Episode #608: Someone Stole My Practice's Name

Summary

Podcast Summary: Abundant Practice Podcast

Episode #608: Someone Stole My Practice's Name

Host: Allison Puryear

Release Date: January 4, 2025

In Episode #608 of the Abundant Practice Podcast, host Allison Puryear tackles a common yet distressing issue faced by therapists: discovering that another practice has adopted the same name as your own. Through compassionate guidance and actionable advice, Allison helps listeners navigate this challenging scenario without letting it derail their professional journey.

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1. Introduction to the Issue

Allison opens the episode by addressing a listener's concern: another practice has the exact same name. She empathizes with the emotional turmoil that comes with such a discovery, recognizing the frustration and disappointment it can cause.

Notable Quote:

"Whether it's someone down the street or across the country, realizing that you are not the only one using your business name can feel really frustrating and disappointing and like sometimes a little unfair."
— Allison Puryear [02:30]

2. Emotional Impact and Acknowledgment

She emphasizes the importance of acknowledging these feelings. As therapists, Allison understands that building a practice involves significant time, energy, and creativity. The overlap in business names can feel like a personal setback.

Notable Quote:

"You pour time, energy, and creativity into building your business and now it feels like someone else is stepping on your toes."
— Allison Puryear [04:15]

3. Assessing the Situation

Allison reassures listeners that sharing a business name with another practice is not uncommon and isn't necessarily catastrophic. She clarifies that unless the name is trademarked, such overlaps are a possibility and not indicative of wrongdoing on anyone's part.

Notable Quote:

"Unless you trademarked your business name, sharing a name with someone else is always going to be a possibility."
— Allison Puryear [06:50]

4. Exploring Options

Allison outlines three primary strategies therapists can adopt when faced with this dilemma:

a. Changing Your Practice Name

If maintaining a unique brand identity feels crucial, therapists can opt to change their practice name. Allison advises swift action to prevent prolonged uncertainty and recommends clear communication with existing clients to avoid confusion.

Notable Quote:

"If you go this route, do it really quickly. Communicate with your people clearly and move on."
— Allison Puryear [08:25]

b. Reaching Out to the Other Practice

Another approach is to courteously request the other practice to consider a name change. However, Allison cautions that without a trademark, the other party isn't legally obligated to comply, and such negotiations may not always yield favorable results.

c. Keeping the Same Name

Alternatively, therapists can choose to retain their existing name. Allison highlights that the true differentiator lies in the quality of services, client relationships, and effective marketing rather than the name itself.

Notable Quote:

"Your success isn't about your practice name, it's about how well you connect with your ideal clients."
— Allison Puryear [11:10]

5. Focusing on What Matters Most

Allison encourages therapists to concentrate on delivering exceptional therapy, building strong relationships with clients and colleagues, and refining their marketing strategies. She emphasizes that clients seek the right fit and will gravitate towards practices that resonate with their needs, regardless of the name.

Notable Quote:

"Most of the time it's not malicious, it's just coincidence. The right people are going to find you."
— Allison Puryear [13:45]

6. Maintaining a Positive Mindset

Addressing the psychological aspect, Allison stresses the importance of avoiding a scarcity mindset. She reassures listeners that there's an abundance of clients and opportunities available, and one name duplication won't limit their success.

Notable Quote:

"Finding out somebody has your practice name would throw most of us into a scarcity spiral. So let's work our way out of that."
— Allison Puryear [16:20]

7. Resources and Support

To assist therapists in overcoming such challenges, Allison offers a free worksheet titled "6 Tools to Shift Scarcity Mindset." She also promotes her membership program, Abundance Party, which provides step-by-step guidance for building a successful practice with increased income and reduced working hours.

Notable Quote:

"If you are looking for help building your practice, I highly strongly recommend the Abundance Party."
— Allison Puryear [19:00]

8. Conclusion and Encouragement

Allison wraps up the episode by reiterating that the duplication of a practice name is manageable and should not hinder therapists from pursuing a fulfilling and prosperous career. With the right strategies and mindset, therapists can continue to thrive and make meaningful connections with their clients.

Notable Quote:

"Your practice is going to thrive because of you, not because of your business name."
— Allison Puryear [20:45]

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Final Thoughts

In this episode, Allison Puryear provides a balanced mix of emotional support and practical advice for therapists grappling with the issue of a duplicated practice name. By focusing on what truly matters—quality of care, client relationships, and effective marketing—therapists can navigate this challenge with resilience and confidence.

For additional resources and support, listeners are encouraged to visit www.abundancepracticebuilding.com and explore the Abundance Party membership program.

