Private Practice Made Perfect

Forming a relationship with your clients is crucial to allied health business success. It’s not easy, but investing a little time and money into your marketing strategies will always pay off so I’m sharing my favourite marketing tips to help boost your allied health business. Topics covered in this episode: My marketing strategy when I had my private practice - everything you say and do Pitch yourself - the importance of being able to properly introduce yourself at any networking opportunity Encourage your team to practise pitching themselves because they also represent your business and services Build memories with clear, consistent voicemails across the board Take a look at your email signatures - are they on-brand? Are they visual and interactive? Making the most of your website - it should be amazing and a big priority Use videos to make it personable and more inviting Only use professional photography throughout, including for your headshots Ensure your website is optimised for smartphones and iPads etc. Don’t be shy to shout about who you are and what you stand for - explain your motives and vision to your current and future clients Do your homework so you know what search terms people are using when Googling business and services like yours Invest in your referrals - manage your partnerships with a regular phone call, email or visit Be present on social media, especially Facebook - post at least once a day Survey your customers to understand their needs and wants - they are an untapped resource Useful Links Website LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Instagram Pinterest

Why is it that so many allied health business owners shy away from content marketing? In this episode I chat with Brett Jarman, business and content strategist and CEO and founder of Help Me Leverage and Experts On Air, which produces this podcast. He specialises in helping business owners build their reputation through content marketing, or ‘authority marketing’ as he likes to call it. He’s a firm believer that the more of a reputation you have, the easier business will be, and it doesn’t have to be difficult. Brett is also the author of ‘Soul Operator - How to Be Your Own Boss and Build a Business With Purpose’. In this episode, he shares his knowledge of the content marketing space and how it can benefit any business, especially those in the allied health sector. Episode highlights: What Brett does as CEO and founder of Help Me Leverage and Experts On Air How Brett defines content marketing What are forms of content marketing? Podcasts, interviews, blog posts, social media Why a blog is a good place to start as a content marketer - you control the real estate Speaking as a form of content marketing as an allied health business owner - a great way to communicate your expertise and get instant feedback Brett’s suggestions for clinicians to start out blogging - choose a micro topic, write bullet points on your subject, and work through those An exercise for coming up with micro topics to write or talk about Is the podcast the new blog post? Brett’s prediction for podcast growth in Australia People underestimate the opportunities for growing themselves internationally Brett’s creation of the Reputational Credit Score Tool - it will help people measure how effective they are in the marketplace Imposter syndrome - ‘who am I to be doing this!?’ We put someone else on a pedestal but there’s room for everyone The importance of consistency - people who succeed put out content every single week, don’t do it half-heartedly Publish prolifically and promote persistently Useufl Links:  Website LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Instagram Pinterest Help Me Leverage Website Experts On Air Website Brett Jarman LinkedIn

There’s a lot to know about the marketing world, but if you’re a business owner, no matter what your industry, it’s important to understand the basics. I’ve noticed that a lot of allied health business owners tend to be cautious of marketing, maybe even fearful. And it’s understandable. But if you get your head around the jargon and learn the basic concepts and language associated with marketing, you can do wonderful things for your business. Episode highlights: Why allied health business owners tend to ignore marketing strategies The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) and its restrictions Adwords - creating industry-specific adverts How you can use Google Analytics to understand your website traffic Analytics for other social media platforms What is a blog and what’s the purpose of one? Why it’s important to know what a bounce rate is and how to lower it The different types of content you can create as an allied health business owner Engagement Rate - knowing how long your website visitors are engaging for and what is making them engage with your business Inbound Marketing - how to bring people to your website Painting a picture that can tell a thousands words with infographics The importance of knowing the keywords for your business and industry Why you need to pay attention to how your website looks on a mobile phone Net Promoter Score - what it is, why it’s important and how to find it What do you offer potential customers? Why having an ‘offer’ on your website is important What’s your ROI and how can you improve it? Sales Funnel - staged marketing campaigns to get people to trust you and ultimately buy from you Social Media - the big players like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and others Understanding the importance of SEO A free download from the Nacre Consulting website - A-Z of Marketing Terms Website LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Instagram Pinterest

