"The success you have is directly correlated to the work you put in."
Tim Aumueller Tweet
Tim Aumueller, an innovator in the healthcare industry, is highly regarded for his experience engaging patients in health improvement programs within some of the largest healthcare systems in the state including RWJ Barnabas Health, Hackensack Meridian UMC, and Atlantic Health System. After spending more than a decade in corporate leadership roles, Tim founded MedPro Wellness, a healthcare start-up that has nearly doubled in revenue each year since inception. He and his business partner, Clark Lagemann, both skilled in different health disciplines, realized the importance of pairing digital engagement with a care team, and together, turned an idea from the back of a napkin into a thriving business that would initiate health technology and programs for some of the most respected healthcare systems, providers, and plans in the nation.
Tim’s passion and expertise have made him a highly sought-after speaker at health and medical conferences across a variety of topics. He has served as lead facilitator, presenter, and workshop leader at various national conferences including the Medical Affairs Professional Society (MAPS) Global Conference, 30th Annual Art and Science of Health Promoting Conference, and Lifestyle Medicine (LM) 2020 on the topic of Nurturing a Culture of Value-Based Care through Innovative Engagement. The recipient of many accolades including the NJBIZ 40 Under 40 list, he was most recently selected to serve on the Board of Trustees for North Jersey Health Collaborative. A graduate of Messiah College, Tim received his MBA from Seton Hall University and a Lifestyle Medicine certification from Harvard Medical School.
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Table of Contents
Tell us a little bit about your current projects. What exciting milestone would you like to share with our readers? (Don’t hesitate to delve into your achievements, they will inspire the audience)
Tim Aumueller: At Avidon Health we’ve developed Engagement Rx, a platform that delivers behavior change content and digital coaching to help organizations improve engagement and adherence within their populations. What we’re most excited about is how Engagement Rx enables a fast and simple way to tailor solutions for our clients.
Recently we leveraged our platform to launch our new Microlearning Courses. We recognized that making lifestyle changes can be challenging. Not everyone has time for 30 to 40 minutes sessions, so instead, we released the Microlearning courses which are interactive experiences that users can take in five minutes. They are also easy to edit and translate, so course creators can modify them for their unique members or populations. Avidon Health has also recently ranked #117 on the Deloitte Fast 500 list of fastest-growing technology companies, an achievement that represents our success in helping solve a growing need for digital behavior change solutions.
Can you tell us a story about the hard times that you faced when you first started your journey? Did you ever consider giving up?
Tim Aumueller: Before starting Avidon Health, I had a really good job, but I saw the need in the marketplace for what we wanted to create. I’ve had an entrepreneurial spirit for my whole life and so I went from a stable job to make zero. When I decided to resign from that position I thought it was good timing because I was single and I didn’t have a family to support. But, of course, the day I decided to give my resignation is the day I met my future wife — which made for an interesting first date as a guy without a “real” job or income. I didn’t go into this independently wealthy which made it challenging, but luckily I had a wonderful support system so that I never had to consider quitting.
Without that support, it would not have been possible to be where we are today. There was not one time in this whole journey where I’ve ever said I’d want to do something else, but we all know life has a way of changing plans. If you can withstand the lows…and it can get very low…there are so many rewards to be had on the other side. That’s the great thing about starting your own company. The success you have is directly correlated to the work you put in.
What are the most common mistakes you see entrepreneurs make and what would you suggest they do?
Tim Aumueller: I can only speak for myself — I’ve made plenty of mistakes as an entrepreneur, but the common mistake I’ve seen is not approaching goals with a very clear, concise mission and plan. Another mistake I have seen is people romanticizing the idea of being an entrepreneur. A lot of times with entrepreneurs you only look up to the ones who are very successful.
