Diversify Into Your Calling | Maria Bizecki, Pharmacist, Founder FertilityCare Calgary

This transcript was generated automatically. Its accuracy may vary.

[00:00:12] Mike Koelzer, Host: You're listening to the Business of Pharmacy podcast with me, your host, Mike Kelzer.

Maria, for those who haven't come across you online, introduce yourself and tell our listeners what we're talking about today. 

[00:00:31] Maria Bizecki: My name is Maria Bozecki. Since 2011, I've been CEO and founder of Fertility Care Calgary. Today, we would like to focus on how I was able to diversify my career, um, as a way of having some career protection and also offering more of a work satisfaction perspective, something that was enjoyable and would provide service to patients.

[00:01:02] Mike Koelzer, Host: First of all, you're up in Canada, and I'm in Michigan. I'm about a third of the way up, Michigan. Yeah, we're kind of crazy living here with the snow, but we know that anybody north of us is really crazy because it just keeps getting worse the farther we go. And so with you, at your latitude, way up from where we are, you probably had to get to work in snowshoes today, correct?

[00:01:31] Maria Bizecki: Yeah, that's, that's a really good, uh, imagination that you have. Uh, it's not true. It's not 

[00:01:38] Mike Koelzer, Host: true. Why not? You're further north. Why doesn't it just keep getting crappier the further north you go? Yeah, I 

[00:01:43] Maria Bizecki: I think it starts doing that, uh, a little bit further up than us. We're actually, uh, pretty close to the border here, but, um, you know, we're, we're really close to the Rocky Mountains, so yeah, there is a lot of snow, but, uh, we're probably not a whole lot.

Different from you from a weather perspective. 

[00:02:00] Mike Koelzer, Host: We've got people that go to wherever they're up in the UP and they just get bombarded. Do you think part of that is because they're. In the UP with the lakes and things like that, it doesn't necessarily get terrible, every latitude you're going up north.

Yeah, 

[00:02:14] Maria Bizecki: I think it probably depends on, you know, things like the amount of humidity in the air and, you know, how, how, uh, far you're going up, um, you know, getting closer, um, to the border. That's certainly going to change things a bit. It 

[00:02:30] Mike Koelzer, Host: might be a Northern Michigan thing versus just Canada all the way up. It might be.

All right, so Maria, still picking on Canada then. Like 10 years ago, before Obamacare and all the governmental stuff that seems to be growing, people would always say, all right, Canadian pharmacy and Canadian national healthcare and things like that. And I was always trained, I don't know, maybe it was just a response like, well, yeah, you might get free care in Canada, but you're going to wait in line for, you know, seven days to get your tonsils checked or something like that.

When you talk about a job. Diversity and security and you say that you were in a governmental job, would that have been the same statement if you were in the U. S. working for the government? You didn't have less security because you were in the Canadian government job than the U. S. Is that true 

[00:03:28] Maria Bizecki: or not? I would say that would be true.

You would have the same level of security. I think they would be quite similar. But certainly the medical system in Canada being a socialized medical system does have a lot of differences to the US. And I think that's why when I trained in the US, uh, that I was able to embrace a different mindset going into this business and going into this different area of my pharmacy career.

So that was actually helpful having a lot of experience with the American type of medical system. 

[00:04:07] Mike Koelzer, Host: When you said you trained in the U. S., what was a different mindset that you may not have gotten in Canada? What was the difference? I would 

[00:04:14] Maria Bizecki: say, you know, tying into what you said about the wait times. Um, so that is, that is one thing.

And Being there for patients in a very timely manner. So approaching a problem, evaluating, getting treatment going in a very timely manner for patients is something that is, um, I think very different in the American system. And, uh, I think that that has shown in my business to be very, very important, uh, when, you know, I'm dealing with fertility.

patients. So, you know, some of them have been waiting for years. And so to drag on their treatment for longer and longer periods of time is really frustrating for them. And they want answers. And so they're able to get those answers right away. Um, so, so it certainly had benefits in that respect. Um, and, uh, Yeah.

Here in Canada, people, depending on what it is, may be waiting for a long time in your 

[00:05:15] Mike Koelzer, Host: fertility care clinic. Mm-Hmm. Which we're gonna talk more about by you spending some time in the US if you only would've gained that experience in Canada. You might've thought, well, that's the way it's done. People wait.

But maybe you have a competitive advantage because you spent more time in the US 

[00:05:34] Maria Bizecki: system. Yes, I would say there's a competitive advantage that way by, by being trained. Um, and so I knew of resources that most people and a lot of the physicians in Canada didn't know about. One of the, one of the big ones was, um, getting assessed for, um, endometriosis, uh, 10 years ago when I started, there were, um, essentially no specialists in, Uh, in, in laparoscopic surgery, and the OBGYN who had trained me was, uh, one of the world's leading experts in endometriosis surgery.

So having that understanding and knowledge under my belt, um, made a huge difference and I was able to point people in the right direction, uh, right from the start, instead of, you know, waiting to come up with the answer from, um, Other health care providers that they, that they were seeing. So yeah, it made a big difference.

[00:06:38] Mike Koelzer, Host: As you look now into the U. S. from your perch in Canada, do you think things in the U. S. have changed, like, in the last 10 years? Can you see the medicine getting closer to the Canadian system, and we've only focused on the negative, maybe more wait times, but have you seen it getting closer? Does it look more the same or as you look in, do you still say, nah, that's quite a bit different still?

Mm hmm. 

[00:07:10] Maria Bizecki: Yeah, it is still quite a bit different, unfortunately, and in fact, there was an article that came out, uh, in the media, I don't know, about 10 days ago, and it was talking all about substandard care that women were receiving with regards to fertility. So the attitude is that we are in Canada. In Canada, yes.

