Pharmacy Career, Resource & Training with Kavita Nadan

Karen Brown: Redefining Community Pharmacy

December 15, 2022

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In the very first episode of Pharmacy View Podcast’s Pharmacy Career, Resource & Training, we are joined by host, Kavita Nadan, Pharmacist, and Founder at Locumate, and guest, Karen Brown, Managing Partner at TerryWhite Chemmart, Co-Founder & Director at Batch Tested and Pharmacy Redefined. Listen in as the two passionate Pharmacists talk about the Pharmaceutical Industry at large and how Pharmacies across the country sit at the cusp of transformation in the near future.

Karen, in their own words, wears many hats. In addition to being an Award-winning Pharmacist and Pharmacy Owner, Karen is a Founder, a Director, a Leader, a Speaker, and most importantly, a wife and a mother. Having said that, they see synergy in everything that they do and say that at the core of it all is their want to help people—helping their team members be better people, helping their patients get healthier, and helping the community achieve better results. They believe that whether in sports or in business, they are people managers who bring together a group of individuals to achieve a common goal.

Pharmacy View Podcast · Ep 63 Karen Brown: Redefining Community Pharmacy

Having done so much across sectors, when asked what their top three pieces of advice for someone starting something completely different, their prompt response was

Take your blinkers off
Say yes to opportunities
Build the plane while you’re flying it (don’t wait for it to be perfect before you launch it)

Having said that in their own business, Karen knows how one person as a Pharmacy Owner doesn’t need to know everything and should rather take on the challenges while surrounding themselves with a team of experts. Their advice being, “You need to get comfortable being uncomfortable.”

Karen, a firm believer in their mission to challenge the status quo and to redefine how people view community Pharmacy, is no stranger to awards and accolades. They are the Winner of Australian and Qld TerryWhite Chemmart of the Year – Arana Hills 2022, Winner of Small Business Person of the Year – Dickson Australia Day Community Awards 2021, Finalist in the Rhonda White Leadership Award 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and Nominee for Telstra Business Women’s Award 2019, 2020, among others.

They believe their work reflects the mark they have left in redefining community Pharmacy. Even though there is validation, they believe that as a team they need to understand that so long as good work is done, the community responds to that.

Talking about what Pharmacies need to focus on, they share about

investing heavily in personal development for the team as they strongly believe that people want to belong to something bigger than themselves and people want to belong in a team;
investing in professional development and finding the right person for the right job.

Karen believes that the Pharmaceutical Industry is sitting at the precipice of something huge and they are excited about the endless possibilities that the future has in store. They think that in the near future there will be boutique health hubs and more work will be driven toward specialty services and niching. And even though at the core each Pharmacy will still be the same, the customer journey and use of technology will evolve.

When asked about Owner’s Summit. Karen elaborates how ownership can be lonely and how contrary to popular assumption, Pharmacy owners are not competitors, they are one another’s biggest cheerleaders rather. They add that instead of doom and gloom, people need to come together, share ideas, and have the courage to be vulnerable in a safe space so that together they can work towards better outcomes. Karen shares how it is important to not just share ideas but also understand how the shared ideas are handled so that the fear of rejection doesn’t plague team members. As they iterate, the pillars remain the betterment of health, team, and community.

Topics Covered

Karen Brown: The one who wears many hats!
Karen’s drive to help people
Karen’s advice for anyone who wants to start something
Focus areas for Pharmacies
Restructuring Pharmacies
Owner’s Summit
Need for engagement from all team members
Importance of bringing in new ideas

Key Quotes (Time Stamps)

