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Private Practice Startup Podcast
Episode 84: How to Start a Private Practice
00:36:03
Dr. Kate Campbell & Katie Lemieux
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- [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.
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B
Hey there, Startup Nation. Welcome back to another episode of the Private Practice Startup podcast. I am one of your hosts, Katie Lemieux, here with my sidekick.
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A
What's up guys? It's Kate Campbell.
- [00:38]
B
I'm like feeling like my brain is a little, I don't know, out of it today. And I had to like, think about like, oh, I got it. We gotta announce ourselves again.
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A
Yes. Often we skip over who we are. We just assume you guys know because you, you listen. But we have newbies all the time. Yeah, so we gotta intro ourselves. We shouldn't assume in the intro.
- [00:54]
B
So. Yes. So I'm Katie, this is Kate. We're the owners of the Private Practice Startup and we wanted to say welcome if you're a first time listener and we are rolling our red carpet, extending our arms to welcome you to our Startup Nation family. And actually we have a gift for you and our gift is our A to Z cheat sheet. The essentials for building and growing your dream practice. And so just head over to private practicestartup.com youm'll see our smiling faces and the beautiful water behind us because we are a South Florida based company and they're right there on the homepage. You'll see the button to download your A Z cheat sheet. And of course, if you are already a Startup Nation family member, we wanted to say thanks for continuing to be a loyal Startup Nation member and listening. And so we're really excited about today's podcast because you guys get us.
- [01:40]
A
Yes. And yep, it's us. And it's something that's specifically requested by Startup Nation.
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B
Yeah, and we see this all the time. And it was interesting because I see this question all the time and the question is, how do you start a private practice? So I know that we could probably do months worth of webinars on this.
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A
Uh huh, 100%.
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B
But I found myself answering the question. Then I actually just copy and pasted my answer and said, kate, why don't we do a podcast on this? So obviously there's a lot to it, but we're gonna get into that in a little bit. But we hope that you listened to our podcast the week prior which was with Connor McClellan.
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A
Did I say that right? McLennan.
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B
McLennan. Okay. I just totally watched that.
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A
Connor McLennan on how to Super Irish how to use video to grow your practice from Coppola Media. Yes.
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B
And our sponsor for today's podcast is.
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A
Our sponsor for today is Brighter Vision. We really hope you guys listened to last week's episode with Connor McLennan from Coppola Media where he talked about how to use video to grow your private practice. So that was a really fun episode and value packed as usual. And so we hope you guys listen to that for sure. And we want to take a moment to take a quick break from our sponsor. And today's sponsor is actually with the attorney approved private practice paperwork and that is actually part of our company here at the Private Practice Startup. And we know how difficult it is to start up in private practice. We get it. We've been there, we've done that. And knowing that you need legal and ethical paperwork is just another list on the long list of to dos and expensive to get your own attorney and have your paperwork reviewed and not to mention creative from scratch could take a ton of time. We've done all the hard work for you, so we want to encourage you guys to save time and money and make sure you avoid legal risk. We want you to avoid legal risk in your private practice. So make sure to download a free copy of the HIPAA form, which is under the Resources tab at our website and check out the a la carte and paperwork private practice paperwork options that we have as well under the Shop tab at the Private Practice Startup website, which is private practicestartup.com I was going.
- [03:47]
B
To say private practice paperwork packages is.
- [03:49]
A
So It's a tongue twister, guys. Yep, I got tripped up on it. And I've said this sponsor and name probably a million times.
- [03:55]
B
Millions and millions of times. Awesome. So we're going to go ahead and jump into today's topic. We got loads of stuff for you guys. So I think I'd like to just kind of start off with a quote. And the quote that I really love is most people don't plan to fail is that they fail to plan. And I've heard this quote time and time again. And as I say it, it brings me back to thinking about when we started in practice.
