Pharmacy and Business Collide. Or do they actually go hand-in-hand?

First I want to start by putting my interest in entrepreneurship marketing on the table. As a little kid, I always wanted to own a business. And to this day, I find it very intriguing and think it would be rewarding to both my career and life if I was able to succeed at selling a novel idea/service. Now that I am approaching the entrance to the real world, my thoughts of being my own boss seem more like “my style” of work. I want to combine this desire with my passion and background in pharmacy.

My experience to date:

· Eckerd Drug

· University of Pittsburgh Student Health Service Pharmacy

· VA Healthcare System of Pittsburgh

· Giant Eagle Corporate Internship in Pharmacy Information Services

· Walgreen’s

What I know about starting a business:

· Obtain a niche

· Attract customers- promotion, advertising, marketing??

· Reputation is key

· Be competitive

· Prime location

I won’t go into the exact vision I have for my pharmacy, but I think it is a damn good idea. However I am lacking in knowledge to assess a market/determine need and getting the word out there to attract customers. This is probably my main reason for beginning to take MBA classes, especially this class, even though I have no idea if we will cover my main concerns. I do know that I will at least gain fundamental business knowledge that will add to my repertoire of education and experience. Hoping that this class will help me to better understand marketing techniques and relate them to managing and running a successful business, I enrolled in it (as my pharmacy elective) really not knowing what to expect.