← Private Practice Startup Podcast
Private Practice Startup Podcast
Episode 135: The Agency Breakup - I Wish I Would Have Left You Sooner
00:26:18
Melanie Taylor
Loading summary
Transcript77 lines
- [00:03]
A
Welcome to the Private Practice Startup where we inspire you from startup to mastery. We chat with entrepreneurs, experts in the mental health and business arenas, and successful private practitioners to give you the tools needed to make your dream practice a reality. Visit theprivatepracticestartup.com for awesome resources, free trainings, and so much more. Here are your hosts, Dr. Kate Campbell and Katie Lemieux.
- [00:28]
B
Hey there everybody. Welcome back to another episode of the Private Practice Startup podcast. We are super excited that you are here today. We are speaking probably either to most of us because we've probably been in this situation or some of you right now. The title of our podcast is the Agency breakup. I wish I left you sooner.
- [00:48]
A
Such a good name.
- [00:49]
B
Really excited about this podcast topic because like I said, either most of us can relate because we were there or maybe you are there right now. And our podcast guest is super passionate about this topic. And our podcast guest today is Melanie Taylor and she's the owner of the Healing Tree. Melanie is a proud owner, very proud owner of a private practice where she gets to wear crazy T shirts, even crazier socks and Converse and sometimes ugg boots. She built her private practice in less than a year with all the information available on Facebook and Google. And her greatest accomplishment with her business was niching down a woman after our own heart. Even though her friends and family said she was crazy to do so. She also a kick ass office with soft Kleenex instead of agency sandpaper that she decorated the office with furniture not from the agency storeroom. So I can tell that this podcast is going to be a hoot from the beginning, which I'm excited. But before we get started, if you are brand new to our podcast, we want to welcome you into our startup nation Super Creo family. Welcome. We have a very special gift for you and that is our A to Z cheat sheet essentials for building and growing your dream practice. And just like Melanie said, like she learned about private practice all on the web and we actually had a startup mission. Superhero say she utilized the A to Z cheat sheet and created her private practice. So head over to private practicestartup.com the resources tab and look for the A to Z cheat sheet. So this is an A to Z of what you need to do to build your practice. And it also comes with five days of practice building emails to really help you get started or even get clear. So without further ado, we want to welcome you, Melanie. How are you today?
- [02:31]
C
I'm great. How are you guys?
- [02:33]
A
We're doing great. Good.
- [02:35]
B
You are our last podcast of the day. So it's interesting, before we had you or part of our podcast today, we were talking with Zoe Helene, and we're talking about time batching. Right. So that's one of the things that Kate and I do here in really order to focus on one thing. So we do all of our podcasts together. And I forgot to mention our podcast before, if you had not listened to it, we actually got to speak with Diane Webb, and she was talking about marketing the clinician. You are not the one who you think you're supposed to be, so you'll definitely want to catch that one as well. Okay, let's jump into the agency breakup. This sounds like a novel or something like that.
- [03:16]
A
Yes. Or like a crazy song. So tell us what inspired you to talk about this particular topic with us today.
- [03:23]
C
Well, I'd been in agency setting for quite a while. I started out in a psychiatric hospital and then moved over to agency. So just the after you've been there for a while, you start to recognize your quantity is better than your quality, I guess, to your supervisors. And I just, I was ready to get out. I wanted to provide quality service. And now that I'm out, it's like, I want to help other agencies get out there as well, or agency workers.
- [03:52]
B
That's awesome.
- [03:54]
C
I know.
- [03:54]
B
Kate and I have our story of agency and our hospital work as well. And isn't it interesting? Like, we talk a lot about, like, school, how school, like, sets up us up for that mindset of therapists can't make money. And then, like, what you're saying, Melanie, is the same thing with agency work. It's all about produce, produce, produce. It's not really about quality. I remember, like, you know, supervisors wanting us to run around after Medicaid clients no matter how many times they cancel. That was like, oh, well, we need the productivity. You have to see them go to their house. And it just, like, it's not good for business. You know what I mean? And really setting up someone for success in private practice.
- [04:29]
C
Oh, yes. And then when you get out, you realize that 80% of the true job was done for you. So you've got to rely on your clinician skills and research abilities, which, you know, you did learn in grad school. So I always tell people that it paid off.
