We've all heard (and have seen living proof) of the saying "Black don't crack," but one Atlanta Doctor is going above and beyond to bring new meaning to the phrase. Dr. DeAnn Bing stepped into the entrepreneurial world with her business partner years ago with a practice focused on home-based primary care and recently successfully launched her second business with her business partner and Director of Nursing, Taheera Hood-Okelley, a mobile medical service called Atlanta Mobile Aesthetics and Hydrotherapy. Dr. Bing now provides clients within the Atlanta area with self care, wellness and beauty rejuvenation therapies to improve mind, body and spirit in the comfort of their home or office. With two businesses and a full time position at an Atlanta hospital (yes, you've counted right. That makes 3.), we were extremely excited to find out how she does it all and how her services benefit our community.
Mandy: What inspired you to begin ATL Mobile Aesthetics and what were you doing prior to launching the business?
Dr. Bing: My partner, Taheera Hood-Okelleywas, the basis of the inspiration. Wanting to create a new form of independence and offer services to the community in the Atlanta area was also very important. After brainstorming, AMAH was born. Both myself and AMAH’s Director of Nursing are in the medical field and have been for several years now. Creating this type of business only made sense and was extremely natural as it utilizes our skill set and keeps us in touch with what we both enjoy most and that’s serving others.
Mandy: What kind of services do you offer and what are the benefits?
Dr. Bing: We offer a variety of services. On the IV hydration side of the business we provide infusions to help alleviate symptoms from everything from over indulgence in libations which can lead to possible unwanted headaches, upset stomach and extreme fatigue the next day. We also have a recovery infusion for athletes who need to replenish the energy stores after a vigorous work out and we can also infuse clients who may be battling a cold-like illness and desire an immune booster. All of the IV hydration services come with IV fluids.
Mandy: Do you find that there is a greater need for these services as well as self care in the Black community?
Dr. Bing: Our services would add greatly to similar services available in the Atlanta community. We have a more personalized and tailored approach to our services and cater greatly to the Black community at large.
Mandy: You have 2 different practices and also work full time at a hospital, how do you make time for your own businesses?
Dr. Bing: I have a great partner in my current business (as well as my other practice) who really make this possible. I stay on the go and at times, help is needed and appreciated. It truly does take a community of people who care about you and share a similar vision to make something like this possible. It’s a shared joy that I cannot begin to take sole responsibility for at all.
Mandy: How did you fund ATL Mobile Aesthetics?
Dr. Bing: AMAH has been self funded which has it’s challenges but it also has the benefit of not having to owe a third party any money and more specifically, any interest!
Mandy: What made you decide to go with a mobile location instead of brick & mortar?
Dr. Bing: Convenience, convenience and more convenience. Most people during this current climate like to have services available at their luxury. We decided that instead of being a brick and mortar on a corner in Buckhead, we can have a more concierge approach and take these services into the comfort of home or office. This eliminates having to leave and tackle Atlanta traffic, which is horrendous, and still have the opportunity to not only utilize our Aesthetics to look good but our Hydrotherapy to feel good.
Mandy: What steps did you take to learn about the business side of this industry?
Dr. Bing: Research, networking and reading. We went out to local businesses offering similar services and looked at what they were doing and how this translated into success and decided to incorporate some best practices to come to our own formula.
Mandy: What were the biggest lessons you've learned since starting ATL Mobile Aesthetics?
Dr. Bing: As with any business venture you never know what’s going to come and how fast or slow it will happen. The biggest lesson learned is that there are so many tools now to reach people. Social media is a huge asset to use in order to reach the masses and not being familiar with the platforms and how to utilize them has been a huge learning point. There are so many nuances to Social media that we had no idea were possible to really fine tune a marketing strategy and find the right groups of people that would likely be interested in our services.
Mandy: What has been the most reward and challenging part about being an entrepreneur?
Dr. Bing: Simply having your own and not having to answer to anyone is the best part of entrepreneurship. Also, having the creative space to make changes and be freely innovative which allows for a level of success that may be stifled by working for an employer. Challenging? Being responsible for everything lol. You must have the answers or have the ability to find them and solve issues readily. This can have it’s rewards but most times it’s stressing.
Mandy: Where do you see ATL Mobile Aesthetics and yourself in the next 5 years?
Dr. Bing: Making people beautiful inside and out. We hope to expand our services to include more options to achieve this goal. It’s often difficult to answer this type of questions because ultimately it’s truly unknown and much of it is out of my control but I hope to have provided more smiles, while reducing some wrinkles.
Mandy: Top 3 accomplishments thus far?
Dr. Bing: My practices, the ability to give back to the community and hire people. Hiring people has been the biggest accomplishment as it reflects the success of your hard work and it gives someone else a chance they did not have before coming across your desk.
Mandy: What advice would you give other aspiring Black entrepreneurs hoping to start a business in the healthcare industry?
Dr. Bing: Collaborate, network, ask questions, research and more importantly do not be afraid to step out on faith.
You can find more information about ATL Mobile Aesthetics and Hydrotherapy HERE.
