What Is Driver-Based Planning and How Can It Give Your Company a Competitive Edge?

What Is Driver-Based Planning and How Can It Give Your Company a Competitive Edge?

by | Jul 6, 2022 | Accounting, Small Business

Budgeting often leaves business professionals drifting aimlessly in a sea of details.

With so much information available, they struggle to determine which factors will propel their company forward and which will sink it altogether.

Fortunately, driver-based planning can serve as a beacon.

Intuitive and flexible, this budgeting technique allows companies to identify which factors have the greatest impact on financial performance. The budget is then built around these factors, also known as key drivers.

The result? A nimble and responsive budget that eliminates white noise by focusing on variables that actually move the needle.

Keep reading for more insight into this innovative budgeting technique.

Jump Ahead

What Is Driver-Based Planning?

Traditional budgeting methods focus heavily on details that have little impact on the bottom line. Comparatively, driver-based planning focuses on key drivers that are vital to a business’s financial performance and future success. 

Though key drivers vary from industry to industry, common examples include:

  • Call volume 
  • Quantity Produced
  • Product price

With driver-based planning, organizations can create models that explore the causal relationships between key drivers and financial outcomes. These models can then be used to make operational decisions. 

Driver-Based Planning in Action

At its simplest, driver-based planning helps businesses bridge the gap between budgeting and everyday operations. 

Your company can implement this forecasting technique in four steps.

Step 1: Identify Qualitative Goals

Much like in traditional budgeting, a driver-based model begins with an understanding of what your company hopes to accomplish. 

This goal doesn’t need to be overly complicated or even very specific. It can be as simple as “drive revenue growth” or “increase profitability.”

Step 2: Establish Quantitative KPIs  

After determining your high-level qualitative goal, map out how you will measure success. For most companies, this involves establishing key performance indicators (KPIs). 

Common examples of KPIs include net profit, operational cash flow, and inventory turnover.  

Step 3: Isolate Key Drivers

Now, your company must determine which factors – or key drivers – have the greatest impact on those KPIs. 

Hundreds of variables may affect a company’s bottom line. The objective is to isolate those that matter the most. 

Step 4: Develop the Model

The last step is to create a quantitative model based on your company’s key drivers. But a successful driver-based model can take days, if not weeks, to develop in a spreadsheet. 

Fortunately, financial planning and analysis (FP&A) software can minimize legwork while delivering a more precise and accurate forecasting system.  

Selecting Key Drivers With Momentum

Driver-based planning is grounded in the Pareto Principle. 

Also known as the 80/20 Rule, the Pareto Principle states that 80% of outcomes come from 20% of causes. In layman’s terms that means your company’s financial performance hinges on a handful of inputs.  

Determining which inputs – or key drivers – are worth your attention can be challenging. However, key drivers should be easy to manipulate. In other words, your company should be able to control key drivers with a high level of accuracy. 

For example, the number of sales representatives can easily be increased or decreased. However, the sales representative attrition rate is less predictable and harder to change.

Why Businesses Are Adopting a Driver-Based Approach

An increasing number of companies are moving away from traditional models and toward the driver-based approach. 

Why? Because this innovative methodology has clear advantages over the budgeting techniques of yesteryear. 

1. Driver-based planning puts the focus on key metrics that impact organizational success.  

Traditional models adopt a bottom-up approach, forcing the C-suite to wade through irrelevant information. But with a driver-based model, businesses can drill down on the metrics that actually matter. 

2. Driver-based models allow teams to quickly assess the impact of internal or external changes. 

In a rapidly shifting economy, the ability to pivot on a dime is invaluable. Luckily, driver-based plans allow companies to manipulate variables, run different scenarios, and determine how imminent changes could impact the bottom line. 

3. Driver-based approach nurtures operational alignment. 

Driver-based models link financials to the everyday activities of your company. This encourages finance professionals to collaborate with department heads to truly understand which inputs are linked to improved performance. 