- [04:19]
A
Yes. In 2006, when I started in private practice, I had no plan. I'm like, let me, let me create my business entity. I'll get my business cards, I'll get a private practice location. I'll have beautiful furniture and office decorated and, you know, I'll be able to build and grow my practice just like that. Boom.
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B
And the people will just come running in.
- [04:41]
A
Yes. We call it the field of dreams mentality. Right.
- [04:43]
B
And interestingly enough, my mentality was this. Ready? And you can totally see why I had no plan. I was like, well, being a therapist is easy. My main tool is using my mouth. I need a pen and a chair and paper to write notes.
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A
Wow.
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B
Wow.
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A
Yeah. So we definitely did not start off with plans. We started our private practices separately and learned a ton of things the hard way. Because, let's face it, when we first started out, there really weren't a lot of practice building resources like there are today. Now there's webinars and courses and trainings and e courses and books and so many free, awesome Facebook groups. Tons of valuable content out there to really help you go after your dreams. And that was something that we were lacking at the time. So, unfortunately, Katie and I learned a lot of things the hard way, but that's why we're so passionate about really helping you guys know the steps that you need to take so that you go about things in a way that's going to be much more efficient, allowing you to make a greater difference in the world. Right?
- [05:42]
B
Yeah. And so I would say one of the number one things that we constantly see that's a huge mistake is people start off with their new and they really get attached to their name of their practice and they get really emotional about it, and that's just actually not the place to start. So we're going to invite you to really start off with what we didn't start off with initially, which was a plan. And so whether you do a business plan, we also have a goal planning worksheet. And one of the things I just want to say, one of the things about today's podcast is we are going to talk about a ton of resources that you're going to want to go to the Show Notes page to download. We also have some resources where you can get some free stuff or discounted things. So head over to. To the Show Notes page. I can't say that enough, but whether it's a business plan, and I know we did a great podcast with Amanda Patterson on business planning, or a goal worksheet is you really want to start off with some type of plan. And not only that, I would say another huge mistake that people make in regards to a plan and really thinking about their private practice is that a lot of Times they jump into private practice and they become a slave to their business. Most of us don't intend to do that. And we go in a private practice to have more freedom, more time, you know, be able to do things with our family and things like that. And in fact, we become slave to the business. We're working on weekends, we're working 12 hours a day, and that's just crazy. So when you create your plan, part of creating your plan is to create your lifestyle business. We also did another great podcast with Joe Sanock on lifestyle business, which we'll also put the link in the show notes page for you. And so it's really, when you create your plan is you really want to look at how much vacation time do you want to have. You need to plan for sick days. If you have children and young children, if they're in daycare, they get sick a lot. And so you might have to take time to care for them. Also things like you want to look at the seasonality of your, of your business. Right. And so I know for me, in the summertime, even though I work with couples, couples often are taking their family on vacation, so it might get a little bit quieter. A lot of times people think like things die down in the holidays. It really depends on your population. For me, actually, because clients are spending time with their families, a lot of problems and issues ensue. So I actually stay pretty busy during the holidays. So whether you want to plan your time around your seasonality, whether you want to take a two week vacation, is really looking at that. And in regards to that is of course, you want to look at how much you want to get paid and how much you need to charge your clients to make the amount of income you need to make, of course there is doing market research in your area, what you can charge. You don't want to price yourself too far out of the market, too low in the market. You also want to base that off your, you know, your experience, your credentials and things like that.
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A
Yeah, your specialization, all of that for sure. And what you charge will change over time. So having all of those things in consideration, you'll want to create your P and L, your profit and loss statement. You'll be able to really look at the lifestyle that you want to live, how many weeks out of the work, how many weeks out of the year you want to work, and then work your way backwards from that. So if it's you want to work 48 weeks a year, or if you want to work 50 weeks a year, or however Many it is. You'll be able to see how many sessions you need to have per week and what you need to charge your clients so that you can make a living and not only cover your expenses, have your income after that and be able to live the lifestyle that you want to have. So that is definitely something really important to part of the business planning process.
