Reflecting on 10 Years of Flow

Owning a small business is more than just a job; it's a labor of love and a journey of constant learning and growth. As I reflect on the past 10 years of Flow Acupuncture, I've realized that the true essence of small business-owning lies in a few key themes:

Perseverance: Building Flow Acupuncture from the ground up required unwavering dedication and the ability to push through challenges. When I moved to Salt Lake City in March of 2015 I had only $419 in my bank account. I was young, (well, young-er..), brave, and naive to all the challenges that lay ahead of me.  But I had an absurd amount of passion for acupuncture and knew that the people of Salt Lake needed more access to this powerful medicine. There were of course setbacks and obstacles (not to mention a global pandemic!), but perseverance is what kept me going. When we first moved to the space on 900 south I worked 3 jobs without a single day off for 3 months straight. It was utterly exhausting, and looking back I don’t know how I survived, but I truly believed in my vision and refused to give up. Now when I look at the AMAZING team at Flow and our BEAUTIFUL space I actually weep tears of joy and gratitude that I never gave up. 

The first home of Flow Acupuncture (2015-2016) was sharing space with the wonderful Bea Hammond and Harmony Acupuncture.

Letting Go and Allowing Things Take Shape: You can have a plan, but sometimes things unfold in unexpected ways. Learning to let go of rigid expectations and allowing things to take their natural course is crucial. We actually opened a second office in Ogden, Utah in 2019 because I was certain that Davis county needed an acupuncturist and if we just found the right person they could take the helm of the clinic and flourish! Well, after a YEAR of searching for an acupuncturist (and Mallory and I making the drive up to Ogden multiple times per week!) I had to accept failure and close that location. Having that humility and flexibility allowed me to adapt and pivot rather than continue to force something that just wasn’t working. This allowed us to sign a lease on an even bigger space and focus all our efforts into ensuring our SLC clinic was the best it could be. I’m so glad I tried (so I have no regrets!) but I’m also glad I failed because again, the current iteration of Flow is an absolute dream come true.

Holding Space and Showing Up: Owning a business means encountering people from all walks of life, both patients and practitioners. It's about seeing the best in people and being there for them, especially when they're not at their best. This requires empathy, compassion, and a willingness to support others through their struggles.  If you have a team (or WISH to have a team!) allow them to show you their strengths and support those skills. Let go of ‘perfection’ and that’s when the magic happens. Allow people the space and room to surprise and delight you. This can also be said for the medicine (acupuncture) and healing in general - healing is not linear and bodies never respond in predictable patterns - but they are ALWAYS amazing. I am constantly amazed at both the power and magic of Chinese medicine and the beauty and grace of the humans around me. But it took many years of letting go of rigid thinking, perfectionism, and expectations to be able to actually SEE and WITNESS that beauty. 

Our second home (2016-2019) was two cozy rooms inside this house/office space on 900 South.

Flexibility: Change is the only constant in life and business. Being adaptable and open to change is essential for survival and success. I had to be willing to adjust my plans, embrace new ideas, and navigate the ever-evolving landscape of both Utah and the wellness industry. Over the last 10 years Salt Lake itself has gone through a MAJOR transformation, and the real estate and population are almost unrecognizable from 10 years ago. Some of that is wonderful (hello out-of-state newcomers that already love acupuncture!)l, and some of that is extremely challenging (like the price of rent within the city limits!) I’ve also had to navigate my own changing passions, interests, and priorities while also creating a business that authentically reflected those values. It has been no small feat to create a clinic with enough flexibility to endure but enough stability to build trust with patients and providers, and I know that despite some missteps along the way it has all gotten us to the amazing iteration of what Flow looks like today!

As with life, change is a constant. This simple truth underlies all of these lessons. I’m so incredibly grateful that Flow Acupuncture has been able to shift, pivot, and change over the last 10 years to meet the needs of the community. Throughout that time we have met, worked alongside, collaborated with, and helped heal THOUSANDS of incredible Utahns and I’m so proud of that. I feel so honored and privileged to have served the community for a decade and can’t deny the fact that all of these experiences have also changed ME. I have felt supported by both the community and my amazing Flow team to be an authentic and flawed human, to make mistakes, and to try and fail at numerous ideas over the last 10 years. I am deeply grateful to have had the opportunity to experience life and evolve in this way and to have Flow still standing and THRIVING after all this time.

Thank you, Salt Lake, for your support and your patronage. Thank you for trusting in Flow and believing in us and our medicine.

Cheers to 10 more! 

-Melissa

Some wonderful events and memories from 2015-2021, including our very FIRST event (bottom left). It's so amazing to see how far some of the folks in these photos have come, and how much has changed over all these years! I'm grateful to each and every one of these folks and many more for their contribution to our journey for the last 10 years! xoxo