I would say that in the U. S. they also struggle with Um, with some of these issues as well. We know that only about a half a percent of women, um, have been helped by artificial reproductive technology. It's a very low number. Um, and, and that they are struggling with substandard care. But I would say in Canada, because of our limitations with surgery and of course with wait times and with not enough specialists trained in this area, we are, um, in a, in a bit of a worse position that way.

[00:08:08] Mike Koelzer, Host: We started off, you were talking a little bit about job security and diversification. When you went out to diversify, you picked up on something that was an interest to you. 

[00:08:22] Maria Bizecki: Absolutely. Um, I would say that probably every woman goes through certain things in her life where she's experienced problems with, uh, hormonal changes, uh, with, um, you know, you know, not feeling your best, feeling unhealthy, uh, for me, I, I did have struggles with, uh, with miscarriage, with, premenstrual syndrome.

Uh, and, and they were things that, um, I just thought my body had failed me. I thought that there was something wrong and I didn't realize that there was a physiological reason for it. And so, um, I happened to, um, find the right treatment. And, uh, so I can really attest to the changes and the improvements that I had experienced because of that.

And I think that is probably. What gave me that realization that maybe this was an area I needed to focus on professionally because I Understood what these women were going through. 

[00:09:29] Mike Koelzer, Host: You were in your job with the government Now you're doing your own thing. Did you jump across that river? Did you have a foot on both sides of the bank?

How did you do? How did you make that leap if there was a leap? 

[00:09:46] Maria Bizecki: Yeah, that's, that's a great question. So, um, yeah, I started off with my hospital practice, uh, back in 2003.

[00:09:58] Mike Koelzer, Host: You were an employee in the 

[00:09:59] Maria Bizecki: hospital. That's correct. That's correct. Yeah. So, my specialty was in drug information, and poison information. So I started off, um, there. 

[00:10:10] Mike Koelzer, Host: Doing what? Did you like the headphones set on? Were you an operator or were you roaming around the pharmacy helping people? 

[00:10:16] Maria Bizecki: Yeah, so in our department it was all a telephone based service.

Oh, okay Yeah And so I was able to to do that for a number of years before I decided that I would diversify and again One thing to to keep in mind is that back when I was an undergrad I had done some volunteer research and that in the area of, of, um, uh, ovulation. And so this was, this was something that really fascinated me.

And so when I decided to diversify, that was kind of at the back of my mind. 

[00:10:52] Mike Koelzer, Host: You're sitting there, you're saying. I'm going to diversify, but what pissed you off? What boss pissed you off? Or what did you hate at work that you said? I'm getting the hell out of here. There had to be something. I'm not just going to give it to you that you had so much forethought thinking I'm going to do something else.

Because in 10 years, this job may not be here. What really got to you? 

[00:11:14] Maria Bizecki: Uh, well, you know, I had a family that I was raising and I was working a casual position. And I think that that makes you a little bit vulnerable. You're always waiting and wondering, you know, how many shifts am I going to get? Am I going to be able to pay the bills?

Is this something that will provide for me in the long term? And in fact, it did. 

[00:11:38] Mike Koelzer, Host: Your salary wasn't where you wanted it to be, or because you heard rumors of downsizing, or just because of your own, putting it negatively, your own anxious thoughts? 

[00:11:50] Maria Bizecki: I think there always was a certain amount of uncertainty as to, you know, um, the amount of hours and, um, having that stability, um, in the department.

Certainly the wages were quite reasonable. I was happy in the department. Um, my team was awesome. But I think just that vulnerability of being casual staff and, and there being unknowns in terms of hours, uh, how many I would be receiving. 

[00:12:16] Mike Koelzer, Host: You had a, probably a lot of outside pressure, a lot of responsibility, and it truly was just looking 

[00:12:21] Maria Bizecki: out.

Yes, yes, I was just looking out into the future and just, uh, trying to be proactive, um, in regards to my career. And I think always keeping in the top of my mind is, you know, is this where I want to be 10 years from now? Or is there something else I should be doing? Am I able to provide some other service?

Is there something I really enjoy? Is there something that I want to provide to patients out there that Um, it's like something that nobody else can, can give to them. So I was, um, I think always very self aware and always willing to grow, uh, always willing to, to take a chance if there was something I was being called to do.

[00:13:09] Mike Koelzer, Host: When you say you feel called, do you feel it's a higher purpose calling you? Do you feel it's your internal engine doing this? Do you feel that society needs this? Obviously you're not going to be doing this for free. I know it's going to be a business eventually, but when you say that call, what does that call mean?

[00:13:34] Maria Bizecki: For me, it was a call to where, where am I best suited to be in terms of, can I provide a service to somebody that they can't find anywhere else? You know, I'm replaceable as a drug information and poison specialist. They can train lots of other people to do my job, but with the job that I currently do. Uh, with restorative fertility, that's really specialized.

There are only a handful of us up in Canada that are able to provide this service. Uh, and so I just felt like I would be letting women down if I didn't. Take it on in a, in a much larger way. And so I think that's why I took the leap. 

[00:14:22] Mike Koelzer, Host: You saw yourself in that down the road and you said, if I'm not there, I'm going to be missed.

So you picture yourself there before you even had it going. You said, they're going to miss me if I'm not there. 

[00:14:33] Maria Bizecki: Well, and I think that's because I had experienced what they were going through. Uh, years before and, uh, it, I, I would say, why can't somebody explain to me why this miscarriage happened? Why can't somebody explain to me what's going on with my hormones?

Uh, where, where are the answers? And, and so I just know that there are so many other women out there with those same questions and I want to be able to help them. 

[00:15:05] Mike Koelzer, Host: Let's go to the numbers. Don't give me dollar figures. Let's just talk about percentages. Let's say you're making a hundred percent of your income at your poison center.

How quickly did you make that leap? Was it a percentage? Did you go down to 50 percent of this income and you work part time and then you started this, or was there a zero phase in there? How quickly did you get up to where you needed to be? In your new business, 

[00:15:38] Maria Bizecki: then? That's a really interesting question.