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B
And the reason that is, and also when you create your schedule is one of my interns, Raquel. So she actually started a practice, she went back to full time work and she's at the place where she's about to be licensed. And we've been talking about this lifestyle business and she's actually thinking about homeschooling her kids. And so she wants to create her business around the ability to do that. And so don't, you know, I don't want you to think like, oh, well, you know, I only can, oh, my clients can only see me at night, so I'll work at night even if I don't want to really think about how do you want to work in your schedule? That's super essential.
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A
So let's move on to tip number two.
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B
Well, before we do that though, I want to say, and part of the plan is you need to have some savings before you get into business because the way to get clients is usually through marketing. And if you don't have a marketing financial plan and you don't have a marketing strategy and a schedule that works, you're going to be sitting on your couch with a few or not many clients like we did.
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A
That's definitely part of the business plan. You want to have the financial plan, you want to have the marketing plan for the community and the business. You want to do a SWOT analysis the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. There's lots of different facets of a business plan and the marketing plan is definitely one of those. So make sure you listen to the podcast link for Amanda's podcast that we did with her and she really walks through some, you know, greater in depth about the business plan.
- [10:32]
B
So tip number two, it's not name. We're not there yet, guys.
- [10:35]
A
Sorry. Not there yet.
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B
We're not there yet.
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A
It may feel like we're taking it a little slow in the beginning, but it's so important to be able to have this stuff worked out and you know, before you dive right in, right?
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B
Don't, don't dive in. You know how like it says on like the pools and it shows like the person like diving in with like no arms and their head hits the thing. Don't do that. Don't do that.
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A
Yeah, don't do that.
- [10:53]
B
So we're helping you dive in in the right way. So this is the area that Kate and I are like bonkers crazy about, and that is really getting to know who your ideal client is and branding very intimately. And what's interestingly. Interestingly, no, it's interesting is that once you actually know who your client, who your ideal client is, and you begin to niche and brand, you'll actually know, probably get closer to a name. So that would be after we talk about branding.
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A
So with branding, your brand is you are your brand, and your brand is the essence of who you are. It's what people think about when they think of you and you're not in the room. And you really want to make sure that you're clear on developing an authentic brand and being comfortable with who you are and presenting yourself in that way and then also being true to who you're most passionate working with. So identifying your ideal clients, but not just, you know, identifying them on the surface. On the surface. A lot of people talk about creating an avatar or developing a Persona. You want to really intimately get to know your ideal clients. And that's something that Katie and I are super passionate about. Really getting clear on their pain points and looking at their pain points of both an internal and an external and a philosophical level. And then also what are their dream scenarios, what do they really most want out of life? And how can you speak that language so that you're really attracting the people that you most want to work with? And, you know, it's so funny because here we are, we're doing both the audio and the visual. So I'm looking at ourselves as we're doing the zoom, and I just realized that I was not projecting into the mic because the mic is a completely different direction. And I'm not looking at the video because we're trying to offer both ways of giving you all content, both the video and the audio. Because we know some of you guys are more audio. You listen to the podcast and some like to watch us on YouTube. So, yeah, if you guys couldn't hear me very clearly, that's why. Sorry about that.
- [12:42]
B
And so also too, your brand is the complete experience that someone has with every touch of your company. And I know that Kate said, you know, the brand is who you are. And that's true for solopreneurs. But if your long term vision and goal is to create a group practice or expand in other ways, you know, you're really going to want to think about the culture, the vision, the mission of your company.
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A
And we have a little giveaway for you guys to help you get clearer on your brand and gain some clarity around your brand values. We have the brand values assessment. Make sure to check out the show notes page for that.
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B
And yeah, and Kate, this is really important is we actually. So as of today, next week we start our second round of group coaching for getting clear on your marketing messages to gain more clients. And we are doing this group coaching to kind of, you know, for us to figure out and tweak everything in our system. And so eventually we're going to be making this into an E course. So if you are interested in ideal client branding later this year, we should.