4. Driver-based models ensure data integrity. 

The sheer volume of information associated with traditional models contributes to inaccuracies. But with driver-based planning, companies can focus on collecting a small amount of accurate, valid data. 

5. Driver-based planning helps stakeholders see the big picture.   

The chief advantage of driver-based planning is simplicity. This budgeting approach allows your company to explain – in plain language – the causal relationships between key inputs and profitability to stakeholders.

How Driver-Based Financial Planning Tools Maximize Precision

Driver-based models can give companies a competitive edge by illuminating key drivers that affect the bottom line. 

However, building one of these models in a spreadsheet can be tedious, requiring days of work from even the savviest of finance professionals. Worse yet, most spreadsheets get bogged down by the macros and equations needed for these models. 

Luckily, there’s a better solution. Driver-based FP&A software can offer cutting-edge precision and customizable forecasting solutions with a single click.   

Lavoie CPA and Jirav Software Solutions

At Lavoie CPA, we are dedicated to delivering strategic support so that businesses can focus on what matters most: catalyzing growth. With this in mind, we have partnered with Jirav, a driver-based financial planning tool, to help clients soar to greatness. 

“Jirav gives business professionals the clarity needed to make their next big move.”

— Sharai Lavoie, CEO of Lavoie CPA

As our preferred FP&A software, Jirav gives you a real-time look at financial projections. Rather than build budgets from last year’s stale data, you can rely on Jirav to help you visualize the future and test out different scenarios based on key drivers. 

Contact Lavoie’s financial experts to see if Jirav is the right software solution for your business. 

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How Monarch Doubled Revenue with Outsourced Accounting Services

How Monarch Doubled Revenue with Outsourced Accounting Services

by | Jun 20, 2022 | Accounting

From Startup to Success

Monarch Medical doubled revenue and tripled their workforce by partnering with expert outsourced accounting. See how your healthcare technology business can achieve similar growth with proven financial strategies.

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“[Sharai] takes pride in what she does. [Lavoie] is not a giant firm where there’s no sense of ownership or sense of pride. For us, that was extremely important.” 

Client

Monarch Medical

Industry

Medical Software

Outcomes

  • Annual revenue doubled
  • Headcount increased from 12 to 35 employees 

Solutions

  • Implemented cloud-based ERP solutions 
  • Set up software to track commissions
  • Built a system of internal controls 
  • Created a new purchase order process 
  • Supported payroll and HR functions

The Client

Monarch Medical operates in a highly regulated and competitive industry, where the quality of products and services directly impact patient care. At the outset of the engagement with Lavoie, Monarch (which was purchased by Eigen Capital in 2012) had minimal processes especially in terms of accounting systems. Lavoie took responsibility for the entire back office support function of the company, with Eigen Capital’s leadership noting of Sharai Lavoie “she just knew what to do.” Monarch doubled its revenues, increased its workforce and improved its systems relative to invoicing, purchase orders and preparing financial statements. This resulted in many positive outcomes, with Monarch’s senior leaders noting, “The business is running like a well-oiled machine.”

As a medical software company, Monarch Medical creates algorithmic dosing products associated with insulin for hospitals and other healthcare clients. These products help save lives and improve patient care while giving healthcare providers the tools to treat patients more efficiently. 

In 2012, Eigen Capital purchased Monarch’s IP product and services while integrating the existing workforce into its operations. The existing business consisted of 12 employees and minimal accounting and business infrastructure. Also, Monarch’s products exist in an FDA-regulated industry and must meet rigorous standards of quality and reliability.

The Challenges: A Lack in Structure 

Monarch Medical’s baseline accounting processes lacked structure. Leaders of Eigen Capital noted, “All of the mechanics of administering the company, from an structural standpoint, didn’t exist.” 

As a result, accounts payable and document retention policies were not well-defined. Also, purchase orders and purchasing processes were not in line with industry best practices. 

