Meet Dr. Rommel Asagwara | Board Certified Physician & Investor

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

Hi Dr. Rommel, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?

The idea to open a healthcare business stems from the need to keep people healthy by empowering them to make healthy choices that will ultimately affect their finances and their overall quality of life. Any knowledge passed onto me is meant to be shared and used to make a positive impact in the lives of those around me starting with my immediate circle. You can only give what you have.

What should our readers know about your business?

Dream Weight Botox Clinic is all about motivating people to choose healthier options using achievable and scientifically proven methods in a fun and friendly clinic environment. We take pride in empowering others reach a healthy body weight because of the importance one’s weight plays in their overall health, wellbeing, quality of life, and finances. We not only focus on weight loss but also on medical aesthetics because we know most people wan to feel good but also look good. 

In both locations, Mississippi and Atlanta we want everyone to leave with the experience of being cared for with the highest level of satisfaction.

Tell us about some challenges you faced starting your business?

We opened our first location in Mississippi 2 months before the pandemic started in 2020. As a small business owner, it was financially impossible to operate under such conditions with lock downs everywhere and a sense of panic in the general panic from the rising toll of deaths from COVID. each day. 

Luckily for me as a physician, with significant ER experience, I was able to use my skills to treat patients in multiple hospitals, somewhat to the detriment of my newly launched clinic because I had less time to give to the new venture. The challenges amplified with countless sleepless nights working round the clock as the desire to care for patients in the clinical setting and discuss healthy lifestyle options never ceased. Our message was clear, we needed people to have a place where they could express their needs and desires about their looks and feel good knowing they were getting healthier. As patients started to see the benefits of weight loss in the prevention and reduction of diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and certain cancers, they started to take their diet, and physical activities more seriously. Earlier on, some patients noticed an overall improvement in the severity of COVID, sleep problems, anxiety/depression, joint aches and pains and started to spread the word to others about our services.

What are you most proud about your business?

I am most proud of the various lives we have touched in a meaningful way thus keeping them healthier to enjoy the fruits of their labor brings. As a healthcare company, it brings us so much joy to hear people refer to their weight as an integral component of their health and to hear from new patients who come to us because they either saw the quality of care and the glow in our existing patients or from the word of mouth referrals from happy patients.

Furthermore, we are happy that our hard work and the trust people have in us have culminated into the birth of a new clinic in Atlanta Georgia.

What would you do differently if you were to build a new business model?

It has been challenging to juggle several roles as a physician owner of a company, financial advisor, CPA, etc. I learned that some professionals are a must have along the way to help save time, and money with their much needed expertise. 

Knowing what I know now, a qualified attorney, and a CPA are a must have. 

Nonetheless, overall it’s been a rewarding experience in the sense that it allows me play a central role in my business, keeps me up to date on various subject matter and allows me be more open to other business ideas and people in general as I truly can relate to how things are done in other sectors outside of medicine.

What advice do you have for new business owners?

My advice to other business owners would be not go too fast. This happened to me thinking I could make things happen quicker than they should and that set me back both in terms of my mission for the company and financially. I learned that it opens doors to unnecessary pressure that could lead to catastrophic results. Enough time and laying a good ground work are necessary to build trust and consistency in most businesses. 

What are the must haves before starting a new business?

Having at least 12 months of cash flow preferentially from a business loan so as to save personal funds for leverage or back up. In addition, cutting down on spending to the minimum necessary to operate a business by encouraging all staff to multitask

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

Renaissance is a great mall with shops, restaurants and boutiques in the city of Ridgeland Mississippi that has a lot to offer to family oriented, younger and older crowd in the safe part of town. It is surrounded by beautiful fountains that remind me of several cities in Europe.

In Atlanta Georgia, I love being in Buckhead village because of its multicultural world class restaurant with fine cuisine, the beautiful displays of iconic fashion pieces and the safety of the location which makes it a fun experience to walk and mingle with people in that safe haven just a stone throw from my business.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?

Shoutout to Kelan Watson, owner of Soverign Sweets. She is a young and vibrant business owner who keeps breaking barriers as she builds a chain of businesses ranging from lounges, retail shops to real estate. In her I find tenacity, strength and the freedom to dream big.

Website: www.dreamweight.me

Instagram: iamdrrommel

Linkedin: Rommel Asagwara

Twitter: @DrRomAsagwara

Facebook: Dreamweightbotoxclinic

Youtube: NittyGrittyDrRommel

Image Credits
Hadonica Photography Sterling photography