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A
Have our E course up and developed.
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B
So I know when it comes to technology, things get in our way and we get sidetracked. We don't get sidetracked. The technology sidetracked us.
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A
That is definitely our intention of 2018.
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B
Yes.
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A
So you guys can hold us accountable for that, right?
- [13:55]
B
For sure. So tip number three. So here we are getting to actually the name. So once you know your ideal client and how to speak to them and what they're looking for, you get way clear on what your name is. And so here. So for those of you are watching us on video, I actually made some copies. So Kate and I are reading a book called Guerrilla Marketing. And in the book Guerrilla Marketing, Seth Godin talks about how to choose a name. And so the name really should be clear and simple and it should also add value to the client, like what should they expect? Some of the best words he talks about are quick, the best convenience, highest quality experience. So he's talking about all companies, not just private practice. In here you want to assure your name stands the length of time. I know there's often this, I don't even call it a debate, but some people are like, well, use your name because people are coming to see you and or don't use your name personally. If your long term vision is to be a solopreneur and that's it, you're not going to expand. 0 okay, then your name might be great because you are your brand. But if your longer term vision is to have a group practice and not using your name, that wouldn't be a good idea.
- [15:04]
A
I want to invite a different perspective as well because even if you think, even if you see yourself being a solo practitioner throughout your career, at the end of your career, when you get to a place of retirement and you have this full, thriving practice and you want to sell your practice to someone else, it's not going to work. They're going to have to rebrand the whole thing. And if you ever get sued, you know your name is going to follow you around forever. You can always change your practice name. So, you know, hopefully that would never happen, but we do live in a litigious society, so those are definitely some things to consider when coming up with your name.
- [15:35]
B
Yeah, and putting the word counseling or therapy or consulting or whatever it is that you do is helpful not only for people to recognize clearly what you do, but also for SEO purposes. So that's a little bit unnamed. I mean, we have so many tips for you that we're going to keep on moving along. So once you choose your name, the most important thing is you want to make sure no one else has it. The possibility of that happening is possible. So you want to go to just GoDaddy.com right there on the homepage is you can put in your name to see if it is available. So before you ever incorporate or choose your domain name and actually purchase the URL, you have to make sure that no one else has that. Yes, that would be tip four and.
- [16:14]
A
Tip number five would be once you have your name and you know that nobody else has it and you're going to run with that. You want to talk to an accountant or an attorney, a business attorney, to be able to help you get incorporated. And they'll be able to help you figure out what the best type of incorporation, business entity, what the best type of business entity will be for you. There'll be different tax benefits and implications that depending on what state you live in. And we know we have people living both nationally and internationally, so you want to make sure that you're checking in with them to see what type is going to be best for you, whether it's an S corp or an LLC or a PA or something else.
- [16:51]
B
And the other thing too, I know in the state of California is actually for private practices. They cannot incorporate as an llc. So this is why you want to have a great relationship with an accountant for sure, and also an attorney. And also too, the great relationship is important because as your business grows, things might change. I know myself and Amanda Patterson had a very similar experience. When I got over the hundred thousand dollar mark, my accountant said, we need to make your LLC an S Corp. So technically I'm incorporated as an llc, but I'm taxed as an S corp and that saves me about five grand a year. So five grand a year is a nice trip for you and your honey. Bring the kids if you want, but it's a nice trip. So make sure that you are utilizing your tax benefits and write offs. And we actually have two great tax podcasts that we'll go ahead and put in the show notes link as well. One was how to utilize write offs strategically, I think, and the other one, actually, I have our podcast stuff right here. Let me actually pull that up and I'll let Kate jump on to tip.