Monarch did not have an accountant or financial professional on staff to help improve operations. For Monarch to provide better service to internal and external customers, while maximizing shareholder value, it was necessary to create policies, processes, and procedures to run the business.

The Need: An Experienced Outsourced Accounting Firm

Monarch needed an outsourced accounting service provider to set up the entire back office function of its business. This service provider needed to be self-sufficient and low maintenance while having the tools and proficiency to revamp current operations and support future growth. 

Also, Monarch and Eigen Capital were looking for a financial service provider experienced with private equity clients. Lavoie’s holistic approach, accounting software applications and experienced personnel were an ideal fit to establish, improve and expand Monarch’s processes. Given the entrepreneurial mindset of Lavoie’s founder, Sharai Lavoie, and Monarch’s leadership team, there was a commonality of mindsets.

Sharai Lavoie also has a background in the healthcare industry. This proved critical for understanding the dynamics of Monarch’s operating environment. There is a wide spectrum of healthcare accounting applications, cloud-based technology solutions and add-on modules to standard accounting systems. Knowing how to parse through this array of systems to find the optimal solutions, based on the industry, size and nature of a company’s operations, is no simple task. Lavoie had the flexibility and knowledge base to do this effectively while having the acumen to communicate with private equity professionals on complex matters. Eigen Capital’s leaders appreciated Sharai Lavoie’s work ethic noting, “She takes pride in what she does.”

The Solutions

System Optimization and Process Improvement

To meet the objectives of the engagement, Lavoie implemented tools to make the company’s accounting systems more robust. These included cloud-based applications to streamline accounting and payroll tasks. Processes were standardized, measured and tracked to improve performance. For example, customer contracts were standardized. This led to the better management, evaluation and recording of important transactions that directly impacted the revenue cycle and cash management.

Internal Controls

A system of internal controls was implemented to meet the regulatory demands in this industry. Whether it was document retention policies, a series of account reconciliations to verify the accuracy of balance sheet accounts, or protecting confidential information, this system of controls was coordinated with all company personnel for maximum effectiveness. Lavoie participated in HIPPA training and integrated those guidelines relative to the tasks and accounting procedures they completed. Without an effective system of internal controls, a myriad of risks can impact the continued viability of Monarch Medical, which is why Lavoie placed emphasis on the integrity of the solutions implemented.

Commission Tracking 

Recommending and establishing the use of software to track commission, resulting in more clarity and accountability for the sales team to see commissions building up in real-time, was a beneficial best practice. It brought alignment and transparency for all stakeholders in the organization, improving morale, sales, accounting and other processes. Aligning business units is critical for efficiency and the continued growth of an organization, as well as for maintaining a competitive advantage in the global economy.

Attaining Purchase Order in Advance 

Another significant achievement was a new process to coordinate with hospitals to attain purchase orders in advance. Proof of purchase orders allows for bank funding alleviating funding concerns or restrictions. This process was integral for growing the business and was facilitated by Lavoie’s staff members. Fine-tuned processes are critical for enhancing the speed and capabilities of operations, as accounting supports management decision-making and helps attain the resources necessary to achieve organizational objectives.

The Result: Doubled Revenue 

Over the course of the engagement with Lavoie, Monarch doubled its revenues, increased its headcount from 12 to 35 employees and improved cash flow through effective accounting and treasury procedures. 

While some hospitals tend to be slow payers, Lavoie’s team worked with these customers to speed up payment and make more cash available for Monarch’s ongoing operations. Lavoie’s team undertook the many labor-intensive tasks required to streamline operations and establish a month-end-close for financial statement preparation.

Lavoie has proved to be a trusted advisor and strategic partner in the running of day-to-day operations of the business while building the infrastructure for future growth. Lavoie also participated in the interview of the CEO for Monarch Medical with Eigen Capital. This type of insight, combined with a clear illustration of company performance and the management of operational tasks, is where Lavoie’s added value really shows. Having a trusted partner to look to for advice and practical experience can yield a significant return on investment.

