She Did It Scared: How Ebony Tillery Turned Struggle into a 7-Figure Business

0:00Dr. Ebony Tillery:Close your eyes and think, why are you where you're at now and why do you want to go to where you want to go? Your journey. And just start. You just have to start. Do it scared. Do it afraid. You just have to start. I love that. Just start.

0:23Welcome back to the Build Pod where authenticity trumps authority. For those of you tuning in for the first time, my name is Mara Dorn and I am here today with a very, very studious, beautiful doctor, Miss Ebony Tillery. So welcome to the BILF pod.

0:42Dr. Ebony Tillery:Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for having me. Yes, I'm so excited that you are here and I'm so excited to get in and just dig really deep. But first I have to ask you because I ask every guest that comes on. Do you know what BILF stands for? Yes. Tell me. boss I'll love to follow yes yes some people I mean they've said some crazy things really you can only imagine you can't but before we get started in dig deep I just want to give you your flowers and your accolades because you deserve it first of all you are a very strong mom I think the mom thing is huge you are an entrepreneur right you run your own practice your own practice your own workshops masterminds I mean you really just do it all a seven figure earner which is something again get your flowers that's amazing and um you have i know you're covering it but you have something sparkly right there so about to be married show that show yes look at that look at you oh my i'm that's so exciting so another new chapter in your life yes how are you feeling amazing yeah nervous no not really you look good you look well composed you look like you're doing good you ready to dig deep yes and dive deep because you have a lot that you can give yes let's start first by acknowledging like I said that you're a mom and let's talk you know people I had this conversation this morning people ask me all the time like how do you balance being a mom in an entrepreneur how are you how do you do that time management and yeah and just since my son was a baby so I was married to his dad it didn't work out we got divorced I left when he was two so that transition was kind of hard for the both of us.

2:24Dr. Ebony Tillery:So, and he's the only child. So he kind of grew up doing things independently. So he's a very independent boy. Yeah. So I don't have to do as much for him. I'm still there with him, but he knows, okay, well, mommy has a meeting. Um, let me be quiet. Yeah. Let me not come in mommy's office. So we're kind of built that, like when mommy's working, no, no, no. He knows. Yeah. He knows. So yeah, it's funny. Cause it goes back to, I don't think that that's a real thing. work-life balance. I don't, I think that there is, there is sacrifice, but I don't know that balance is like a real, that's not a real definition because I don't know about you, but like for me, I feel like when my personal life is doing really, really well, I'm like trying to juggle over here on the, on the business side and then the kids side, like not everything is flowing at the same time.

3:13So I think it comes in matter of priority. So like you were saying, You know, my kids do, is there real balance in my life? I mean, prioritize them for sure. But like balance as far as like on a scale of 50-50, like I'm spending 50 % here, 50 % here. I would say that's not realistic.

3:31Dr. Ebony Tillery:No, no. You have to prioritize and do what needs to be done now. If something can wait, I let it wait. Yeah. Do it next day or so. Yeah, for sure. If it can wait. Yeah. Yeah. So before, because this is really important, you are a seven-figure earner, which is amazing. So let's talk about your story before. I know you're from New York, born and raised there, two parent, you know, came from a very nice home, two parents, and you kind of took a different direction. Yes. So born and raised in Brooklyn. I actually left Brooklyn at 18, like a few days after I graduated, I was out of there. So I decided to leave my son's dad and I purchased my first home in 2020 throughout this whole divorce stuff and at that point I'm like I'm a single mom what am I gonna do how am I figure this out I don't have as much family support so I had to figure it out so 2020 and 2021 I had to travel so I did the travel nursing thing and I had to leave my son with my mom he was two two years old wow so I missed so much milestones yeah potty training, certain words.

4:39Dr. Ebony Tillery:Even when I was out of town working and I would call him on his iPad, he would turn it to the wall because he was upset that mommy wasn't there every day. So that really broke me, but I had to do what I had to do in that situation. Yeah. You know, it's funny that you talk about that because a lot of myself, what I ended up having to do because I have offices everywhere in the US, I had to travel as well. Same thing. and I got a lot of mom shaming. There was constant mom shaming and people having their own opinions, family, friends. I love, I always call it the unsolicited advice that I didn't ask for that for whatever.