Uh, so, as I was working casually, uh, at the hospital, I was, um, able to have a really great balance at home, and Casually meaning part time? Yeah, part time. So, well, part time usually means that you have, um, you know, say you have a contract to work Monday, Wednesday, Friday. for eight hours each, something like that.

Whereas casual, what we would consider casual is that you are on, you're called in on a short term, um, basis, or perhaps you've been scheduled in ahead of time for a certain amount of shifts. So you try to fill in, you know, the sick calls, the vacation calls, that sort of thing. That must be a Canadian term.

Casual? Maybe it is. 

[00:16:23] Mike Koelzer, Host: What would the U. S. call that? Like, as needed sort of? As needed? 

[00:16:27] Maria Bizecki: Yeah, or on call. On call? They would put a certain amount of shifts into my schedule. And so I always, you know, knew that I had some that were pre booked, but then the rest of them I would just pick up. Pick 

[00:16:41] Mike Koelzer, Host: up as you wanted to.

As I wanted. You might look like two weeks down the road and you see some shifts and you're like, okay, well, no one's birthday is this day and things like that. And then you would put yourself in those shifts. 

[00:16:51] Maria Bizecki: Yeah, exactly. So it gave me really great flexibility as I was raising my kids. Uh, but the other thing that it gave me really great flexibility for, um, was with.

With diversifying into this other area of my pharmacy career is that I could take on as few or as many patients as I wanted to with it. And so what it did over time since 2011 was, um, it allowed me to grow my business at a pace that I was comfortable with and that didn't cause stress, didn't, um, overstep my boundaries and it worked out really, really well.

And so I think that Because I had been doing this for 10 years, when it came time to take the full leap and do it full time, I knew exactly what I was getting into. So, I, you know, I realized that there are people out there who, um, you know, really take the bull by the horns and, you know, they don't have that transition.

I had that, that transition that made it financially very easy, um, uh, from, from a, um, Stress point of view, I guess. There was no stress involved. It was just, I just took each day as it came. And, uh, I think that, uh, I knew when I was ready. I knew that this was the right time. 

[00:18:16] Mike Koelzer, Host: How long was the transition from when you started to then when you kind of went full time?

[00:18:22] Maria Bizecki: It was about a 10 year transition and I think during that time, the other thing I was able to do was really get great experience. I, I saw, you know, over 500 patients, um, and I was able to develop, uh, a lot of great patient relationships. I was able to develop a lot of experience in the field and just, um, I feel like when I, when I did finally take the full time leap into this business that.

That I was ready, I was ready for whatever was going to get thrown at me. And I 

[00:18:56] Mike Koelzer, Host: I think pharmacy is probably pretty well suited to that and it might not come as smoothly as yours did. But I suppose in most cases, at least maybe up until a couple of years ago, and I know the markets may have changed a bit, but some would argue a lot, but if 70%.

percent of those hours or 70 percent of the income if they're not the same, filling in, doing stuff, you know, leaving 30 percent for that. So in some professions you might have to go deliver pizza or something if you left your main job. A pharmacy offers a pretty nice part time option, I suppose, to build something like that.

[00:19:43] Maria Bizecki: Oh, absolutely. It's not just me, you know, it wasn't just sort of me in this specialized position where I was. I had the freedom to do that. I know that in the pharmacy profession, there are tons of people out there who work part time hours. Maybe they work, you know, part time in one pharmacy and part time in another pharmacy.

Whatever your employment experience is, you can make something like this work. And, you know, maybe that's a way that people can develop their business is, you know, to do it in the same manner that I did, because then it gives them some comfort that by the time they're ready. To make that, that big decision, they're able, they're able to do that.

[00:20:26] Mike Koelzer, Host: Yeah. I think people talk about being an entrepreneur and years ago, the thought of an entrepreneur was more like a Las Vegas gambler, you know, where you threw it all there and then if you failed, you failed and I think, I don't think a true entrepreneur is set up that way, I think it's somebody who's.

It's cliched, you know, Thomas Edison with the light bulbs and I think, you know, it seems that you've got to have something that you're able to fail multiple times, yet still get to some end point, maybe not that specific endpoint, but an end point, if you define the end point as. Whatever you want out of your business, it might not look exactly the same, but you're going to have autonomy and some money and whatever, but you have to be able to fail through all that.

And I think that kind of part time stuff allows that. It 

[00:21:19] Maria Bizecki: really does. And you, you quickly learn what works and what doesn't work and you can pivot really easily. Uh, you can make the changes that you need to. Being 

[00:21:31] Mike Koelzer, Host: able to pivot, especially now with, uh, all this new invention, the computer and You know, but I mean, you know, years ago, the pivot wasn't so easy because you'd set up your storefront, you know, and you'd rent that for three year lease and all that crap.

[00:21:48] Maria Bizecki: One thing I would like to point out too is just 10 years ago, um, you know, I was doing a lot of online work. I was doing a lot of, um, phone, like with my business, seeing people online over zoom, talking to them over the phone. Yes. Um, and now, you know, post COVID. We're realizing that being able to do something online is so much more accepted.

And, and I mean, I was doing that 10 years ago. I was far ahead of the curve. And, and, uh, so I think that having that was putting me at a lot less risk as well, because I didn't have a storefront. I didn't have a brick and mortar location where I, you know, if this didn't. Um, work, it was going to be, um, you know, a financial hardship.

Uh, thankfully, um, one thing I did find was, um. a pharmacy close to, uh, where I was living was quite welcoming and having me come in and see patients in person. So that's where I got my start. It was actually, uh, you know, a fellow colleague and friend from a hockey team who said, why don't you, uh, why don't you think about it.

Um, you know, you're, you're bringing your business over here and getting a start here and it was a compounding pharmacy, so it worked out really, really well because I was able to utilize them, uh, for their services and I still do 10, 10 years later, we have a very, uh, tight professional relationship together.