In Summary

Monarch Medical engaged Lavoie to perform outsourced accounting services, and help support the growth of their business while improving the efficiency, effectiveness and accuracy of Monarch’s financial reporting processes. The engagement was a success, with Monarch Medical doubling its revenues. 

If you’d like to explore how Lavoie can help your business, set up a consultation today. 

Contact us now
Women Who Lead: Fabi Preslar with SPARK Publications

Women Who Lead: Fabi Preslar with SPARK Publications

by | Mar 11, 2022 | Community, Entrepreneurs, Lavoie, Mentor

Each #WomenWhoLead feature will be showcased on a wall mural in South End Charlotte. If you know a woman leader who you want to feature on the wall, please click the button to nominate her.

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Fabi Preslar (we’ve learned is pronounced “Faybee”) and her entrepreneurial life fueled by SPARK Publications have been one of perseverance and thriving through opportunities to get to a sparklier creative situation on the other side.

Although it seems like she lost a great deal as a teen, courageously leaping into her own new life eventually brought about a dream life of creatively working with her family, a great company serving high-profile business owners, and receiving national recognition. As a firm, SPARK Publications has won over 250 industry awards celebrating their marketing design and publishing work for clients.

Although little of this came easy, Fabi has been awarded an international 2021 Gold Stevie Award for Chief Happiness Officer of the Year, a national 2020 FOLIO magazine: Top Women in Media, was inducted into the 2019 North Carolina Women Business Owners Hall of Fame, and the 2018 First-Generation Family Business of the Year by the Charlotte Business Journal, and as Woman Business Owner of the Year by NAWBO Charlotte in 2017. 

We had a quick conversation with Fabi about her entrepreneurial life, providing her such a deep opportunity for personal growth while creating a successful business publishing for other entrepreneurial rock stars.

 

You are the founder of SPARK Publications. Tell us how you got to where you are now.

My business ownership story started several generations ago with my great grandfather and numerous other family entrepreneurial attempts. Each one ended with great detriment to the livelihood of our family. My parents immigrated from France to start their young married life. My parents, sister and I lived in many places including Canada, Bahamas, Paris, as well as various places along the East Coast in the United States. The summer before my senior year of high school, the restaurant my parents launched in Columbia, South Carolina, closed, which led us to lose our home and the farm we lived on. A family friend in North Carolina opened up her home to take in my family. Once my parents got back on their feet and started their new lives, it was time for me to start my own life. At seventeen, I moved to Charlotte without family support, no car, no money. I knew no one. I worked three jobs to put myself through Central Piedmont Community College to become a graphic designer. From there, I slowly built a life of creativity, love, and business as I worked as an art-director, general manager, and designer for various firms. While working at the Charlotte Observer, I met and married my husband, Larry, less than six months from when we met. At twenty-two, I gave birth to our daughter, started my first business, and then merged that graphic design business with a small printing company to form a corporate newsletter publishing company. That ended after six years with some really hard business lessons learned.

Today I am the founder and president of SPARK Publications, a twenty-four-year-old national award-winning, publishing firm specializing in custom magazines for trades and association and independently published non-fiction books to help grow businesses, brands, and platforms. Every day I get to work with my husband, daughter, a great team of SPARKlers, and a client base beyond my wildest dreams.

What has surprised you about owning your own business?

My biggest overarching surprises are the depth of what I’ve learned about myself and the amazing opportunities that come my way each year. I launched SPARK Publications with several goals: 1) to spend time with my family (everyone was spending more time with my husband and daughter than I was). I hadn’t placed the proper focus on my role as wife and mother, and I really wanted to. The first six years were home-based. 2) I’d gathered so much knowledge and applied skills as a designer, pre-press tech, the many steps in publishing and customer service, I couldn’t find a position that encompassed all the skills and creativity I had to offer. 3) I had lived life so fast from the age of seventeen that it was time for me to emotionally and spiritually get a better perspective, grow up, and truly discover who I am and how to best live my purpose (be careful what you ask for!).

