I’m a year-and-a-half into owning my private practice (woot, woot!!). I wrote a blog back in June about my first set of Rookie Mistakes, and now I’m back to share Part Two of a few things I’ve learned the hard way.
I know in retrospect when I read these they seem so obvious…like, DUH-obvious……but the fact of the matter is these things are easy to overlook when you’re flying solo.
So here are five more Rookie Mistakes for you to avoid if/when you are thinking of opening your own private practice:
1) Keep your Forms Updated – Then Update some More – I had an emergency contact space on my original form…..oh wait, no I didn’t!!! I mean, can you believe I did that? How did I discover this huge oversight? When I had a client in a really bad situation contact me and I needed to get in touch with a family member. Only when I pulled his file did I realize this horrible mistake. I now get at LEAST one emergency contact name and number per client. And I’m constantly updating my forms to add other crucial info (pregnancies, miscarriages, etc.)
2) RUN the Credit Card your Clients give you to Keep on File – One of my business practices includes keeping a client’s credit card on file to charge future appointments (or no-shows and less than 24-hour’s notice of cancellation). I have a form where clients voluntarily fill in their Credit Card info, then I manually run them at the end of the day. Oh, how naive I was to think they were writing down the correct number!!!! This is especially crucial for a cash-pay only business. Run that card with them in the office first to ensure it is a valid card.
3) Don’t Scrimp on Office Space – My first office space didn’t have a window, because, quite frankly, I didn’t have any clients and a window seemed like an unneccessary luxury. My practice grew quickly, and soon my tiny windowless office just wasn’t adequate for my clients – or myself. Upgrading to an office with a window makes all the difference in the world. So get the best office space you can (even if it means you have to hustle extra). I chose a secure building in a nice area with a shared receptionist and coffee/tea service included. It’s a nice space for my clients, who are spending their hard-earned money to come and see me. And now they have a window!!!
4) Wasting Precious Advertising Dollars – When you start out, everyone and their brother is going to call you (and call on you) to advertise with them. I have a marketing background, so I know the value of advertising and I needed to grow my business. One of the worst investments I made was buying a very expensive print ad in a local paper. I didn’t receive one call or email from that ad, and I think I’m the only person that saw it. My dollars would have been better spent on online advertising, where I receive the most return on my investment.
5) Not Setting Personal Boundaries – Starting a business is a 24/7 venture. It’s not a 9-5, Monday through Friday job. You must feed it constantly, or it simply won’t grow. But here was my problem: You want a 7:00 a.m. slot? Yes. You want an 8:00 Saturday morning slot? Yes. You need to text me at 10:00 at night? Yes. You need an 8:00 pm slot? Yes. Answer my business line at 10:00 a.m or 10:00 p.m. on Sunday? Yes. Pretty soon all of these “Yeses” were taking a personal toll, on both myself and my family. I’m still working hard on this one, but I’m setting more limits starting with phone and email activity, and I have a hard and fast last 7:00 p.m. appointment during the week.
My mistakes are and have been an amazing way for me to learn and grow, both personally and professionally. What are your (if any) rookie mistakes? I’d love to hear about them, how you discovered them, and how you handled them.
The holidays are approaching, and maybe you’re thinking of gifts to get yourself or your small business.
While I found I didn’t need much to get my practice up and running, these are some things that I have found invaluable for keeping my business running smoothly and efficiently :
Line2 – When I was setting up my practice, I was going to buy a completely separate phone, and didn’t want the a huge expense. When asked a few other clinicians how they handled their business line, a trusted mentor told me about the Line2 app. It costs 9.99 a month (10.81 with tax), and completely interfaces with my iPhone. It has the calling and texting features I need, and when it rings it comes through the app so I know it’s a work-related call. The only drawback is that sometimes it “acts up” and there is a delay in texts. Other than that, it’s easy to use and I love love love it. So I have one phone but it functions as two.
Bluehost – My website is hosted there. They are reasonable for hosting fees ($12.00 per month) and customer support is available 24/7 if there are problems.
Gmail – It’s just the best email system out there. Nothing else to say here.
Google Calendar – I keep all appointments in a Google calendar. It took a little time for me to get used to using it, but now I – and my business – couldn’t survive without it. I also sublease my office for a few hours a week, and my calendar is shared so my officemate and I can book appointments around each other’s schedule.
