What is your name?
Karissa Richtmyer, BSN, RN, CCRN
What is your title?
Founder + Owner
What is your business name?
The Nurse Piercer, LLC
What is your website URL?
www.thenursepiercer.com
What is your Instagram handle?
@thenursepiercer
How long have you been a Boston Business Women member?
I’ve been following along on socials for a while but recently joined the Inner Circle.
Where are you based? How did you end up there?
I am based in Walpole, MA, but I travel to clients throughout the state.
Tell us more about your company! What do you do and what pushed you to start?
I started The Nurse Piercer after researching safe ear piercing options for my daughter and realizing there were very few. Using my background as a registered nurse, I created a safe, sterile, single-use ear piercing service for families across the greater Boston area. I travel to clients’ homes and pierce babies, children, and adults of all ages.
What is your definition of success? How do you know when you’ve reached it?
Success is when you can look back and think, “I’m really happy with what I do AND I get paid for it.” Turning a dream into a day-to-day reality is the true measure.
Tell us about your most transformational moment as an entrepreneur.
About three months into my ear piercing journey, I realized this wasn’t just a hobby—it was a business that solves a real problem for families.
What was one of your biggest challenges in business?
Knowing nothing about running a business or being an entrepreneur! I had no idea what managing the behind-the-scenes tasks would involve.
How do you handle the harder days? The struggles? Those moments when you feel like giving up?
Balancing full-time ICU work, business ownership, and parenting a 13-month-old is overwhelming. What keeps me going is knowing I’m showing my daughter that she can achieve any crazy idea—and that her mom followed her dreams.
How has being a Boston Business Women Inner Circle member positively influenced your life + business?
It connected me with other mom business owners and gave me the ambition and optimism to push harder and speak louder about my business. It reinforced that my idea is unique and valued.
Tell us about your most proud moment in your career.
A client had a previous piercing at Claire’s that got infected. I repierced her ears safely in her home, and she cried tears of joy. Helping her have a confident, safe experience was incredibly rewarding.
Who is the woman behind your business? What does she like? How does she spend her free time? What does she value?
I’m a wife, girl mom, dog mom, and proud VA nurse caring for veterans. I love true crime, Thai food, and am a massive Swiftie. I value quiet family nights, walks with loved ones, and the occasional well-made Mojito.
What makes you stand out from others in your field? What do you do differently?
I provide a unique service: a board-certified critical care nurse who comes to your home to safely pierce your child’s ears. Unlike pediatricians or mall kiosks, I create a warm, family-friendly, stress-free experience with no long waitlists.
Where can we keep up with you? What social media platforms do you use the most?
Instagram and my business Facebook page.