close friends about how I scared I was that I wouldn’t be accepted or make it in the bodywork industry. I had a really small apartment but worked on my kitchen floor, to practice on people who wanted to give bodywork a try. At 1st I didn’t charge and only accepted donations. I wanted to learn, and didn’t care if I made money or not. Fast forward to today, I still work on some of the clients who supported me on my kitchen floor. However, my schedule is booked and busy. I opened my own small Acupuncture/Manual Therapy practice in Bayho, and absolutely love what I do. Looking back I left my 9-5 career thinking I would work less and make more, but I continue to work day and night to perfect my craft and further my education. I have the most amazing clients, and feel so grateful to be here.
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.
Hello all. My name is Veronica DeLeon. I am a Licensed Physical Therapist Assistant, Certified Massage Therapist & Asian Bodyworker, and Board Certified Acupuncturist & Herbalist. I am an SD Native and the daughter of a hard working woman from Pampanga, Philipines. Growing up my mother worked night and day to make sure she kept food on the table. My mom always encouraged us to do what we love but I didn’t think that I would take so many routes to find out what that was. I waitressed for 7 years before I got into the world of holistic health via physical therapy. I loved and continue to love helping people feel and move better. One career led to another and I continued to snowball from the physical therapy world into the manual therapy world which is when I opened my massage business BARE. This is an acronym for Bodywork, Acupuncture, Rejuvenation, and Education. I started BARE because I loved manual therapy, but also to support myself while finishing up my Masters and Doctoral Acupuncture program. I knew that upon graduation that I would want to combine both Eastern and Western medicine approaches. Now that I have finished school I offer both an array of manual therapy modalities, acupuncture, moxibustion, ear seeds, as well cosmetic acupuncture.
When it comes to treating, I don’t leave the room. Every treatment is one on one. I currently specialize in orthopedics and physical pain conditions. Blending both acupuncture and manual therapy, is really where the sweet spot is for my clients. I am able to normalize connective and muscle tissues manually, while mitigating stress, fatigue, or even supporting qi and a blood building and any other underlying patterns that are appropriate via acupuncture. I also currently specialize in facial/cosmetic modalities such as facial acupuncture and buccal manual therapy to address neck issues, TMJ, facial asymmetries, drooping, and paralysis.
One thing I am proud of is how BARE has been a constant since it was started. Marketing myself to the public was tricky while being a full time student, but my business continued to grow. I want my patients and future clientele to know that I will always give my all to their care, and promise to continue learning always. I don’t just want my clients to come in and go. I want them to understand the why I am treating what I do, so they can maintain it and improve whatever ails them independently. As much as I love treating, I find the best results come from educating whoever is on my table. Once they understand why something is happening, the carryover is greater and a sense of trust established.
Can you talk to us about how your funded your firm or practice?
There is a common misconception that you need a huge starter loan to begin a business. I didn’t have any idea or what kind of business or layout I wanted so I just jumped in. In the trade, when you have a skill or craft, it’s about showing your clientele the benefits of what you can do. Luckily with manual therapy, I was the product and my clients were even ok coming to my house. Once I had enough clientele built, I broke off from the larger company and independent work I was doing to start my own business. I rented a room for a couple days a week which kept costs down. I will never forget how excited and scared I was to be in my own space! This worked for me because I began to pay my school tuition, and renting an office kept overhead low. I did this for 3 years while in school, and once I graduated I intended to open a bigger space. Truly though, keeping overhead low is peaceful. I love the one on one I get with my clientele, and freedom I have to learn, and travel.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
Word of mouth is the biggest reason my business has thrived consistently for the past couple of years. I am so thankful for my clientele they really are the best! When I first started, I would work on coworkers, friends, and even drive around San Diego to different gyms and offer my services free of charge to practice on different types of athletes and body types for experience. One person would tell another, and eventually they would seek me out for work. Over the years this continued only with a price, and people began posting their experiences and how they felt after bodywork. Once social media posts were shared it was like wildfire. People began adding me and coming in for work. Something that really helped unexpectedly with clientele growth, was a short series on social media that I did every week for my clientele. I called it Mobility Monday and my intention behind it was to demonstrate how to alleviate pain between sessions at home with the use of trigger point tools or every day household items. With every post and video I did, people would inquire or even book outright. People I didn’t even know were following along, and because they felt relief and felt like they got a feel for my personality, decided that they would come in. Since that time, I have had multiple clients tell me that they love the educational aspect of their treatments. They like understanding why and feel a difference when they leave that last longer periods of time. By giving them homework to do at home their ailments subside and we are able to address new and different issues when they come in. Every session is personal and tailored to their wants and needs.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://barewellness16014.clinicsites.co/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barewellnessinc/
Image Credits
Image Credits: Captured By Suarez https://www.instagram.com/capturedbysuarez/