“I think the core of it is—I just want to help people. So, whether it’s helping my team be better people, whether it’s helping my patients get healthier, whether it’s something in my community, my industry when it comes to helping other owners, and now I am helping athletes as well.” (3:04 – 3:22)
“Really, at the core of it, whether it’s sports or business, you are just a people manager. You are bringing a group of individuals together for a common goal—whether that’s to be the most successful Pharmacy, or to win a premiership—it’s just managing people. And I think, right at my core of all the things I do—I just love helping people and making people better.” (3:32 – 3:51)
“That’s something in Pharmacy ownership. You don’t have to know every aspect. You surround yourself with an amazing accountant, an amazing lawyer, the bank manager—those kinds of people. You don’t have to know everything yourselves.” (6:39 – 6:50)
“Say YES and then work out what you need to do. But don’t wait for it to be perfect either before you launch because launching is part of the fun, and then it’s adapting and building on it; what works, what didn’t work, how can we change that, what can we do better?” (6:51 – 7:04)
“It’s really nice to be recognized; it is nice for the team to be recognized. But also, I am very strong with the team that you don’t need validation from the outside world to know that you’re doing a good job.” (10:03 – 10:16)
“I invest heavily in personal development for my team. I am a really strong believer that people want to belong to something bigger than themselves and people want to belong in a team.” (11:28 – 11:41)
“My other philosophy is that you leave a better person than you started with me.” (11:52 – 11:56)
“Whilst I think it’s very much, you know…there’s so much opportunity out there for employment at the moment. But, still finding the right people is just so important for so many aspects.” (13:34 – 13:46)
“Then from a professional development, look, I think we are sitting on the precipice of something huge—the scope that we’re going to see in the Pharmacy in the next five years is just sky-rocketing, which is so exciting. I am really big on specialty Pharmacy and Pharmacists having a real niche. Even our assistants—I mean, that’s a future for assistants as well—having these niches.” (14:33 – 14:57)
“I think it’s a really exciting time to be in Pharmacy. And I think, you know, we’ve really spring-boarded over the last few years in our community in what people know we can do, and I think that’s just going to go even further over the next few years.” (15:48 – 16:02)
“I am actually opening a new store next year, and we’re looking at the store of the future concept. And it comes down to…I think the big thing is the script flow.” (16:15 – 16:25)
“I think the core of the Pharmacy will always be the same. But I think the customer journey and the tech side of it, and also how much the customers can do themselves in their own time… And also, I think, and I am going to answer this—I think we’ve become so accessible—how do we then be accessible but at the right timing and that triage in front of you?” (16:54 – 17:24)
“People have always known that Pharmacy gives free advice. But I think we’ll really notice the difference over the next few years when they will actually book in for a consult with a Pharmacist.” (17:43 – 17:54)
“We are kind of each other’s cheerleaders. I think when we talk about we want to fully shift an industry and what people should expect when they walk into a Pharmacy, the one person may be able to start the ripple effect but it’s actually, you know, if there are 100-500-1000 Pharmacies doing some of these amazing things, which they already are… It’s to be each other’s biggest cheerleaders. Some of the best information is actually just from the owner next to you.” (20:51 – 21:22)
“I think ownership can be really lonely.” (22:42 – 22:46)
“And it is something we spoke about at the conference on the weekend with the Assistants. It is—you’ve got to have a culture in your store that cultivates ideas. And what you do with those ideas…I mean, if it’s a suggestion box, who actually looks at those ideas, who follows up on them? But also, if you’re putting forward an idea you following up on that as well. Also, I am very big on coming up with a plan, and depending on where you probably sit in the store in your role, and what I expect from you. (29: 32 – 30:08)
“We always have a philosophy that there are three pillars—there’s health, team, and community.” (31:07 – 31:11)

Social Media Clips (Time Stamps)

Who is Karen Brown? (1:11 – 2:29)
Karen says, “At the core of it, I just want to help people.” (2:31- 4:26)
Karen’s top three pieces of advice for anyone wanting to start anew (4:44 – 7:04)
What should Pharmacies focus on? (11:00 – 16:02)
Changes needed in the structuring of Pharmacies (16:03 – 18:06)
Understanding Owner’s Summit (19:32 – 22:10)
Takeaways from the Owner’s Summit (25:04 – 28:58)