Verus Wellness Client Highlight

Verus Wellness, LLC.
185 Lexington Ln
Costa Mesa, Ca 92626

Karla Andrade is the owner of Verus Wellness, LLC, and her journey began with a vision to address the limited access to registered dietitians faced by the majority of the population. Recognizing the need for health consulting services beyond hospital settings, she expanded her business from personal training to health consulting. Through networking and meeting with other providers, she realized the shared challenges in their respective sectors and sought ways to bridge the gap in healthcare access.

Karla's mentor, who had previously received assistance from the SBDC, recommended the University of La Verne and specifically Sean, a business mentor at SBDC, to help Karla with her business plan and marketing strategies. "I have a business mentor, and Sean had helped her in previous years... She put me in contact with the University of La Verne, specifically with Sean,” Karla explained. Having no prior business education, Karla found the support of SBDC invaluable in her journey to develop a comprehensive business plan and marketing approach.

Challenges

When Karla initially started working with the SBDC, she struggled to understand the financial aspects of her business. As an independent contractor and personal trainer, she had to learn about cash flow, taxes, budgets, and projections. “Charging a fair price based on the market That was another thing that I learned is that, the market kind of dictates the price of the services and products right in and making sure that I was being fair to myself…My mentality has grown so much, I want to help others too, I want to help others and yes, make a profit from there,” Karla explained. The business plan was an area of concern, as she had to consider more than just making profits and fill in the gaps that her limited knowledge had left unnoticed.

Additionally, marketing was a challenge, as she had relied solely on word-of-mouth referrals and needed to develop brand awareness to attract more clients.“I didn't know how to properly you would like social media like Facebook ads and stuff like that. Sean is literally walking me through step by step and from there saying, oh, okay, you know, this is the budget that we need to online for marketing, right? So, because before word of mouth doesn't talk, does it cost anything might other than a smile maybe, so you know and it's helping that it's helping translate the warmth that our clients and our patients feel into the ads,” Karla continued.

Solutions

With Sean's guidance, Karla gained clarity on her business plan, focusing on areas such as cash flow planning, budgets, and setting fair prices based on market demands. She learned the importance of projections and sustainability for her business's success. “I think that really kind of helped me, like I said, with the business plans, it's literally helping me plan the growth in the profits in the success of my business,” Karla said.

SBDC's support helped Karla realize that she needed to adjust her pricing to match the market value of her services. They also worked on marketing strategies, including paid ads and social media campaigns, to increase brand visibility and attract potential clients. “We've developed a Google Sheet of just how to utilize everything that we're learning, so as we're growing we're at the step now we're depending on the feedback that we get from the different classes, the different workshops that we have. We're gonna get that information and kind of fine tune that to see where we need to go,” Karla said.

Results

Karla witnessed a significant increase in interns seeking to work with her after enhancing her brand awareness. The influx of interns improved content and fortification of the brand, indirectly contributing to future revenue growth. “So since then I think we've received interns from different areas based on what Sean and I have, formulated in terms of what areas, based out of what Sean and I have, have formulated in terms of brand awareness. And we have had, we calculate, over a hundred or 200% increase in interns,” Karla said. 

The streamlined approach saved her time and helped her avoid mistakes that could have otherwise taken years to realize. Grateful for the support from SBDC, Karla recommended their services to other business owners. She acknowledged that without SBDC's funding and expertise, she would not have been able to afford such valuable help. The growth in her business also allowed her to offer scholarships, giving back to the community and aspiring dietitians.