So, um, you know, I, I think the online opportunities that are out there are all the more reason why. Uh, pharmacists can start thinking of opportunities, uh, that can work 

[00:23:33] Mike Koelzer, Host: for them. Online stuff. Some people saw it as cool, but some people maybe saw it as a cheap way out. You know, why isn't this guy hopping on an airplane like his competitor did to come see me?

And then within like a year, that flip to saying that out of the goodness of your heart, you're going to do something on video versus killing us in person kind of thing. 

[00:23:57] Maria Bizecki: Yeah, it wasn't seen as something that was unprofessional, uh, post COVID. Even, uh, even, um, you know, I had to deal with some legal issues, uh, with my parents, uh, and, uh, you know, the lawyer got on the phone or got, got on Zoom with me and we were able to sign some papers and things right there over Zoom.

So even the legal profession has, for example, done things that they never thought were possible. So I think it was a great opportunity for us to start thinking about what is. 

[00:24:28] Mike Koelzer, Host: Those damn attorneys. Oh, here's the thing, Maria. The reason people make jokes about attorneys is because they're attorneys. Nobody has, like, pharmacist jokes, you know?

They joke about somebody that maybe they can't Crack their world, those attorneys. It's like in the past, if there was a meeting change, you know, or a court change or something like that, they would send stuff out to anybody that's like part of the suit or something. And they'd send it out like on linen, you know, letters.

I mean, I bet it costs like 300 bucks sometime for a. A hearing change or something. And now it's like, you know, you click on the email and stuff like that. They hate that sort of, but I think they've adjusted, you know, 

[00:25:16] Maria Bizecki: yeah, it's, uh, it's, it's amazing how our professions have had to adjust, uh, to all of this and, uh, start thinking about ways to help patients that they never thought of before.

[00:25:27] Mike Koelzer, Host: So Maria, what do you do then? What is your business? How do you actually make money? Well, let's start there. First, what do you do and then how do you make money? Are you on a per event payment or is this a subscription thing or? What are we going to do? 

[00:25:43] Maria Bizecki: So with, um, advanced prescribing authorization here in Alberta, when you apply for that, what you have to do is show that you have some level of, um, uh, expertise or training in a very specific area.

So you are not required to get permission, um, From anyone else in order to prescribe, but of course, what's important is that you have those collaborative relationships, um, in place and, you know, um, professionally speaking, there are just, um, important, uh, ways of communicating with, if there's another primary care physician involved or somebody else involved with their, you

[00:26:30] Mike Koelzer, Host: You're saying you want to have a good relationship with the other primary carers, but you don't need permission from them to do that, right? How do they 

[00:26:39] Maria Bizecki: like that? Well, at first the Alberta Medical Association came out very strongly against it, but the Alberta government here felt that pharmacists were, uh, you know, In a, in a very good position to be able to provide exemplary patient care and that they had the background training, um, in therapeutics, uh, to, to be able to take this on and help with saving healthcare dollars in, in the process.

[00:27:08] Mike Koelzer, Host: So, Maria, when you go and you say, all right, I'm pretty good at this, it sounds like you don't need an official thing. You're just kind of giving them your, your. Pile of knowledge. You say, I think I have it. And then you say, I think I'm going to do these 10 medicines. There's nothing official there. You basically do it until they tell you to stop.

[00:27:30] Maria Bizecki: Well, uh, so, so yeah, I mean, with your training, you know what it is that you should or shouldn't be providing what protocols to follow based on what they're coming in with. I'm 

[00:27:41] Mike Koelzer, Host: not sure I agree with that because even in the U S there's Some of these national organizations that say you need the PG. Why? Stuff for this or that and someone else is saying, no, a pharmD degree is fine.

And someone else saying, no, just a B farm is fine. As long as you're all registered and things like that. So I'm questioning that you're saying that it's scouts' honor for the pharmacist to say, well, yes, here I have it, but who's agreeing to that. And I'm not saying anybody should agree to it because we're all adults and maybe we can make up our own minds, but you're saying that.

It's the pharmacist's prerogative of what constitutes appropriate training. 

[00:28:22] Maria Bizecki: Uh, well, the, the, the pharmacy college would be looking at, yeah, what, what specific training do you have that would allow you to be able to prescribe in that specific area? So then you do have to prove your credentials and show that you are competent.

Only 

[00:28:40] Mike Koelzer, Host: afterwards? Only if you get in trouble? Only if you take it too far? Here's what I mean, Maria. So you say, I want to dispense these 10 medicines that the U. S. can't, but you're saying, I want to dispense these 10 medicines. Yes. Is there a certain certificate in that lane that you get, or are you just saying, no, I've read enough books, I've studied it, I Took some of my own self appointed classes.

I'm good enough. Or is there a very specific credential you have to get? 

[00:29:14] Maria Bizecki: Well, they don't ask for you to have a very specific credential. Like they wouldn't set out criteria. You need to have this, this, and this. Uh, but certainly when you apply for that authorization, you would have to show what it is you have.

You're 

[00:29:27] Mike Koelzer, Host: applying for, and then they make a decision based on what you've shown them. Yes. Gotcha. Yes, exactly. And then do they authorize a certain menu of prescriptions or is that kind of touchy feely? 

[00:29:40] Maria Bizecki: Uh, what they say is that you should always feel competent in your area of prescribing. So for example, would I feel comfortable You know, um, providing anticoagulant therapy to somebody?

No. Would I want to, um, start seeing a patient for cardiovascular related issues or, or prescribing insulin to somebody? No. So that is not within my area of competency. So I would never prescribe in that area. That would actually be quite dangerous and it would be irresponsible of me professionally. So what the college does is they leave it.

They do leave it up to you, um, as a pharmacist to say how comfortable, how competent am I in this area. And if I don't feel confident, confident or competent, then I shouldn't be doing that at all. So I think that when I first got started in this whole field, it was why I took my training. through a very specialized program, um, in the U.