5:15People just love to give me unsolicited advice. So, you know, the mom shaming became, I mean, pretty, I would say at like most family dinners, people would talk about it constantly. Friends, oh, how do you leave your son? How do you leave your daughter? And very simply put, I mean, I wanted a better life. And I think we want more for our kids than what we have for ourselves. So while that mom shame, maybe it makes them feel good, but honestly, there came a point where I was just like, I'm over the mom shame. I don't feel bad. I don't feel bad when my kids can travel. I don't feel bad that my kids have nice things, have great experiences.

5:49Yeah, is it sad that we're not there as mom? Absolutely. Did I miss milestones? For sure. But would I change anything? I probably wouldn't. No. Exactly. No. So what would you say to people that were mom shaming you?

6:02Dr. Ebony Tillery:I would say well that's your opinion And this is what I'm going to do This is how I'm feeding my son and myself Are you going to help watch him Are you going to help feed him This is just what I have to do unfortunately And when I get to the point where I'm an entrepreneur And I can work from home And be with him 24-7 That's going to happen Because whatever I say with my mouth It happens If I put my mind to something It's going to happen I say the same thing Same exact thing I'm like if I want to walk on water I will walk on water, right? Being impeccable to your word. So what would you say to a woman maybe that's kind of on the fence right now trying to decide, you know, should I leave my kids?

6:40Should I travel? Like, what would you tell that woman? But it's a good, but it's a great opportunity for them.

6:45Dr. Ebony Tillery:What would you tell? I would say just start, just do it. And don't think about what the people say because they're going to talk regardless. I had to learn that. I used to be a people pleaser. I used to show up for this person, that person, show up here, and there and then I would drive myself crazy yeah run myself down when I'm just I'm gonna focus on me do what makes you happy yeah I agreed well said I love that that's the same thing and would you say that your son is your biggest inspiration yes he is he is just seeing him happy when I have birthday parties or we take trips or he's on an airplane it just it just melts my heart that I'm able to provide this life for him yeah and for him to see that you can do whatever you want it doesn't matter if you want to be an artist you can be the biggest artist yeah like yeah what an inspiration you are I mean and mommy's doing it that's like that's my biggest motivator too or my children I have a daughter I have a 17 and a half year old daughter and she is by far the biggest motivation ever because of society right now and I was talking to you before you know as women we think that in a society that is westernized that we've come so far and in reality we're not that far along you know and then you add race and religion and everybody's noise or opinions so as a society in general you know it's it really is disheartening how narrow-minded some people are but in the same regard you know you should be so proud of yourself and where you're at and that you are you know a very dominating i'm assuming alpha alpha female right alpha female and you know you're just going after it in life and that that and yourself i mean that deserves a round of applause for you so doing that so now okay so now you have this you have all of these you know because there's always you we always have to talk about the the fallback that that's so important we have to talk about the setback because now is the comeback yes so now you're you're there you have a nursing degree and you decide you're going to be an entrepreneur you leave you leave the bedside right and you decide now i'm going to open up your practice yes so let's talk a little bit about that and what you're doing it's a what we call a nurse a nurse a picture so tell me how you say it yeah nurse entrepreneur nurse entrepreneur okay yes so let's talk about that yes so in 2020 after traveling i was working 12 hour shifts six days a week my day off was wednesday wednesday yes just a random one just a random wednesday and that completely burnt me out not only you know not being able to see my son every day just working 12 plus hours during COVID.

