Podcast Summary

Episode Overview

Podcast: Private Practice Startup
Episode: 159 – Run Your Business Like Clockwork
Date: October 26, 2019
Host(s): Dr. Kate Campbell & Katie Lemieux
Guest: Mike Michalowicz, entrepreneur, author of "Clockwork," "Profit First," and other business books

Purpose:
This episode centers on transforming private practice businesses to run smoothly and efficiently, “like clockwork.” Business author Mike Michalowicz returns to dive into the core strategies from his book Clockwork, emphasizing structure, efficiency, and how to make your business operate independently—so owners can truly step away without chaos. The conversation is packed with analogies, actionable tips, and psychological insights relevant to mental health practitioners at any stage of growth.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Biomimicry and Business Efficiency

• Mike’s Approach: Uses lessons from nature (biomimicry) to shape business concepts.
  • Example: Velcro inspired by burrs, beehives inspiring business systems.
  • "Nature’s already figured out so many things we need." (04:22)

2. Mike's Framework – The 4Ds of Business Growth

• Doing: Where every business starts; you perform every task yourself.
• Deciding: Hiring staff, but they constantly run to you for answers—business owners become bottlenecks.
  • Analogy: "Like the Hindu goddess Kali—one mind, eight arms." (13:20)
• Delegating: True delegation means assigning outcomes, not just tasks; staff must be empowered and trusted to make decisions—including mistakes.
  • "Delegation is not the assignment of tasks. Delegation is the assignment of outcomes." – Mike Michalowicz (14:22)
• Designing: Leaders create the vision, choreograph resources, and ensure team members’ dreams align with company goals.
  • Mike’s story: When only he benefited from business milestones, his team was unmotivated. Once he connected company goals with individual staff dreams, motivation soared.

3. Mistakes as Learning Opportunities

• Both Mike and the hosts share that mistakes are essential and should be celebrated.
  • "We revel in mistakes... That’s one way we embrace that mistakes are a good thing." – Mike (17:27)
  • Startup’s example: Their VA made a costly error but was rewarded for accountability and inspired to start her own business.

4. Queen Bee Role (QBR): The Heartbeat of the Business

• Derived from beehive behavior: The hive’s success hinges on the queen’s egg production—the entire hive protects this function.
• In business, the QBR is the most vital activity—one that, if disrupted, jeopardizes the company.
  • "Every business has a singular function that our business success is hinging on. Most businesses don’t know what it is." (19:10)
  • Example: For FedEx, the QBR is on-time package delivery—not customer service.
  • Action step: Identify your big promise, then the key activity that delivers on it. Protect and optimize this above all else.

5. QBR for Solopreneurs and Delegation

• Even solo practitioners should define their QBR.
  • Recommendation: Outsource or delegate everything not connected to the QBR.
  • "If you don't know your first hire, hire a personal assistant. Every second spent mowing the lawn... not delivering QBR." – Mike (25:20)

6. Designing Systems so the Business Runs Without You

• The goal: Owners should schedule and eventually take real, extended vacations (four weeks—completely disconnected).
  • "Four week vacation... is not about the vacation; it’s about removing business dependency on the owner." – Mike (29:00)
  • If you’re essential daily, any absence (planned or unplanned) threatens the business.

7. Real-World Examples & Validation

• Dr. Kate shares her experiences: Hiring a client care coordinator freed her time, improved the business, and enabled her to plan a long maternity leave with confidence.
  • "Knowing I’m able to test how the business is running from having all these systems in place is just so exciting." – Dr. Kate (28:33)
• Systems and QBR thinking allow task replication and transfer to new business areas (podcast, video, content systems).

8. Psychology in Business

• Mike attributes his focus on behavioral psychology to therapy, self-education, and a belief that mastering the mind is foundational for business success.
  • "Mastery of our mind, quite frankly, is mastery of everything." – Mike (10:37)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Nicknames and Affinity:
  "Nicknames, done appropriately, can actually bring a lot of affinity between people." – Mike (02:42)

• On Storytelling (and Therapy):
  "When a person comes to a conclusion themselves, they see it as much more trustworthy than being provided that advice by a third party." – Mike (06:18)

• On the Risk of Owner Dependence:
  "If you’re carrying the business on your back and you break your back, business is done." – Mike (29:13)

• On Business Owner Purpose:
  "I really believe that we need to line... actually something greater than passion, but purpose, into our businesses." – Mike (11:26)

• On Scheduling Real Time Off:
  "Take a four week vacation – not today, not tomorrow, but schedule it out... because what’s going to happen is a mindset shift… you start asking, 'Who can get things done?'" – Mike (32:22)

Important Timestamps

• 04:22 – Biomimicry explained: learning from beehives and Velcro
• 12:17 – Introduction to the 4Ds of business (Doing, Deciding, Delegating, Designing)
• 14:22 – Delegation: assigning outcomes not tasks
• 16:25 – Discussion on supporting staff’s professional dreams
• 17:27 – Celebrating mistakes and cultivating accountability in teams
• 18:40 – In-depth explanation of the Queen Bee Role (QBR)
• 24:53 – QBR for solo practitioners and first hires
• 28:26 – Dr. Kate’s story of delegation and preparing for maternity leave
• 29:13 – The four-week vacation as the stress-test of business independence
• 30:41 – Replicating systems and scaling QBR with team support and automation
• 32:22 – Takeaways: schedule an ambitious four-week vacation to shift your mindset

Conclusion & Call to Action

Key Takeaway:
Define your business’s “Queen Bee Role,” build systems to protect and optimize this core activity, and gradually extract yourself from daily operations so your company thrives independently—enabling you (and your staff) to focus on purpose, personal growth, and true time off.

Free Resources from Mike Michalowicz:

• Free book chapters, WSJ articles, and video tips at mikemotorbike.com (33:40)