Butler Pharmacy was born on Aug. 4, 2023, from a long-time dream of pharmacy ownership.
I opened the business, the first, black woman-owned pharmacy on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, after 10 years as a community pharmacist turned pharmacy director. After spending the past seven years with Coastal Family Health Center as its director of pharmacy, one would think this was the ultimate pharmacy dream job. I had grown the pharmacy program from one to four in-house pharmacies and expanded the pharmacy program across three counties, all while managing an $8 million budget. Through my passion for community service and pharmacy management, I had many opportunities to speak across the country. Through all of that, I knew God had called me to do more.
After several long conversations with my husband, I embarked on a journey to open Butler Pharmacy. The inception and execution were set in motion by stepping out in faith and trusting God. As Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths.”
No stranger to entrepreneurship
I was not a stranger to the entrepreneurship experience. From childhood into adulthood, I watched my dad be a successful automotive business owner and worked for him for some time. Those memories have more meaning now because I understand the grind and grit required to become a self-made businesswoman.
Embarking on a sole proprietorship was no easy feat, but I knew it was the best option for me. Having my husband’s support made the leap less daunting. However, it does not always feel good to be the sole person responsible for not only managing the business, but marketing, sales, inventory, financials, personnel matters, customer engagement — and the list goes on. I have learned to keep notes of ideas and check them off my lists weekly to mark my accomplished goals.
Thankful to do what I love
The guidance I would give anyone new to business ownership is to understand that you can’t do everything on your own. Enlist help from a marketing team or social media strategist, an accountant or financial coach and others. Having this support can make a world of difference and let you focus on the important things, like taking care of your customers.
It is so rewarding when I hear patient testimonials about how I’ve helped them get the medicine they need or remembered who they were when they’ve walked through those pharmacy doors. I am thankful to do what I love, but most of all, I’m grateful to be a wife, as well as a mother to Kaydence and Jaxson, and to show them that anything is possible with God.
Dr. Racheal Butler is the owner and pharmacist of Butler Pharmacy. Reach her at thebutlerpharmacy@gmail.com.