Q+A with Doctors Arielle Levitan and Romy Block
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Arielle Levitan, MD, is a board-certified internal medicine physician and the co-founder of Vous Vitamin, LLC. She is the co-author of the award-winning book The Vitamin Solution: Two Doctors Clear Confusion About Vitamins and Your Health, published in November 2015. She attended Stanford University and Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine and has served as chief medical resident for the Northwestern University McGaw Medical Center’s Evanston Hospital Program and as a clinical instructor for its medical school. Dr. Levitan has a special interest in women’s health and preventive medicine and currently practices general internal medicine on the North Shore of Chicago where she teaches medical students on-site. She enjoys cooking, cardio tennis, running, being a soccer mom (sometimes), and spending time with her three kids and husband, also a doctor of internal medicine.
Romy Block, MD, is a board-certified specialist in endocrine and metabolism medicine, a member of the American Thyroid Association, and the co-founder of Vous Vitamin, LLC. She is the co-author of the award-winning book The Vitamin Solution: Two Doctors Clear Confusion About Vitamins and Your Health, published in November 2015. She attended Tufts University and Tel Aviv University’s Sackler School of Medicine. She completed residency training in internal medicine at North Shore University Hospital—North Shore-LIJ and did a fellowship at New York University. Dr. Block practices on the North Shore of Chicago where she specializes in thyroid disorders and pituitary diseases. She enjoys travel, food, and wine, working out with a personal trainer, and spending time with her husband (a pulmonary and sleep specialist) and their three boys.
Can you tell our readers about your background?
We are both physicians who became friends. Arielle is a doctor of Internal Medicine and Romy who specializes in Endocrinology and Metabolism.
What inspired you to start your business?
We would talk about common issues that come up with our patients and realized that so many patients were coming to us confused about what vitamins to take. Patients would come in thinking they had medical issues such as a thyroid condition and would end up having vitamin deficiencies that were causing their problems. Many people were so confused about vitamins and hearing conflicting messages from friends or the media that they were not taking anything. Conversely, others were taking huge amounts of different supplements which were potentially dangerous and toxic in combination. As physicians, we recognize that each person has unique vitamin needs based on their individual diet, lifestyle, and health concerns. This ultimately prompted us to launch Vous Vitamin. At the end, they get a personalized multivitamin that can be shipped directly to them as a subscription.
Where is your business based?
We are a web-based business, based in the Chicago suburbs.
How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?
We initially looked for someone with more business background to help us, but ultimately recognized that we were so passionate about the idea that we could make it work on our own. We started by embarking on serious research, both medically about vitamins and supplements and then about the vitamin industry and learning about manufacturing.
What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?
We have found that as physicians many people have questions about vitamins and health and are eager to hear our opinion. We wrote The Vitamin Solution: Two Doctors Clear the Confusion about Vitamins and your Health in 2015. We also blog extensively and are often interviewed as leading experts in the health and wellness space.
What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?
Our biggest challenges have been balancing clinical practice with our growing business. However, we find the two are intertwined, and continuing to see patients helps keep us in touch with our consumers and their changing needs. We have learned over the years to get help with aspects of the business that we can. We now have partner and COO, Brad Helfand as well as a Director of Customer Service and Fulfillment, Robin Prebish. Their partnership and dedication have been essential to allowing us to continue to do the things that are most suited to our expertise.
How do you stay focused?
We have been dedicated to making Vous Vitamin succeed from day one. We both have made an effort to prioritize the growth of our business and to partner in sharing the responsibilities.
How do you differentiate your business from the competition?
Unlike other emerging personalized vitamin companies, we are the only physician lead company and the only company that creates a personalized single pill solution. Instead of giving customers packets of handfuls of pills, we create a single pill to be taken (two daily) that fulfills each individual’s vitamin needs.
What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?
Speaking about vitamins and health through various media outlets, our blog, and our book has been an amazing way to grow our business. We have also had some great strategic partnerships with other companies, including large health care companies and employers.
What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?
We would say not to be discouraged if you don't have a formal business background. We learn every day how to do things and we have learned to ask the right people for help when we need it.
What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?
Blog and book-- Initially got a lot of inspiration from Seth Godin and Tim Ferris.
What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?
We find the HARO media service very helpful. It stands for "Help A Reporter Out" and is a list of queries sent daily with hundreds of reporters looking for experts on various subjects.
Who is your business role model? Why?
Our friend Gina Bianchini was very inspirational to us in launching our business. Her dedication and drive to create something from the ground up have been inspiring and she has also been very encouraging.
How do you balance work and life?
It is a perpetual challenge, especially in a pandemic. We are fortunate to have both have physician husbands who are supportive of our many roles.
What’s your favorite way to decompress?
Arielle loves to play tennis and run, as well as cook. Romy loves using her Peleton and spending time with friends playing mahjong and canasta.
What do you have planned for the next six months?
We are excited about some upcoming partnerships for Vous Vitamin. We will be expanding our employee perk program where companies can offer Vous Vitamin at a discounted rate to their employees.
How can our readers connect with you?
Instagram: vousvitamin
Facebook: Vous Vitamin
