Client Profile - Detox International

Scots born Midi Fairgrieve started her detox retreats company running retreats in Southern Spain 6 years ago.  Despite having no previous business experience, Detox International is now a thriving small enterprise running retreats in Spain and Portugal with two franchise partners due to start up this spring in South Africa and Canada. Detox International has also just produced its 'own range' of detox supplements which will be launched at the beginning of 2010.  

In 2004 I moved from Edinburgh to Andalusia on a wing and a prayer with my partner, our three-year old son and our elderly dog. The reason for our departure was to fulfil a dream to set up a holistic detox retreats centre. 

My vision for the business was to create a juice fasting retreat which would bring together natural health and detoxification therapies with a holistic focus in a warm climate and true retreat environment. Juice fasting and colon cleansing is one of the most powerful natural healing processes available and when combined with a holistic understanding of the body mind connection, the results can be both dramatic and life changing. When I started out I had no idea just how powerful the process would be for clients. We have seen so many leave our retreats having finally resolved some or all of their health issues.

The combination of the juice fasting and supplement programme with colon cleansing, yoga, meditation, supportive complementary therapies, nutritional advice and high levels of care in a beautiful retreat environment is a powerful healing force. Many people discover greater clarity of mind, inner peace and a renewed sense of direction. But most of all, they have changed inwardly and feel more like themselves.

I came across a quote recently from author and nutritionist Barbara Cousins who I feel sums up the detox process beautifully:

Once the physical body starts to heal, detoxification moves on to a mental and emotional level, and finally reveals a spiritual body hidden beneath.

The healing aspect of the business has been the easier part for me as that is my nature and inspiration but the business side has been a challenge, a steep learning curve, perhaps a veritable Mount Everest at times. Running a business didn't come easily to me despite the fact that both my parent's families had been in business for generations. My father's family were Scottish wool merchants and my mother's family were Edinburgh timber merchants.  A latent skill or not, I run the business in an unorthodox way as I firmly believe that intuition over standard business thinking has allowed me to survive the first few precarious years.

A professional business advisor once told me that running a business without a business plan (I have never written one) is like driving without a map - you have no clear direction, so any road will do. That may be true in many cases but I have always found that the essence of the business leads me, rather than the other way round.

When I arrived in Spain 6 years ago I had practically no financial investment behind me, just a huge amount of determination to succeed and belief in what I was doing. I had no idea if I could survive the first year or have enough money to stay in Spain and keep going. Before training in Nutritional Medicine, I did have many years experience in radio journalism which meant I could pen a good article and get features accepted in magazines. This was a great way to publicise ourselves. After the second full year of running retreats we then had the fortunate opportunity to be filmed for a TV series called Spa of Embarrassing Illnesses. This went out on British TV and showed the workings of natural medicine just as it happened - a sort of fly-on-the-wall look at 8 people with specific illnesses such as eczema and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and how the detox process helped them. After just the first programme (of a ten part series) the phone was 'alive' with enquiries.

This was the first point of major expansion. Although welcome, I found it hugely challenging as we were suddenly VAT rated, liable for Corporation tax, in need of help with the admin load and had arrived at the point where we required a seriously good accountant. Life had seemed much simpler just being a little company running a few retreats each year but now we were double the size looking for new and bigger venues to keep up with demand. I have been really lucky that I have such a good working relationship with Springfords who are invaluable to me when I am struggling with business decisions and direction (remember I have no business plan!) and they have become a welcome sounding board for ideas and developments.

Looking back over the last 6 years and how Detox International has grown and evolved I am truly of the belief that business knowhow isn't the key ingredient of success. If you have a strong belief in the vision or product, a good team of people behind you and a passion to make it work, that will see you through the tough decisions, long hours and moments of despair when all you want to do is give up. 

Where we go from here I don't yet know but I am sure the spirit of the business will guide me. My sense has always been to put quality over quantity and so we will likely remain a smallish business with a big name and a lot of care and passion for what we do.

For more info about Detox International's retreats:

www.detox-international.com

email: info@detox-international.com

tel: 0845 1000 247