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August 22, 2018 By Jennifer McGurk Team

Warning! If you do not do this – you may burn yourself right out of business!

One common “problem” as a business owner is that you have the potential to be “on” at all times.

Since you are obviously in charge of many to-do’s and tasks for your business, YOU are the one that needs to get the stuff done. The world around you doesn’t stop so you might feel like you can’t stop either. I have supervised so many private practice professionals who have told me they can’t take time off. Whether their clients need them for appointments, or projects have deadlines that can’t be pushed back, many felt they could not take time away from their business.

The problem with not taking a break is that you and your business will slowly get burnt out. It won’t happen overnight, but a slow and steady resentment toward work will start to build. You may not feel as excited about work, or maybe you begin to feel overwhelmed. You might find yourself avoiding tasks and to-dos and procrastinating projects. YES this happens to everyone, including me! I know myself and my business well enough now, that I know I need to step back when I get this feeling.

However, what can start to happen is you might feel like “stepping back” makes your life even harder in the long-run. If you skip two weeks of work now, you will work until 10:00pm every single night when you get back. Or maybe you will check your email a few days into vacation and then feel too overwhelmed and annoyed with all the work “back home” to actually have fun. I have been there and have learned (the hard way) how important boundaries are when you are officially “taking time off”.

It seems like a lose-lose situation when it should be a win-win, but here is how you can make taking time off possible.

Every year I give myself a few weeks of “time off”. This is usually planned around a vacation or family time and is something I now look forward to! So, I’m refreshing my own memory with my favorite tips for taking time off:

Schedule your time a few months in advance. Do not plan projects deadlines, launches, or anything(!) around this time or for two weeks after your vacation.
Let your clients know a month in advance you will be “off” during this time and give them one last reminder the week before you leave.
Setup an “out of the office” auto message on your email, stating you will respond to messages when you return and a reminder of that return date.
Change your voicemail to reflect that you are out of the office and will return calls the day you return.
Give yourself a “grace day” the first day you return to work. I like to schedule a few hours on my calendar and call it “catch up” the day before I am officially “back to work” from a vacation. That way I can start again refreshed and ready to go.

I promise you, taking time off works. Some of my best ideas have come to me after a vacation or a trip. It’s so good for your mental health to get away from your business, take a break and make time to think outside the box.

We are sharing what we are doing on vacation on my Facebook Page, so if you want a little inspiration from others, click here and check them out and share what you do for vacation time in your business!

July 20, 2018 By Jennifer McGurk Team

Get at Least One New Client for Next Week!

I just got off of my Pursuing Private Practice Masterclass group coaching call and felt so excited to write this!

These group calls inspire ME just as much as I hope they inspire all of my students. We talked about so many exciting topics but one particular topic was my favorite–> how to get new clients.

I have been in private practice for 7 years (!!) and throughout the years I have had a wide range of active clients in my practice. Sometimes I am “slower” with less active clients and other times I am overwhelmed!! I find it depends on the “season” of business, the economic attitude of my area, as well as my own networking efforts. I’ve learned there are a few things I can do as a business owner to increase my referrals.

Hopefully these tips will help YOU get a new client for next week.

Write a really good blog post or newsletter and blast it out on social media. Any popular or controversial topic has potential to get a lot of likes/views/links to your website and chances are someone may think “I need to see him or her”. Don’t forget to include at least a line about how you are taking new clients!
Look at your existing clients and follow-up with their team. Do they have a doctor? Dietitian? Therapist? Psychiatrist? Can you update these other healthcare professionals about your present client so they know that you are doing a great job as a treatment provider? (And “doing a great job” doesn’t meant the client has to be doing well. Honesty is always best no matter what.)
While in conversation…. ASK for more referrals!! I have openly said to many other healthcare professionals “I want some more clients” at certain times and have also told these people I have “popular” time slots open as well.
Send business cards to at least 5 people. We are all obsessed with email in today’s world that I find it is so nice to get regular mail!! Anytime I get other providers business cards they go in the front of my business card holder and I’m thinking about that professional.
Pick a NEW referral source and schedule a lunch date to really get to know them. Getting to know other healthcare professionals on a personal level is so much better networking than just introducing yourself and saying hi.

Taking my own advice… I am now taking on a few Registered Dietitian Nutritionists for supervision/business coaching sessions! (I do both because I find it impossible to only focus on either one. In my opinion they go together!). You can learn more about my Supervison programs here.

If you are interested in learning more about what supervision/business coaching does for your business, email me and we can schedule an inquiry session 🙂

May 26, 2018 By Jennifer McGurk Team

A 5 minute read to save you years of stalled growth in your practice

It is possible that your desire to grow your business means spending a lot of time trying to make all the pieces work, trying to figure out the next best step that will actually help you move forward instead of taking two steps backward.

I get it, I truly get it. Being an entrepreneur is not easy. I built my business from absolutely nothing when I started and I wasted so much time “trying to figure it out” when I began my journey in 2008. I wanted to “get everything perfect” before I officially opened. I finally opened my doors in 2011. THREE YEARS after I knew deep down inside that I wanted to go into private practice. 3 YEARS of wasted time and energy! I figured things out along the way but made many mistakes. My #1 regret was waiting so long to start!

This is why I created the Pursuing Private Practice Masterclass program – to offer people like you something I wish I had back when I started. A road map of what to do and what not to do, in order to get your practice opened easier, faster, and without the struggles I went through.