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A
Number before we move on. Another benefit to getting incorporated is that you, you can have those write offs and that you can expense all business expenses. And that's really important to reduce your taxable income. And then also you're protected. It gives you increased level of protection in the case if you ever were sued, someone wouldn't be able to come after your personal assets. And if you're not incorporated, you know, say you're just starting out and you're like, well, I have nothing to lose. I don't really have anything to lose, my personal life either. I'm just starting out and, you know, people can come after your personal assets for up to up to seven years. Did you pull up those podcasts?
- [18:26]
B
I did. So one of one of the first podcasts with CPA Suzanne Dacobo and hers is on tax strategies for private practitioners. And then we have another podcast, Craig Cody with Craig Cody. And he actually offers everything that we talk about in the podcast is in a book. Actually finished reading it and it was great. And his is tax Strategies to Help Private Practitioners Lower Their Tax Bills. So you definitely want to check those out. And just one word of advice, like with what Kate was talking about. I remember when I first started private practice, I had got my liability insurance and I actually purchased general liability. But I didn't think I was going to see a client until like on a Monday. So I actually made my general liability effective that Monday because that was when my first client was going to be. Lo and behold, I got a call, someone wanted to see me the week prior. I said, great. The wife came in, she sat in a chair and the chair collapsed and we have tile. And I thought, oh my God, I don't have general liability covering this date. Oh my God, they're gonna sue me. So being an llc, I can't recommend that enough. And also having general general liability as well as liability insurance is super important.
- [19:33]
A
Yes. So tip number six, once you get incorporated with your business entity, you're going to need to go to IRS.gov to apply to get your EIN number. Your EIN number is actually your tax ID number. And you'll need that for many, many different following steps. And you'll need it for years to come. You can't open up a business bank account without it. So it's a very simple thing to get, but essential for you to have that for your business. So make sure that you check that out@irs.gov and then after that tip number seven is to actually go open up a business bank account. I can't tell you how many coaches we've worked with who say what, I need to have a separate business account for my private practice. Yes, yes, yes, of course. That's really important to keep your personal and professional finances different. Keep them separate so that you can actually clearly be organized. Keeping your finances, finances organized is a really important thing. So to open up your business bank account, it's a very easy thing. You need your incorporation papers, you need your tax id and then you go in and you can open a business bank account. Depending on where you are, just seeing what the best business bank account would be. There's lots of places that offer free business bank accounts where you don't have to pay or keep a minimum balance. So we would encourage you to find something like that and then also get a business credit card as well because it's a so easy for keeping things organized. Not to mention you get points for your expenses and all of the business expenses are write offs.
- [21:02]
B
Just a little thought or a NINJA tip. So if you are going from full time work into full time practice and you are in the market to buy a house, I would definitely recommend doing that while you're still in your job. Because if you're just private practice only or your business only is you still have to show two years of making money or income. So don't, you know, don't screw yourself in that way. I mean, if you're your spouse or you're married or something like that can, you know, show that you guys have enough income. But those are things that you want to think through. I know that's not usually said. I know that we. Not that when I went to private practice, but when we were purchasing our house, we kind of ran into that issue. My spouse had left the job and going into business and so that kind of created some issues. So just, just a little NINJA tip there for my little sidebar.
- [21:48]
A
So let's move on to number eight. Is that where we're on now? Number eight? Yep. Liability insurance. Okay, so malpractice insurance Also known as liability insurance is very, very, very important. Not only is it important to be incorporated so that you keep your personal and professional lives separate and protected, you also need to have the malpractice liability insurance in the case that there was something that happened and you got sued or there was a medical error, say your assistant actually, you know, accident out something to the wrong person and there's a medical error and breach of confidentiality and you get sued, or you just have a litigious client and they, you know, want to sue for something that maybe wasn't even your fault. You want to make sure that you have that malpractice insurance. And they all come with. You know, it's interesting, as we're talking about getting sued, we have the sirens in the background.
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B
You don't. You don't want those coming to your door.
- [22:42]
A
You don't want those coming for you. Exactly.
