Pleasantville Business Spotlight: Working with Clients on Nutrition, Lifestyle, Health Issues

Every local business has a story worth sharing with the community. The plan behind this series at Patch is to shine the spotlight on all our favorite local businesses, and to learn a little about the ones we may not know that well.

This is as much about supporting local businesses as it is about celebrating the places and faces that make our community special. Click here to get to a simple form where local business owners can answer a few quick questions to be part of this ongoing feature.

Our spotlight today is on Abigail Egginton.

Business: Westchester Center for Natural Health
Owners: Abigail Egginton
Website: www.westchesternaturalhealth.com
Address: 426 Bedford Rd Pleasantville, NY 10570

How did you come up with the name?
When WCNH started, there were not many natural health practitioners in Westchester. There more now which is great, but many people still don’t know what a naturopathic doctor is and it’s our job to help educate the community!

Why choose that location? Why start a business in this town?
Pleasantville is a great town! I grew up in Chappaqua and wanted to return to this area to help teach people about the benefits of naturopathic medicine!

Briefly, what business are you in?
natural health care - naturopathic medicine

What’s the most difficult moment or challenge you’ve faced as a business owner?
Getting the word out about what I do. While I’ve done lots of community talks and networking, I think a lot of people don’t realize how a ND can help them! Some people express concern that they can’t come to a ND if they are taking medications which is definitely not the case! Naturopaths are trained like primary care doctors but can help people with nutrition, lifestyle and supplement recommendations.

Were there any challenges that made you second guess your decision to be an entrepreneur?
My favorite part about being an ND is seeing and working with patients. Trying to undstand the accounting and billing side of things initially scared me but it’s been a good challenge!

What’s been your favorite moment or proudest achievement since opening?
Developing a referral network among practitioners in the area. Helping patients to find the best care while also supporting other practitioners in the area is ideal.

What’s the most innovative idea your employees or customers have had that you put into practice?
I’m doing more tele-health appointments now which clients find to be convenient and personal.

How do you deal with difficult customers?
I always try to listen to customer’s concerns, complaints, and frustrations to understand the feedback they are giving which can inform future changes in how we operate.

How does your business give back or get involved in the community?
While my business is new and is just getting off the ground, I have been active in the community in effort to get to know some of the organizations around me. I’ve been volunteering with Jacob Burns’ school programs and have previously worked at Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture. Both are amazing organizations which inspire me to do meaningful work and provide valuable education to community members.