Private Practice Success: What is Success as a Business Owner?
Private practice success looks different for everyone! Society puts pressure on us that we need to be “fully booked” to be successful. Our culture says we need to make “6 figures” in order to have success.
But guess what… “success” looks absolutely different for everyone.
In today’s blog, we’ll be talking about what success really looks like as a business owner and some mindset shifts to help you overcome the hustle culture mindset.
Embrace Continous Growth & The Ever Evolving CEO Journey
Being successful in business is about embracing continuous growth and your evolving CEO role.
As part of your CEO role, it’s important to have CEO time in order to thrive. Part of this time includes evolving your role as a business owner and deciding how to move forward.
There’s this misconception in business that success means reaching an “endpoint” as a business owner. Success is a continuous journey, and as a CEO, it’s essential to adapt to the evolving marketing and any personal life changes.
Finding Clarity & Vision
Once you understand that there’s no “endpoint” and success is forever evolving, you should start working towards your definition of success by actually defining it and finding the clarity and vision of your business goals.
To do this, reflect on what truly matters to you and your business, considering both short-term achievements and long-term goals.
This process not only provides direction, but it provides you a place to look back on when you need some motivation during the inevitable challenges of entrepreneurship.
Focus Your Efforts
Focusing on every aspect of business simultaneously is impossible. It’s important to prioritize tasks and not spread yourself too thin.
Another aspect of focusing your efforts is allowing your personal life goals to shape your business efforts. You have to be able to balance your business pillars with your personal life and other responsibilities.
Part of this is setting boundaries and maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
Defining Success on Your Terms
Success isn’t one-size-fits-all; it’s about defining what it means to you personally and professionally.
Define what “fully booked” on your terms means. It does not have to mean seeing clients all day every day. That’s nearly impossible to be sustainable in the long-term for dietitians. What is your ideal client load that supports a positive work-life balance?
Think about your ideal week. Are you working when and how you want to work? Do you have the right support in place? If not, check out our blog on how to hire for your private practice.
Decide on the financial boundaries that you have for yourself and for your business.
These are just some ways to measure “success” in business.
Establish Your Plan for Success
Every business owner needs a personalized focus area for planning.
This might mean maintaining a heavier focus on specific pillars of business at different times. Maybe it’s planning by the month or by the quarter.
By concentrating on areas such as marketing, operations, or client relations as needed, you can make sure all areas of business are being addressed. This approach could help you stay organized and focused.
Ultimately, having a flexible yet structured system empowers you to adapt and thrive the ever-changing world of being a business owner.
Embracing Your Zone of Genius
Pivoting and stepping into your expertise can lead to a more fulfilling and successful path in your business. As an entrepreneur, I believe that recognizing and embracing our unique strengths and talents is crucial for personal fulfillment and business success.
The term “zone of genius” was created by Bay Hendricks in his book “The Big Leap” and impacted me in a big way when I first learned about this concept.
It refers to the space where we operate at our highest level of creativity, passion, and expertise, enabling us to make significant contributions and achieve exceptional results.
Taken from “The Big Leap”, there are 4 different zones:
- Zone of Incompetence: The most obvious misalignment between people and tasks is where there is a lack of talent or skills.
- Zone of Competence: These are tasks that people are good at, but that other people can do better. Work that falls under this category should be delegated or redistributed to people more suited for it.
- Zone of Excellence: It’s less clear when someone is talented and skilled in a particular area but the work doesn’t give them energy. They may be successful in the short term, but over time they will burn out.
- Zone of Genius: When all talents, skills, and strengths are all aligned, we are in our Zone of Genius. The things in your Zone of Genius are the things that you are uniquely good at in the world, and that you love to do (so much so, that time and space likely disappear when you do them). This is where you can add the most value to the world and yourself.
Over the years, I’ve made a conscious effort to identify and focus on activities that fall within my zone of genius by understanding my strengths, what truly energizes me, and the areas where I excel.
Being in my zone of genius means that I can leverage my strengths to their fullest extent. This wasn’t always easy as a business owner, especially as a solopreneur with a lot of tasks that had to get done that were in my zone of incompetence and zone of competence. I also had to learn what tasks were in my zone of genius with a lot of trial & error and experimentation with different business projects.
One of the hardest parts of my career was actually letting go of projects in my zone of excellence. For me, it was a slow realization over time, but learning to recognize this has been life-changing. Now I work in my zone of genius about 80-90% of the time.
I love my work just as much as I love my life. I don’t know many people who like Mondays and I will never take it for granted that I do!
At Pursuing Private Practice, we believe that pivoting may be necessary to stay aligned with your zone of genius. This could mean refining your offer or taking the steps to scale your business.
Take a moment to think about your own zone of genius. What tasks or responsibilities light you up? Which ones bring you the most joy, fulfillment, and results? It’s time to realign your focus, delegate & transform your business.
Leadership Matters
The way you lead yourself (not just your team), and how you show up will shape your business culture and success.
Your personal values, work-life balance, and attitude set the standard for your entire organization, influencing how your team members perform and interact.
By practicing what you preach you can create a positive and productive environment that fosters trust, motivation, and a shared commitment to achieving your business goals.
Success Isn’t Always About Money
For many, success means having the ability to own their days, vision, and mission. Creating a schedule that aligns with your life is invaluable, especially in private practice.
This flexibility you create for yourself allows you to balance your professional commitments with personal priorities, enhancing your overall well-being and job satisfaction.
By designing a schedule that reflects your values and goals, you ensure that your work supports your life, rather than competes with it, and that’s what success in private practice is all about.
Private Practice Success: The Takeaway
Private practice success is all about what you want it to be. It’s about aligning life and business, and truly living your best life while reaching your business goals.
Success is about continuous growth and prioritizing the important things.
Embrace the evolution of your CEO role and establish a personalized system for success to help achieve long-term growth and fulfillment.
Want to work with me to build your private practice?
Business School is a comprehensive 6-month program designed to guide you through every stage of building a private practice: getting set up, seeing your first clients, growing until you’re fully booked, hiring a team, expanding your offers—and even learning how to coast when needed. Inside, you’ll follow a step-by-step curriculum with the flexibility to choose the path that fits your current stage of business and life. You’ll get access to advanced toolkits, templates, and systems for business topics like marketing and finances, but also for counseling skills and client support. Beyond the curriculum, you’re supported by personalized 1:1 coaching, weekly office hours, and monthly themes that address the real challenges of private practice. The program keeps you moving forward with built-in accountability that builds resilience and confidence so you feel like a legit business owner. Learn more and apply here!
