Purpose Before Profit: Andrew Bloch Of D’BoxOn The Benefits Of Running A Purpose-Driven Business
An Interview With Chad Silverstein
Start with “WHO” — who are you.
Taking Responsiblity
Empathy
Authenticity
Honor
In today’s competitive business landscape, the race for profits often takes center stage. However, there are some leaders who also prioritize a mission-driven purpose. They use their business to make a positive social impact and recognize that success isn’t only about making money. In this interview series, we are talking with some of these distinct leaders and I had the pleasure of interviewing Andrew Bloch, D’Box.
While life can be a pain sometimes, physical therapist and author Andrew Bloch, MSPT, Dipl.Ac., L.Ac, has developed a pain relief system to provide a solution. The creator of Reflexive Pattern Therapy that takes just three to four minutes and can provide immediate pain relief for most. In comparison, traditional pain relief systems take anywhere from 30 to 40 minutes per grueling session, and the success rate is unpredictable.
After studying Sports Medicine and receiving a BS from Delaware University to become a Certified in Athletic Training (ATC), he received his Masters Degree in Physical Therapy from the University of Miami. Andrew continued his educational pursuit in Eastern Medicine at the Community School of Traditional Chinese Medicine to become a licensed acupuncturist. Now, Andrew is consulting, educating, and working with athletes and sports medicine departments of the University of Texas and Georgetown University on the principles of his Reflexive Pattern Therapy system.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us your “Origin Story?”
I grew up in a middle-class family 30 miles outside New York City. Being very short in stature was challenging for me. At 12 years old, I started reading about anatomy and exercise, and by 14, I knew I wanted to be a physical therapist. My upbringing, though emotionally straining, taught me persistence. My passion has always been to help people suffering from pain, which eventually led me to become a physical therapist, athletic trainer, and acupuncturist.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company or organization?
Being in private practice for 30 years, I had no experience with a non-profit and needed to find a space to see clients on a very tight budget. I met with a local business that would allow us to start, but a few days before we were set to open, they informed me their business was closing. It was a major setback, so I drove by storefronts with leasing signs to see if I could rent a room. By a crazy coincidence, when I called the first place, the landlord told me he had a tenant who might be subleasing a room. Within a few days, I had a room closer to my home in a much better location, and we were up and running.
We often learn the most from our mistakes. Can you share one that you made that turned out to be one of the most valuable lessons you’ve learned?
When reflecting on learning from mistakes, I first look honestly inside myself about my intentions. I learned that if my intentions are not in the best interest of my life’s purpose, I must adjust to realign myself. An example is when I had a medical office that I had to close for various reasons. Upon reflection, I realized I was too focused on financial rewards. This introspection has given me the motivation to forge forward and become the Founder of D’BOX, where the focus is on helping communities, not primarily on money.
As a successful leader, it’s clear that you uphold strong core values. I’m curious about the most important principles you firmly stand by and refuse to compromise on. Can you share a few of them and explain why they hold such significance for you in your work and life?
While some of my core values are integrity, empathy, and kindness, the one that stands out the most is my value of how to treat others. I believe everyone should be treated equally, regardless of financial status, ethnicity, gender, age, or any other variable. In healthcare, I’ve too often seen staff or practitioners identify a client’s status to determine how they will be treated. While I might not always agree with every client, I remain unwavering and will always treat everyone with the same integrity, empathy, and kindness.
What inspired you to start a purpose-driven business rather than a traditional for-profit enterprise? Can you share a personal story or experience that led you to prioritize social impact in your business?
When I had a traditional for-profit medical practice, we would do a lot of marketing for knee pain using a unique treatment system. Unfortunately, in a for-profit business, we were unable to provide care for financially disadvantaged clients. My business partner approached me about a specific woman with Medicaid who was suffering and unable to work to support her family. Of course, I said ‘yes,’ as I love making a difference in people’s lives with our proprietary pain treatment systems. After her treatment, she broke down sobbing with appreciation, which nourished my soul. While I couldn’t immediately start D’BOX at that moment, her response definitely planted the seed for our mission.
Can you help articulate a few of the benefits of leading a purpose-driven business rather than a standard “plain vanilla” business?
In business, there are many challenging days. Financial issues, client satisfaction, employee management, taxes, and government and medical professional regulations can make days long and often frustrating. Knowing my purpose is like a flashlight in a dark cave — sometimes even just a match. Knowing that I’m making a difference in a person’s life fuels me when I’m running low on energy or when things aren’t going smoothly. I believe having a purpose-driven business is vital.