- [04:43]
A
Yeah, Agel work is good to get clinical experience after, you know, when you're graduating, and you certainly get a lot of that, but for a long period of time, it's really, for most people, not that sustainable, unfortunately. Just A lot of people in agency settings are under worked, they're overpaid and a lot of times that affects their attitude. They can be burnt out and still pushing through it and negative attitude towards work or clients or whatever. It's a very challenging place to be. I can remember being in the agency setting and you know, being like super, just feeling like a fish out of water. I was like a sponge, ready to soak up all these things and learn and make a difference in the world. And it was my experience being in that agency setting setting was just very different and I couldn't wait to get out of it and get into private practice.
- [05:31]
C
Yeah.
- [05:31]
A
What helped you to take the leap from agency to private practice?
- [05:35]
C
Well, you know, I started researching. I was in a couple of Facebook groups already just as being a therapist in the area. And a few of them noted, you know, mentioned these other groups about private practice. And so I started joining those and like over time just learned as much as I could and then had the help also of a friend who had recently made the movement. So between the two of them, I was able to move out. And I wish I'd have left it sooner because I remember asking, we had to ask for permission. Asking the CEO for permission. I'll get back with you. I'm not sure. Two months later, she hasn't made a decision and I'm like, I gotta move.
- [06:14]
B
Wow. So that's interesting that you had asked the CEO for permission to be able to start your private practice.
- [06:20]
C
Yes. Most of the agencies have you sign something, it's either non compete or you've got to have the CEO's approval. I know, that's what ours did. So when I asked, it was like this conversation. And then when I finally did get approved, actually I never really got approval. I just finally told her I was doing it. So it was just all that, well, are you taking insurance? Because you're not allowed to do that. You know, and then a lot of trying to, you know, people don't usually make it. I remember hearing that on my exit interview. We'll be here when you're ready to come back. Wow. No. Peace out, Girl scout.
- [06:55]
B
You're probably like, that was the thing that just resounded in your mind like every time you wanted to quit. Right. I'm gonna prove to them I'm not going back.
- [07:04]
A
What did you find most helpful in terms of your own transition from agency work into making that leap into private practice full time?
- [07:13]
C
Honestly, it was finding a coach. I had reached out and had somebody help me, you know, with the website and my Psychology Today profile, it's Katie Read. So she did a lot of that and then the coaching, and it was just somebody to kind of give me a better foundation. And it's like, okay, this is what you're doing. This is where you're at. Because we are coming out of agency. There's just so much that you don't know. I remember, like, our first phone call, and she's like, what's your niche? And it's like, my what? She's like, your ideal client. And I'm like, I'm in agency work. My ideal client is whoever's in the lobby. We're not allowed to have those. And it was like, boom, you know, all of a sudden, oh, hey, I can see who I want to see, and this is who I want to see. And so learning how to market that specific population, I think, is what really did it and kind of helped me grow because I knew who I was going after at that point.
- [08:08]
B
And how far into your process, were you still in agency work when you hired a coach or were you already out of agency work? And how long did you realize you needed to hire a coach?
- [08:17]
C
I was in agency work, and it was probably six months in, I think, because I'd opened. Well, I didn't open. I started in April, but I was using the therapist next to me. She was letting me use her office while I was waiting on the other office to come next available and also get enough clients to pay for it. So I opened my office in June, but I was still working full time and just doing that part time. And it took probably until about August, September, when I was like, okay, yeah, I need some direction here. I don't like where this is going. I want to get. And after that, it, like, my caseload the next month tripled.
- [08:57]
B
I love that you realized very early on that you needed to hire a coach. And that's, like, one of the things that Kate and I talk about so strongly because it really helps save you time and money. A lot of times we think that we can be DIYers, and on some things we can, but we're really wasting the time and money because that's just not our area of expertise. And so I love that, you know, that's one of your messages is really to hire a coach. And I love that you did that. And Katie Reid's awesome. She's a freaking hoot.
- [09:25]
C
Love her.
- [09:25]
B
We had her on our podcast, and she was. We're talking about, I think, scarcity, mindset, and things like that. So she actually also did, which we haven't really talked about because it's gonna be a special surprise in our E course. But she did an awesome celebration video for us and it was hysterical.
- [09:41]
A
So funny ones between her and Tiffany McLean. The two of them are like drinking shots of espresso. When you have an interaction with them, you leave the interaction being like, woo. I've got all this energy and passion and excitement.
- [09:54]
B
It's so cool.
- [09:55]
C
Yeah.
- [09:57]
B
I'll put the link to her podcast on the Show Notes page too, so you guys have easy access to that.