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B
Cue the sirens.
- [22:45]
A
That was good, Kate. Yes, it was good timing. Yeah. We didn't do that on purpose. No.
- [22:49]
B
But in regards to liability insurances, there's three main ones and again, we'll put the links on the show notes page. Geez, they're really like.
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A
They're really. I guess we have to glad they're not coming here.
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B
Yeah, we'll let them pass, I guess. Okay.
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A
There we go.
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B
So there's CPH I N S, there's HSPO.com and then American Professional. I know that CPH INS actually offers, I believe, like 50% off or some type of discount either for the first year or interns in practice. I know with many of your associations you can get some type of discount.
- [23:22]
A
So that's really helpful too.
- [23:24]
B
Let's move on to number nine, which is one of our favorites. So I know that we are sponsoring this podcast today with our paperwork. So you definitely need paperwork. It is actually legally required for clients to sign consents and of course have other things. I've actually met a therapist before who said I don't need paperwork by them coming. They verbally consent. I had to take a super deep breath.
- [23:48]
A
That's happened to me before too.
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B
Yeah, Scurry. So don't do that. But we got you covered with the paperwork stuff. So of course we have legal ethical paperwork that's been reviewed by several attorneys. Family law, health care law, over 20 plus forms for start to finish for private practice. So definitely check that out. Like Caitlin said in the sponsorship, it is on our website, private practices, startup.com under the shop tab.
- [24:12]
A
And for those of you who are listening to this webinar or to the webinar. Whether you're watching our YouTube channel or listening to this particular podcast, we want to give you guys an actual discount for the paperwork. So that discount will be on the Show Notes page. So make sure to look for the specific coupon codes that you can use on our base package and peak package of paperwork to make sure that you are able to get the fullest savings and can really continue to do the work that you love throughout the longevity of your career without worrying about legal risk.
- [24:45]
B
And what is that discount?
- [24:48]
A
They'll just check out. We'll put the links. You guys will be able to see that on the show notes page@privatepracticestartup.com for this particular episode.
- [24:54]
B
Well, I was saying, like, what do they get off? I mean, you want to tell them, right?
- [24:57]
A
Well, on the base package you'll be able to save $40, and on the peak package, you'll be able to save $80. So that will be a great savings. And yeah, so make sure to check out those links. And also too, if you're just not.
- [25:09]
B
Sure, you're not really sure about our paperwork yet, you want to try it out. We're also going to add a link to our HIPAA form for free so you can check it out, utilize it in your private practice starting today. And also when get the hipaa, you can get another one of our paperwork for only $5, which is the release of information. So as you're checking out, make sure you check the box for the $5 release of information and then you'll be able to start experiencing what the paperwork is like, completely customizable, ready to use. And then another thing, so sometimes people getting into private practice, you know, they got their paperwork, or sometimes people go electronic right away. I know a lot of people use simple practice that goes along. We are partners with both Therapy Partner and Therapy Notes, both our electronic healthcare systems. For those of you using insurance, we would definitely to go electronic pretty quick. It's a lot easier for you to do your billing. It's more customizable. It's quick. It's going to save you time, it's going to provide you better patient care. And also you'll get reimbursed much quicker because I know, I've heard horror stories where people send in reimbursement information and they left a period off or they made a mistake and now they have to wait another month. That's pretty ridiculous. You guys work hard, so you definitely deserve to be paid on time.
- [26:18]
A
Okay, so let's move on to the additional tip after that. So merchant services. Yes. Once you open up your bank account and this is something that you can do when you open up your bank account, you can actually get merchant services through your bank. Or you can use something like Square Up. That's what we use.
- [26:37]
B
We have heard of Ivy recently. I think people have been talking about Ivy.
- [26:41]
A
Yep, there's Ivy and then there's another one too. It starts with an S. I can't remember what it is right now.
- [26:45]
B
Another S1?