How has your company’s mission or purpose affected its overall success? Can you explain the methods or metrics you use to evaluate the impact of this purpose-driven strategy on your organization?
As we are just beginning our journey of holistically relieving pain for financially disadvantaged people, we don’t have extensive data. We use various metrics including pain scales, functional level assessments, and return-to-work forms that clients complete. While metrics are important, I also believe in the power of testimonials as a better way to assess our impact. If our clients are spreading the word and getting involved in our mission, it provides immediate feedback that we are making a difference.
Can you share a pivotal moment when you realized that leading your purpose-driven company was actually making a significant impact? Can you share a specific example or story that deeply resonated with you personally?
While preparing my new office to see clients, a good friend offered to have her cleaning person, Maria, help with cleaning. I wanted to share our mission with her, as she represented exactly the type of client D’BOX aims to serve. When I asked if she knew anyone suffering from chronic pain, she smiled and said, “Me.” She had been suffering from low back pain for years. She was amazed that after just two visits, her pain was gone. Her gratitude was so profound that she sent in two of her friends. We are just getting started on our mission, but we have no doubt D’BOX is going to make a significant impact.
Have you ever faced a situation where your commitment to your purpose and creating a positive social impact clashed with the profitability of your business?
We haven’t yet experienced a clash between profitability and social impact, nor have we been challenged by anyone on our team. Fortunately, we’ve had a cohesive and miraculous beginning to our non-profit. While I know challenges will arise, I believe surrounding D’BOX with successful people in business who believe in our purpose will help us solve challenges with the best possible outcome for both profitability and our commitment to social impact.
What advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs who wish to start a purpose-driven business?
The best advice I would give budding entrepreneurs is to know what you are truly an expert in, focus on that, and then surround yourself with mentors and experts to help guide the rest. The bottom line is that those you surround yourself with will help determine your results. I would also recommend developing a thick skin, as it’s important to receive honest feedback to help you see areas you can improve. I humbly offer this advice, having suffered numerous for-profit business failures in the past.
What are your “5 Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Purpose-Driven Business.” If you can, please share a story or example for each.
1 . Start with “WHO” — who are you?
2 . Taking Responsibility.
3 . Empathy.
4 . Authenticity.
5 . Honor.
While many believe in starting with ‘why,’ I believe that understanding ‘who you are’ is the true starting point. Knowing who you are never changes, unlike your ‘why,’ which might shift with social trends, location, or financial circumstances. These five things represent who I am, and they might be different for each person. The key is to identify who you are and create a roadmap for when things aren’t going well. For instance, one of my core principles is taking responsibility — when a problem arises, my first action is to look inside myself.
Imagine sitting down together two years from now, looking back at your company’s last 24 months. What specific accomplishments would have to happen for you to be happy with your progress?
Two years from now, I see D’BOX with multiple locations helping thousands of people who are in chronic pain to finally feel better, especially people who are financially disadvantaged.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most good to the most people, what would that be?
Our movement is to make a huge difference in the lives of people suffering from pain, using holistic proprietary pain relieving systems that are financially disadvantaged. Sadly, according to the NIH, a third of Americans suffer from chronic pain, and that does not include children. There is an epidemic of people suffering. D’BOX wants to inspire a movement to overcome the current model of relieving pain that is accessible and affordable to everyone.
How can our readers further follow your work or your company online?
Website: www.ihatepain.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/DBOX/61564525066172/?_rdr
Instagram: D’BOX (@d__box__) • Instagram photos and videos
TikTok: (4)D’BOX (@dbox__) | TikTok
This was great. Thanks for taking time for us to learn more about you and your business. We wish you continued success!
About the Interviewer: Chad Silverstein, a seasoned entrepreneur with over two decades of experience as the Founder and CEO of multiple companies. He launched Choice Recovery, Inc., a healthcare collection agency, while going to The Ohio State University, His team earned national recognition, twice being ranked as the #1 business to work for in Central Ohio. In 2018, Chad launched [re]start, a career development platform connecting thousands of individuals in collections with meaningful employment opportunities, He sold Choice Recovery on his 25th anniversary and in 2023, sold the majority interest in [re]start so he can focus his transition to Built to Lead as an Executive Leadership Coach. Learn more at www.chadsilverstein.com