Ten years into this business journey, my husband joined and at twelve years, my daughter became part of my firm’s full-time team. This enabled us, along with my other SPARKlers, to continue to grow ideas from my heart along with their exceptional talent. I have deep gratitude for these beautiful surprises. Owning a business brings constant surprises. I’m learning to celebrate the fun ones and more easily work through the tougher ones.

What’s something new you’re learning right now?

I love the impact my team makes with our magazine and book clients. Lately, the requests for me to become an entrepreneurial speaker, guide, and consultant are growing. I’m getting to vulnerably and authentically help business owners get clarity to love their life and businesses even more. I’m doing more speaking and workshops around the topics of “Fabulous F WordsTM to Fuel Your Future Story” and the fun concept of “Flailing ForwardTM”. I didn’t think I’d love it as much as I do. My time is currently limited to serve those increasing clients and opportunities while growing and managing SPARK Publications and SPARK Digital Design®. A third venture has me learning to get much better at scheduling my energy and time.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Although most who meet me for the first time wouldn’t know, I’m a deep introvert and still struggle with a lack of confidence. So, I’d let baby girl Fabi know that everything she experiences is going to be of value in a future situation. Everything gets you ready for the next thing and the next thing will be less hard because of the previous hardships and lessons. Be confident that you’re always on the right path for the next great lesson and experience. And have a bit more fun—hard times and challenges are a way of life and so are the good times.

Who are your mentors?

Joan Zimmerman, Dee Dixon, and Sara Blakely (from afar) are some of my business mentors. I was recently selected for a page feature in Entrepreneur magazine. When the printed issue arrived, and Sara Blakely was on the cover and our features were just a few pages apart…that was an energetic nerdy dance celebration moment for me.

Dee and Joan have always been there to cheer me on and provide that needed real-world kick and kindness just when I needed it most. Even with a great family, having mentors that can call you out and cheer you on is priceless. I’m paying it forward now with several amazing women in business.

 

How can you become a good leader?

I think to be a good leader we have to first be a good student of life. We need to be willing to take the time to be the best we can be as a person and take the courage to honor, and at times, rebuild the foundations we previously built that no longer serve us.

Top Private Equity Accounting Mistakes & How To Avoid Them

Top Private Equity Accounting Mistakes & How To Avoid Them

by | Feb 22, 2022 | Entrepreneurs

Accounting is one of the most important ingredients of success for private equity firms large and small. 

When outsourced accounting is optimized for the best practices of private equity, it becomes an additional catalyst for success. On the other hand, if accounting is not done properly based on the unique aspects of a private equity firm, the results can seriously hinder performance.

In order for private equity accounting to be a catalyst for success, it needs to be competent and actually bring value in several key areas including:

  • Leveraging next-generation automated accounting technologies to enable scale
  • Seizing any and all opportunities to put in place real-time accounting reporting
  • Extracting value from accounting practices to support strategic growth 

While the goals for private equity accounting teams are clear, reaching them can prove challenging. In this article, we want to take a closer look at a few of the most common accounting mistakes made by private equity firms and how those mistakes can be prevented.

3 Private Equity Accounting Mistakes & How To Avoid Them

1. Failure To Scale Accounting Systems

One of the primary accounting mistakes made by private equity firms is the continued use of manual accounting processes while trying to scale growth. If your accounting team is spending most of their time manually performing tasks, the growth of your portfolio companies will be hindered.

The key to avoiding the failure to scale accounting systems is by implementing clearly defined workflows across intradepartmental teams, which are backed by automated accounting technologies. 