- [10:02]
A
Let's go ahead and take a quick break for our sponsor and then we'll continue to dive into this transition process. If you're in private practice, you wear a lot of hats and some of those hats are totally great. But some like filing taxes and running payroll for example, not so great. That's where Gusto comes in. They make payroll taxes and HR actually easy for small businesses like your private practice. Fast, simple payroll processing and benefits and expert HR support all in one place. Gusto automatically pays and files your federal, state and local taxes so you don't have to worry about it. Plus they make it easy for you to add on health benefits and even 401ks for you and your team. Let them wear one of your many hats. You have so many better things to do with your time. Listeners get three months free when they run their first payroll. Try a demo and see for yourself@gusto.com PPS that's gusto.com PPS There are so many ways to keep your practice organized, but TherapyNotes is by far the best. They're easy to use, secure platform, lets you not only do billing, scheduling and progress notes, but also create a client portal to share documents and request signatures. Plus they offer amazing unlimited phone support. So when you have a question, they're there so you can get help. Get started with TherapyNotes today, trusted by over 60,000 professionals. Go to therapynotes.com and enter promo code PPS as in Private Practice Startup and you'll get two months for free. Also, you can listen to episode 54 where we interviewed Brad Pliner and took an in depth view into their ehr.
- [11:40]
B
So what's another thing, Melanie, that you did to be able to break up with your agency?
- [11:47]
C
Finding out all the information, you know, that I had to get ahead of time and then once I had kind of that niche down of who I wanted, it was being able to go after those clients so I could build the caseload and at some point it was quitting or I stopped letting kind of the fear of the CEO knows I'm doing this and I'm going to lose my job anytime. I finally just got rid of. I was like, I'm done, I'm going to do this shit. Scared anyway, like, we're done, we're going. And also, like, I remember my first month when I decided I was going to go full time. I didn't realize that I only needed half the amount of clients I was seeing in agency. So I'd come out of agency thinking, you know, in the private practice, thinking, quantity, quantity, quantity. I've got to build, I got to build, I got to build. And you don't realize that you only need half the amount. So people I think are really scared money wise that they can't make the step when actually they can. You know, you need 12 to 15 people in your city to come see you every week. That's it. Think about your population. You know, you can get those 12 to 15 people that you want to see if you market them correctly. And I think that's, you know, one of the things I learned from Katie was just learning how to market effectively.
- [13:00]
B
So important. And I, and I love that you share that story because you brought me back to that feeling of you're so programmed in a job to work that 40 really plus hours, not truly 40, that. I remember the time when I was only seeing a certain amount of people. Right. Like, I was anxious because I was like, well, what am I supposed to do? What am I supposed to do? Like, I'm not working enough. I mean, I don't ever have that problem anymore with having three different businesses. But I remember feeling anxious because your mind is so programmed. Like you have to. This is your work schedule and you have to be seeing to produce. Right. And so it was that weird feeling of like, oh, I'm actually making more and doing less.
- [13:38]
C
Yeah. And that was what, you know, when you see that and you see that come through on your bank statement or your month or whatever, you're like, oh, I'm out. And I think for me, that was after I saw it and I realized, oh, okay, I've got 10 clients, I can leave, like, and then I was gone.
- [13:56]
A
So tell us what your niche is. I'm curious who you work with.
- [14:00]
C
We specialize in women and teen girls. So that's it. That's all we see. And I'm kind of niching down even further to the women who are actually ready to make that transformation. And they've kind of been Through a little bit of therapy already, so it's even more specialized. Whereas the other girl that I brought on, because I also had to bring on another clinician, she specialized more in kind of the beginning transition of like trauma and things like that.
- [14:27]
B
Very cool.
- [14:29]
A
So tell us what else has been helpful and growing your practice Once you did make that leap and you were clear on who your ideal clients were, and then the marketing messages, what else have you done that's been really helpful in gaining that traction for you?
- [14:42]
C
Learning to outsource the things that drive me batshit crazy. I mean, oh my God, like, I remember I was like, I'm gonna make a website, you know, and you just get so flustered with it. And it drove me nuts. It was little things like that. The billing, the insurance billing. Oh, dear God, I don't even want to mess with it. There's people that, I mean, that's one of the things. Learning from Facebook. There's people that will help credential you. There's people you know, that teach you how to. You can learn anything you need just about just from typing in a question to a lot of the different Facebook groups. And I think that. And then learning just to outsource the things that drove me nuts.
- [15:23]
B
What did you have to do to prepare yourself to leave for agency work? Whether it was like mindset stuff or even planning what was helpful, I had.