9:20Dr. Ebony Tillery:It was tiring. So once I stopped, I was like, look, Ebony, you work, you make good money. Now you're burnt out. What are you going to do? I'm like, okay, I know I'm not stepping foot in the hospital again. I can't do it. I'm completely burnt out. So I sat down and I'm like, okay, you need to do something. And I'm like, you know, being an entrepreneur, it's kind of scary, especially for nurses, nurse practitioners, because we're so used to okay I want to take a trip I'm going to pick up an extra shift right I want to go buy a purse we're going to pick an extra shift that's like our mentality and we're used to getting a check being an entrepreneur you don't know if you're gonna get that check or not it's unpredictable yeah so it's very scary so I have a lot of nurse practitioners who are mentoring coach and I'm like you just have to start just start don't be scared because if you don't start six months is going to go by and you're going to be like well shoulda coulda woulda yeah you just have to start can we talk about that for one second the the i would say the i don't want to call it salary well i guess that would be salary verse commission people ask me all the time they're like mara why how could how did you do it doing commission and i say the same thing you know here's the deal if you're betting on yourself every single time you're going to win salary is safe it's safe right but i think that's something that people have a mentality it's instilled in them that we have to do salary because it's so safe right but when you become an entrepreneur the full bet is on yourself but you have full control on what you're making yes and that's what people don't see yes right is that as a come as somebody that's commissioned or somebody that's an entrepreneur you dictate all of it and people this is the craziest thing people work 60 hours for somebody else right because you were doing that, but will not work 60 hours for themselves.

11:05Yes.

11:06Dr. Ebony Tillery:This is what I tell my nurse practitioners in my program. I'm like, we have the skills, you have the degrees, you do not need to get another certification. You're already seeing patients for this clinic that you don't own. You're working for somebody else. Yeah. Why not build something that's yours? And you're working your 40, 50 hours in your practice and there's no cap in your income. Yes. You want to see 100 of patients in that month, you can. You want to see 50, you can. There's no cap. If you're working for somebody, there's going to be a cap. Absolutely. And it's going to be, you're going to split it, or you know, they're taking some off the top.

11:41But when you go into business for yourself, you have complete control. And I think a lot of people don't really understand that because they're scared. They've been wired to believe, you know, I'm going to stick to salary, it's safe. But in reality, if you take that full plunge and you go 100 % all in, then you can control what you're making and bringing in 100%. So now you go, okay, so now you decide you're taking this big step. You're going to be this entrepreneur and you open up your own practice. So let's talk about the practice that you did. So it's after COVID or during COVID.

12:12Dr. Ebony Tillery:Yeah, during COVID. And I'm like, okay, I need to do something different. And I initially had a contract. So I was an independent contractor for one big telemedicine company and I was seeing their patients and I'm like oh this is this is something you know I can do so I research research and I decided to open up my uh clinic originally it was like a woman's health urgent care type clinic because as a nurse practitioner I worked in woman's health initially and I'm like you know even though I'm family certified this is my niche I love woman's health so that's where my practice started but fast forward about 2022 the whole Ozempic boom came gotta love Ozempic I love GLPs I do too I'm not even ashamed.

13:00Dr. Ebony Tillery:I like the GLPs. You can stick me, prick me. Don't care. So that boom came and my current patients, they were like, well, hey, do you prescribe that? I'm like, no, but I can. So, you know, I did the research and I had got another contract that was actually prescribing the GLP ones. And I'm like, okay, well, I can do this in, you know, in my practice. So I looked up the protocols, treatment protocols, and I started providing that service in my practice. And that just skyrocketed because everybody loves to feel good, look good, and it works. And it's not only just about losing weight. People have stopped their blood pressure medications.

13:40Dr. Ebony Tillery:They've stopped taking their cholesterol medications. They feel good and look good. Yeah, I did it. So I'm all for it. I did it. I started it, and then I went back a year later, did my blood work, and my blood work was much better. despite like all the everything that people are saying. I mean, everything was a lot better. Yes. All of it. So now you do. So now you have the weight management side. Yes. OK. And now I know you also part of your practices. You are teaching other nurses how to become entrepreneurial instead of falling victim to contracts or hospitals. And you teach them from start to finish.

14:13So they join your program.

14:14Dr. Ebony Tillery:Yes. So they join my program and they can come in two paths. So me personally, I still do the 1099 contracts with the bigger telemedicine companies. And then I have my virtual practice. So there are a lot of things going on. So you've got the weight. Let's talk about it. So you've got the weight loss management system, GLPs, which we can talk about after. So you can hook your girl up. Then you also have on top of that the telemedicine. So where you consult also. Yes. And now you also have on the third thing you're doing is any nurse that comes in and wants to start their own deal. You show them how to do it.