- [26:46]
A
Yeah, it's another S1. I can't think of it at the moment.
- [26:48]
B
People use PayPal as well. There's a lot of different types of merchant services, but you know, look, the world runs on credit cards. So make sure that you have credit card processing for your practice. Some of the electronic health record systems actually have credit card processing. So you get many services in one area. But, you know, don't be afraid of using credit cards. It's really important that you take credit cards. People feel most comfortable doing that. You'll get, I would say probably 90% of the payments I get. 80 to 90 is credit cards. So.
- [27:17]
A
And a lot of people are worried about the fees. Raise your therapy fee $5 per session and that will cover the fees. You don't have to worry about it. You can't charge your client specifically for the increased percentage to charge their card. But if you increase your fees, it will cover that and it won't be a big deal. But people like convenience. They like to be able to come to therapy and have you swipe their card and not worry about it. And they get their points while doing so. And one of the things that I was going to share is make sure you do your research on the merchant services because you can find yourself getting locked into a three year contract and maybe the rates increase and you're stuck and you can't change. That's happened to me with a particular bank. So just make sure you do your research and you don't get locked in for a long period of time because the rates do change. And that's what we like about Square up is that you can end your contract at any time you're not locked in and the rates are really competitive. So we'll make sure to include the free link to sign up and receive $1,000 free in processing in our Show Notes page. So you guys will be able to check that out there.
- [28:15]
B
And then next location, location, location. You know, these ones aren't necessarily in order. After we've kind of talked about the Incorporation, IRS and stuff like that.
- [28:25]
A
So, you know, you want to have.
- [28:26]
B
A location that's ideal for your ideal client. You want to do market research. One of the reasons that I chose where I am here in South Florida and Coral Springs is because overall, it's a pretty affluent community. I really like the community. There's a lot of community within the community, so I know a lot of business people in the community, and I.
- [28:44]
A
Just like the feel.
- [28:45]
B
So you want to be really clear on who your population is, where they hang out, the best place for them. Kit, what else would you say about choosing the location?
- [28:53]
A
Yeah, be very strategic. Think about where your ideal clients are. And for me, I have a group practice, and I have a lot of people here who work with children and adolescents and families. And so I strategically chose a place for our office, a location for our office that is in East Fort Lauderdale. It's also a very affluent community. We're all cash pay, self pay practice. And so nobody takes insurance here. And I wanted to make sure that we were in a place where people could afford services. And there are three private schools, both middle school and high school, right here, less than a quarter mile from my office. So that was one of the reasons that I also chose this location. And so you just want to think about where you are, and maybe you're an online practice and you don't have to worry about having an overhead and being stuck in a particular location. And you travel the world and see clients in the states where you're licensed, or maybe you work internationally where the licensure laws and rules, you know, they don't have licensure laws and rules, a lot of them. So you just want to think about the nature of your business, what type of services you offer, and then strategically choosing a place that's going to be convenient, comfortable, safe.
- [30:02]
B
And as we're talking about online practices, again, this is why you want a really good accountant. If you practice your online therapy out of your home, you have an office there that's confidential. You can write off some square footage just saying yes. So that's really important. Of course, when we talk about marketing, you must have a website that's so important. Your website is your online resume automatically as consumers. When we go to look up someone online and they don't have a website or it's not a good website at all, it gives us the feeling that they're not credible, they're not trustworthy, they don't have authority. So having a really nice, customly designed website is really super important. There are a few of our favorites. We love Brighter Vision. They take great care of many of startup nation family so can't say enough about them. We also love Daniel Fava because for those of you who are website warriors and want to build your website on your own, you want to diy, which we don't recommend.
- [30:58]
A
Warriors. Warriors.
- [31:00]
B
Warriors. Did I say warriors or warriors?
- [31:02]
A
It sounded like warriors and I was.
- [31:04]
B
Like, well, I think both.
- [31:05]
A
Website worriers.