1. in Omaha, Nebraska under a, um, uh, an obstetrician and gynecologist who is a fertility specialist and surgeon and who has been, uh, training physicians, pharmacists, and nurse practitioners in the U. S. for the last 40 years. And so, I felt that when I had that training under my belt, that Um, I felt very, very confident, very, um, uh, competent in the area that I would be.

That I would be providing service. Uh, so, so it gave me, um, yeah, that full confidence knowing that what I was doing was providing a safe, a safe service to, to my patients and one that would help them be successful. 

[00:31:34] Mike Koelzer, Host: I'm always fighting against myself. I guess part of me says that I'm gonna take the widest or easiest way out. I don't think I necessarily do that. But part of me says that then the other part of me says I wish there were rules That did not allow me to do that.

You know what I'm saying? So without all the babysitters that the US has I'm thinking what would I do? But I think I'd end a book. All right. So Maria talked about the business plan. So I had asked about how do you actually make money? Let me go back to that question. How do you actually make money? Is it a per item thing?

Is it per session? Is it a per subscription? 

[00:32:16] Maria Bizicki: Right. Yeah. So, of course, with this type of a program, it is something that is private. It's not paid for by the government. 

[00:32:25] Mike Koelzer, Host: Let me back up one more step. The service we're talking about is you're helping women get pregnant who want to get pregnant. 

[00:32:34] Maria Bizecki: Well, that's part of it certainly is helping women to achieve pregnancy, but it can be for all sorts of gynecological issues.

It may be single women who You know, have endometriosis or polycystic ovaries or something like that. So, so yeah, it's, it's a program that, um, um, you know, similar. There are programs in Canada where they're not paid for. I mean, you can't even get it. Um, you know,

it's not like there aren't services in Canada that aren't paid for. You're 

[00:33:12] Mike Koelzer, Host: saying the government 

[00:33:13] Maria Bizecki: doesn't pay for it? That's right. I know there's this idea that almost anything you want, you can get paid for. I gotcha. You know, medically speaking in Canada, and a lot is. A lot is paid for, but not everything is.

And lots of times it can be things like cosmetic procedures. So fertility, of course, is one of those areas that is not covered. It's not covered in the U. S. It's not. Covered here in Canada either. Um, so what I have done with my, with my practice is that, um, we have these packages, um, in, in our program. And so women will start to learn their fertility charting, which is a way for them to, um.

Recognize certain biomarkers or signs that they have, and so that is, um, a portion of our program that I can do myself, but I also have, uh, practitioners that work with me who have also been trained by the same, um, specialists down, uh, in 

[00:34:17] Mike Koelzer, Host: Omaha. Are they your employees or do you contract with them? 

[00:34:20] Maria Bizecki: I, I contract actually a subcontractor to them because I try to focus on the treatment portion as much as possible because I'm the only one who can really do that, whereas I do have these more technical related, um, portions of my program that can be done by other trained practitioners and they are, they are allied health professionals, um, according to the certificate, you can.

that they receive. Uh, so, so that's really helpful actually is that, um, you know, I can reach out to others in my business to help me so that I'm not bogged down. And, um, yeah, it's, it, it really works well together. Um, so, so we have these two different packages. One is, um, for the charting, as I mentioned, but the other one is, um, when people start to get evaluated and treated in our program.

And so, yeah, these are, um, they all have different things that are involved with them. Uh, but, but that's essentially how we break it down and, and, and provide those services. And, this is an opportunity for these patients to get a lot of. from us. We work together as a team, myself, the practitioner and the patient.

These women have to be, um, active participants in the program in order for it to work properly. Uh, because of what they tell me about their health. is, um, it's my diagnostic tool, so to speak. Um, now, although I don't diagnose conditions, it does give me insight as to where the problem may be, uh, and, and helps me to come up with a proper treatment program.

So, 

[00:36:02] Mike Koelzer, Host: Is this stuff online, Maria, or do you have people that are coming to your business? 

[00:36:07] Maria Bizecki: Prior to COVID, I had people Um, seeing me at the clinic that I had set up, uh, in a local pharmacy. 

[00:36:14] Mike Koelzer, Host: That's right. We talked about 

[00:36:15] Maria Bizecki: that pharmacy there. Yeah. But I would even say, you know, I would say the first five years I was seeing 50 percent of my patients online, 50 percent in the clinic.

Um, but then as COVID hit, I started to do 100 percent online and that's what it has been ever since. Um, and it's worked out really quite well. I mean, they're happy. That they don't have to go in, and I'm happy I don't have to go in. It actually gives me more time to dedicate to what I'm doing, um, rather than, you know, having to go drive somewhere.

Do you 

[00:36:53] Mike Koelzer, Host: have any employees yourself? 

[00:36:56] Maria Bizecki: Yes. Well. You know, during the summer, I, uh, I had a summer student. It was actually, uh, my daughter who had, um, learned part of the business. So that was, that was quite nice. Yeah. And so she had provided me with help with that. But also, as I mentioned, I have, um, these, uh, six practitioners here in Canada who work with me that I am able to subcontract out to.

I have, You know, the ability to really branch out and use way more practitioners. There are practitioners in the US I can reach out to and other practitioners within Canada, but and and the reason for that is that we are all trained in the same standardized education Program and so it gives that flexibility.

I think like no other training So it has really benefited me 

[00:37:47] Mike Koelzer, Host: Out of the stuff that you're doing then, it sounds like a lot of it's very efficient. A lot of it's online. Where do you see a seam breaking if it's going to break with your day to day stuff? Eventually, will you bring in computer people or accounting people or marketing people?

Because right now, I imagine you don't have a big staff sitting there doing all those things. 

[00:38:13] Maria Bizecki: Those things have always crossed my mind. And of course, when you're in business, you're thinking differently. You're thinking about Your brand, you're thinking, you know, if I bite off more than I can chew, I don't want my service to suffer.

