Today we’d like to introduce you to Marcia Smith-Anderson.
Hi Marcia, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
How it Started: It was career day at my high school in 1986. I was a senior unsure of what I wanted to be when I grew up. In walked a tall cool black man with a business shirt with first 2 buttons undone and a gold necklace around his neck. He was a pharmacist. He was cool. I left there determined to be just like him, and I did in 1999.
Like most pharmacist, I started her career in retail pharmacy at Walgreens in 1999. I was quickly elevated to pharmacy manager for 12 years. The entrepreneurial bug hit in 2012, and a pharmacy startup, Better Balance Pharmacy, was conceived with a fellow pharmacist in 2012. It was very successful, but the long hours were taking its toll. I sold my shares in 2015. Thereafter, I joined with a clinic as director of pharmacy at 1960 Family Practice and, later, the Director of Pharmacy at The Heights Hospital.
During the pandemic, I was called to satisfy my entrepreneurial pursuits yet again. This time the impact would take me from behind the counter to inside the homes of clients in the home health arena. Aloma Home Care was born in 2021. “There’s No Place Like Home” is the tagline as me and my team work tirelessly to ensure quality home care is delivered to our clients whether young, old, rich, poor. Aloma secured a major contract with the Veterans Affairs (VA) in 2022 and extended home care service to Veterans.
I am a member of Living Word Fellowship Church since 1999. I serve in the Prayer, Care, and fostering ministry. I am the co-founder of Black TIE (Teach, Inspire, Encourage), a black female entrepreneur networking group, co-founder of Senior Services Alliance, a coalition of businesses that serve seniors. I am also a community educator and advocate with the Alzheimer’s Association.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
“If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” –Frederick Douglass
The road has never been smooth, but I accept the didactic nature of the journey – it teaches me so much about myself.
Struggles…
Funding – Like most black female entrepreneurs, I struggled to get and keep my footing. I listened and asked lots of questions and surrounded myself with people that were good in this space, people that knew the fundamentals of business.
Introversion- I am an unapologetic introvert, and networking was a challenge at first. The practice of doing it and making myself better opened many doors.
Assembling my team – I made some major blunders in assembling my core team and keeping them engaged. I hired who I could afford. That prove to be a mistake early on. Over time I learned the value of hiring key valuable players and inspecting what I was expecting.
As you know, we’re big fans of Aloma Home Care. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
Aloma Home Care Agency is a non-medical licensed, bonded, insured, and certified agency. With a pharmacist/community and former Veteran as the administrators, we bring the power of resources. We come from a family of service members – Father WWII, brother (Korean Conflict and Vietnam War), Husband (Gulf War Veteran).
We excel in rendering care AND seize the opportunities to connect our clients to resources with our 45 years+ of combined professional training/experience into each and every home. Our military, medical, hospital, community experience along with our non-profit partners ensure clients are counseled when they are hurting, fed when they are hungry (Meals on Wheels), connected to housing programs that the VA is affiliated with, educated on the next stage/phase of their loved one’s dementia, right in their home. ‘There’s No Place Like Home ‘ is our tagline. We know that statistically that to be true; clients flourish in the home setting, and we believe wholeheartedly that every effort should be made to allow them to age there.
Our services include and are not limited to:
Bathing/Showering
Personal Hygiene
Incontinence Care
Toileting
Medication Reminder
Transportation/Errands
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
With the number individuals over age 65 expected to double, as a country we face a dilemma. Health care in the home will become more commonplace, and payors will seize this more affordable model compared to hospitals and facilities. The trend lines point to a patient-centric focus that captures the metrics that support in-home care
Contact Info:
- Website: www.alomahomecare.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alomahomecare
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcia-smith-anderson-rph-cscm/
