Eric Carrouth is a second-generation pharmacist who grew up in the profession watching his father.
He opened his own pharmacy, Mission Filled Drug Company in Pearcy, in 2021.
Owning and running an independent pharmacy is “like swimming upstream,” Eric says, but allows him to put people at the center of his work.
He started his career at USA Drug, then moved into pharmacy management with Walmart.
Over the years, he felt customer service was getting lost in the hustle and bustle of the corporate pharmacy sector. On a medical mission trip to Zambia, he saw a specific need facing the industry that led to the concept for Mission Filled Drug Company.
Carrouth wanted to help people locally and become a resource for mission organizations that treat patients worldwide. Starting his own business would allow him to help people without dealing with the red tape often associated with corporate-run pharmacies.
Data-Backed Plans
In late 2019, he took his idea to his local Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center. He learned about ASBTDC from another druggist who worked with the center to open a pharmacy.
Through the center, Eric attended training on how to start a business and connected with Ryan Cole, his business consultant.
Carrouth said the training and consulting “gave me a great starting point. It allowed me to ask questions, whether they were simple or complex. It was my first step and building block to help answer fundamental questions about my route” to business ownership.
Cole helped him put together a business plan based on data. The market and industry research provided at no charge by ASBTDC was “truly invaluable,” said Carrouth. He was grateful for “the ability to gather information without having to pay for it. The research was so important in developing my business plan.”
The first days and weeks in business, Carrouth quickly learned he had to be flexible, because things did not go as envisioned. Before opening, Eric expected to have a walk-in clinic in the same facility creating demand for the pharmacy, but that didn’t happen.
“Initially, we were happy and excited to reach 25 scripts per day,” as a result, he said. “Over 500 prescriptions in a week was a significant accomplishment that we celebrated.”
“Even the best of plans have to be adaptable,” he says now.
While challenging, starting a pharmacy and keeping it going is “the accomplishment I’m most proud of,” said Carrouth.
Community and People Centered
Mission Filled Drug Company is an important hub for the rural community. In addition to medicines, it has a gift shop featuring local products plus a coffee and sandwich shop.
Carrouth’s business philosophy is to treat patients like humans, care about their well-being, meet their needs, and build relationships through routine visits.
“National chains are using technology to try to replace people. We are using technology to improve personalized customer service,” he said.
Eric said the business is a team effort. For starters, his lead pharmacy tech previously worked for his dad for 30 years. His wife and daughter have played a major role in developing the gift shop. His bank, First Security, “found ways to make this happen with what we had to offer.” His partner is fellow pharmacist Shawn Brown.
As a business owner, he’s developed an admiration for others who start companies, noting the “grunt work, effort, and sweat equity” required.
For anyone thinking about opening a business in Arkansas, Carrouth called ASBTDC “simple and easy” and a “great bridge from academia to the practical side of business.”
The center offers first-time entrepreneurs “the ability to ask questions without judgment,” he said.
To learn more about Mission Filled Drug Company, visit its website at missionfilled.com.