In the classes that I teach, one of the things I do on the first day is I ask how many students hope to get into clinical practice when they are done school. On average I get about 50% saying yes (which is awesome!). The percentage of students who actually go into practice drops to around 10% once they have graduated (more on this in just a second). Statistics show that 80% of businesses fail within the first 3-5 years and that only 9% of businesses are still operational after 10 years. Basically, out of the original 50% that wanted to get into practice, only 1% are in practice after 10 years. Some sobering statistics to say the least; and we are not even talking about profitable practices, merely practices that are actually existing.
I am not saying this to scare or discourage you, or to be negative in any way. The facts are the facts and it is better to head into things with a realistic and prepared approach as opposed to the ‘rose-coloured glasses’, hope-for-the-best approach.
Over the last 13 years I have built a successful practice, taught 1000’s of students and have polled and researched the most common challenges new (and existing) practitioners face as they embark on their exciting new journey. Here are some of the most common conversations I hear around the water cooler herbal tea station:
- “OMG, I have 2 months to go and I have no idea what I am going to do once I am done!”
- Person A: “What are your plans for when you’re done school?” Person B: “Probably going to take some time off and try and digest the mountains of information I just covered over the past year. Likely get a job at a health food store and see what happens after that. Hopefully I will start up my practice in the next year or two”
- “I am so pumped to get my practice off the ground but, to tell you the truth, I am super nervous and I am not really sure what I am doing”
- “After 6 months of seeing clients, I am not sure if I am going to be able to carry on. I think I might have to get a part-time job so I can make ends meet”
- “Do you have any tips that could help cut down the amount of time I spend on cases and client protocols? I am getting some decent results but I find that I am spending waaaaayyy too much time per client and slowly going broke”
I could go on, but I think you get the point.
Here’s the reality. The biggest challenges that holistic health practitioners face are:
- poor business sense (ie. you don’t know how to make money or turn a profit),
- inefficiency and poor time management
- lack of confidence, inconsistent results (ie. you are not 100% sure how to get people well)
- lack of guidance
These are without the doubt THE BIGGEST stumbling blocks when it comes to clinical practice. I know, because I have struggled with these very same issues in the past. I also know how much you really want to help your clients and patients – after all, that is exactly why you got into this in the first place! You have this deep desire to help people get well, make change in their lives and the lives of their families, and to contribute to a healthier world. But if you feel like you’re in the dark about how to get started, or losing your drive and passion after being in practice for a while; read on.
These 3 key areas are the ones to focus on if you want to grow an successful, profitable and rewarding holistic health practice:
1. Get clear on WHAT TYPE OF PRACTICE you actually want!
This might seem like such a simple and almost redundant thing to write down but in reality if you are not clear on this, everything else will fall apart on the back-end. You see, defining your practice set-up, your niche and your target market will ultimately dictate everything from where you practice to client enrollment and marketing strategies. A lot of practitioners spend all their time focusing on getting clients without ever defining what their practice actually IS and what they want to see. This is a HUGE area that so many practitioners never really think about and ultimately leads to a scattered approach to practice that leaves you running around in circles.
2. GET RID OF INEFFICIENCIES and become a super sleek, well-oiled machine
We all have great intentions and, if you’re anything like me, you really want the best for your clients. BUT, and this is a BIG BUT, too often we invest so much time that we ultimately sacrifice ourselves (and our profits) for the sake of our clients. I learned this one the hard way in my early days. I remember spending HOURS on clients and administrative stuff while basically working for peanuts! Having things like booking and client enrollment, time-saving back-end tools and an order to operations will ultimately ensure that your clients get top notch value and service without you working 80 hours a week to make it all happen (unless you like to work 80 hours that is ;))
3. Have organized RESOURCES AND INFORMATION AT YOUR FINGERTIPS
OK, so it kind of ties in with the point above, but there is a lot more to this one. When I first started out, I remember spending SO MUCH time researching and writing. Every time someone came in with x condition, I would spend countless hours making sure I was recommending the write foods, supplements, etc. Over the years I have built up quite a nice database of resources that includes protocol templates, different diets, etc. Now it’s a simple matter of cut, paste and edit. This, together with a solid arsenal of resource bookmarks on my browser, allows me to spend more time of figuring out root-cause issues and less time spinning my wheels and wasting time.
While there are alot more moving parts to this over-simplified process above, I can assure you that if you focus on these 3 areas, you can only start moving in the right direction.
One of the best things I had when I first started out (and still have today) was a couple of amazing mentors. They didn’t give me everything. Instead they nudged me in the right direction, shared some of the tools they used, and ultimately shaved years off my learning curve. It is something that I will always cherish and will always be grateful for.
Holistic Health Masterclass has been created in a similar vein, with a similar intention: to provide you with solid tools and resources so that you can create the Rockstar practice of your dreams! I want you to get into practice, stay in practice and help a TON of sick people! I can tell you from my own personal experience. there is no greater reward than getting people well while making a good living and supporting your family.
Feel free to hop on to our Facebook page and let us know what you think. Thanks for reading and here’s to your awesome-ness! You got this!