In the United States we are in the hurrican season. Tropical storm “Wild Bill” is causing downpours and widespread flooding across a fourth of mainland U.S.
Just as our country survives the economic cost of natural disasters there is a healthcare hurricane causing human capital damage of a similiar magnitude. Through healthcare reform therapists across the country have responded to deluge of change in the form of increased regulations and decreased reimbursement.
In today’s dysfunctional health care system therapists are forced not to create value for their patients but generate more revenue, reduce labor costs and defend the value of their service.
Tweet This–In today’s dysfunctional health care system therapists are forced not to create value for their patients but generate more revenue, reduce labor costs and defend their value.
Paul Potter PT
By now some of you are convinced there has got to be an easier way. Some of you have dreamed about escaping corporate therapy for years. Some of you have thought about owning your own practice but you don’t know where to start.
It’s finally time to have a plan to make your dreams a reality. I’ve worked with and learned from many successful business owners over my 35-year career. I’ve combined the essentials from the past with new entrepreneurial strategies to provide therapists a roadmap to guide them through starting up their own practice.
Here are the four stages that I believe every practice will go through to arrive at their destination of a thriving dream practice:
Stage One: Set Up
Stage Two: Start Up
Stage Three: Step Up
Stage Four: Stand Out
Let me confess that I’m envious of you. I wish I had this sort of roadmap when I started my practice way back when. Having a guide for achieving my dreams would have helped me to be more focused and to reach my goals sooner.
As you take steps toward owning your own practice, the more motivated and confident you’ll become. Going through the four stages I recommend will help you avoid costly mistakes and feel less overwhelmed.
Understanding how businesses are built and whom you are called to serve will set you up for success as you define it.
You won’t necessarily go through all the stages in sequence. You might find yourself working in a couple of stages at once. You may go back to clarify a previous stage once you’ve gained practical experience. It is a major mistake to think that there is one route to a successful cash-based practice.
There are as many routes as there are therapists with unique dreams and skills. Feel free to experiment and discover your own path to your dream destination. I hope my evolving road map will help you from spinning your wheels and getting stuck in a dead end.
Before we look at the road map to own your practice I want you to understand something. A career journey is much more than a trip. A trip is when you travel somewhere, share experiences, take pictures and come back home. A journey could be defined as a quest to get you from point A to point B.
If you decide to travel down the road to your dream practice, you do it without plans to return. You’ll change along the way. Your journey will have all the excitement, drama, hardships and adventures of the Lord of the Rings. It involves both leaving what’s behind and pressing forward with persistence.
There will be nothing boring about it, and it will require your best efforts. I invite you to take the next step in your life’s journey.
In the weeks ahead I will walk you through the small business roadmap on my blog and podcast. But I need your help. I plan on changing the road map based upon the feedback I receive from my tribe. I will ask you questions at the end of each blog post and podcast because I need your input.
Send us your feedback via our email address heypaul@paulpotterpt.com or leave a message at the end of each post.
It’s my desire that the roadmap will help you determine your location, where you want to go and the best route to get there. I’d love to help you take your dream and hit it out of the park.