- [15:32]
C
To realize that I personally was bigger than the company I was working for. And I don't mean that like in a vain way, but my life and my well being and my. I wanted more. I wanted more for me and I was never going to get it from them. And I wanted it to be my own. So I think that was that kind of mindset shift for me was able to, you know, it's like when you leave an unhealthy relationship, you finally realize, oh, there's more to me than you. I think there's a song out there that's one of my favorites. That's kind of what it was. There was more to me than them. And after that, it was just okay. Realizing the numbers. I think the biggest thing was knowing that I could go on my own part. It was like part I felt like I was working part time, really.
- [16:28]
B
One of the things that comes up as you kind of describe that and thinking again about the agency shift is like the theory of loss aversion. And it's kind of like, well, we have the agency and we have our paid vacation and our health insurance is covered. And it's like Even if we're going to make more money and that's going to cover all of that and, you know, have more time that we could actually pay for our vacations and still have more money. Like, the idea of getting over, like, I'm not gonna have paid vacation or my insurance isn't gonna be paid for. I think sometimes that's a. That's also a mindset shift that we have to make as therapists or anyone going into business when leaving a stable job, for sure.
- [17:04]
C
And also learning that it is a business. You know, you step out of an agency employee into the shoes of a CEO, you know, if you've opened your own. And that is. It's a big shift from where you were to where you're going. Because you realize that I did a blog on this that I just realized one day, oh, my bank is. Or my business is its own, baby. Holy crap. You know, it's its own thing. And I'm the face of that. So that kind of goes into it as well.
- [17:36]
A
What would you say are some of the biggest challenges that you had along that journey of getting into that CEO mindset and being an entrepreneur?
- [17:45]
C
Probably fear. There was so much, you know, when I left the agency, I had spent like four months, I think, worried I was going to lose my job at any minute, even though they knew I was in private practice, you know, it was just little comments, little snide things. And so as I. I think that fear kind of kept me a little bit from marketing the way I should have in the beginning and kind of hindering just some of that. And like I said, you know, and that's when I finally, you know, you get the coach and you learn, oh, okay, this is me. I can market, you know, in a good way. Like, I remember my first marketing on my own. I thought, oh, I'll just take these cookies to this PCP office. And I'm an introvert. And I was so nervous. And I, like, walked in there and handed her the cookies and some brochures and walked out to my car and realized I didn't even say my name where I was from. So one of my big jokes now is, when you get ready to start marketing yourself, make a list of one to 10, you know, or make a list of 10 people you want to. You want to reach out to for referral sources. And, you know, start with number 10. So that way all your nerves are out of the way. By the time you get to your number, you know, your top three.
- [18:58]
B
I like that one. I know when I first was in private practice, leaving agency work. Again, there was nothing out there except Casey Truffaut and I think like a book. And I remember my colleague and I who share office space, like we went up and down the street like marketing to everybody, right? And walking into places with like no plan, no like hey, we're therapist. Like it was awful. We had no idea. Client, no niche. We had nothing to give them except our business cards. So I love that, you know, you talk about, you know, really number one, knowing your niche but also knowing who you want to build relationships with. And it's an ongoing process. It's not a one and done for sure. I'm curious for you, Melanie. As you know, you mentioned like mostly everything about building and growing a private practice you can find on Facebook, booker, the Internet. What are some of your favorite resources that really helped you that are online?
- [19:50]
C
You guys, for one, your podcasts were amazing and are continue to be. So there's that there's an insurance credentialing one that also offers a podcast and that's very interesting because you. They kind of have this conversation back and I can't remember the name of it. I'm so sorry. I'll find it and send it to you guys. But anyway, they have a conversation back and forth and so you can kind of hear like questions. This is what it sounds like when you call an insurance company and understanding deductibles and copays and all that good stuff. So that's one of my favorites.
- [20:23]
B
What are some other resources or.
- [20:27]
C
Things.
- [20:27]
B
That you've used online? Things like that.
- [20:30]
C
Well bought the book the Profitable Private Practice by Melissa Da Silva. So her group has been amazing as well. Really loved that book. Her marketing ideas were so just spot on for kind of getting out there and different kind of outside of the box marketing ideas. And that's what I really liked about it. And then going from kind of the front to start or the startup to kind of growing.
- [20:57]
B
Share with us some of your favorite outside the box marketing tips that she shares in her book.
