I like to meditate every day because it really helps me be very focused and deliberate about what I spend my day doing. My time is accounted for and none of it’s wasted. It helps me have a nice work life balance — work hard, play hard.
Dr. Edward F. Group III founded Global Healing Center in 1998 and currently serves as Chief Executive Officer. At the forefront of the research and development team, Dr. Group assumes a hands-on approach to producing new and advanced degenerative disease products and information.
Dr. Group has studied natural healing methods for over 20 years and, though he no longer sees patients individually, now focuses on spreading the word of health and wellness to the global community. Under his leadership, Global Healing Center, Inc. has earned recognition as one of the largest alternative, natural, and organic health resources on the Internet.
Where did the idea for the Global Healing Center come from?
I firmly believe that a doctor should be one who teaches, not one who prescribes. Global Healing Center is rooted in my personal mission to teach the importance of body detoxification. I’ve seen it time and time again — internal purification is a crucial component to achieving maximum health. Cleansing your body on a regular basis and eliminating toxins from your life makes it easier for your body to heal itself, stay healthy, and be more strong and resilient than you ever thought. There’s an old saying — garbage in, garbage out. Nowhere is it truer than with what we put into our bodies.
What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?
I get up around 4-5am and spend at least an hour in meditation to clear my mind and mentally organize my tasks for the day. After that, I go to the gym or exercise for about an hour and then I get to work around 9 am. One of the first things I do is meet with the executive team and go over the high priority items and make sure we’re on track to make good progress. Throughout the day, we work and meet as needed to go over status updates and make decisions. I think it’s important to have an efficient work day because I like to spend my evenings at home with my family and generally don’t stay up very late.
How do you bring ideas to life?
We make it a priority to encourage the sharing and discussion of ideas. The ones that survive or evolve within the conversation stage then get a more formal analysis. If it’s an idea for a product, our marketing team will perform market research and determine what the marketplace looks like. If it’s an idea for a video or piece of content, our SEO strategists will look at search queries to determine how we can best produce the information people want. At that point, “idea” may become full on “project”. Usually someone involved with the idea origination will manage the project and delegate the tasks to the appropriate department. This then joins the list of things we work on and discuss until complete.
What’s one trend that really excites you?
Consumer awareness about the dangers of toxic additives and chemicals has really grown in recent years. So much so that people are making their voices heard and doing so with the way they spend their money — and companies are listening. While there’s still a long way to go, we’re getting more and more chemical and toxin-free products in the marketplace — food, clothes, household items, lifestyle products, building materials — everything.
What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?
I like to meditate every day because it really helps me be very focused and deliberate about what I spend my day doing. My time is accounted for and none of it’s wasted. It helps me have a nice work-life balance — work hard, play hard.
What was the worst job you ever had and what did you learn from it?
I’ve had some tough jobs, but I wouldn’t describe any of them as being the worst. Even if it wasn’t “fun” there was always an opportunity to learn a lesson of some sort. One job that was especially challenging was when I was a laborer and carried heavy bags of shingles up a ladder to the roof in very hot weather. Those were exhausting days but I learned that 100% effort had to be standard and I also learned what it meant to be part of a crew — a gear in a working machine if you will. It made me understand that progress and productivity are dependent on everyone at all levels and it’s given me an appreciation for all the people on our team.
If you were to start again, what would you do differently?
I wouldn’t make any significant changes. I can’t say that everything has always been perfect but even through the hard times and bad decisions, I was able to learn lessons that really proved valuable in the big picture. As sour as mistakes can be in the moment, they make the successes that much more sweet.
As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
Success is the product of progression and progression is facilitated when people communicate and execute action. At our company, we really make a conscious effort to keep dialogue moving at all times. When everyone on our team knows they have a voice and we want to hear their ideas, productivity logjams are easier to avoid. We also recognize and celebrate success. A job well done is more likely to happen when it’s known those are acknowledged and encouraged.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business? Please explain how.
It might sound cliche, but we make it a point to strive to be the best. We regularly evaluate our place in the marketplace both in terms of, “are we being the best example of ourself?” and “are we the best among our peers and competitors?” Do we have the best product with the best quality ingredients? Is the information we present the most complete and accurate? Is our website the easiest to navigate? Are our videos the most informative and educational? We’re always trying to improve our processes and make our community one you want to be a part of.
What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
In our early stages, our flagship product, Oxy-Powder, was very successful. We used those profits to launch more products a little too quickly and tried to grow too fast. We realized our product launch protocol needed more planning but not before we ended up spending a lot of money. It was a good, albeit expensive, lesson.
What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?
Anything related to the pet industry. Health problems in pets are becoming more and more common and people are willing to spend the money to support their pet’s health, too. There is a big demand for healthy and organic pet products in the marketplace.
What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?
Not long ago I took my wife and two boys on a tour of an organic farm and we got a good look at the operation and how organic foods are grown. It was great to see the environment and the level of care involved. We picked up a great selection of organic fruits and vegetables and my boys got a lesson on how to start an organic garden at home. It was a good and enjoyable day.
What software and web services do you use? What do you love about them?
We’re largely an online company and there are a lot of different software tools we use. Our online store runs on Magento and we have a really good programming team who makes sure we get the most out of it and offer the best experience for our customers. Facebook has proven really valuable as a means to interact very quickly and directly with our customers, too. In addition to our headquarters in Houston, we also have an organic farm in rural Texas and a manufacturing facility in Phoenix, Skype has allowed us to have video conferencing meetings that involve everyone at all locations.
What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?
Well, at the risk of a shameless self plug, I would suggest they read my book, The Green Body Cleanse. If they’re not aware of the importance of living a clean and healthy life, the prevalence of toxins in our environment and everyday products, and the harmful effect this stuff can have on their lives, it’s an excellent and very approachable primer that’ll give them a lot of good information and strategies to implement in their lives.
What people have influenced your thinking and might be of interest to others?
I’m a big fan of Tony Robbins and Zig Ziglar, those guys are just masters at their craft. Lately I’ve been finding a lot of inspiration in Bryant McGill’s work, Brian Tracy, and Alex Jones.
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Mario Schulzke is the Founder of ideamensch, which he started a decade ago to learn from entrepreneurs and give them a platform for their ideas.