I don't want my brand to suffer. Uh, you know, what, what can I do about that? So I think that I should always be aware of it. you know, what are my limits, um, in, in terms of how many patients can I, can I treat? Do I need a waitlist for something like that? I'm not at that point yet. Those are always top of mind. Um, also, uh, one thing that, um, is a possibility is branching out and providing more and more of the charting services outside of Canada because, um, I can tap into so many of the practitioners that are in the U.

1. already and at least get that ball rolling for women and get them starting on that charting process. Whereas, um, uh, in the U. S. we are not limited by the number of trained pharmacists, physicians, or, or, or nurses who are, who are trained in this area of, um, fertility restoration. There's a lot more access down in the U.
2. So, uh, yeah, it's given me pause for reflection on all of that. Uh, but I think that Um, always keeping in mind, um, that service that you provide, uh, to others, um, you have to keep, keep that at top of mind. 

[00:39:46] Mike Koelzer, Host: 10 years ago, you said you were going to look out and think about diversifying and protecting your future and so on.

As you now look out one year, three years, or five years, have you accomplished that and do you still have that? Inside of you to say, no, I've got to keep diversifying. Or is there a point where you say, no, I did diversify. Now I actually have to complete this circle. 

[00:40:20] Maria Bizecki: I think that, uh, I found where I need to be.

Um, you know, sometimes. I find that sometimes people get a little bit too, um, they spread themselves too thinly. They think, oh, there's this great new area of pharmacy I could try, or there's this I could try, or there's that that I could try. But I think for me, I found the area that I really love. And, um, and that I, I'm doing really well and people are very happy with the service that I provide.

And, um, so I, you know, I don't see myself going into another area. Um, I've found. My calling in the pharmacy profession, I believe, um, but I do see out there, uh, that there are so many different options for pharmacists. I know, um, there's, there's all sorts of opportunities and it. You know, the sky's the limit that way, but you really have to find where you are best suited, um, and where you're happiest.

[00:41:29] Mike Koelzer, Host: If you right now were talking to a bunch of pharmacists who were in the field for 10 years and they're saying, Hey! I like what I'm hearing from Maria about diversifying and so on. Assuming that they're going to do that, follow their heart. What tangible advice would you give them for the next step? And let's say it's based on something they want to do, like you did, as far as an efficient business and maybe a computer based business, and maybe somewhat of a consulting based business.

Would they just copy exactly what you've done or what? What other advice would you give them to maybe do something similar that you did, but let's say not in the fertility space? 

[00:42:20] Maria Bizecki: Mm hmm. Yeah. In fact, it was something that had been brought to my attention by a colleague of mine as well. Um, she had thought that I was doing something really fantastic and she had an interest in it.

And, uh, I said, you know, When you're ready to make that leap, start just thinking about all of the different areas, you know, research, just spend a lot of time researching on all of them, the different opportunities that are out there. You might find something that is, is really interesting to you outside of what I'm doing with fertility.

Um, and, and I find that that's what happened, uh, you know, 10 years ago when I was starting off with this was that all the pharmacists were jumping on the travel, uh, travel clinic bandwagon. They were all doing that. They were all getting that training. And then all of a sudden you've got a hundred pharmacists who are all doing the same thing.

Too 

[00:43:18] Mike Koelzer, Host: many. And because they're not limited to their local brick and mortar. All of a sudden, you've got a hundred pharmacists that are trying to serve the same population across the country, basically. Exactly. 

[00:43:30] Maria Bizecki: So they're all competing with one another. Yeah. And, uh, I just think that, um, it's sort of, uh, caterpillar thinking in a way that you're just sort of, uh, doing whatever.

else is doing. And really, you have to find your own path, uh, into something that you want to do. And, um, you know, you'll be surprised once you start looking at what you might find. And so I think, um, just spending that time with yourself, really researching is the first step. And, and, and then thinking about.

Okay, now that I've found sort of an area I want to think about, how can I get training in that? Because you don't want to go into a training program where you're doing a weekend course and then, um, you know, trying to provide service to patients you may not be able to come through and they may not have that, uh, that success.

Uh, so I, I would say that. Making sure that you can get the proper training, that you are very competent, uh, and qualified to do what you are doing. 

[00:44:39] Mike Koelzer, Host: That's more of a medical training, not necessarily focused on the business yet. Yeah, 

[00:44:45] Maria Bizecki: yeah, and it may involve that. I know there's a lot of people out there who do things like Health coaching or pharmacy, you know, related coaching of some kind.

And so perhaps you don't need a specific course to do something like that, but you do have to really think things through before you, um, start off on your business. Um, I did end up, uh, engaging with, uh, some business people who are very, very successful. And I would ask them what works for them, what doesn't work.

And they would give me a lot of really great advice on how to follow forward on my ideas. You did that 

[00:45:22] Mike Koelzer, Host: online mainly or? 

[00:45:23] Maria Bizecki: Uh, no, it was actually, um, with. Uh, close friends of mine, family members who were able to provide that to me. Um, so it was free advice, but I also started to, um, listen to podcasts.

[00:45:39] Mike Koelzer, Host: Ah, those podcasts, they're no good. 

[00:45:43] Maria Bizecki: Yeah. But, you know, you are able, you know, if you just look at the podcasts that are out there, you can get some really great information, um, on. Some of these areas that will help you and, and, and so there's, um, there's no, uh, real secret to what I did. I think I just started somewhere. I started with something that was of, you know, real interest to me somewhere where I knew.

Uh, women would get great satisfaction and success and that would greatly improve their quality of life. 

[00:46:25] Mike Koelzer, Host: So Maria, you started yours though in like a friend's pharmacy. Was that a business relationship from the start or did you say, Hey, let me set up here for a week and see what interest there is?

