We recently sat down with Dr. Anissa Maroof of Renewed Wellness Center in Bethesda, MD to discuss her business — and how working with business attorney, Paul O'Reilly has helped her grow.
Q: Please tell us about your business.
A: Renewed Wellness Center is a woman-owned and operated new IV micronutrient therapy practice in Bethesda, MD. We utilize micronutrients, including vitamins, minerals and amino acids, for nearly every single function in our body. While vitamins are sold over the counter, it can be difficult to determine which ones your body actually needs. Vitamin deficiencies are not very common, however, there is something called subclinical nutrient deficiency, where blood levels can be in the normal range, but a person could be experiencing symptoms due to inadequate levels. When I completed my extensive medical training and became a practicing physician, my first inclination was to treat patients' problems with prescribed pharmaceuticals. But now, after considerable research on micronutrients, I realize that there is a way to both treat and potentially prevent certain symptoms from re-occurring. I recognize that there will always be a place for pharmaceutical treatments, but I have seen time and again, that patients who incorporate micronutrients into their treatment plans can often take fewer medications.
IV micronutrient therapy is a great way to maintain a healthy lifestyle, but it does have medical utility in terms of potentially alleviating things like muscle and joint pain, headaches, anxiety, insomnia, fatigue, and low energy. Micronutrients also help strengthen our bodies natural defense mechanisms by fueling our immune system to fight infections, and potentially shorten the duration of illnesses. These treatments help with muscle recovery from strenuous workouts, and even help things like our hair, nails, and skin from aging as quickly as they normally would. In some ways, our bodies are machines, which respond to what is now known as bio-hacking. This is a very new concept, but once you try it, and see the benefits, you will want to maintain whatever nutrients your body responds to.
Q: How is Renewed Wellness different?
A: You will see IV micronutrient therapy primarily in the wellness space, but there are tremendous therapeutic benefits as well. I see each individual patient for their medical clearance evaluation and can provide more insight and direction when it comes to which micronutrients will best suit each person. Other places offer a menu for their patrons to choose for themselves, but at Renewed Wellness Center, I offer a more personalized treatment plan, and I am available for consultations for follow-up options, when there is interest in trying additional nutrients.
Q: What is the best business advice you've received?
A: The best business advice I've received is to always check with my lawyer before signing new contracts, or making deals. I made the mistake of hiring the wrong advertising company, without consulting with Paul O'Reilly first, and suffered the consequences of my actions. Paul told me that, if I had reached out to him, he "would have saved me a lot of money." It's easy to think, as a business owner, that you can do everything yourself, mainly because you just want to get things done. I learned that checking with someone, in my case — Paul — is imperative to the process of starting a new business and hiring new people and vendors.
Paul O'Reilly has been my lawyer who now manages all of my contracts in my businesses, and gives me advice on employing individuals in my practices. He has been amazing in that he is readily available and responsive, and he offers thoughtful tips on how to manage my businesses. As a multi-business owner, I've had more specific needs, and even if it just meant giving me a referral, he would go out of his way to ensure that the introductory process went smoothly and that I was able to connect with his referral sources. His work has been invaluable to my businesses, and I'm so grateful that I serendipitously met him at a birthday party that both of our daughters attended.
Q: What is the next step for your business?
A: The next step for my business is to grow it. I'm actively advertising on social media, and getting leads that way, but the process has been slower than I expected. I've been practicing traditional medicine for over 12 years, and it is nothing like having an IV therapy practice. As the practice gets busier, I hope to do some anecdotal case reports to discuss some of the trends I'm seeing in my IV practice, and how these results compare to the current literature on micronutrients. I love to learn and I love to teach, so it is also a dream of mine to start a podcast on bio-hacking. My practice has been open for just a few months, and I am already impressed with how useful these treatments are. I began my own IV therapy journey when we opened in March of 2023, and after just a few months, I have been able to stop taking my oral and topical medications for rosacea, and the intensity and frequency of my migraines have diminished noticeably. My goal is to spread the word on how much micronutrients can help us in our day-to-day lives. It has been amazing, and I hope to hear more stories about these experiences.
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