There is an increasing number of accounting software-as-a-service (SaaS) platforms covering a wide range of accounting functions. It can be helpful for private equity firms to consult with qualified accounting SaaS specialists to help build an ecosystem of these platforms for your firm. 

This accounting SaaS ecosystem will bring automation and scale to the accounting operations across your portfolio. Instead of hindering growth, this automation will help scale and empower your firm’s growth.

2. Making Key Decisions Based on a Lack of Real-Time Information

Private equity firm principals and partners need to have the most up-to-date accounting data as possible. 

Prior to the entrance of SaaS accounting platforms, private equity leaders had to rely heavily on the CFO for the pulse on the accounting state of affairs. And often, the CFO themselves did not have the most up-to-date accounting reports. With the introduction of an automated accounting software ecosystem we previously discussed, it is now possible for all leaders of the firm to have access to real-time accounting data. 

This real-time view of accounting reporting and performance is a game-changer for the private equity industry. Leaders of private equity firms can now make the most informed decisions possible about their portfolio companies. 

Often events can unfold rapidly in the mergers and acquisitions world, and vital decisions about the future of a given portfolio company need to be made quickly. In these situations, the old method of having to wait weeks for accounting data to be compiled is a thing of the past. With the current software ecosystems properly implemented, private equity leaders have the key information they need in real-time to make important decisions.

It is imperative that CFOs and accounting leaders avoid the mistake of allowing delays in their accounting reporting systems due to outdated technologies and processes. If these delays aren’t remedied, the leaders of these firms could end up making poor strategic decisions about their portfolio companies and that could prove very costly. 

In order to ensure you are taking advantage of all the opportunities to put in place real-time accounting reporting systems, it is helpful to partner with a consultant that has the ability to understand your unique portfolio and where those opportunities exist. Doing so will result in tremendous benefits for the leaders of your firm when it comes time to make big decisions about the future.

3. Mismatched CFOs

Selecting a CFO for your private equity firm is one of the most important decisions you will make. One of the key roles your CFO should play is in knowing how to use accounting practices to aid rapid growth.

As we discussed earlier, many private equity firms have a growth focus. The mistake that is commonly made is when a private equity firm hires a CFO who does not have robust experience in running the accounting practice to maximize the growth of the organization. 

The reality is many CFOs come from backgrounds that are focused more on accounting for mature companies. In these contexts, the CFOs have not spent enough time in a high-growth environment. They may be very capable CFOs—even coming from very large enterprises. However, if they have not had experience in running a successful accounting operation towards growth, they will likely be unqualified as the CFO of a private equity firm. 

In order to avoid these mistakes, private equity firm leaders should search for CFOs with demonstrated experience in creating and running accounting systems for high-growth companies. 

For CFOs to be successful with accounting practices in a growth environment, they need to have the ability to bring meaningful strategic guidance to the leaders of the firm. This ability to bring guidance can only come from significant past experiences in running the accounting operations in sometimes volatile and chaotic growth environments.

These CFOs are not expecting to show up on day one and have tightly organized systems in place. On the contrary, they have had past experiences taking a somewhat disorganized, rapid growth situation and cleaning up the accounting operations—streamlining and scaling them in order to foster further growth.

The best way to find a CFO who could be a potential fit for your private equity firm is to ask them during the interview process what strategic growth-related guidance they have given from an accounting perspective in the past at their previous organizations.

Let Accounting Help Grow Your Private Equity Firm

At a big-picture level, the accounting practice for your private equity firm needs to be just as growth-focused as the rest of the firm. CFOs with a maintenance-only mindset who lack the ability to bring strategic accounting guidance to the table when it comes to growth, will not let your firm realize its full potential. Our team of experienced outsourced CFO professionals brings extensive knowledge and industry-specific insights to strengthen your financial decision-making for your private equity firm. 

Similarly, sticking with outdated accounting technologies and processes will hinder the growth of your firm as you try to scale your portfolio. Not only should you seek the assistance of a qualified consultant to help you select and implement an accounting SaaS ecosystem, you should also have this advisor help you bring real-time accounting reporting to all the leaders of your firm. 