- [31:06]
B
Websites. I'm a website worrier and you can.
- [31:08]
A
You can be a website warrior too. Yes.
- [31:11]
B
So if you are looking to build a WordPress website, Denifava has a great course. There's also other things like wix. Kate has recently bought.
- [31:18]
A
Bought?
- [31:18]
B
No, created.
- [31:20]
A
I built my website.
- [31:21]
B
That was the bee I was looking for.
- [31:23]
A
Website. Every time I build a website I say I'm never doing this again and it makes me want to pull my hair out. This past time I didn't build a word press a WordPress website getting tongue tied. I built a width wix WIX website which was very user friendly and easy to navigate. Super, like not complex at all. It was just so nice compared to WordPress WordPress is like really complex and if you don't know what you're doing, it'll take you forever to figure out. But even though I know what I'm doing and WIX was very easy to navigate, it took me months to build it and that is something that is invaluable. Time that you cannot get back. Time is one of those things that's not replenishable and it's something that you know if you're able to and you if you're able to outsource it and you don't want to be that website warrior person that does it yourself definitely do. So we've got some great resources for you with brighter vision and then also Katlove with empathy sites. She does an amazing job for WordPress mobile. Responsive, beautifully designed websites as the spriter vision.
- [32:27]
B
Also two directory profiles. We did an amazing podcast which is really one of our I think most listened to podcasts with Laura Long on really how to create a website directory that converts and as we talk about that when we talk about like websites, directory therapy, directories and also marketing, this is kind of where Kate and I take the ideal client. The branding, what to say on your website, how to market and your marketing messages and we actually do all the work behind before you actually kind of put it onto the world. So having a therapy directory Psychology today is a great one. Most people get A lot of clients off of Psychology Today, but you need to know what to say on your psychology or therapy directory. Excuse me. Because I know there's others to really have. People want to reach out to you. If you ever have like questions, just act like you are. You have a certain issue, like, I don't know, maybe you need help with anxiety. Search any zip code and see actually those first three lines. A lot of times people talk about themselves, their credentials, which really doesn't capture their ideal client because those first three lines are really the best real estate on therapy directories. So knowing what to say and how to say it is essential for your marketing. So we are. That was a lot.
- [33:38]
A
It's a lot. And we could go on for hours and hours and days and days and days and weeks about this stuff. But we know you're probably scribbling notes all over the place like super overwhelmed, hearing about all the different things that we're trying to give you guys. Kind of like a high level, interesting. Just some of the major things that you need to take care of. And of course there's so many more that we can add and maybe we'll do a part two to this @ some point. But we hope you guys found this to be valuable in your process of preparing to launch your private practice.
- [34:08]
B
And congrats if you are. That's super exciting knowing that we're here to support you along the way from Startup to Mastery, as well as our community. So we want to invite you to hang out with us on Facebook at the private practice Startup. Just look for that, ask to be part of the group. We will go ahead and add you. And next week we have Maureen Warbach. So Maureen is a therapist out of Illinois and she's a badass, I have to say, or is super impressed with her.
- [34:31]
A
Gangsta.
- [34:31]
B
Gangsta. That's right. That's what you said last time. And Maureen actually has a group practice with another location. So she talks to us and you, Startup Nation, on how she did that. Really focusing a lot on company culture, bonuses, how to support her therapist in practice, really utilizing their skills to present things to the world. A lot of great stuff. So if you're in a place where you're looking to expand or have another location or you want to have a group practice, you will want to make sure you hang out with us here. And again, as always, we really love when you shoot us an email. Let us know how these podcasts are helping you, what results you have attained and we'd love for you to share those reviews on itunes, Facebook, wherever. And of course, if you find these super helpful and you have a friend, a colleague in private practice, share this with them. So so thanks again Startup Nation. Have an amazing day and we look forward to continuing to inspire you from startup to mastery.
- [35:23]
A
See you next time guys. 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. Sam.