We recently connected with Jessica Cerka and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Jessica, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
I watched both of my parents work extremely hard from a young age. Both were entrepreneurs in a variety of businesses and put in long hours to get them off the ground. My father didn’t slow down once he achieved success in one endeavor, he kept pursuing new ideas and businesses relentlessly. And when I was around 10 years old my mother decided to embark on a new career as an interior designer and enrolled in college, as a full time mom and business owner. I have vivid memories of her pulling all nighters to get her school projects finished, and somehow she still managed to keep it all together. My step father is also an inspiration as he worked independently to build a successful business as well, and was very focused and dedicated to his work throughout his life. I eventually saw how their work ethic paid off and allowed for a type of independence and freedom that was attractive to me.
My step mom was also a huge influence on me in that she inspired me to work but also to seek travel, explore and experience that freedom. When I was 16, she helped me get a full time summer job and it was my first taste of the feeling of financial independence, which allowed me to travel and do other things without having to ask permission from my parents; after which there was no looking back for me.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I work full time in digital marketing for a software development company and I also own New York PEMF, which I operate mostly on weekends when I have downtime. I started New York PEMF after learning about PEMF technology from my father, who has 3 PEMF machines in Canada. I conducted research on PEMF on his behalf when he was investing in the machines and was stunned to learn that PEMF was shown in clinical trials to be more effective than chemotherapy for brain cancer, and with virtually no side effects. The indications in depression, inflammation, muscle and bone repair were fascinating to me and I was also shocked that there were very few PEMF machines and therapists available in New York City, a place where you can usually find anything and everything. I’ve always had a passion for healing the body with safe and gentle modalities and have a love for conducting deep research in this area, so it is my pleasure to be able to offer these treatments in New York and I feel a great sense of satisfaction when I see the therapy has contributed to a person’s recovery. Recently, I witnessed a patient debilitated with MS experience relief with PEMF therapy and gain significant mobility, so much so that she is now buying her own machine so she can achieve lasting improvement. These moments bring me so much joy.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Any entrepreneur needs to have the ability to 1) Conduct deep research and become a subject matter expert in their field. We pay people not only for their service, but for their ability to conduct that service in an exceptional manner. When you conduct deep research you can become more confident in your decision making and in the risk you will inevitably bear as a business owner.
2) Take Risks. You have to start somewhere. For me, it was investing in an expensive technology and not knowing if it would pay off. For others, the investment might be even greater and there is no guarantee in life or in business.
3. Stay mentally flexible. Consumer demands, technology, and competition will inevitably change so any entrepreneur has to be able to pivot and adapt accordingly.
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
My parents impacted my life path in a significant way by encouraging me to attend a case method business school. I was lucky enough to get in, and it was here that I gained a wide variety of practical knowledge across marketing, operations, financial markets, accounting, corporate strategy and entrepreneurial marketing and finance as well. Case style learning from real world examples turned out to be not only more interesting to me, which kept me engaged in my studies, but it also allowed for a marketable resume and presented a wealth of interesting work opportunities as a result.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.newyorkpemf.com
- Instagram: urbanclinic
