Community Matters

Ruth Graham is the owner of Ancient Art Health Center.  A center that promotes holistic medicine through the use of acupuncture, herbal medicine, allergy elimination, nutrition and other natural therapies.  While Graham has a variety of degrees and diplomas her focus is acupuncture and Chinese medicine.  Graham suffered from severe allergies and used NAET* (Nambudripad’s Allergy Elimination Techniques) to find relief.  As a result, she went on to study with Dr. Nambudripad in California.  She then brought the techniques back to her own practice.

In 1998 she opened Ancient Art Healing and by 2005 was ready to buy her own building. Graham partnered with Colorado Business Bank and Preferred Lending Partners to purchase and renovate a building located in the Historic District of downtown Littleton.

Graham is rooted in her community.  She believes there is substantial merit in working, living and giving back to the community.  Because of these personal values, Graham has been awarded a number of honors from her community.  She has been recognized multiple times as “Citizen of the Year” in Littleton.  She’s been highlighted in the local newspaper and magazines a number of times for all her work in the community, and has served for nearly a decade as President of the Historic Downtown Littleton Merchants Associates*.

We asked Graham what advice she had for other business owners:

Plan for the ups and downs

  • It won’t always be easy

Plan on being able to support yourself

  • You have to have the fortitude to do this for the next 5 years. If you’re thinking you’ll just try it out for a year, then you shouldn’t do it.
  • Have a clear picture for how you’ll support yourself if your business doesn’t produce what you’re expecting. It’ll take some time.

Trust your instincts

Know that no one knows your business like you do

Ally yourself with people taking the same level of risk as you are

Find mentors and people to bounce your ideas off of

Know some will disappoint you, but it isn’t personal – it’s businesses

In the end, Ruth Graham emphasizes being “kind and loving in your business practices”.  Doing so will ultimately provide great communities for everyone to live and work in.