We had the good fortune of connecting with Dr. Jason Phan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dr. Jason, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Shoutout LA – Interview Questions

What was your thought process behind starting your own business?

I started LIVV with a mission to change healthcare; to transform how people perceive their health. No one likes going to doctors offices or hospitals; it feels cold, sterile, and unwell. I wanted to combine high-end design, evidence-based medicine, and highly trained doctors to bring a fresh new spin to the healthcare experience. One that had a positive impact on patients as soon as they walked through the doors and that eventually led them to achieve the results they’ve always wanted for their health.

I truly believe that naturopathic, functional, and regenerative medicine is the future of health. This medicine utilizes a deep understanding of the body’s biochemical and physiological processes to stimulate healing with natural therapeutics. We can use the body’s own healing and regenerative properties to help ease symptoms like chronic pain and potentially cure diseases like multiple sclerosis. Our modalities – hydrotherapy, nutrition, herbs, bioidentical pharmaceuticals, and more – help return the body to homeostasis. If you haven’t heard about this paradigm-shifting medicine yet, you WILL.

What’s one thing about your industry that outsiders are probably unaware of?

One of the most challenging yet rewarding industries are the privately run medical clinics. Doctors are trained in medicine and how to diagnose and treat disease while honoring their pledge to do no harm. They aren’t trained in business and how to run SEO, social media, website design, retargeting pixels, and advertising. Unfortunately, this is why many private practices and physicians do not do well outside the hospitals and conventional (insurance based) model.

The primary reason doctors get into medicine in the first place is to help serve people in their health journey. Being able to change a person’s life for the better, when no one else could, has been the most rewarding thing for me as a doctor. With all the challenges that come with starting and running a private medical clinic, the fact that it all stems from wanting to help communities live healthier, more robust lives, makes it all worthwhile.

Risk Taking: how do you think about risk, what role has taking risks played in your life/career?

Risks are inevitable in starting and running a business. One must calculate the upsides and downsides of every single decision that is made. I believe that most entrepreneurs have a higher tolerance to risks and have developed principles around their decision-making to predetermine and minimize their risks.

What has helped me tremendously in regards to risk taking is Tim Ferris’s fear setting exercise; What is the worst that can happen? How can I mitigate the “worst case scenario?” How can I recover if everything goes wrong? How long would it take me to recover (financially, time, etc.)? What are the benefits (upsides) of my decisions? How can I assess the impact of my decisions? This exercise was massively important for me in making very high level decisions and in accomplishing my professional goals.

Other than deciding to work for yourself, what was the single most important decision you made that contributed to your success?

To consistently invest in myself! To me, this means feeding my body the knowledge, skills, tactics, and tools I need to become my best self. I’ve invested countless hours and money into understanding corporate structure, business management, digital marketing, high level SEO, team leading, and building a work culture. This list goes on and on. I believe investing in yourself is the best investment you can make, and I use this approach with all my patients as well.

Money in exchange for a healthy lifestyle is the investment most people don’t make. Generally, people invest in things that make them more money or in material things that end up having no value. I believe that investing in your knowledge, your health, your network, your experiences, and your relationships is all that really matters. So start INVESTING!

What is the most important factor behind your success / the success of your brand?

The most important factor in the success of our brand is trust. Trust in the practitioners that are managing your care, trust in the founders that started the brand, and trust in the process of running and starting a business. Trust is built by having authentic relationships with your customers and providing them with ultimate value, which in our case is health and wellness.

I strive to promote a cultural message within LIVV to trust the process and infuse hope into our patients’ lives. Because in our chronically ill patients, sometimes all they need is hope and the belief that they can and will get better. The success of the LIVV brand lies solely on our patients’ results and providing the highest quality healthcare.

What’s the most difficult decision you’ve ever had to make?

The most difficult decision I have had to make was taking on a 2500 sq ft office space, which was 6x the amount of rent I was paying at the time, without any experience running a clinic on my own. The new rent was $7,000 per month plus a $7,000 security deposit. I had $40,000 to my name; $20,000 in cash and $20,000 in the bank. After the transaction, 35% of my capital was GONE, just like that.

I decided this was my ALL-IN moment; either I make it work and it will be successful, or I file bankruptcy. At that moment, I went $110,000 in credit card debt to build out the office. I spent endless nights setting up the new clinic and made a ton of savvy negotiations to get the doors open. The team consisted of the 2 founders and 1 naturopathic doctor. Eventually I found a front desk manager, videographer and medical assistant. We just made it work; doing anything and everything to make it happen. We scaled from $15,000 per month in gross revenue to $68,000 per month within 6 months. It was off to the races from there!

Work life balance: how was your balance changed over time? How do you think about the balance?

I believe in “busting your ass until you don’t need to bust your ass anymore.” Life moves in chapters – you will have stressful chapters in building your career and managing your personal life. Then you will have peaceful chapters in enjoying the profits and gains as a result of your hard work. I thought early on that anyone could become an entrepreneur and start their own business. I soon found out, entrepreneurs are a rare breed.

The balance is managing your stress levels and truly figuring out what is important to you. What is the end goal? Is it money? Is it fulfillment? Is it achievement or acknowledgement? Those questions matter in the long run because knowing your why gives you guidance and resilience throughout your career.

Life goals and career goals are different but also one in the same. Writing these goals down with time frames and action steps will be important for work-life balance. So that you can raise a family, get married, spend quality time with your kids, enjoy vacations, and actually be present throughout all of it. As you move from chapter to chapter in life, being aware of how you need to show up at any given time is the crucial part in staying balanced.

Do you have a favorite quote or affirmation? What does it mean to you / what do you like about it?

