Nursing Entrepreneurs, Nurse-Owned Businesses
California Nurse Entrepreneurs,
Michelle Podlesni, RN, National Nurses in Business Association (NNBA)

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Your Name, Degrees Licenses: Michelle DeLizio Podlesni, RN, CEO Bloom Service Group, Inc. and President of the National Nurses in Business Association

Can you tell us a bit about yourself? Accomplished Business Woman, Serial Entrepreneur, Mentor, Author, Speaker, Wife & Mother.

I was a Navy Corpsman Veteran that used the G I Bill to become an RN. After working mainly in Intensive Care and Med/Surg for years I grew tired of working shifts, weekends and Holidays. I dealt with feelings of burnout by leveraging my nursing knowledge and securing a position in a non-traditional setting. I became a case manager and developed a passion for healthcare data analysis, essentially becoming a 'nurse nerd'. This led to software product development where I developed a track record in leading start-up companies to multi-million dollar successes. Of course along with those successes were many, many messes but I have found I learn more from my mistakes. I have been coaching managers and executives since the 90's. In 2010 I turned my expertise towards helping nurses with writing “Unconventional Nurse: Going from Burnout to Bliss” that shared 10 Steps to Advance or Re-invent Your Career. My passion is helping nurses develop the mindset and the skill sets to create a life of their dreams.

What Attracted You To The Field of Nursing? Wow, what wasn't there that attracted me to nursing? I absolutely love this profession and all the opportunities that have been possible. I have a thing for uniforms too, first Catholic School, then the Navy and then being a Nurse. I was out of the clinical setting when scrubs came into vogue.

What is your experience and background in Nursing? I was an ICU Nurse, a Med/Surg Nurse and Supervisor

Would you recommend Nursing as a career? Absolutely! I think it is a tremendous education and launch pad!

Your Business Name: CEO Bloom Service Group, Inc. and President of the National Nurses in Business Association

Please describe in detail your business/services you provide (or if you have an elevator pitch ): As president of the NNBA my focus will be on creating additional opportunities for members to learn and develop business skills to accelerate and maximize their success. Typical nursing education does not incorporate business-NNBA bridges that gap! We will continue to expand the association through education, coaching programs, national networking, mentoring and conferences.

Business Address: 8941 Atlanta Ave. Suite 202 Huntington Beach, CA 92646

E-mail Address: mpodlesni@NNBAnow.com or michelle@unconventionalnurse.com

Blogs:

http://unconventionalnurse.com/blog/

https://nnbanow.com/blog/

Social Media Accounts: Michelle DeLizio Podlesni everywhere and NNBA https://www.facebook.com/nnba.net

Twitter: @Mpodlesni

Homepage Address: http://www.nnbanow.com

Type of business categories would you would like to be listed: Mentor for Business Growth, Business Advisor, Transition Expert for Nurses, Business Success Coach for Nurses

Keywords, Phrases that describe your business, experience, services: The more you list the better. Probably the testimonies on my Unconventional Nurse website do that best. I offer coaching services and my book “Unconventional Nurse-Going from Burnout to Bliss! The 10 Steps to Advance or Re-invent Your Career.

Contact person(s): Michelle Podlesni

Phone number (how/when do you prefer to be contacted): 877-353-8888

In what date (month/year) did you start your business? Which one? I became an entrepreneur business owner in 1999.

Can you describe some challenges you had to overcome in starting your business? I'll mention a big one but there are many challenges that face a business owner however the rewards outweigh them.

First is isolation. You are used to working with nurses and nurses are fun to be around, I experienced a lot of support and I still miss the laughter from being around my colleagues day in and out. As a business owner you have to make sure you are networking. That's why I love the NNBA, I am talking with nurses from all over every week.

How did you hear about the Nursefriendly, NursingEntrepreneurs.com?: I saw the social networking that you were doing and I started to participate with you. Then I wanted to work with you on Unconventional Nurse. I was excited to meet you in person at last's years NNBA Conference!

The year were you first licensed as a nurse? I was licensed as a RN in 1982.

What school of nursing did you attend? Mercy Hospital School of Nursing

Do you recommend that nurses join professional organizations? Yes, but I advise nurses to makes sure that the benefit they are receiving is worth the membership costs.

What made you decide to start your own business? After years of nursing in a hospital setting I was getting burned out. Also, the bureaucracy was starting to get to me. The paperwork and CYA activities were keeping me away from direct patient care which I loved.

How many times have you changed employers in your career? In the last 30 years I have held 14 different job titles and have moved out of state, up and down or across the country 12 times. I know change.

What specific qualities and traits do you feel make nurses especially qualified to operate a business? I have them listed side by side in my book “Unconventional Nurse”. Most importantly, confidence. I work with many nurses that don't realize how valuable their knowledge is. They take for granted the knowledge, wisdom and experience that they have. Nurses are great problem solvers, are very creative, can prioritize and are committed to continued education. Nurses make great entrepreneurs!

What exactly is a nurse entrepreneur in your own words? It is the same as any entrepreneur, you see opportunity and incur the financial risk to present it to consumers. Business is nothing more than the exchange of money (value) for the value provided. It's all about value and nurses are very valuable!

Do you currently practice as a nurse? If yes in what type of setting? As I said in the cover story I did for Nurse FYI magazine, I am still a nurse, it is just in the business setting. My nursing has been my bedrock of all my entrepreneurial endeavors. I have an 'active' nurses license.

Your most pressing concerns with the profession and healthcare: Too many to list here. As I said recently in my article, hospitals are becoming lostpitals trying to cope with shifting reimbursement models that healthcare reform has initiated. Almost a third of today's nurses are over the age of 45 (in North America) so there will be a vast exodus of the experience and wisdom. I am happy that more states are passing legislation for independence of nurse practitioners, we are going to see great things there with NPs business practices.

How do you feel the coming nursing shortage (as babyboomers enter the healthcare system, and nurses retire in droves) will affect patient care? See above.

Other areas of interest and expertise: Family is everything to me so I am really into Food photo-journaling. I create heirloom cookbooks for my nieces and nephews so the Italian traditions we grew up with are preserved for future generations. This actually was my first 'speaking gig' as an entrepreneur.

Nursingentrepreneurs.com is a networking and resource directory for Nurse-Owned businesses and nurses looking for an alternative to working at the bedside. Start here on your road towards nurse entrepreneurship.

If you explore the site a bit, you'll find profiles of hundreds of nurse entrepreneurs around the country. We encourage you to browse around, find a business category you are interested in, then contact the nurse directly. We're available for questions as well. This website is Owned-Operated by Andrew Lopez, RN a Medical/Surgical/Telemetry nurse.

Has your Nurse-owned business been written up in the news? Do you send out a newsletter or regular press releases? We'd like to hear about it!

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