Quickbooks – My CPA will be so happy with me at tax time! I love the ease of Quickbooks for tracking all of my income and expenses. They have a cool mileage feature as well as an easy way to upload any business-related receipts.
Square – I use this for my credit card )processing. There are admittedly a lot of features I don’t use (like appointment reminders but the reports are awesome and it’s really user-friendly. I did have to order another chip reader this year (mine conked out , of course, just after the 1-year warranty) and since I’m cash-pay, most of my transactions are done through credit card.
Vsee – This is a HIPPA-compliant platform that I use for distance counseling. It can be used for both calls or for video conferencing. I currently am utilizing this more frequently with clients that don’t live in San Antonio. It’s a great option for people that have transportation issues, or feel more comfortable in their own home. Best of all….it’s free!!!
I’m always seeking ways to improve and be more efficient at work. What are your Favorite Business things? I’d love to hear.
When I officially opened the doors to my private practice on August 1, 2016 I didn’t have one paying client.
Yes, you read that right. Not. One. Paying. Client.
You might be reading this and saying “Is she out of her naive mind, she opened a practice without one client on board?” Believe me, I agree with you! But here is what I did have: a shared office space in a central location (so I was only responsible for 1/2 the rent), a website and presence on four social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn), a marketing plan, great experience and a whole lot of hope, fear and determination. My eyes were completely focused on the prize, and for me, that prize was having a successful practice. I was going to make it happen.
I set a goal right away to have at least one meeting a week (it was usually more) with people in my industry because, as a former marketing executive, I know the power of network marketing. And let’s face it, I obviously had way more time on my hands than I did clients!
So began my meetings. I met with fellow students from grad school at their private practices. I toured substance use and abuse facilities and hospital behavioral health departments. I attended local (free) CEUs at agency venues and handed out my cards. I called former colleagues that I worked with at various agencies to meet up for coffee, and invited them to see my office space. I joined a network marketing group of local business women. I met with doctors, physical therapists and other health-care providers. I partnered up with other people and developed some education and training courses. I volunteered to run groups at a treatment facility. I cold-called and emailed other counselors that I knew in the area, and met with them over pizza, salads and sandwiches to pick their brains about their private or group practices, and to let them know I was ready for referrals.
My very first client came from one of those meetings. And then my next. And then my next. And while I do rely on paid advertising to market my business, some of my best and long-term clients have come, and continue to come, from these word-of-mouth referrals.
I have also received other gigs from these meetings to diversify my practice, including writing and training opportunities, contracting positions (I currently have three outside contracts) and have been offered a position to sit on the board of a large local agency.
As my client base and practice grows, I still make time for at least one meeting a week. Again, it’s usually more, but as my clinic hours fill (and that’s how I pay myself), I stick to my rule of at least one. These weekly meetings have benefitted me in many ways, and not only business-wise. It gets me out in the community and keeps me on top of new resources for my clients, as well as gets me in touch with other people in the business – something that is crucial for this sole practitioner. In fact, I’m writing this after reaching out and meeting a counselor for coffee that I sat next to at a networking event this past summer. Next week I’m touring a substance-use treatment center in the Texas Hill Country and being hosted as a guest for a paid CEU course. The week after that I’m speaking at a middle school on the South Side of San Antonio for their Career Day. My meetings will continue into 2018 and beyond.
When and where is your next meeting?
It’s been exactly one year – today – since my first paying client walked through my private practice office door and sat on the couch. It’s been a great year, and I’ve been doing a ton of reflecting on the past 12 months. There are things I’ve done right, many I’ve done wrong and just about everything in between.
I’ve loved writing about my experience in my “Private Practice Chronicles” series, and due to the positive feedback I’ve received, I plan to continue to write about the things I learn in the upcoming year.
For this anniversary post, I’m sharing a few thoughts on my past year, and the most important things I’ve learned:
You Can’t Network Too Much – My daughter is a competitive baton twirler, and when she complains about practice time, I always remind her that no one has ever gone to a competition and said, “I practiced too much.” But the opposite is certainly true. The same goes for business networking – you can’t do “too much” of it! My networking has been an important and crucial part of growing my practice. The coffees, lunches, tours, emails, cold calls and meetings have been invaluable for making new contacts in my industry – as well as referrals.
