Dr. Mark McKenna is a doctor, dedicated community servant, and a passionate patient advocate. He is a license Medical Doctor in Surgery and Medicine from both the Georgia State Board of Medical Examiners and the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners. McKenna is originally from New Orleans, where he attended college at Tulane University Medical School. After graduating, he began to simultaneously practice medicine with his father and launch a real-estate development firm, McKenna Venture Investments. Over time, McKenna’s interests shifted more towards real-estate, where he transitioned into running it full-time. His success led him to acquire competitors, where he ultimately launched Universal Mortgage Lending and Uptown Title, Inc. – a company that employed over 55 people and offered services such as design/build of residential real estate, financing, and title closing.
Dr. Mark McKenna’s tides turned when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans –much of the city was destroyed, which included McKenna’s business ventures. With employees scattered around the country and his properties in shambles, MeKenna stayed to help rebuild the New Orleans by developing low-moderate income housing.
In November 2007, McKenna relocated to Atlanta, BA where he launched Shape Medical Wellness Center (ShapeMed). The company focused on providing weight loss solutions and cutting edge NSA (Non-3Surgical Aesthetic) procedures, where it was later sold to Life Time Fitness in 2014.
Today, Dr. Mark McKenna runs his newly-launched initiative, OVME – a consumer-facing, technology backed medical aesthetic company with a focus on reshaping elective healthcare. Specifically, McKenna looks to create a platform that connects men and women with highly-skilled health care specialists nationally in the U.S., to deliver quality, minimally-invasive cosmetic services.
How did you get started in this business? What inspired you to start this business?
The decision to start OVME comes from my work in the medical aesthetics industry – I’ve been in the field for over 10 years. I created my own practice, ShapeMed, almost ten years ago, which I grew it into one of the largest practices in America before I sold it to a publicly traded company. It was during those ten years that I noticed a lot of opportunity to disrupt the industry.
When you were starting out, was there ever a time you doubted it would work? If so, how did you handle that?
I believe that stating goals and visualizing positive results is the path towards success. If you want something to truly happen, you put the image of success in your mind and work hard to achieve that. So no, I don’t often dwell on doubts or failures.
What is one marketing strategy (other than referrals) that you’re using that works really well to generate new business?
Not necessarily a marketing strategy, but I believe that surrounding myself with smart people is key to success. Even if you think you are the center of your business, getting input and learning from a team of intelligent people never hurts – tunnel vision is a danger. Being able to justify your thoughts and respond to challenges helps personal growth. This is true in business as well. My team pushes me to make better and more informed decisions.
What do you think it is that makes you successful?
Surrounding myself with smarter people than myself. They push me to learn more, make well-informed decisions, and avoid tunnel vision.
What does the future hold for your business? What are you most excited about?
Our short term plan involves launching a business in Atlanta, GA in February 2018, and then Las Vegas shortly afterwards. We have an extremely detailed and in-depth five-year growth plan that’s backed by investment capital. I am fortunate to have such a strong team behind the business.
What business books have inspired you?
Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill. Great book and a must read for any entrepreneur! It really explains why the power of visualization is so important.
How do you increase your productivity?
I’m a voracious reader. I firmly believe that books hold knowledge that’s just waiting to be learned, and that the more a person knows, the more productive he or she becomes. I read books of all genres to uncover facts and tidbits of information from all fields – I don’t limit myself to just the medical field. The larger your horizon is, the more ideas you can form.
What does “OVME” mean?
OVME, when pronounced, sounds like “of me.” We originally wanted to name the company “Face Medical,” but we ran into some trademark limitations. “Of me” is less obvious, but it captures how we wanted to help our patients improve themselves.
Can you tell us more about your latest venture, OVME?
Absolutely. OVME is a retail medical aesthetics company that looks to create a platform that connects men and women around America with skill healthcare providers nationwide. The goal is to combine a direct-to-consumer mobile platform with modern retail boutiques to deliver high quality, minimally invasive cosmetic services. We launched the company last July (July 2017), and we were fortunate enough to raise $4m from a local venture capital firm in Atlanta.
In what way is OVME different from your previous business ventures?
The intention behind OVME is to build a thriving national brand around the retail medical aesthetic market. Currently, there’s a ton of medicine or cosmetic options that are known but don’t have any retail outlet that offers the product – such as Botox. The new venture is looking to provide a luxurious client experience for everyone, where they can receive cosmetic procedures in a more comfortable setting, without having to go to a doctor. We’re developing an app that allows us to connect providers with clients – we can also do virtual consults too.
What are some interesting ideas that you have for new business opportunities?
Good question, I’m always full of new ideas! The cryptocurrency space is exploding right now, and I think that creating a brick and mortar crypto-to-cash or cash-to-crypto space has a lot of potential. There’s no physical option available now, and I think that people will want to easily convert crypto to cash globally in the future.
If you could go back in time, what would you do differently?
I would spend more time discovering my passions when I was younger. When I was young, my priorities were getting through school and graduating, and I think that mindset is a shame. It makes people rush things, and it’s ok to go slower to discover what makes you tick. Speeding towards graduation without a solid purpose or passion in mind only leads to second thoughts.