Luces Rasmussen is a gynecologist that operates in New York City, New York. He holds a Ph.D. in Obstetrics and Gynecology and is well-known for his reproductive endocrinology and infertility expertise. In his career, Dr. Luces has handled everything from laparoscopic surgery to helping revive couples’ hope of getting babies through in vitro fertilization. Besides his work as a consultant at various hospitals and running his gynecology practice, Dr. Luces is also into research. He has taken part in multiple studies on a wide array of subjects ranging from obstetrics to genitourinary infections. These studies have helped many women all over the world.
Luces’s journey to becoming a gynecologist is quite an inspirational one. Growing up, he saw one of his favorite aunts struggle a lot to get a child. Her unhappiness inspired him to pursue medicine and help women facing similar problems and other female reproductive health problems. Luces excelled in high school, went to medical school, and pursued gynecology to Ph. D level. In his career, he has helped hundreds of women with fertility issues achieve their dreams of getting babies by combining his skills and the latest technologies and methods in gynecology.
Besides his work, Luces is very active in activities that target the vulnerable in society and is particularly interested in charities that touch on children. For the past four years, he has been running a charity where he gives his time in tackling pediatric, gynecological issues for children from low-income backgrounds. Most children who benefit from his services are from the inner cities, with unstable mothers who may not afford to pay for such services. It makes him happy knowing that he can use his skills to give such children a chance to live their lives with dignity and become the best they can be when they grow up. Outside of medical practice, Luces has a very active social life. He loves golf and has been participating in the sport for more than a decade now. Every swing he takes helps him unwind, and re-energize for his work in the medical field.
How did you get started in this business?
My inspiration for practicing medicine stemmed from a curiosity to understand how the human body functions. During my formative years in school, I was fascinated with human anatomy and physiology, and the biological sciences. I read as much as I could and was quite captivated by shows and documentaries that explained how the human body worked. This ultimately led to a decision to study medicine. After completing medical school, I settled on obstetrics and gynecology because I felt that I would impact a lot of people’s lives. Growing up, one of my dearest aunts had a difficult time conceiving, which motivated me to pursue this field. I had also encountered numerous women who suffered from reproductive health issues and therefore felt that this was where I could best use my skill to assist patients. My love for children has also been a major factor for me, and I have made it my mission to assist as many women as possible on their journey to parenthood. A combination of these factors saw me start a gynecological practice after completing my medical degree.
How do you make money?
I make money from the consultation and curative services that I offer my clients. I offer numerous reproductive and sexual health services. They include physical examinations, screenings, laparoscopic surgeries, and regular obstetric and gynecological surgical procedures. I also offer fertility treatments such as in-vitro fertilization and consultancies on how to boost fertilization successfully to ensure conception. Alongside consulting for various hospitals, I also have my own private practice where I see patients and offer these services.
How long did it take for you to become profitable?
It took me almost a year to become profitable. This was because it took a while to set up my practice and get the right team of people to assist me. Getting the perfect location also proved to be a bit of a challenge, and I spent a lot of time looking around. I had very few clients at first as it took time before they could trust me being that I was new to some of them. I also had to spend quite an amount on marketing.
When you were starting out, was there ever a time you doubted it would work? If so, how did you handle that?
There were numerous occasions that I faced challenges but I was determined to see my dream come to fruition. It took longer to have a steady stream of clients, which proved to be very costly as I had to pay my team and other expenses. The venture proved to be more costly than I had anticipated. My main challenge was facing the possibility of having to increase my charges. This would help sustain the business but potentially lock out many community members who were indeed in need of my services. To overcome these challenges and deal with my doubts, I became more aggressive in my marketing strategies and started being involved in community activities. Gradually most people in the community grew to trust me and sought my services. They also referred their families and friends, and that gave the practice a turn for the better.
How did you get your first customer?
My first client was a random client in the neighborhood and was looking for a gynecologist. She walked in a couple of weeks after the practice had been set up and ended up being very satisfied with the service. She is still a client to date and has referred to several other clients to us. She taught me the value of offering exceptional service as the positive message she sent out helped us grow.
What is one marketing strategy (other than referrals) that you’re using that works really well to generate new business?
The main marketing strategy that I use is digital marketing, focusing on Search Engine Optimization and the use of multiple social media platforms. Given how a vast majority of the population uses the internet, we have leveraged this to create awareness of our practice. We create content that targets our specific audience and use various sites such as Google, Facebook, and Twitter to reach out to hundreds of clients daily. We ensure that our content is catchy and offers all the relevant information before putting it out there.
What is the toughest decision you’ve had to make in the last few months?
I went through a tough financial period before the practice was able to break even and make any profits. I was faced with the tough option of increasing my rates. This was a moral dilemma for me because while I needed the practice to make profits, I was more passionate about helping out my clients. Therefore, increasing my rates would lock out a number of people who would have greatly benefitted from these services. In the end, I resorted to reducing some of my benefits and those of my employees temporarily. It was a difficult time but that ended up being a better decision than letting some of my team members go and denying access to healthcare services because of the high costs that some could not afford.
What do you think it is that makes you successful?
My passion is one key thing that drives my success. It makes me push even in the face of challenges and also helps me come up with innovative ways of helping out my clients. Being passionate has helped me overcome hurdles along the way to serve my clients best. I also believe that my ability to work with others as a team has a very big role in keeping the practice successful. Because of my team’s professionalism, I am able to delegate some tasks to them and focus on those that I can handle comfortably.
What has been your most satisfying moment in business?
Seeing my clients’ live healthier, happier lives is one of the most satisfying moments for me. I get very fulfilled when families can achieve their dreams of having children after going through so much struggle. These positive outcomes help me sail through the few cases that have a poor prognosis. Participating in groundbreaking research that positively impacts the medical field also gives me much satisfaction.
What does the future hold for your business? What are you most excited about?
The future of my business is rife with promise. We are looking to expand our pediatric, gynecological services to more children within and even outside of our immediate community. This will be targeted in low-income neighborhoods. We will also offer services to women in these neighborhoods who may require services such as screenings, pap smears, and other sexual and reproductive health issues. Further, with the constant evolution of medical technology, we are looking to acquire the latest technological equipment to help us better diagnose and manage our clients.
What business books have inspired you?
The first book for me is The 7 habits Of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. This book gave me a lot of insight into being efficient and effective in my personal and professional life. The most important habit I have learned from the book is to be proactive. It has motivated me to always look for a way out of situations that may be challenging and to push myself to be better continually. It emphasizes getting rid of the victim mentality and taking control of your life and circumstances.
The second book that I have found to be very resourceful is Good To Great: Why Some Companies Make The Leap… And Others Don’t by Jim. C. Collins. It has a lot of insight into how companies can grow from one level to the next and highlight some factors that may hinder or slow this growth. As a researcher, I was drawn to this book as it was founded on research as opposed to theory and fiction. It has helped me get my practice to where it is today.
My third go-to book is Getting Things Done by David Allen. It has very useful information on time management. It also details some great ways to prioritize and execute tasks ensuring maximum efficiency and less stress. For someone juggling a busy professional and personal life, this book continues to help me set my priorities without neglecting any aspects of my life. It has taught me to plan, delegate, execute, and still make time to relax and participate in my hobbies.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
I would advise my younger self to take failure as a part of the process and have more confidence in himself. I would also recommend that my younger self understands that learning never ends – it is a continuous process. Challenges will also be part of the journey and carry with them valuable lessons.
Are you willing to be a mentor? If so, how should someone contact you?
Contact me via Social Media.