In the midst of rapid growth, it can be difficult to find the time and resources to take the appropriate steps you need to take to ensure the success of your accounting operation. That is why it can be helpful to find a consultant you can trust to aid you in these important initiatives for the future success of your firm. 

To learn more about how Lavoie can help your private equity firm avoid making the mistakes in this article, contact us online or give us a call at 704-481-6699 today.

Women Who Lead: Devin Allen with Soul Food Healing Company

Women Who Lead: Devin Allen with Soul Food Healing Company

by | Feb 11, 2022 | Community, Entrepreneurs, Lavoie, Mentor

Each #WomenWhoLead feature will be showcased on a wall mural in South End Charlotte. If you know a woman leader who you want to feature on the wall, please click the button to nominate her.

Nominate a Woman Leader Now

When Devin Allen’s grandmother fell into a coma, doctors offered a grim prognosis: She would never wake up. But the hospital’s nurses had hope.

“They were a positive light,” says Allen. “They told us, even though she wasn’t interacting with us, that we could talk to her and play her favorite gospel music. They gave us something to hold onto during a very difficult time.”

When her grandmother did wake up, Allen decided that she would provide families with that same glimmer of hope. She would become a nurse. 

Today, as an RN at Atrium Health in Charlotte, Allen’s goal is to help patients be partners in their care, not just participants. As such, she offers patients alternatives to prescription drugs and crafts holistic health products through her business, Soul Food Healing Company. 

We sat down with Allen to hear more about her approach to wellness.  

 

What’s the difference between traditional and holistic medicine? How did you learn about alternative medicine?

Traditional medicine is what we’re all used to seeing: prescription medications, over the counter ointments, injections, and so on. Holistic medicine is in a realm of its own. Holistic medicine uses acupuncture, healing herbs, teas and syrups, to name a few, that have been proven to help treat common ailments, such as anxiety, headaches, insomnia, and arthritis pain. 

 

Let’s dig a little deeper here: What initially lit the fuse and sparked your passion for holistic medicine?

My niece recently started attending daycare and she was bringing tons of germs home. Well, guess who was catching all of her colds. During this time, my niece would be fine, running around, full of energy, and there I was, completely debilitated in bed, not feeling well at all. So, like most people, I went to my doctor to get a prescription. Often, I would finish the prescription, but I would still be feeling terrible, and in some cases I would actually feel worse than I felt before I took the medication.

After catching several of these colds from my neice, I knew I needed to find an alternative — something I could take that actually made me feel better. Something natural, free of preservatives, dyes, side effects, and chemicals. This was a pivotal moment for me, I began researching and testing out my own recipes. I can recall a specific time when I was sick for two weeks. When I took a dose of the elderberry syrup and turmeric tea I made, I began to feel much better just a few hours after. 

 

What services do you provide through Soul Food Healing Company?

A customer might come to me and say, “Hey, I’ve been struggling to sleep at night. Do you have anything natural that will help?” I might have a tea blend or a syrup that I’ve crafted. Additionally, I have often made recipes that are unique to what my clients are struggling with. 

 

Of course, in addition to being a business owner, you are a nurse. How does owning a holistic healing company affect your ability to provide patient care? 

Having an understanding of holistic medicine has made me a stronger nurse. Now, my mindset has been expanded in terms of options for treating various conditions. Many people have been taking prescription medications for years and have yet to see improvements in their health. There are so many people who are excited to try something different and who often see rapid improvements when they switch to holistic remedies. 

Healing your body through natural foods and holistic medicine has been around for a very long time, but it’s not my job to convince anyone to switch to this lifestyle. My goal is to provide an alternative option for those who are interested, and in most cases, for those who are simply sick and tired of feeling sick and tired. 

