Our CFO Proves Profit Can Heal
Molly Latham brings heart and soul to budgeting.
When I started working at Global Healing in 2004, it was just Dr. Group, Julio, our office manager Brandy, and me. We didn’t know it then, but looking back, we were kind of a dream team! Each of us has different ways of approaching things, and we balance each other out. My role has always been to gently incorporate conventional structure so that we can fully support Dr. Group’s imagination and creativity - to make things happen without stifling him with the details.
The structure also enables us to maintain our financial independence, which is a high priority for the entire executive team. Because we are so focused on the purity and quality of our products, we often spend more on materials and processes than industry benchmarks might say is prudent. But our internal benchmarks show us that our products are the best they can be, so we find it easy to sleep at night. I believe this financial independence is our greatest advantage.
Financial planning, to me, is emotionally meaningful because it enables continuity. I don’t just see it as the gap between sales and expenses. I see it as the means to make sure we’re able to take care of people over the long term. Our greater mission is outward-looking, but the first people we want to take care of are the people who work here every day. Any financial plan starts with the non-negotiables, and for us, those are the things we’ve committed to our employees—benefits, vacation time, wellness products and services, salaries, bonuses. All of those things are the starting point for our budget.
The best plans are just a vision of how we would like things to turn out, and no matter how hard we try to stick to the plans, there is a lot that we can’t control. Some months are less profitable than we thought they would be; some are more profitable. We take notice and take action to make sure the ship is stable, but we are only accountable to ourselves. This allows us to go off on tangents if ideas sound too good to pass up, to think about how we can make things happen, how we can change the paradigms in the health space. Because we have the structure of a plan, we know how far we can allow things to go without having to explain ourselves to investors. Sometimes the ideas turn into something great, but not always. Yet here we are, almost 30 years later, stronger than ever.
I’m definitely on the higher end of the age spectrum at Global Healing, so my perspective includes a lot of life experience. At this point in my career and my life generally, I really just want to pass on some of the things I’ve learned, and maybe those insights will help others to fulfill their dreams like I was able to fulfill mine. I’ve watched a handful of employees who started here as teenagers years ago grow into management roles and, more importantly, into incredible people. Their success is a model for their children, and so on. The impact spreads. Things like that are what I feel best about when I look back on my 22 years at Global Healing. They’re so close to my heart.
To me, the concept of global healing starts with me. It’s about having an impact on the people within my arm's reach. Then if those people do the same, it spreads exponentially. I think there are a lot of ways you can heal the globe. Kind words. Teaching someone something they find really exciting and interesting and new. Mentorship and guidance.
At this point, the only things that matter to me are the things that touch my heart. When I leave the company, I just want to know my work here helped make things better for our people and for you.
Posted in: Health,
Dr. Edward Group, DC
FOUNDER | HEALER | ADVOCATEDr. Group, DC is a healer and alternative health advocate, and an industry leader and innovator in the field of natural health who is dedicated to helping others. He is a registered doctor of chiropractic (DC), a naturopathic practitioner (NP), and proud alum of Harvard Business School and MIT Sloan School of Management. Dr. Group, DC is the founder of Global Healing – a mission and vision he has shared through best-selling books and frequent media appearances. He aims to spread his message of positivity, hope, and wellness throughout the world.
