Today we’d like to introduce you to Kim Fishman.
Hi Kim, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I was a biology major from the University of Minnesota and thought I wanted to be a veterinarian as I love animals. My grades were not good enough, was happy to pass physics with a D. I did well in chemistry classes, so I started my work career in a pharmaceutical company working alongside Ph.D. biologists and chemists in a busy lab in San Diego. I was good at contaminating the lab with radioactive isotopes and even had an acid spill. When asked if I learned my lesson, I responded that I won’t wear my good shoes to the lab. 🙂
While living in San Diego, Ca my great aunt (who wasn’t that old since I was only 24, she was maybe 60 ish.) would come to visit family there and I became close to her. Later she had a bad stroke that left her without any language or ability to move one side of her body. I began to be with her more and accompany her to her speech-language therapy.
I found what the speech-language therapist did to be fascinating. Realizing what the brain was capable of losing and gaining was also amazing and I loved how she was so kind and helpful to my aunt. So, I left my career in contaminating and spilling acid in the lab, because I was always in a rush to be with people in the breakroom, to a career where I could be with people.
Because of this experience going to speech-language therapy with my aunt, I went back to school to become a speech-language therapist. While in the program at SDSU, I met a professor who somehow convinced me that I ought to go into Audiology instead. She believed that my background in biology and life sciences was better fit for audiology than Speech therapy since speech therapy wasn’t as technical or something. Although I now see was just an opinion that wasn’t exactly correct. In any case, I listened to this professor and I switched my Master’s emphasis major to Audiology.
I obtained a Masters in Communicative Disorders and Audiology in 1995 and my first career in Audiology was working with children and cochlear implants. I worked in the Florida public schools. I realized that there were so many issues for deaf children during this time that I decided to go back to school for a doctorate to study why deaf people, in general, have a hard time learning to read past a fifth-grade reading level. I somehow chose to go to the University of Minnesota probably because my parents and sister were there. I also discovered that Florida was not a place for me. I can’t tell you how many times people tried to convert me to become a Southern Baptist and how many bugs really live there.
While at the University of Minnesota, I began studying perception, psychoacoustics, tinnitus, and other issues related to hearing and vision science. I struggled to work with my academic advisor and for us to respect one another, so I quit the doctorate program as I didn’t see a path forward.
I floundered around looking for what my purpose was. I had a hard time working in various job settings because the model of helping people didn’t make sense to me. No need to elaborate other than to share that many of my patients didn’t like the model either. I remember one patient telling me I need to be on my own.
Finally, in 2012, I started my own company to help people with their ears and hearing needs and offering solutions to those who needed help with ear and hearing-related difficulties. I learned a lot about business and understanding the issues in our health care system. Therefore, in 2018, after writing a new business plan and getting more funding, I moved my business to Minneapolis with a new model to provide more solutions and lower-cost solutions. I also wanted to be more accessible to people of all socioeconomic levels. That model failed as we did not have enough money to sustain. Covid-19, unfortunately, didn’t help and pushed it over the edge.
In 2020, that company closed, and I started two new companies. One is a brick-and-mortar clinic, similar to the first clinic I had opened in 2012 but now opened in Hopkins, called Hears to U Audiology, and the other is an e-commerce website, called Hears Hearing & Hearables that offers accessibility, affordability, choices, and more for sustainability.
So, through all that, I found my place and passion in helping all people hear better! I now consider myself an advocate to providing access for hearing health care and educating people about hearing health care insurance.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Life is never smooth, especially for those of us who think outside the box. 🙂 I have had many a confrontation with authority over the years. I really like to understand why things are done the way they are and if it makes no sense to fix the process. There are times when you have to be strong and stand up for your beliefs and advocate for what is needed. Of course, Covid has made life a struggle for all of us. Figuring out sustainability for small businesses is also been challenging and coming up with ways to stay competitive and in the field without getting run over by corporate and large platforms that don’t help.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I have two businesses.
