Registered Nurse Becomes Holistic Health Entrepreneur with UCEDC Assistance

When Donna C. Schmidt, RN decided to become an entrepreneur in addition to her already busy career as a registered nurse, she knew all about colon hydrotherapy and ionic detox foot baths—the cornerstone of her new business. What she didn’t know was how best to market these services to potential clients of Cleansing Waters LLC in Westfield.

Enter UCEDC’s Entrepreneurial Training Initiative (ETI). There, Ms. Schmidt learned how to identify likely customers and reach them without wasting time and money that are especially valuable to a new business owner.

“When you start your own business, everyone’s hand is in your pocket,” she said. “Had I not gone to ETI, I would probably still be all over the map, thinking every offer that came to me was the next big thing to get my business out there.”

Rather than hire a public relations firm, Ms. Schmidt approached businesses she already frequented—such as Weight Watchers and a yoga studio—and got permission to leave info on Cleansing Waters LLC.

Paid ads are limited to specialized publications such as NJ Holistic Magazine. “My ads just came out and I’ve already been getting calls,” she said. “If you break it down to where you think you’d derive the most benefit, you’re not throwing money away.”

Her business also will be part of the updated street maps put out by the Westfield Area Chamber of Commerce, an organization she joined early on.

It’s been quite a journey for the registered nurse whose first experience with colon hydrotherapy was as a client. “The colon is an important part of your health. It synthesizes vitamins, blocks pathogens,” she explained. Keeping it clean is essential to well-being, she added.
 
When her hydrotherapists moved out of state last year leaving a void in the market, Ms.Schmidt seized the opportunity to marry her loves of nursing and holistic health, and rejuvenate her professional life.

 “I realized that as a nurse, I can make colon hydrotherapy a more value-enhanced service,” Ms. Schmidt said. “I’m checking vital signs, making sure the client’s lungs are clear, the heart is good, that there are positive bowel sounds, to ensure their safety.”

She created her LLC in June 2010 and had everything in place—office space, business plan—before attending ETI. There, she realized her business plan needed streamlining, and her goals and scope needed better definition. “They gave me a new way of thinking,” she said. “I learned the importance of paying yourself from your business … even if it’s only $50 a month. If you become a slave to your business, you resent it. This thing you love becomes something you can’t stand.”


The value of Ms. Schmidt’s medical background was reinforced by Erich Peter, UCEDC’s Director of Training & Technical Assistance, she said. When a potential client questioned why Ms. Schmidt’s prices were higher than her competitors’, she easily explained how her nursing degree offered another level of safety and value. “If Erich didn’t instill in me that being a nurse was a valuable and unique marketing tool, I probably would not have been able to respond in a manner that made her confident and a customer," Ms. Schmidt said.

And when a Small Business Administration lender told Ms. Schmidt she’d be receiving only half her financing request, she had to quickly convince him why her business deserved more financial support. “The bank was in California so I had to do a good job selling myself and my business over the phone. Instead of being half, it wound up being only $5,000 less than I requested,” she said. “I attribute part of this to Erich because he told me I had to sell the RN after my name.”

For more information on Donna C. Schmidt,RN and Cleansing Waters, visit www.cleansingwatersllc.com.