The small business journey is never easy, but it’s always amazing and sometimes unexpected. Kaley Decker was born and raised in Vincennes. She always had an itch to do something in the medical field, but it wasn’t until she battled two years of back pain as a young adult that she found her calling: acupuncture.
After earning her Associate’s Degree at Vincennes University, she went on to earn a Master’s in Oriental Medicine at a school in Florida. She had big plans to travel the world, but then love happened – and she found herself back in her hometown with a boy she met in kindergarten.
At just 22 years old, Kaley took a leap of faith and opened Restoration Acupuncture Center in January 2011. Bringing a niche service to a small town brought a lot of unknowns – would she have enough business to survive? At first, she was only seeing one patient an hour, but within six months, she was seeing two patients an hour and things were looking up. Fast forward a couple of years, and she was able to expand and hire a receptionist.
“I really try to listen to my patients and see what they need,” she says. Through these conversations, Kaley realized there was a huge need for natural health services that clients were driving hours elsewhere to get. Kaley had dreams to expand and offer these additional services, so after years of searching for the right space, she finally found it.
In December 2019 she bought a building with nine treatment rooms – more than she needed – but she took the leap, and wouldn’t you know it? COVID shut her down three months later. She had just spent her entire life savings to move into a new building, and then her expenses doubled and she wasn’t able to work. She didn’t have another source of income, was homeschooling her kids, and it was a very hard year. The Paycheck Protection Program loan was a lifeline, but it wasn’t until 2021 that she could even think about expanding her services.
Despite the setback, Kaley forged ahead. She decided that if her business could survive that year, it could survive anything. “I have never been afraid of failure,” she says, “I just go to plan B. Failure makes me feel more determined.”
By early 2023, she had added a massage therapist, infrared sauna, IV therapy, and vitamin injections, but with these new services, she realized the need to rebrand. Another lightbulb moment (actually a series of dreams) led her to a bigger vision of her business, Flourish Integrative Health.
With these dreams came unknowns, a bigger budget, more staff to manage, and the need for business advice. Kaley’s commercial banker at First Robinson Savings Bank told her about The Pantheon and there, she was connected with her Small Business Development Center (SBDC) business advisor, Julie Folz.
Julie helped Kaley set goals, write a business plan, and even score an Elevate Small Business Grant which allowed her to buy new equipment. Kaley says, “I did not go to school to be a business owner. I had to figure out how to be a business owner AND do my craft. When I came to Julie, things were a disaster. I didn’t even know what my budget was. I was just lucky to have been successful so far and had to start back at the beginning. Having her as that business mentor has really helped me with making goals, budgeting, and employee management. Before, I was focused on my clients, and my employees got nothing from me.”
Flourish serves clients of all ages, including many veterans, and currently has seven employees. Kaley says her favorite part of the job is “being able to help people and see the difference I’m making in people’s lives everyday. I truly believe I have the best job.” The business part can be more challenging, though. “I have to realize I can’t be a full time business owner and full time acupuncturist at the same time. I have to delegate and still be a leader.”
For that, she is incredibly thankful for the opportunity to meet with Julie monthly and the space to do so at The Pantheon. “It’s a great service and FREE. That blows my mind. Julie is a business mentor, but she’s also like a second mom.”
Looking to the future, Kaley hopes to add five more treatment rooms and one day have a functional medicine doctor on staff. But right now, she is focused internally and working to offer the best service she can to the community. Well, the community is noticing, and she is an honored recipient of the 2024 Five Under 40 award from the Knox County Chamber of Commerce.
Learn more about Flourish Integrative Health and view their full list of services at www.flourishintegrativehealth.org.