One is a brick-and-mortar Audiology clinic called “Hears to U” in Hopkins, MN. The other business is an online hearing store with services called Hears Hearing & Hearables.
Hears to U clinic offers all hearing and ear-related services from removing wax, custom hearing protection and products, advocacy, and education on hearing loss and protecting hearing, hearing tests, diagnosis, hearing aid fitting, follow-up, tinnitus therapies, and many more therapies. Hears to U clinic, carries all brands of hearing aids. Hears to U is into transparency and best practices. We offer a variety of solutions; products, and services are sold separately to save on cost. When paying for services separately you only pay for what you need and tends to cost much less for hearing help.
Hears to U has a great model for helping people meet their own personal needs and budget requirements. We figured out that if someone isn’t hearing well, they do not know what they are shopping for, so Hears to U offers a risk-free start. We encourage and support people with hearing loss to come in and take a listen, find their sound, share their experiences, and feel comfortable in the multi-faceted coffee-house-style clinic.
Hears Hearing & Hearables is my second business and a start-up. The goal is to provide easy accessibility for people who live outside of the city in more rural areas, want to stay safe in their house or cannot travel. This is a membership-based store that offers services sold separately at a city/town near the consumer. There is also the option of telehealth from a remote site.
This store offers many products that are already more affordable outside of a brick and mortar and will become more affordable as the e-commerce store adds more members, like a true warehouse. I am truly excited for this store to help many people with their ear and hearing-related needs. This store carries products from ear cleaning kits, hearing protection, hearables, personal sound amplifiers, hearing aids, and soon over-the-counter hearing aids when they enter the marketplace. Also in the store are such products as assisted listening devices like tv streamers, amplified phones, and even tinnitus maskers. Again, if service is needed, this store encourages people to get local support in their communities.
The members will get discounts, rewards, and benefits. There is a forum where they can talk to other members and share ideas, tips and sell used products.
Overall, my businesses are known for best practices, services, and transparency. I know we are doing the right thing for people with ear and hearing-related needs. I am honored to be helping so many people and am proud that they are so happy.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
I am honored to have so many wonderful patients that continue to come to see me over the years. I feel I have made so many friends and love leading them down a healthy hearing path. I am thankful to my significant other who has listened to me figure things out day in and day out and offer guidance without drama. I am also thankful to Karen, my employee who keeps me on my toes and helps me with all my writing endeavors, writing blogs, and her honesty. I love that she is a strong woman who will speak her mind. I sometimes wonder who is the “boss”. haha
Over the years I have been working with a few local doctors that refer to Hears to U and have trusted me over the years. I will not forget the bank that gave me my first loan when three previous banks would not because they had never done business with an audiologist before.
In regards to our start-up Hearable store, I would not be able to do it without George. I have made him a partner and truly he is the best!! His company, Portfolio Brands LLC has been supporting and helping Hears Hearing & Hearables with the setup, monthly management, and optimization of online selling channels like Google, Bing, Facebook, Instagram, and other relative platforms. Throughout this process, they have built and implement the necessary ad accounts, tracking accounts, and other analytical tools that will enhance and help grow our business. Without him and his team, this venture would not be as we do not have deep pockets. I love that many of my patients from the clinic are helping me with the new endeavor. Many have become members already, helped me with legal ideas, and Kristine, a friend patient, is helping me make fun informative videos.
And finally, I have to give thanks and love to my mom and dad for their mentorship and support in all my endeavors. Always supportive and encouraging and allowing me to be me.
Pricing:
- Hearing test is 100 or billable
- Hearing protection from $1 to $300 options
- Hearing aids from $1500 to 7000 for a pair
- Ear cleaning – $50/ear
- refer to website for more pricing
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: WWW.HearsHearingandHearables
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hearshearingandhearables/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HearsHearingHearables
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/HHearables
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_AAe-P6TYe_zx_7IEuQpVg
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/hears-to-u-audiology-hearing-and-hearables-hopkins
- Other: https://hearstou.com/