What might another pharmacist do if they wanted to either take the route of going into a pharmacy or let's say they want to go into a pharmacy? Maybe a health food store or maybe a fitness place and do something. What advice might you give to them if they want to test the water that way? 

[00:46:58] Maria Bizecki: Uh, I would say that there's no limit as to where you can set up your business.

You don't have to be in a pharmacy. Uh, for me, you know, I, um, although this was a, um. Um, a friend that I had through, uh, my son's hockey team and I, I was actually brought in as, um, a relief pharmacist for a little while. 

[00:47:21] Mike Koelzer, Host: You're not going to sell the listeners of there being hockey teams in Canada. They're not going to fall for that 

[00:47:26] Maria Bizecki: one.

Yeah. So, well, I was brought in initially to be a relief pharmacist. And then when I, when I had mentioned, you know, I'm, I'm taking this, uh, this extra training in the area of fertility because, um, his pharmacy was focused on, um, integrative medicine and reaching out to all the different, um, ways of, um, restoring people's health.

Uh, what I was doing in fertility fit right into, uh, what he was doing there. And so, um, he said, well, you know, when you're done with your training, why don't you consider setting up your clinic here and, and seeing how it goes. And so it was really an opportunity that I couldn't say no to because of it. It gave me that, that confidence in that, that, um, somebody who first believed in me and knew that it would work.

[00:48:19] Mike Koelzer, Host: Was that a financial arrangement or just a sit here and see what happens? 

[00:48:23] Maria Bizecki: Uh, there was a financial arrangement with it. So I would, I would pay rent, uh, for the space, you know, similar to, I don't know if you had a massage therapist who was setting up shop in a chiropractor's clinic or something like that, you know, so, or a hairdresser renting a chair or something like that.

So that's what I 

[00:48:42] Mike Koelzer, Host: did. Did you rent a physical space more than a table? Did you have a little room or anything or? Yeah, 

[00:48:47] Maria Bizecki: it was a, it was a, a consult room. 

[00:48:49] Mike Koelzer, Host: And then you paid rent from day one? Not even knowing what your success was going to be or did he let you test it a little bit? 

[00:48:57] Maria Bizecki: Well, uh, it, it was an arrangement that we had, um, yeah, I mean, I, I could test it for as long as I wanted.

Um, it was sort of a pilot project almost, I guess. But 

[00:49:09] Mike Koelzer, Host: did he charge rent day one when you had no idea how well it was going 

[00:49:13] Maria Bizecki: to go? Well, he charged me rent, but you know, he was being pretty reasonable. And I think that He invested in me knowing that if this were to do me well, that, um, it was, it was good for his business too.

So it was kind of a symbiotic relationship. Right. And so, yeah, it continued like that for, for, uh, a number of years. And, um, you know, uh. Uh, it worked out really well because it was a compounding pharmacist. In addition to being just, you know, a regular pharmacy, he had that extra specialty. And so I was able to, uh, also cash in on their expertise and get them to be able to provide me what I needed.

So it just worked out really, really well. Is 

[00:50:02] Mike Koelzer, Host: Is that an ongoing relationship or is that done now? 

[00:50:04] Maria Bizecki: Oh, it's still an ongoing relationship because, um, even though I'm not physically in the, in the pharmacy anymore, um, my patients, um, you know, I, they go to that pharmacy, um, and, um, you know, there, there are a lot of people that I see from all over Canada, uh, as well.

And so they communicate with that pharmacy as well. Do you 

[00:50:28] Mike Koelzer, Host: have a financial arrangement with them 

[00:50:30] Maria Bizecki: anymore? Uh, no, no. So I'm no longer in the clinic, you know, providing services in the clinic. Um, what ended up happening with COVID was that my space got converted into a vaccination room primarily. Oh, I see.

So, it wasn't a matter of me. Um, not being asked to go back. It was that this space was just no longer available. They 

[00:50:54] Mike Koelzer, Host: kicked you to the street. You just didn't have a choice. Well, 

[00:50:58] Maria Bizecki: yes, but at the same time, they knew that I was doing quite fine with my online abilities. And so I. I think there was, again, that worked to our advantage because I was able to pivot and change according to the pandemic.

And, um, so since then they've actually renovated, uh, the, the pharmacy. And, uh, and so I know that, um, there's probably some opportunities, but I just haven't, uh, uh, come full circle on that yet. I've been just focusing on the online. Uh, at this moment, but, uh, no, we still have a very close, uh, working relationship together.

And, uh, you know, what's important is that the pharmacists who are there in that pharmacy, they know intimately what it is that I do. And, and when they see, um, how I'm approaching things there, you know, they get to understand how it works. And of course, you know, they get to see these patients from, um, You know, prior to pregnancy and all the way through pregnancy and, and so it's, it's a very rewarding, uh, experience for all of us.

[00:52:04] Mike Koelzer, Host: Maria, out of your work week, and as I understand it, you're full time now, out of your work week, let's say you're spending 20 percent of the time doing this, 20 percent that. What part do you wake up and say, I don't want to do this part of it anymore. I can't wait till I can hire this out. What do you don't like doing so much?

And what do you maybe wish you could do 

[00:52:27] Maria Bizecki: more? Yeah, that's a great question. I think, I think the paperwork, uh, is, is Probably the one part I like the least, um, because it has to be done. Um, and, uh, there's just a lot of, um, clerical tasks that I have to do on my own. So of course, you know, having my summer student available was super helpful.

Uh, and, uh, and so, um, you know, now, uh, I'm starting to see that kind of, um, uh, part of my job is increasing. So, uh, yeah, I'm looking out, I'm looking to hire, uh, for that. Um, There are things that, uh, should be hired out for that, that are not good use of, good use of my time. That comes. It does. It does. 

[00:53:16] Mike Koelzer, Host: As long as you've put a hat on that position, you're like, okay, that part of it right there, I'm going to hire that 

[00:53:21] Maria Bizecki: part.