14:46Dr. Ebony Tillery:Yes. Yes. So the mentoring, coaching piece. So they'll come in and if they want to just only do contracts to get used to seeing patients virtually, because all of my MPs work from home. They don't see any patients in person. I haven't seen a patient in person since 2021. Nice. So I teach them how to get the contract. So how to get licensed. I'm licensed in 25 states. I had one nurse practitioner. She came to me with five. She now has 30 plus states. Nice. Licensed. So if she wants to travel. So somebody that would be like per diem. Is that that's yeah. So if she wants to travel and then if she want to work from home, she can see patients in 30.

15:21Dr. Ebony Tillery:That's right. 30 states. Yeah. Phone. That's right. That's why you need to be it. Because I was like, well, I was trying to. But never mind. You answered it. So you would have differences. So you can now be contracted in however many. Yes. Yeah. So what is that? Is that new licensing or you just pay to get into the new licenses? So you'll just apply for that state's board of nursing and get your nurse practitioner license in that state. So you'll be able to practice and see patients in that state virtually. So more opportunity at bat. So now you're really opening up, so now you don't just have to do it in Florida, like whatever, let's just say it's saturated here.

15:52You can now do it in Virginia, Washington, wherever, which is amazing because it gives people opportunity. And then like what I say to my salespeople is when you can't do it after 8 o 'clock here,

16:02Dr. Ebony Tillery:guess what, you still have the West Coast. Yes, and I have a license in Washington, so they're like, what, three hours behind? There you go. So, yes, you just open more doors for yourself and you increase access to care to individuals. Like my patients now, they love the virtual consultations. They don't have to go to the doctor. I'm in my office. They're in their living room getting care. So they love it. It's just convenient for myself and the patients. So if they don't want to now, what if they want to do something like on their own, their own practice type of thing? Can they do that as well?

16:33Dr. Ebony Tillery:Yes. So I teach that as well. So they will come in from A to Z. So from LLC formation, I help them with all the way to helping them market their practice. So with the practice startup, you'll get your LLC. There's certain systems that you have to have in the background to get it started. I help them build out their package. So if they want to provide weight loss services, I help them price accordingly. Price so your business is profitable. You really do everything from start to finish. So you can really be green right out of nursing school. Someone comes to you, says, I want to do my own thing.

17:07And then you take them from getting like licensed, the LLC, right, to I'm sure website, getting that going on, right, then registering with the states. I mean, you're really doing everything. That's incredible. Yes. How many nurses do you currently have in your program? Over 130. Wow. And you man it all yourself. Yes. That's incredible. How many nurses, I wonder if you know this, how many have you made a six-figure income or more, turned into six-figure earners or more?

17:37Dr. Ebony Tillery:about over 20 so far I like went in on this program really hard this July and my MPs are getting results I love that how do you feel when you make a difference I feel like a proud mama I do when I get text messages oh I got this contract oh my paycheck was 15k oh I have 30 licenses like I really feel proud like what I'm doing it works and I tell them if I can do it you can do it as well. Yeah. I mean, I really, it's such a great, what you're doing is amazing. You are changing lives left and right and giving people, cause I'm sure men can, there's men nurses. Yeah. Yeah. So men and women can go through your, your program and they have the opportunity to be their own entrepreneurial nurse, which you never, you know, it's funny.

18:23You never really think about an entrepreneurial nurse. No, you don't. Right. Cause I always think of like, they're part of a practice or a hospital. I never really think that they can be on their own. I've never even thought about that. I know about the per diem, but the per diem you're contracted.

18:35Dr. Ebony Tillery:Right, right. Yep. But you could be on your own. Certain states are full practice, so we don't need a physician oversight. We don't need a collaborative physician to practice in certain states. And a lot of nurse practitioners, they don't know that. Maybe I'll become like a mobile nurse, like a mobile nurse that administers GLP. That's a good one, right? I'll just come to your office and just stick you with GLP. I'm giving ideas here, right? You could be the weight loss, the weight loss on wheels. Right, right. Oh, I'm doing good here. Amidst all my great ideas, I do have some questions, some more for you.