Transcript

[Allison]

Foreign welcome to Ask Allison. Y'all ask the questions about having a fun and thriving practice and I answer them. We have a worksheet for you today so you can bring this answer into your life. You can Access [e-mail] links where you'll also be able to ask any questions you have for Ask Allison. If you want more support, we've got some free trainings in there too. If you can't get enough Ask Allison, check out our YouTube channel for our entire Ask Allison library. Welcome back to Ask Allison. Here. Today's Question hi, I just found out another practice has my exact practice name. What do I do? So before I answer this, I would like to thank TherapyNotes for sponsoring Ask Allison. They are the number one rated electronic health record system available today with telephone support seven days a week. It's clear why TherapyNotes is rated 4.9 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot and has a 5 star rating on Google. TherapyNotes makes billing, scheduling, note taking and telehealth incredibly easy. And they also have E prescribed for you prescribers out there. If you're coming from another ehr, Therapy Notes makes that transition incredibly easy, importing your demographic data free of charge so you can get going right away by now what more than 100,000 mental health professionals already know. Use promo code [e-mail] for two free months okay, so we're going to dive into this because I actually get this question a lot more than you would think. Whether it's someone down the street or across the country, realizing that you are not the only one using your business name can feel really frustrating and disappointing and like sometimes a little unfair. But here's the good news. It is not the end of the world and it does not have to derail your practice. So first, let's acknowledge the feelings. Because we're therapists. I get it. You pour time, energy and creativity into building your business and now it feels like someone else is stepping on your toes. It's really annoying. It's disappointing. And it can feel like you are now scrambling, wondering if you need to change your name or rebrand at your SEO or basically start all over. So take a breath. It's frustrating, but it's also manageable. So do you need to panic? No. Unless you trademarked your business name, sharing a name with someone else is always going to be a possibility. And no, you don't have to trademark. Trademarking is a really great option if you want that extra layer of protection, but it's not standard practice in our industry. So if you haven't done it, you're not behind or doing something wrong. I love the law firm Implement Legal if you're interested in trademarking your name name, I would look them up. So here are your options. If you're in this situation, you can Number one, change your name. If it feels important enough, you can change your business name. But if you go this route, do it really quickly. Communicate with your people clearly and move on. Don't let yourself spiral into worry about rebranding or whatever. This might confuse clients. Long term. Your clients don't really pay that close attention to your business name unless it's particularly clever. They know and they refer to your name most likely. Same with your referral partners. Number two I would say reach out. You can politely ask the other person to consider changing their name. Just remember, unless you've trademarked it, they are not obligated to comply. Number three you can keep the name. Stick with the name. Focus on what matters most, which is delivering excellent therapy, building strong relationships with your colleagues, ensuring your website and your marketing speak directly to your ideal clients. This is not as big a deal as it feels, so even if you're in the same area, for instance, it's unlikely that you have the exact same ideal client. Everyone looking for therapy deserves a great fit and the right clients will find their way to you. If you are marketing, yes, it's annoying. It's disappointing, especially if you've worked really hard to get your name out there. But dwelling on it or assuming the worst, it's not going to help. Most of the time it's not malicious, it's just coincidence. There are only so many combinations of words like growth and resilience and hope and counseling go around. So the truth is, your success isn't about your practice name, it's about how well you connect with your ideal clients. If your website, your marketing, your client experience are all top notch, the right people are going to find you. So don't let this disappointment derail you. There are plenty of clients to go around and many of them need exactly what you offer. So here is my advice. If you want to change your name, do it quickly. Don't dwell on it. If you want to, keep it, focus on showing up for your clients and make it easy for them to find you. Either way, your practice is going to thrive because of you, not because of your business name. If you would like help navigating challenges like this or building a standout practice, I've got a worksheet for you. It's free DM me the word sheets to get it. It's six Tools to Shift Scarcity Mindset Finding out somebody has your practice name would throw most of us into a scarcity spiral. So let's work our way out of that. If you are looking for help building your practice, I highly strongly recommend the Abundance Party. It takes you through in a self paced way exactly what you need to know to build a really successful practice. You can get a discount if you use the coupon code Abundant and I think that's everything. Have a really good week. I am excited to support you and have a great day. If you're ready for a much easier practice, TherapyNotes is the way to go. Go to therapynotes.com and use the promo code abundant for two months free. I hope that helped. If you have questions for Ask Allison or you want to get your hands on the worksheet for this episode, go to abundancepracticebuilding.com Links if you're listening, you probably need some support building your practice. If you're a super newbie, grab our free checklist using the link in the show notes. I'd love for you to follow rate and review, but I really want you to share this episode with a therapist friend. Let's help all our colleagues build with they want.