LIVV A LIFE WORTH LIVING. It means living a “successful” life, whatever that means to you. LIVV isn’t just about health and wellness, it’s about becoming your best self and living the life you have always dreamed of. How many people aren’t living up to their potential or living the life they actually want? WHY NOT!?

The vision/mission of LIVV is to motivate and inspire you to not only reach your health goals but your life goals as well. We support you in pushing past the limits that are holding you back from your optimal state of being. At LIVV, we believe that real wealth is health. We are here to help guide you in enhancing your health and opening your mind to all you are capable of in this life.

Why did you pursue an artistic or creative career?

I chose to pursue a creative career because I didn’t like the societal norm of clocking in and clocking out everyday 9-5pm. I wanted to be driven by purpose, one that helps not just my local community, but the world at large. The creativity shined through, as starting a brand new business requires the research and understanding of what the market wants and needs, as well as using innovative ways to attract those customers. I started out building the brand with photography, a creative spin on the medical space, and using lifestyle trends to attract our target market.

I believe everyone has some sort of creativity that is innate, whether that is art, dance, a way with words, inspiration, videography, etc. We’ve been gifted with many ways to express ourselves. In our modern day society, it’s all about maximizing technology to share our skills and creativity with our communities for the betterment of our business.

Lastly, I believe running or starting a business requires creativity in 2022. There are so many businesses and so many products and services out there – how do you stand out in the marketplace? It requires new eye-catching content and concepts to really get people intrigued with your business. At LIVV, I aimed to build an approachable, trendy, and comfortable healing space for individuals and families to enjoy and have all of the medical products and services they need at their fingertips.

What do you want your legacy to be? What do you want people to remember about you?

I have thought about this question a lot. A few years ago, I would have said: being the best healthcare entrepreneur, a lifestyle entrepreneur, life coach, someone that had it figured it out with a balanced, holistic vision and purpose in his life.

Now my answer would be: a man that lived his life with passion and love. I didn’t start LIVV or go to medical school to make billions of dollars. I went to medical school and started LIVV to help people live better, more comfortable lives, free of pain and suffering.

I believe most business owners have a compounded stress effect; the bigger you grow, the more you need to continue to grow because of the amount of lives that depend on your decisions and actions.

I now realize that it’s not the business that needs to grow, it’s yourself! To really invest time, love, and energy back into your mind, body and spirit. To be deeply grounded with yourself. To continually work on the things that bring you into a negative space. And to be vulnerable and share these things with your close friends and family.

At the end of the day, I want to look back and say, “wow, that was a great ride and I loved every minute of it.”

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Ambition and drive has lead me to where I am at today. It is necessary when starting a business because you go through so many obstacles and challenges – that if you didn’t have the drive to be successful – you would just quit. Overcoming the challenges, for me, was the purpose behind the business – the purpose of helping patients achieve their health goals, get themselves out of pain, or cure themselves from a chronic disease.
The joy and feeling of having a patient thank you for changing their life or saving their life – there is no better feeling!

The biggest lessons that i learned along the way of starting LIVV NATURAL was how to build a team and how to instill culture, train skills, and learn high level management. I believe it is key for the CEO to be in the trenches with their employees – the CEO is the leader of the team and must have the qualities and build the qualities of being a leader. The leader must be fearless and selfless at the same time – anticipate what is to come and always put the business before themselves and even another team member. The whole organization depends on the CEO – they are the lifeblood and they make the body function at all levels.

I am, Dr. Jason Phan – CEO of LIVV Natural & I want people to invest into their health – I want people to change the world in what they are passionate about. I want them to believe in a higher purpose and help serve others because that is what the world needs. The world needs more leaders – the world needs to be a healthier, more sustainable place for our future generations.

This is why I started LIVV – LIVV is a health/wellness lounge where you can get all of your medical services with specialty alternative medical modalities. LIVV will be the future of healthcare – an establisment with board certified doctors, nurses, and medical practitioners to help you with all of your medical needs. BUT also a place to socialize with like minded individuals – to play – to heal – to meditate – to get your tranquility on – in this chaotic world with all the external stimuli.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
48 hours in San Diego. 1st – check in at Hotel Del in Coronado
– get brunch at the Henry – make reservations beforehand!
– Then head to the coronado beach in front of the del – the Tiki bar is there if you wanted drinks and tacos.
– Drive into the city & grab happy hour in Little Italy – the piaza has all the local foods and drinks.
– Set dinner reservations at Barbusa – if you want the trendy, young, crowd – & eat the best italian food in San Diego
– Have your night cap at Coco Maya with one of their cocktails

2nd day
– wake up early – get a morning hike in at torrey pines – make sure to bring water and make sure to walk down the canyon to the beach.
– Get lunch at Puestos in La Jolla
– Drive down the coast to Pacific beach and mission beach – grab local tacos at Oscars, or a drink with a view from El Prez.
– Make dinner reservations @ Born & raised (trendy Steakhouse) in little italy
– Then go out for the night downtown at Oxford social club or Nova nightclub!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My co-founder Dr. Alison Gordon – she has been not only a colleague, but my best friend, and business partner. Getting through medical school is tough enough – starting a business from nothing is something else & she was the rock that helped LIVV become what it is. At the same time learning and practicing with her father Dr. Mark Gordon & elevating his TBI brand Millennium in help of traumatic brain injury and veterans.

Website: www.livvnatural.com

Instagram: @drjasonphan & @livvnatural

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-jason-phan-2ab15627

Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/livv_natural

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/livvnatural/

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/livv-natural-san-diego-2

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/LIVVIVLounge?app=desktop

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