- [21:01]
C
Oh, she had one where she got a shiny. She said she, you know, did shiny envelopes and she would send them to the pcp so that way they would. It would kind of stand out amongst the other mail. She got T shirts with her logo as well as like a funny saying, you know, my therapist says to relax or something. And then her logo on the back. There was a shirt circulating a while back with the counselors, but it was like, friends, you know, I'll be there for you. And so I got that one and put the logo on it. So just things like that, that was probably one of my favorites. And then you're networking, getting out there and networking.
- [21:40]
B
Yeah. And do these pair nicely with your Converse shoes? Is that what you're saying?
- [21:44]
C
Yep.
- [21:46]
B
I love it. So some of the stuff that you shared so far, you talked everything being building a private practice on Facebook. Seriously. You've also talked about hiring a coach, which I think that's extremely important. Doing things.
- [21:59]
A
Scared.
- [21:59]
B
Anyway, that's important as well. And really looking and understanding. The agencies really often value the quantity of work over the quality and really getting over that scarcity and fear stuff. Especially if you have to tell your CEO, I want to. Can you give me permission to start my own private practice?
- [22:15]
C
Yeah, that's how it was. And now I'm looking back and I'm like, like, oh, what were you thinking? You should have just done it.
- [22:23]
B
I know, that's like so nerve wracking. Like, hey, I'm gonna leave. I'm gonna be leaving the company, just to let you know, so please don't fire me. But can I have your permission to start my own business?
- [22:31]
C
Like, ugh, yeah, exactly.
- [22:34]
B
So what do you hope that Startup Nation takes away from your message today, Melanie?
- [22:39]
C
I hope that other people in agencies know that private practice is possible. It's not something that's just for other people and not you. I remember hearing other people that had gone into private practice ahead of me and just kind of that little bit of envy that I would have, like, oh, I wonder what that's like. And thinking, oh, I can't do that, you know, that's not me. I'm not business minded. But you can do it, you know, and it doesn't have to be perfect. Just do it anyway. Just get your stuff done where you need to get it, get your clients and you can get out.
- [23:12]
B
I love that you share that because I remember early on in private practice, I kept feeling like I had to get it perfect, right? And what we teach, what Kate and I teach and coach on, is that it doesn't have to be perfect and it will evolve and it's. We have, I don't know, it's like a laughing joke to me personally now because we're trying to finish our marketing E course and I'm like, I am totally good with. Done is better than perfect, but we can't even get to the done part. It's been like this ongoing almost 10 month journey. So we're getting very close. And so that's going to be launching very soon as well. But yeah, practice evolves over time. I remember feeling I had to have the perfect website and that's just not going to happen for years and years and years and years and then it'll still evolve anyway. So just get it out there.
- [23:53]
C
Yeah, I mean, just get out there and let people, you've got to let people know you're there. You know, that's the other thing coming out, you know, especially if you're an introverted therapist that just is in your office with one person, one on one. It's terrifying going out and letting other people know you're there. But they've got to know you're there if they need, if they're going to send people to you.
- [24:11]
B
And I know that you have a giveaway for our audience.
- [24:13]
A
What is that? Yes.
- [24:15]
C
On my website, agencytoprivatepractice.com I've got two freebies. The agency to private practice checklist and the create your amazing Psychology Today profile. It's like a little miniature workbook. Awesome.
- [24:28]
B
And so we'll put the links to that on our show notes page. So we wanted to say thank you, Melanie, for inspiring those who might be an agency work and maybe giving a laugh to those who've been there as well. So we appreciate you sharing about your topic and your passion. Next week we are going to have Jenny Schottmiller who is a CPA and therapist. One of my favorite topics to talk about is taxes. Not necessarily Kate, but we're going to be talking about private practice and taxes. So you want to make sure you'll join us for that because I have to say, taxes is not the thing that you do in March or April every year. It's really an ongoing relationship you guys should have with your accountant and really essential one. Alright, I'm gonna stop talking because I could talk about taxes, but we'll wait till that podcast to talk more about that.
- [25:13]
A
And let's take a moment for our Startup Nation superhero shout out for today's episode. And this is from Jonathan S. Jonathan says this podcast saved me so much time. It's an invaluable research resource. Thank you. Thank you, Jonathan. We love that our episodes are being valuable to you and we hope we continue to inspire you from startup to mastery.
- [25:32]
B
We will see you later, Startup Nation.
- [25:34]
A
Thanks Melanie for being here today.
- [25:36]
C
Thanks for having me, guys. Bye.
- [25:38]
A
See you next time. Thanks for joining us on the private practice startup. Visit theprivatepracticestartup.com for awesome resources, free trainings attorney approved private practice paperwork and so much more.
- [26:00]
C
Sam.