19:10You know, as women, because I talked about it a little bit, as women, we already face challenges, right? And you are a beautiful black woman. So I want to talk and let's not like, let's not sugarcoat it. People are still prejudiced. They are. And you're gorgeous and you were young when you started this. What was that like? Was there a lot of adversity coming in? Were people still like, you know how people are. They're just so narrow-minded.

19:35Dr. Ebony Tillery:Yes, definitely. Definitely because I'm young, black. They're like, oh, you're a doctor. You're a doctor. How old are you? You don't even look old enough to have finished school. I'm like, but I am, and I'm here to treat you. You shouldn't look at my color or my age. I'm here to treat you. Like even when I used to work on the floor, right, I had a patient. She was of a different race. And she flat out said she don't want a black nurse. I'm like, well, we're here to take care of you. Like you're in respiratory distress. You need us. You didn't want a black nurse. The doctor was black. The respiratory therapist was black.

20:14Dr. Ebony Tillery:It was nowhere around it. Did she say, no, I don't want to? No, we had to take care of her. And we brought her back to life, CPR, and sent her to the ICU. Did she ever apologize? No, never. It's so crazy. Again, like you think that we've come so far in society, you know, between gender and race, and we really have not at all. At all. It blows my mind how people are so narrow-minded and so bigoted and filled with hate in this world. It's crazy. It's really sad. Yeah. It's really sad because I see no color. I trained my son. People are people. They're human beings. And they can have opinions and say what they want.

20:56Dr. Ebony Tillery:I'm not going to treat them any different. At the end of the day, we all bleed red. That's what it is. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter your race, religion, ethnicity, creed. It doesn't matter. It really doesn't matter. But I can imagine being in a field where you are faced with different ethnicities and genders. What about males?

21:17Dr. Ebony Tillery:How Nine times out of ten. They probably love you. They probably love. That's like a ridiculous. Now that I said it out loud, it's probably ridiculous. Because they're probably like, oh, yeah, nurse, come over. You can be, you know, you're probably every man's greatest. Yes, on the floor is a lot of hanky-panky between the male and female nurses. I'm sure. Yes. That's every industry, girl. That's every industry. I already told you I love GLPs. Love them. I swear by them. I'm not even embarrassed about them. But let's talk about something called, we're going to play a little game called Fact or Fluff.

21:49Are you ready? Yes. All right. So, all right. So, fact or fluff. Keto is the fastest way to lose fat safely.

21:58Dr. Ebony Tillery:Fluff. Why? Keto. So, with the whole weight loss thing, you want to continue to do what you're doing to lose the weight. Keto, you're completely basically cutting out carbs. Yeah. So, the minute you start back eating carbs, you're going to blow back up. You blow up. Yes. All right. Fluff on that. All right. Intermittent fasting works for everyone? I wouldn't say not for everyone. I do intermittent fasting. I do, too. I typically won't eat until after 12, and it's worked for me. Yeah. Just if it works for you, it's going to work. If it's not going to work for you, it's not going to work for you.

22:31Yeah, and everybody's body composure is different. I know for myself, the carb thing, I just can't intake carbs. That's just, I can't. If I eat too many carbs, it's not going to be good. Cutting out all carbs is the key to long-term weight loss. no it is not fluff yeah i mean you could have you could definitely have a little bit of carbs

22:52Dr. Ebony Tillery:but the right carbs right yeah right carbs brown rice like brown pasta and just portion control yeah complex carbs yeah i say i tell that to my kids all the time portion detox teas actually help burn fat no help you go to the bathroom so that's fluff um you can out exercise a bad diet it um with just losing weight you want to burn more calories than you're taking in so i would say a fact yeah if you're burning more than you're taking in okay um prescription weight loss meds are a shortcut not a solution no nope it's not a shortcut it's a solution to everything obesity is a comorbidity obesity is a disease okay skipping breakfast slows down your metabolism No.

23:40So that's a fluff. All right. Plant-based diets are better for weight loss than meat-based diets. Fact or fluff?