Trust the Process – When I graduated from my Master’s, one of my favorite professors gave me a bookmark and wrote this phrase on the back. I didn’t quite understand what she meant at the time, but now I do. Therapy is a process. Owning a business is a process. There are ups and downs, and quite honestly, some days are better than others. Mistakes are made, but you learn from them and move on. But you must trust the process, and each and every lesson it teaches.
Diversify – Besides my private practice, I also write this blog, contract with a local opioid clinic and write and handle social media for other therapists. I am also working on a few other collaborative therapy-related business ventures. Don’t pigeon-hole yourself into only seeing clients in your clinic in case there is a slow month (and there will be slow months!) Have other options – and other revenue sources.
Enjoy Yourself – opening up your own business is scary, and there are lots of unknowns. There’s no steady paycheck, paid vacation time, insurance benefits or matching 401(k). There were times in the past year when my phone was silent and my clinic was empty, and other weeks where I couldn’t keep up with the demand. Through it all, I’ve enjoyed every minute of it and am excited and energized to see where my business goes -and grows – in the upcoming years. I love what I do, and the best feeling in the world is when a client tells me how much I’ve helped them or changed their life.
I can’t imagine going back to work for someone else again after taking the plunge and venturing out on my own. It was a long and thought-out decision, and one I’m happy I made. I find it an honor and a privilege to work with my clients. I love meeting and connecting with new people in my industry. Every day I walk into my cozy office and I can’t believe I get to do what I do for a living. I’ve never been more energized or excited about my work.
Happy Anniversary to me, and hopefully, many, many more!
I’m near the one year mark – one year! – of owning my private practice. It was a dream and ultimate career goal from the time I decided to go back to grad school in 2010. Seven years later, an opportunity arose, in the form of a sudden and unexpected (boy, I didn’t see that one coming) job layoff, some office space that became available, a person willing to share the rent and just like that, a dream became reality.
Shy of one year in my practice, I just re-signed a lease (solo, yikes!) and couldn’t be happier. I’ve had some big successes co-mingled with a lot of hard lessons. Here are five rookie mistakes for you to avoid if/when you are thinking of opening your own private practice.
1) Find a Niche – I was all over the map when I started. Honestly. As a therapist, you can’t be everything to everyone. So don’t make the mistake of taking all business just for the sake of taking business. Figure out your strengths (and weaknesses), find your niche, and work on perfecting it. Refer cases beyond your expertise to others in your community. In time, they’ll refer back to you.
2) Stay Organized – Owning a business means you are all departments – IT, accounting, scheduling, marketing and everything in between. This is a constant challenge for me. When I’m not seeing clients, I schedule time in my day for meetings, marketing, social media management, paperwork or general planning, depending on what needs to be done. Set up systems that work for you so that your practice can run efficiently.
3) Safety First – I’ve taken new clients at 8:00 p.m. and weekend slots where my usually-bustling office building was desolate and I was isolated and alone. Looking back, considering the line of work I’m in, some of those clients would have been better for me to see during normal business hours until I got to know them better. Looking forward, I only schedule my known and established clients during my irregular times.
4) Have a Business Plan – I’m going to make all you MBA-types (and my accountant) cringe right here: I didn’t write one. Well, not an official one. Oh, I had a list of things to do (website, PLLC, business accounts, etc) and lots of ideas swimming in my head. But get your business plan down on paper, including all start-up costs, projected expenses, and number of clients you need weekly to break-even, turn a profit, and cover expenses. Refer to your business plan monthly, and make revisions as needed.
5) Don’t Panic – Owning a business has its ups and downs. Some months are better than others. Case in point: my most profitable month was one where I was off for a week on vacation. The next month was slow (and I mean, slooooooooow). During this slow month, someone approached me coming to work for them – notice I said “for” not “with.” I considered this offer for a few days (what if I don’t make it? what if business continues this slow? What if what if what if?) but decided to continue working to build my practice. Sure enough, not two weeks after turning down the offer, some well-paying, substance-use contract-work came my way. If I had panicked and thrown in the towel, I would have been giving up not only my dream, but this other, better-suited opportunity.
I’m still making mistakes, and learning from each and every one. Mistakes are simply par for the course of owning your own business. Don’t dwell on them. They happen to everyone – just don’t repeat them, and learn from them. Best of luck with your own practice, and I hope reading about my rookie mistakes help you avoid making your own.
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