Have you noticed in your business that some weeks are just phenomenal? You might start the week with a new patient that is just amazing, they are your exact ideal client, they seem to really be in alignment with your suggestions, and you have that feeling that they are going to be a great patient. You have a spring in your step, you feel enthused about working with them, they are excited about working with you, and the week just goes great from there. The energy in the office is just incredible, referrals start coming out of the woodwork!
Well that’s the kind of week I had this week and I want to share about what I discovered as a result. I hope you don’t mind.
The Importance of a Mentor
I was just fortunate enough to spend an hour on the phone this week with my new mentor and business coach, Ali Brown, who is an amazing businesswoman, and a mentor to many of the people I have been learning marketing and business from in the past few years. What an invaluable hour that was for my business.
Ali helped me to map out the direction that I am going in my business, the steps it will take to get there, ways I can focus on getting new clients that specifically fit my individual business (not someone else who has a business like mine), and the steps to take to get the ball rolling and make it happen… no excuses.
Not only did she help me to get a plan but something else happened too.
I got really excited about my mission and my purpose in doing what I do.
Being an entrepreneur can be a lonely road at times, peppered with high points where we are on top of the world and feel what an amazing difference we are making in our patients lives; and then there is the flip side, we hit the low points where we need a little support, nurturing and healing ourselves so that we can keep on giving to our patients.
It is especially hard for practitioners in the non-traditional health-care field; chiropractors, integrative medical doctors, acupuncturists and other holistic healers: we are facing the challenges of being a healer and a business person all at the same time, and we are up against the task of education our patients to look at health in a completely different way than the have done in the past. So we get a double whammy, and sometimes it is a challenge to keep that fire going in our bellies to spur us on to our mission everyday.
Invest in Yourself and Your Staff
It has just occurred to me that one of the reasons that I had so much success in my practice was that I always was investing in training for the doctor, myself and my staff. I also have always known the value of engaging mentors and consultants to keep me accountable as well as inspired. Allowing the time twice a month to check in with someone to see if my marketing was on track and make sure I was sticking to the plan that I had developed was a key element of my success, not only to keep me accountable, but also to perfect and refine my procedures to ensure that they were moving me closer to my goal and not farther away from it.
It’s how I built our solo practitioner business to consistent collections in the high $800,000 a year with minimal staff.
One of my favorite movies is the movie UP. It has a great message about the importance of pursuing your dreams and taking action, because life is short (but I digress… back to the point…) There is a scene in the movie that reminds me of the challenges we face as entrepreneurs (like it or not, if you are in private practice, you are an entrepreneur). This scene involves a pack of dogs on a mission to find a rare bird in the jungle. The dogs are very focused on their mission to find the bird, but when they see a squirrel… all bets are off, one of them barks out “SQUIRREL”, and they all forgot they even had a mission in favor of chasing the elusive squirrel.
Working with a great consultant can help you to get focused on the areas of your business that will bring you the results you want and will provide the accountability you need to stay on track.
We all need someone who can recognize a squirrel for us when they see one.
Often times we get so wrapped up in the trees of our business, we miss the forest.
If you would like to have a conversation with me to see how I may be able to help you achieve a greater level of success in your business, I am offering free strategy sessions for those who I believe I can help. Click on the medallion in the upper left hand corner of this page and apply. I would love to hear about your business and have a chat about what you are doing out there in the world, and see the ways in which I can help you.
