I’m currently mentoring two experienced homeopaths and enjoying it very much. We’ve been talking about the steps they need to take them to where they want to be in their practice.
The more experienced and the busier you are, the harder it can be to see the wood for the trees, which is why they reached out for mentoring.
Here’s something that none of us fully realise when we are starting out; your systems and strategy need to be regularly reviewed and adjusted or you may struggle to move to the next level.
Which stage of practice are you in?
Wherever you are in your practice-building journey, small changes can make a big difference once you’ve figured out what your priorities should be.
Here’s how I see the stages of practice, and I’ve also included some notes on the areas I would see as a priority for each stage.
- Student – busy learning and working on cases
- Newly graduated – building your client list
- Early days – getting yourself out there
- Pretty busy – a steady flow of enquiries
- At capacity – booked a week or two ahead
- Fully booked – struggling to keep up
If you’re at Stage 1, it’s hard to imagine ever being at Stage 6! You’ll be wondering where to find your first clients, and, importantly, how to keep them.
If you’re at Stage 2 or 3, you might still be needing to work another job to make up for the quiet weeks.
Stage 4 can feel good, though you will often find some weeks are busier than others.
Stage 5 is great if you can stay there. You might not feel your income matches the time you’re spending on work.
Stage 6 is hard. You might feel ‘behind’ most of the time and family and friends might be starting to complain that you work too much.
4 Tips For Each Of The Stages Of Practice…
Stage 1
- Practice using everyday language when you talk about what you do.
- Set up a booking system that will grow with you. [Related post: Why I recommend Timely]
- Write a client-therapist agreement that reflects how you work.
- Offer a free 30-minute call to any one interested in being a case study.
Stage 2
- Start to think about some sort of niche or specialism.
- Promote free 30-minute introductory calls around this topic.
- Write a list of supportive friends and family and email them to ask for referrals.
- Offer concessions and promote this widely.
Stage 3
- Invest in good design and a website build.
- Set up interviews with your ideal clients to find out more about how they found you and what they value about homeopathy.
- Use this information to help you write copy for your website.
- Set up a Google Business Account and ask for Google reviews.
Stage 4
- Streamline your schedule.
- See clients on just 2 days and use any spare time to write blog posts on topics that you are knowledgeable about.
- Optimise them for SEO.
- Start a regular newsletter if you haven’t already.
Stage 5
- Increase your prices.
- Reflect on your client base to help you be clear about who you want to work with.
- Use your booking system and discovery calls to filter out enquiries that are not ideal clients. Refer on to colleagues or student clinics.
- Be realistic about how many concessions you can offer and cap them if necessary.
Stage 6
- Reflect back each week to identify areas where you have issues with boundaries.
- Adjust your schedule, systems and client-therapist agreement so that your boundaries are clear.
- Consider hiring a part-time assistant for admin support.
- Consider mentoring to help give you clarity and insight.
Have a think…does anything here resonate with you? What are your challenges right now?
If you feel mentoring would be a next step for you, feel free to contact me on: hello@yourradiantbusiness.com
Remember, wherever you are in your practice you’ve worked hard to get there.
Give yourself credit for what you’ve already achieved.
I offer regular workshops and webinars for the different stages of practice.
Sign up for the my fortnightly Practice Reflections newsletter to find out more.
