Zahava Berkowicz, Founder of Chicago Family Acupuncture
Name: Zahava Berkowicz
Founder: Chicago Family Acupuncture
Who is Zahava Berkowicz?
Dr. Zahava Berkowicz is the founder of Chicago Family Acupuncture in Northbrook.
As an advocate of women’s health and reproductive wellness, Zahava has focused her studies in treating fertility, pregnancy, menopause, PCOS, endometriosis, migraines, thyroid disorders, depression, and anxiety for women.
Her goal is to support, educate, and empower women throughout all of their life stages.
In less than three sentences tell us about your company and what you do.
At Chicago Family Acupuncture, we are committed to providing a warm and supportive environment where our patients feel valued and cared for. We understand that each person's journey to healing is unique, and our team of licensed acupuncturists is dedicated to working with you to create an individualized treatment plan that addresses your specific health concerns. Whether you are struggling with hormonal imbalances, chronic pain, or autoimmune disease, our goal is to help you achieve optimal health and wellness.
What does BEING a FoundHer mean to you?
Being a FoundHer means that I wake up every day making the choice to be brave and go after my dreams and ambitions. I can create my own work culture and healing environment where my employees and patients can thrive.
How do you support other female founders and women in business?
I'm always looking to partner with other female business owners where we can join in for events together to support each other and promote our services. I have a large network of referrals with other female therapists and healthcare providers where we feel safe sending each other patients because we know they will get the best care.
At what point did you make your company a full time gig? How did you know the time was right?
I went from subleasing one treatment room in another acupuncturists's space, to subleasing 2 treatment rooms in a doctor's office, to finally being able to afford my own large 5 treatment room clinic. I took each stage one slow step at a time, and grew as I was ready. I took responsible risks and grew with no loans or capitol. I constantly saved money to move to the next stage.
Let’s talk social media—who handles it for your company (you, an internal team member, an outsourced solution?) and what is the secret to making it successful? What is the biggest challenge?
My office manager Chelsea, does our social media. We usually meet monthly to map out what is going on in the clinic and she schedules out posts multiple weeks in advance. We use Canva's content planner. Our success is being consistent. Our challenge is converting followers into patients.
What is something you do differently from the industry standard?
My focus is always on exceptional personalized patient care. Our culture is kindness and we imbue kindness and friendliness in every single post, email and phone call. Our clinic has our own language. You will never get an acupuncturist that cares about you more than our office staff and practitioners.
Did you raise capital? What was the process and avenue you chose to take?
Nope! I started my business with $1,500 because that is how much is needed to open a business bank account without fees. I took one slow step at a time on my own. No capital and no loans.
What would you do differently if you were starting your business today?
I would have better boundaries with employees and patients. Policies and procedures are there to protect us and when I first started out, I didn't have the proper systems in place for these. Like most business owners, I learned this the hard way!
What was an obstacle you overcame to get your business where it is today? Please share the story behind it.
I was pregnant with my 3rd child all while moving into our larger clinic location, doing a build out, hiring, multiple new staff members all at the same time. I had a serious deadline- the baby was coming wether my practice was ready or not. I somehow managed to get the staff trained and moved into the new space in my 9th month of pregnancy. It was definitely a stressful time!
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