Greetings my nurse practitioner sisters and brothers,

This is the 7th installment of our “Interviews with Elite NPs” series where I will interview various nurse practitioners who have utilized Elite Nurse Practitioner content to help build a life where they live on THEIR terms. The goal of the articles in this series is to enlighten many of you that might be on the fence about diving into nurse practitioner entrepreneurship on how possible it really is.

Here are interviews #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, and #6 if you have not read them yet.

The nurse practitioners interviewed in this series are REAL and have started their practice in just the last 1-2 years. It has been my honor to have assisted these fine nurse practitioners who took the appropriate steps to start their own business and most importantly, had the courage to take ACTION instead of suffering from analysis paralysis.

The 7^th nurse practitioner in this series is Debbie Viano and she is actually a family nurse practitioner student who will be graduating very soon, but she wanted to get started before graduating because she sees the writing on the wall after she graduates = market saturation. Instead of waiting around for a job that underpays her once she graduates, she has embarked on the entrepreneurial journey before graduating utilizing only her RN license but has big plans once she finishes her nurse practitioner degree.  Debbie has started an aesthetics practice but she also does health coaching and nutritional education. She lives and practices in FL. Her practices name is Rejuve Health Plus and her website is www.rejuvehealthplus.com (still being worked on just FYI) but you can find the practice on social media. Now, to the interview:

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself: How long have you been an NP? What has been your background as an NP? Where do you practice? Where are you at in life in terms of your age, financial goals, or anything else you would like to share with The Elite NP readership to help them understand more about yourself.

I’m currently an FNP student finishing up my clinicals. Almost finished!  I’m 50 years old and have been a nurse for 21 years.  I spent the last 8 years in pharmaceutical sales and did really well financially. What inspired me to go back to school for my FNP was the fact that I had been laid off 4 times in the last 8 years which meant no retirement… I had just been promoted to Regional Sales Director but then COVID hit, and I lost my job AGAIN!  I decided it was time to change career paths, so I went back to school. Most people thought I was crazy for going back at my age but I saw it as opportunity.

2. What made you shift your mindset from “employee” to “entrepreneur”? Basically, why did you want to start your own practice?

I always dreamt of having my own practice but thought it would take years to get there so I stayed in Pharma. Getting laid off ended up being a blessing in disguise. It sent me back to school. I knew I wanted to get into aesthetics because I absolutely love it.  My income as a Pharma rep was substantial but the layoffs drew so much uncertainty and stress, so I knew I had to do something different. 

I don’t know how I found The Elite NP, but it has been a true blessing. The motivational posts, articles, and success stories of others in the Facebook group inspired me to go ahead and open my practice even before finishing school. My husband even told me I was putting the “cart before the horse”. Again, I looked at it as opportunity. 

3. What type of practice did you start and why did you pick the niche service line you chose?

At first when I opened, I wasn’t real sure what services I wanted to offer. I knew I could offer Microblading, Microneedling with stem cells, and health coaching/nutritional coaching because I was trained in these areas. When I found a Medical Director to support me, I then added IV hydration, vitamin injections, and incorporated medical grade cosmetic skin care into the business. I am not doing Botox at this time though as RNs can’t do that in FL, but I will once I graduate!

4. How long have you been open?

I opened August 30, 2021.  I was supposed to open August 16th but got sick with COVID.

5. How successful has your practice been so far? If you don’t mind, please share with us some average revenue and expense numbers.

I took the advice from Justin Allan and opened with the basic essentials to get started. I rented a small space that is $1200/month. I thought that was steep at first and was really afraid I wouldn’t make that, but I did it anyway. I probably spent $6000 total to get started. By September 30^th (YES, ONE MONTH!) I had grossed over $24,000.  I know!  Insane right?!  I can’t believe it either. By October 3rd, I grossed another $6200. I am SLAMMED!  

6. What speedbumps did you come across as you started your practice? 

Just learning everything that was needed to open. Finding a Medical Director was difficult also. I had an NP at first but she bailed on me, but it worked out anyway. 

7. What was the biggest personal fear you had to overcome to get started? 

Just getting out of my own way and just doing it!  Believing I could do it even as an NP student. The Elite NP and the Facebook group definitely helped push me. 

8. Tell us what surprised you the most about diving into the world of nurse practitioner entrepreneurism?  

The potential income. I NEVER would have thought I would have made that much money in my first month. My goal was to break even. If this continues this way, it will definitely be a big surprise of what’s possible, especially after I have my FNP!

9. Did you use any of The Elite Nurse Practitioner content or courses? If so, how did it benefit you?

Omgosh yes!  I took the IV Hydration Course, Aesthetics and Botox Course, The Coaching/Consulting Course, and signed up for the Elite NP certification exam review course. All have been very helpful!

10. What are your future plans for your practice? What steps are you taking to accomplish those goals? 

My future plans are to incorporate more aesthetics in my current practice once I’m an NP and open more locations. I am thinking maybe even opening an integrative men’s health and aesthetics clinic too. Who knows!  The sky is the limit!

Awesome Debbie! Thank you SO much for taking the time to do this interview. Debbie is absolutely kicking ass as an NP STUDENT! I am so excited to see what Debbie will be capable of doing once she becomes a certified FNP. There is no question in my mind Debbie will be operating a six-figure practice within a year if she keeps this up! She has integrated IV infusion, aesthetics, coaching, and cosmetic skin care into her business so far as a registered nurse, but once she can actually utilize her NP license, her revenue will skyrocket. I am confident in that statement! All the certified NPs out there reading this interview should take home this one message from the interview with Debbie: get out of your head and do not let limiting beliefs and fear prevent you from taking action and changing your life for the better! If an NP student can obtain this type of success, SO CAN YOU!

If you or someone you know has started their own business and would like to be a part of this series, please email me at theelitenp@elitenp.com! Thank you for reading! I hope this article helped spark the fire of motivation in some of you to get started 🙂