Yes. Yes. So I think I have a really good awareness of What is it that I should be spending most of my time on? Where am I most productive? Where am I most useful? And so that is always an ongoing, I think, discussion and And and you can't be afraid to ask for help. You can't be afraid to Hire people to do those sorts of things because I think that one of the things that really gets in the way of success is a Trying to do it all yourself, right?

And that's just not possible. And if you look at the people who are most successful out there and, um, and I, I don't just say that from a monetary point of view, I say, you know, how successful are they with, with their patients that they serve? Uh, they are people who are reaching out to others, um, to do certain things.

And as I mentioned with, With the fertility charting component of this program, uh, I am very, very fortunate in that I have such a great team to work with who, um, who are always, uh, able to take on that extra work for me. Uh, so I make sure that I reach out to them. 

[00:54:30] Mike Koelzer, Host: What part really gives you life in your business that you would do more of even if you didn't get necessarily paid for it right away?

Uh, 

[00:54:39] Maria Bizecki: You know, I think, I think that I like working, uh, with my practitioners and training them and providing. providing more education to them so that they can be better at what they do. Um, and I would also like to do more of, um, patient outreach and providing, um, and I haven't done it yet really, but, uh, I think.

providing opportunities for them to learn more. Um, I've tried to do that so far, um, with some of the things, um, that I've done, you know, through social media and stuff, providing them information, but I'm always looking at ways to, um, to provide them that knowledge and understanding. Uh, that, that they may not have and, and providing opportunities for the public to learn about themselves.

So, um, yeah, I think in that respect with, with teaching others, whether they're the public or my practitioners, always providing that extra layer of service, um, or education is, is, um, something I love to do. 

[00:55:51] Mike Koelzer, Host: If someone said to you, Maria. What do you have to do to give yourself the most stability as a provider, let's say to yourself and your family and so on?

Would you be able to just follow that route of saying you keep doing what you love to do or would you have to do something else to give yourself the most security? We already talked about that it wouldn't be necessarily diversifying because that can actually thin yourself out more. What actions do you see yourself responsible for in the business to ensure yourself to be a provider 10 years from now, financial 

[00:56:31] Maria Bizecki: provider?

Yeah, I think that for me, I was greatly successful when I went online. I didn't open up a website, if you can believe it, until this March. It's a nice website too. Oh, very much. Um, I had it professionally done and I knew that when I was going to do it. It was going to be done professionally. I did not want to do the GoDaddy website thing, uh, on my own.

Um, and so when I made that decision to go full time earlier this year, that was the first thing on my mind because I knew I had to get visible. I had to get out there. And I think probably visibility is going to be the biggest thing moving forward, but you don't want to just be visible. You also, you know, uh, uh, a reason why I was successful for the first 10 years was because of the brand and because of.

Um, what level of service I was providing to others, um, the trust that I was able to provide with patients, um, that human connection, listening to people about what their concerns were because they weren't being listened to, they weren't being validated. Somebody was able to do that. And so what this led to was, you know, word of mouth.

And so, I think that. As I move on, you know, five to 10 years from now, as you said, how do I provide that stability is ensuring that I do make myself visible, that I do get out there and show myself, whether it's through social media or continuing on with my website and, and, and getting that, but always being aware that.

Uh, the most important person is the person who's coming to see me and always maintaining that level of care that I started off with on day one. Um, so many businesses, I think they, you know, they, they start off. So successfully at the beginning because they go that extra mile, they provide that great level of service.

And then as it goes on, it starts to water down and maybe you've got, you know, something has changed, you become too busy. So I think that always for stability in the future is, of course, being visible, but not. Not putting myself in a position where it's not going to be the same level of service anymore.

[00:58:59] Mike Koelzer, Host: Getting yourself out there visible, but then also listening while you're at it to make sure that, well, focused. Customer care, but also listening because of that. That definition of customer care might change in the mind of your customers over the next five to 10 years. 

[00:59:13] Maria Bizecki: Yes. And, you know, medically speaking, there can be a lot of things that will change in five to 10 years.

So always, I think about keeping up on what are the changes, what are the improvements, what, what are the options available for these people? When I first started 10 years ago, as I mentioned, there wasn't a whole lot available in Canada for endometriosis surgery. Right. Uh, now. There's a lot more skilled surgeons in this area who were able to help my patients.

And it is wonderful. It's actually meant, um, a huge improvement in, in success for these people. Uh, because of that availability. 

[00:59:52] Mike Koelzer, Host: So Maria, someone's listening to this and they're pulling up in their driveway and they might have two or three minutes while the show is on their mind. What advice would you give somebody that they could do in two or three minutes to think about this issue of diversifying themselves?

Uh, 

[01:00:11] Maria Bizecki: I would say start thinking about You know, where do you want to be in a few years from now? What goals do you set for yourself? Do you want to be doing what you're doing now? Or, you know, are you happy with what you're doing now? What do you enjoy doing? What areas of practice? Do you have a particular interest in and start looking at what other people are doing?

It doesn't mean you're going to copy them or do the same thing, but it is going to lead to, um, different ideas for you and just start somewhere. If you aren't. Moving. If you're, you know, standing still, you're not going to make any progress. You have to start moving. You have to get that momentum going in the right direction, and you'll eventually come up with some answers for yourself.

[01:01:00] Mike Koelzer, Host: Well, Maria, thank you. We'll be following, watching all the cool stuff. You're 

[01:01:04] Maria Bizecki: doing great. Thanks so much. I look forward to seeing where I'll be five years from now. 

[01:01:08] Mike Koelzer, Host: Hopefully not covered in snow. You crazy Canadians out there. All right, Maria, take care. Yes, you 

[01:01:15] Maria Bizecki: too, Mike. Thank you. Bye bye. Bye. 

[01:01:22] Mike Koelzer, Host: You've been listening to the Business of Pharmacy podcast with me, your host, Mike Kelser, please subscribe for all future episodes.