Success Story: Vermont

When it comes to curing what ails you, more and more Vermonters are opting for paths to wellness that do not rely on the pharmaceutical industry, instead exploring more natural holistic remedies.

Burlington Acupuncturist and Chinese Herbalist Montana Burns was well aware of this growing trend as she watched her practice grow out of its co-opted space in early 2015. She knew it was time to open her own practice in a non-shared location in order to better meet client demand and better serve her existing clients. In July 2015, Atlas Acupuncture at 127 Main Street in Burlington was born.

As the many client testimonies on the practice’s website attest, Atlas Acupuncture clients continue to be pleased with the results Montana’s expertise provides, but transitioning the practice out of the original co-op proved to be a challenge within itself. With the help of Vermont Small Business Development Center Area Business Advisor Steve Densham, Montana was able to meet that challenge. 

She said a friend referred her to Densham, and she knew she needed help growing her business. The two immediately went to work developing a strategy for growth. “She felt that she needed to acquire commercial financing to move her project forward,” Densham said.

After assessing Montana’s situation and carefully considering her options, the pair concluded it was not necessary to secure commercial financing to open the business, which Densham considers a successful exercise, along with several other business start-up solutions he and Montana tackled.

“We worked together on financial projections, an operational business plan and preparation for the business timeline for opening,” Densham said, adding that the steps Montana took to ensure seamless growth were essential to Atlas Acupuncture’s ongoing success.

Now, Montana has once again turned her focus to her passion for healing people with natural holistic methods. She has studied for thousands of hours with practitioners from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Japanese, Dr. Tan and 5 Element backgrounds. Her specialties include internal medicine, OBGYN, fertility, digestion, pain & sports medicine. For more information check out www.atlasacupuncturevt.com.