Client Name: Michael Hurley & Tricia (Satya) Hurley
Business Name: Cup of Life Healing Center
Business Website: https://cupoflifehealingcenter.com/
Industry: Health
Location: Keene, NH
SBDC Advisor's Name: Vardhan Bajpai
“The whole thing is just filled with unexpected challenges,” says Michael Hurley who owns Cup of Life Healing Center along with his wife, Tricia (Satya) Hurley. Neither of them grew up around business, so the entire journey of owning and operating a business has been a learning experience for the couple, married since 1998. But, for this pair, who went from working the corporate grind to practicing holistic medicine, learning new ways of doing things is not something they shy away from.
Prior to practicing holistic healing, Michael, who’s always had an interest in health and fitness, was working sixty-hour weeks as a software engineer for an international company, often with virtual overseas meetings during the overnight. “It wasn’t a sustainable, healthy way to live,” shares Michael.
Satya too was in the thick of a corporate career, working as a software quality assurance engineer. But, a few years after their daughter was born, she was burned out. She requested a leave of absence and when somebody asked her what she would do with her time, she responded, “I don’t know. I just want to do yoga and meditate a lot.” Satya comments, “I had no idea what that meant, but that one sentence changed the course of both our lives.”
So, Michael and Satya left their corporate careers behind for acupuncture school, yoga training, reiki training and more. Satya reflects, “We took this huge leap of faith with where we wanted go with our life.”
Michael and Satya have now been practicing holistic healing since 2009 and opened Cup of Life Healing Center in 2014 in Keene, NH. Cup of Life Healing Center provides patient-centered, holistic healthcare. They focus on three main areas: Women's Health and Natural Fertility Enhancement (including IVF and IUI support), Chronic Health Conditions, and Energy Healing for Mood.
Michael and Satya’s greatest passion, Women’s Health and Fertility, is fueled by their infertility journey. Their only child, who is now almost 17, is an IVF baby, and they discovered acupuncture and holistic health several years after she was born. “We’ve learned so many things over the years that we wish someone had told us,” say Michael and Satya. “We want all women to know that there are alternatives and hope in every stage of reproductive health. Our hearts soar every time we see someone overcome debilitating menstrual cycles or conceive when they were told it might be impossible.”
Today, Michael and Satya feel more confident than ever about getting this message out because of their work with their NH SBDC advisor Vardhan Bajpai and the excellent programs SBDC helped connect them with.
After years of running their business and trying to wear all the hats, Michael and Satya reached out for help from NH SBDC.
“We can’t say enough good things about Vardhan,” they say.” Michael and Satya used to think they were alone in figuring out every hat a small business owner must wear, but now they feel comfortable asking Vardhan for advice in every business area. They add,
“No matter what aspect we talk with him about, he has a highly effective way of helping us break down and prioritize our next steps. Additionally, he always knows precisely which additional resources to connect us with--such as co-advisors with specific expertise and other SBDC programs or grants.”
A couple of those programs include Voice Z and FAME.
Voice Z Digital is University of New Hampshire’s first student-run digital marketing agency. Voice Z gives students the opportunity to gain real-world marketing experience by working hand in hand with clients to create impactful and innovative digital marketing campaigns.
Michael had been considering hiring a digital marketing agency but knew it would come at a healthy expense. So, when Vardhan suggested Voice Z, Michael thought, “it’s kind of a hip thing to do now…to get college kids to do the stuff.”
Over the last couple of years, NH SBDC has covered Voice Z’s costs for a number of SBDC clients to participate in their program. Michael and Satya were able to work with Voice Z, which conducted a digital presence audit on Cup of Life’s website. The audit provided helpful data including how well the website is performing, where it’s lacking, how it ranks on Google, the strength of its Google My Business profile and more. Through the audit, Voice Z provided Michael and Satya with several recommendations and offered them further assistance including help with SEO (Search Engine Optimization), Photography / Videography, and a plan and shoot for a 60-90 second promotional video about the practice.
Michael wasn’t sure what to expect, but Voice Z impressed him with their techniques and ability to make him and Satya feel comfortable and open up. “It was a lot of experience that I wasn’t’ expecting them to have,” says Michael.
Additionally, Voice Z students partner with alumni and other industry experts, so they get to use industry standard tools. What’s more, all fees paid go toward the purchase of materials, software, and whatever else the students need.
“We just love that it’s kind of this holistic community,” adds Satya. “We’re still in process with them, but so far it’s really been an amazing experience.”
Vardhan was a great help through the process as well, talking through the recommendations with Michael and Satya, helping them navigate the options so they could make informed decisions.
Michael and Satya are also participating in SBDC’s FAME (Financial Accelerator Marketing Expeditor) program, which connects SBDC clients with financial and marketing consultant partners for up to five hours at no cost to the client.
Currently, they are in the middle of their five hours working with their FAME consultant on getting more visibility on social media. They are now more active on their Facebook page, the consultant has created an Instagram page for them and their “homework” is to create a LinkedIn page.
Today, Michael and Satya are confident in the future of Cup of Life Healing Center, stating, “the resources SBDC provides are propelling us to be the number one choice for holistic women’s health and fertility in the Monadnock region.” As they grow, they are looking forward to soon hiring a receptionist and opening a second location. Michael and Satya concluded, “We feel as if we can do just about anything with the fantastic support of SBDC advising.”