The founder of a specialist breast health centre for women shares her start-up success secrets.
It’s estimated that one in about 30 women in South Africa is diagnosed with breast cancer, the second most common form of the disease in South Africa. If detected early enough, however, the survival rate is more than 95%.
That’s where people like entrepreneur Annemie Apffelstaedt come in. In 2002, she and her husband, breast surgeon Justus Apffelstaedt, opened Prof Justus Apffelstaedt and Associates, a breast health centre that offers women imaging and clinical care under one roof, in a female friendly and caring environment.
It was the first of its kind in the country and on the continent. More than 5 000 patients visit the centre every year. In 2007, Annemie was nominated as a Positive Newsmaker of the Year by the Top Women Awards, which recognise South Africa’s most influential and inspiring women.
“We felt that breast health care in South Africa could be improved,” she says. “It has been shown that women obtain the best care in dedicated breast health centres where imaging and clinical services are combined and the management of both benign breast conditions and breast cancer are offered.
The centre offers mammography and other breast imaging procedures, as well as the services of breast surgeons, oncologists and reconstructive surgeons. That means a patient diagnosed with cancer has immediate access to a team of experts and can consult with all of them at once. It’s a far more informative process and one which improves the outcome by ensuring the patient gets the best treatment.
Apffelstaedt took up the position of practice manager from the start, a role she was more than ready for, thanks to her degrees in business and languages, and her extensive work experience in finance and accounting.
The Apffelstaedts were so determined to make a success of the venture that they both completed an MBA through Bond University before launching the business. “We decided to prepare by doing an MBA with a focus on entrepreneurship and new ventures. We did it together in 19 months to minimise the pain, and we graduated in 2000.
That original business plan was then implemented. They sourced the right property in the right location for their service offering, based on extensive research. To finance the centre, they sold their house, withdrew their pension funds and obtained loan funding from the bank for the property and the equipment required. To secure that initial finance, they had to prepare a compelling presentation, another area in which the MBA served them well.
At this early stage, they kept on revisiting the contents of the business plan to ensure that their start-up remained on track. They were also very selective about hiring the right women for the job. Today they have a team of 14.
Apffelstaedt emphasises the importance of standards in this type of business. “We have worked non-stop to ensure a world-class service by focusing on breast health matters and education in mammography interpretation, as well as ongoing training in the management of all breast health matters.
When the centre was first launched, advertising in women’s and health magazines was key. “You have to make yourself well known when you start a company and a medical practice is no different from any other type of business. We worked out a dedicated marketing campaign and used the services of a design company.
In addition to advertising and marketing, the centre developed relationships with referring doctors. Apffelstaedt soon proved to them that she and her team had set the benchmark for breast health excellence.
In starting up the breast care centre, Annemie Apffelstaedt understood that accurate and thorough information is the foundation of all successful business ventures. “Extensive market research provides a wealth of information about prospective and existing customers, the competition, and the industry in general.
It allows business owners to determine the feasibility of a business before committing substantial resources to the venture.” In setting up a highly specialised business like a breast health centre, it was imperative to conduct research into the characteristics, spending habits, location and needs of the target market – healthy women aged 40-plus who understand the importance of maintaining breast health, are willing to use the service regularly, and are able to pay the cost.
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