This program offers you the confidence and solutions needed for success in business and today is the last call for you to join the Pursuing Private Practice Masterclass E-course and save on the new fee but still get the new pieces of the program!!

Going into business for yourself is a risk – but those of us who want it and want it bad… you will do what it takes so that you can become your own BOSS and be in charge of how you work, who you work with, and even when you work.

It is HARD WORK but it is so worth it. I have two small children, a thriving eating disorders nutrition counseling practice, and get to offer supervision and training to other business owners and help them create what I have created in my own life. Sure, we can all struggle and try to make it work, but it can be a lot easier when you have a road map like the Pursuing Private Practice Masterclass Ecourse program.

I only WISH I had this course back then because it would have given me the confidence and solutions needed for success in business.

They say you have to spend money to make money – and this is true, but here is your chance to spend less money, take advantage of it. Seize the opportunity to take your practice to the next level, whether you are brand new or have been in business a while… we all want to grow and the Pursuing Private Practice Masterclass Ecourse program is here for you – to help you get to that next level. This course will help you run your business more efficiently and teach you tips and tricks for success. And “success” can mean whatever you want it to mean, including working part-time!

It’s BONUS TIME!

As a bonus for purchasing the course, you will receive my 2 books on private practice, Pursuing Private Practice: 10 Steps to Start Your Own Business and Pursuing Private Practice: 10 Steps to Grow Your Own Business. These pdf copies of the books will be emailed to you.

Oh yes… another BONUS! When you join the course, you will have access to the Pursuing Private Practice private Facebook group. This is a place to get support and receive direction and ONLY for participants. We have planned discussions on the module topics a few times each year as more professionals join.

And maybe the best bonus of all!… “Ask me anything” group calls!! These new group coaching calls will start in June. The calls will be for 60 minutes, 10 times a year. The group coaching calls are meant to give you even more access to me to get your questions answered and for you to receive support that you need in private practice.

As I said earlier, reading this info for the past 5 minutes could save you years of time trying to build your practice. Get the time saving templates, lessons, guidance and support needed to make it work… NOW, and not take 3 years like it took me.

I hope you join us in this program. The monthly calls and group support alone will help you get through this building phase with the support of peers who all are pushing for you to succeed and the confidence needed to make it all work!! You can do it!

April 26, 2018 By Jennifer McGurk Team

Find Your Community of Ideal Clients to Increase Referrals

If you’ve zoned in on your ideal client, it’s time to find the community that will help you get more of these clients!

In order to increase referrals from other professionals, you need to be networking with the community that serves your client population. That’s how they’re going to learn about you and your services. Ask yourself, “Who is my community and how can I meet them?”

Who are like-minded professionals who may also treat clients you want to have? Where do these professionals work? Are they doctors or specialists? Are they personal trainers? Are they social workers? Do they belong to organizations or are they involved in committees? Where do these professionals go for continuing education? Where do they network?

Consider trying to speak at one of their networking events or going to a meeting to learn more about their profession.

Who else in your community does a similar job to yours? Or are there clinicians who have the ideal job that you want to have? Go out and meet them too! Remember, there are more than enough clients to go around, and no one is ever in direct competition with you. These are valuable connections who will sometimes serve you more than other professional connections. The more you build up one another, the more you both succeed. Get to know your colleagues, and you’ll both be sharing secrets for success and thriving.

There are various organizations for small businesses that can also help with networking and making connections. Check out local entrepreneur groups, mentoring for small business organizations, and local Chambers of Commerce. There also might be opportunities for networking with professionals online, such as professional groups, listservs, LinkedIn, and social media.

Learn all about mistakes that I made when starting out: 10 Mistakes Professionals Make in Private Practice. Enter your name and email below to get your copy.

April 15, 2018 By Jennifer McGurk Team

To Specialize or Not? Finding Your Niche in a Private Practice

The quick answer is YES you should specialize and find a niche.

It’s impossible to be an expert in everything. You were likely trained in many areas of your profession and have the ability to see many different types of clients – but that doesn’t mean you should see everyone. Picking a niche doesn’t mean that you won’t see other things in your practice – chances are you WILL. Clients are human beings who have a lot of things going on. If you work with humans, you will never have 2 clients that are exactly the same.

So how do you pick a niche? Choosing a specialty is usually the first thing that scares people about starting a private practice – but it shouldn’t. Start by taking clients in a few common areas in your field at first. As your business grows, you will start to notice which clients excite you and which bore you. Then you can narrow it down to what types of clients you WANT to see more of and start to form your niche.

Already know what type of niche you’re passionate about? You are ahead of the game!

Overweight women have examination at dietitian-nutritionist's office . They looking results and talk about dieting and healthy eating — **So WHO is your dream client?**

After you narrow in on your specialty, another big part of the “vision process” involves determining who your dream client is. Every business starts with this step, because you need to know who you’re marketing to.

More questions to ask yourself: Do you want only a high-end clientele so you charge more and work less hours? Do you want to help young people, so your dream clients are college students just making their mark on the world? Do you want to work mainly with women? With the elderly? With a certain race or culture?

Then move on to how to reach this population. How are you going to solve their problems? How are you going to help them? What are they looking for in a provider? Where do they find the information they need?

The beauty of being your own boss is that YOU get to decide on the perfect type of clients for you. Everyone is different and that’s the beauty of being in charge of your own destiny!