I’m often asked how I’ve managed to make it this far playing multiple roles as a doctor, a mother, a wife and a serial entrepreneur. Honestly, I wonder myself! With three med-spa locations and another one on the way, I decided it was time to take a step back and think about the journey that got me here—in the hopes of inspiring others.

I will say everyone is motivated by different factors, and everyone has their own lens through which they view the world but in my case when I set a goal, I break it down into the smallest simplest steps. The path is never too complex, no problem is unsolvable and the opportunity is never too far away.

How did it all start?

I remember the day when I decided I was going to open my own medical practice. It all began with a thought and a vision. I realized I wasn’t meant to exclusively treat patients with acute issues in a hospital setting. While it was rewarding, it felt transactional, and I often wondered about the lasting impact on patients’ health once they left the hospital. I’ve always had a deep conviction that my passion lies in helping people feel better. Solving their problems gives me purpose. Since childhood, I’ve loved beauty, and my knack for fixing things around the house earned me the title of the “expert of useless things,” as my mother would playfully say.

Bringing my vision to life, I realized my seemingly “useless” gift was, in fact, valuable. Effortlessly creative and skilled, I excelled in tasks that brought out the best in anything, bringing me joy. The concept of Neem emerged during a drive to the hospital. I envisioned a weight loss, wellness, and cosmetic clinic—a happy place for both men and women to address their insecurities. My goal was to solve their concerns and make Neem a sanctuary for positive transformations.

What risks did you take?

Creating something valuable without a clear path involves taking risks. For me, the risk meant facing potential failure, financial insecurity, and letting down my family. As you can imagine, the journey to becoming a doctor, especially when you’re trained abroad, moving to a new country, finding your feet in a brand new culture and workplace, was challenging. Then, when I was finally in the comfort zone of becoming an attending physician and doing something that I was good at and making a decent salary, it was scary to think of letting it all go to follow my passion without any guarantees. My husband was also a fellow physician in Nephrology at that time, and for those who know the medical world, fellows are overworked and underpaid:) and our 3-year-old daughter Ria added to the stakes. So to say that I was scared shitless would be an understatement! But my “why” was very strong, my passion for what I needed to build was relentless and Neem was all I could think about day in and day out.
I knew that if I was unsuccessful I would be disappointed but I had every reason to feel confident and the unwavering support from my family, who believed in me completely was the wind beneath my wings. I knew that not pursuing my dream wholeheartedly would lead to lifelong regret.

Did you face any setbacks?

When you set out on your own, no matter how well you plan, setbacks are inevitable. Like with most businesses, the pandemic jolted us all out of our so-called normalcy. For me, it was even more of a setback, as we were just gearing up to open our flagship Neem location in Boston’s financial district in March 2020 and the overall demographic of the city changed almost overnight. We had to pivot and adapt and learn how to educate online, move our retail to e-commerce and over the last three years, have continued to grow despite the challenges.

What lessons did you learn?

What I have learned about building a business from the ground up is that people do business with people they like and trust. So before you do anything, perfect your craft and be the best you can be in your industry, work on yourself, invest in yourself. Then learn to connect with people and learn to really listen. Don’t just hear them out, but listen to both verbal and nonverbal cues. Once people trust you and love you, they will always do business with you, so in my eyes building relationships is even more important than any marketing tool because if you are an expert in your field and can truly connect with people, you will be unstoppable.
Last but not the least, build a strong team who shares your vision because it takes a tribe to build something meaningful and I am a big believer of the saying “If you want to go fast, go alone; but if you want to go far, go together”. Business is a long-term game, and we need to learn to go far and outlive all our competition, so investing in a strong team cannot be overstated.

What is something you would do differently?

I have made plenty of mistakes on my entrepreneurial journey, but I also know I would not be the person I am today if I had not made those mistakes and learnt from them. If I could do it all over again, I would have tried to invest in finding the right talent to replace my skill set sooner. I thought that I could wear all the different hats myself, and treat all the patients, be the CEO, the finance manager, the marketing consultant and do it all. But recognizing your limitations and focusing on the tasks that give you joy, will be how you will be productive. I highly recommend learning to let go, delegate and hire resources to not just duplicate you but multiply 10x your efforts in order to get to the next level even sooner. Don’t try to be a wonder-woman, even if I’m sure you are:)

What advice would you give to someone who wants to follow this path?

Convince yourself that you are ready, think about it 24/7….get the right help, find resources, engage with experienced advisors! Ideas don’t come out fully formed, they only become clear once you start working on them. So start working on them, day in and day out. But be clear about your why. In my case I knew that all people want to look good and youthful, and I just kept working on it day after day after day.Clearly understand both your goals and the underlying motivation behind them. Avoid making decisions solely for financial gain or following trends. Once you’ve established a genuine and compelling “why,” the path forward will naturally reveal itself as you pursue your objectives.