 

What unexpected challenges have you faced, both as a registered nurse and as a business owner?

As a nurse, there were many struggles we all had to face associated with the pandemic. We had to learn how to care for patients with a virus that we hadn’t seen before, all while dealing with the constant changes in hospital policies and procedures. Taking time to decompress during the pandemic has certainly been one the biggest challenges. 

As a business owner, my main challenge is meeting the demand — ensuring the products get to those who need them as soon as possible. It’s also important to me to network with other people in the natural health community. 

 

You have been a registered nurse for seven years now. How do you continue to grow and evolve as a practitioner?

I have been intentional about venturing out and exploring a wide range of areas of nursing. Upon graduating, I worked in critical care. This was a significant challenge, but I gained a wealth of knowledge and experience.

Working in critical care also gave me the confidence I needed to start travel nursing. When working in this field, it is critical to be confident in who you are as a nurse. The process is extremely fast paced — often you’re in a new city,  state, and sometimes a new country. Travel nurses often have only one day of orientation before they are out on their own, compared to the 1-3 months most new hires receive. I was blessed with the opportunity to travel to California for a while, during this experience many of my patients were Spanish speaking only. This was very challenging, but it made me a better nurse. Now, I’m able to communicate with Spanish-speaking patients more efficiently. I am currently pursuing my Master’s in Family Nurse Practitioner, while also being involved with committees that work to identify opportunities for improvement in the nursing field. These committees help us progress forward as a profession. 

 

Can you talk more about your committee work? What problems are you trying to solve?

Far too often in nursing we have people making decisions for us, even though they don’t always understand the different challenges that we experience. My goal is to help bridge that gap. 

 

Do you have any other passion projects?

There are many communities in Charlotte that do not have access to fresh produce. These communities are considered food deserts. My goal is to help eliminate food deserts, by providing access to fresh foods and promote improvement in health quality. I have cultivated a community garden that is a source of fresh produce for underserved communities who are living within these communities. 

 

That’s such important work. How did food access become an interest of yours?

Unfortunately, ailments like hypertension and high cholesterol, to name a few, plague the African-American community as well as some other underserved communities. Though these diseases can be hereditary, often disease prevalence is about access — or lack thereof — to healthy foods. 

In nursing school, we had an assignment where we had to spend a day in the life of someone who lives in food deserts, and the journey they must embark on to obtain healthy, fresh foods. Through this process, I was able to gain a better understanding of the struggles of these communities. As a group, we took city buses, evaluated the costs, and so on. This experience sparked something in me. I started to think: How do we make it easier for people to access healthy food? How do we eliminate or reduce some of these common ailments that occur disportionately in these communities?

When caring for patients in the hospital, I see patients on multiple medications who have no knowledge of what their medications are for. 

My dad, for instance, was a newly diagnosed diabetic, I remember him mentioning to me that nobody discussed the importance of changing his diet and exercise, even though this is one of the most therapeutic steps you can take when managing diabetes. The vital importance of eye exams 1-2 times a year and checking his feet daily for wounds, was also not taught to him. 

 

Do you think community involvement allows you to be the best practitioner possible?

Absolutely, connection to the community is one of the most important things to me. It keeps my heart centered and reminds me of why I was called to do this work. It keeps us human. As nurses, if we feel disconnected, a patient can become just a number. Most will stop going the extra mile. It is so important in healthcare to provide people with options and allow them to be involved in their care. Asking people questions such as – “What’s working well for you?”, “What are your goals?”, and “How do you feel about  your current treatment regime?.”  It is my desire to change the healthcare narrative and help people become actively involved in their own care and treatment plans.  

 

What are your goals moving forward?

I’m currently studying to become a nurse practitioner. My goal is to open my own practice after gaining experience upon graduation. Through this practice, I plan to integrate the products that I’ve created within my business. This would be a natural option for patients who are struggling with various medical conditions while providing an alternative to taking prescription medications.