Many who want to be entrepreneurs want to call their shots, start their own companies, and make a lot of money. But what people don’t realize is there is a lot involved or realize how difficult it is going to be. I think it’s a lot like being a parent because you don’t know what you’re getting into. Being an entrepreneur can be the most rewarding thing in the world, but it’s also the most challenging. And if you’re not prepared, you’re not going to be okay unless you are ready to put in the work.
Resilience is critical in critical times like the ones we are going through now. How would you define resilience?
Tim Aumueller: I define resilience as not the ability to resist or manage stress, but to build the tools within yourself to be able to cope with it. There are times when there are external factors that bring on extra stress in your life. Those things can be both positive and negative. I understand that I can influence the company’s direction, and knowing I have some sense of control in the success or failures is resilience. That allows me to cope with either tragedy or success or failure. A lot of times people think resilience is just for the negative. In my opinion, you need resilience towards the positive, which is an understanding that you need to be able to cope with an abundance of success and all that comes with it as well.
In your opinion, what makes your company stand out from the competition?
Tim Aumueller: First, we are a team whose mission is changing lives. When you have a group of people across the entire organization—from the tech team to CEOs, to health coaches, and the operations team—all knowing the mission of the company, it makes things easier to stand out and reach our goals.
The second thing is our product. We have human-driven services, like coaching and a care team, but it’s all fueled by our technology. We are not a pure tech company, we are a problem-solving, a coaching company that incorporates technology. Our platform is built on what we have learned from thousands of live coaching sessions and 20 years of the application of behavioral science through online learning. It gives us a huge advantage vs. those who have never sat in the seat across from a person struggling to improve their health.
What have you learned about personal branding that you wish you had known earlier in your career?
Tim Aumueller: I feel like myself and all of our senior leaders have a team-first, humble attitude. Yet, I also have learned with personal branding, there needs to be a level of confidence in us. We shouldn’t be ashamed about working our butts off to build this company into a multi-million dollar operation. That is an attribute of our hard work. And so, with personal branding, I think there’s an element of humility that needs to come through, but also you need to exude confidence to send the right message to those wondering if the company is healthy and thriving, especially potential clients and investors.
You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success?
Tim Aumueller: Resiliency, drive, and humility are three traits that speak to me the most. I feel like I have two personalities at times. I have this drive and this ambition that wants to take over the world, but I also have a part of me that genuinely wants to help people and get down on their level and understand who they are and how we can help them improve their life. There is a balance between drive and humility. I think a lot of times you can use both of them to your advantage. And I happen to have been blessed to find a situation where I don’t have to choose between one or the other. I can help people and also be driven.
What’s your favorite leadership style and why?
Tim Aumueller: My favorite leadership style looks a lot like coaching. It requires an ability to connect with team members and build trust, set very clear responsibilities for each person with achievable milestones, and then give them the space to go and achieve while making sure to steer them back on course if they begin to veer. I work well with people who do not need everything mapped out for them, but I give them all the support and resources they need to help them reach their goals on their own.
What would you say is the main difference between starting a business at the time you started yours and starting the business in today’s age?
Tim Aumueller: Avidon Health started as a bootstrapped startup. And because there was less competition, there was more mobility for a smaller company to take over some of the market shares. Now it’s a much more saturated, sophisticated market. I think that today would be more difficult for a bootstrapped startup to get traction in this industry.
I would also say one substantially different thing is just the level of sophistication in the client experience. The past 10 years have seen a lot of progress in health and wellness technology, driven substantially by the maturation of the smartphone market and the many benefits that come with it. Clients just expect more now as a baseline than they did when we were first starting. You can’t just be a subject expert, you also have to master the delivery and experience, which are tech-driven in pretty much every industry.
What’s your favorite “leadership” quote and how has it affected the way you implement your leadership style?
Tim Aumueller: Warren Bennis said, “Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.” This reflects my visionary leadership style. My goal is to articulate the direction of our company and the path to get there.
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Tim Aumueller for taking the time to do this interview and share his knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Tim Aumueller or his company, you can do it through his – Linkedin Page
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