Having an online presence is important for any business person, including allied health business owners. One of the best ways to do that is via LinkedIn. As it continues to evolve, it becomes a much more powerful personal branding tool. In this episode, I chat with Adam Houlahan, the Founder and CEO of Web Traffic That Works, and a global keynote speaker, about how allied health professionals can use LinkedIn to not only grow their presence but their referral network too. Adam is not only a LinkedIn expert, he’s an Amazon Best Selling Author of several books, including his latest ‘Influencer’. His international team of over 20 teach business owners how to use social media, specifically LinkedIn, to stand out in their respective industries. In addition, Adam runs group-based 12-week programs that help people expand their presence in their niche and connect with like-minded people. Episode highlights: About Adam’s company, Web Traffic That Works - training programs for LinkedIn What Adam thinks of LinkedIn and the way it’s changing after being bought by Microsoft The importance of LinkedIn and how best to position yourself How allied health professionals can use LinkedIn to grow their business - building your referral network Content is the most critical part of LinkedIn - the types of content you should be creating How best to use LinkedIn as your personal branding tool - three action steps to ensure your profile is the best it can be Background on Adam’s 12 Week Influencer Challenge - what it covers and how it can help professionals Adam’s social media books - ‘The LinkedIn Playbook’ and his latest book, ‘Influencer’ How long you should be spending on LinkedIn each day The main benefit of LinkedIn when it comes to connecting with people - no middle man Useful links:  nfo@nacre.com.au  Cathy Love LinkedIn Nacre Website Private Practice Made Perfect Podcast Adam Houlahan Links:  Website LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Instagram

Running a social enterprise is about making a positive change in the world. That’s exactly what Weh Yeoh, the founder of OIC Cambodia and the co-founder and CEO of Umbo, is doing. Even though Weh’s background is as a physiotherapist, he has mostly worked with children with disabilities in the public and non-profit sector and has volunteered in Vietnam and interned in India. After arriving in Cambodia in 2012, Weh discovered there wasn’t a single Cambodian speech therapist in the entire country and so he founded OIC Cambodia to introduce the profession, with the aim of having 100 therapists in the country by 2030. But it’s not just developing countries Weh is invested in helping. With Umbo, he’s is trying to bridge the gap in health care for children with disabilities in rural and remote Australia so they can participate better in society. Episode highlights: What OIC stands for Weh’s background as a physiotherapist but mostly working with children with disabilities in the public and non-profit sector Finding out there wasn’t a single speech therapist in the whole of Cambodia - a country with 16 million people How do you solve problems in developing countries? Feeling an emotional reaction and knowing how to act on that 600,000+ people in Cambodia need speech therapy but the profession doesn’t yet exist The difference between solving symptoms and solving problems and applying that logic to projects internationally OIC Cambodia started making itself redundant from the start - it will have 100 speech therapists in the country by 2030 and then it will dissolve Key priorities in the first five years - structure, strategy, right people Weh is most proud of the fact that OIC Cambodia was founded by him, led by him for four years Applying the principles of social model of disability and how it’s showing up in OIC Cambodia Social model of disability - gently challenging some of the traditional notions and the medical model in Cambodia Australia plays it too safe - too many rules and regulations to keep the status quo What motivated Weh to start OIC Cambodia and Umbo Umbo stats - been going for 11 months and just signed first partnership with a non-profit based in NSW who are registered with NDIS How do we get a great face-to-face clinician to become a great online clinician? Umbo’s first goal is to become a service provider and to learn everything it can Milestones for Umbo - working with advisors to Tipping point in the world - the number of wealthy people is equal to the number of poverty-stricken people Weh’s vision to expand to Africa - it’s where the opportunities lie Umbo’s goal to become NDIS registered Umbo’s social impact and how to measure that to be able to show people what they’re actually doing to help people Umbo is looking for trainers, clinicians and partners - visit the website for more information on how to work with Umbo Useful Links:  OIC Cambodia Website Umbo Website Weh Yeoh LinkedIn

There is a question I get asked a couple of times a week: How do I build a team? When I’m asked this question, people aren’t always referring to their clinical team, often they’re talking about their admin team. I am a big fan of bringing admin into the business before you bring in clinical teammates because if you bring a clinician in first, guess what doubles? The admin. It may seem like a simple question to ask, but building the right team, at the right time, is key to building a successful allied health business. In this episode, I chat about: The Business Legal Lifecycle: How to Successfully Navigate Your Way from Start-Up to Success by Jeremy Streten (click here for an interview I did with Jeremy on the podcast) Building a team vs building staff Understanding what it means to employ independent contractors vs employees The pros of independent contractors vs casual employees Using the ATO and Fair Work Australia websites to ensure compliance Investing in advice from a HR professional Useful links:  nfo@nacre.com.au  Cathy Love LinkedIn Nacre Website Private Practice Made Perfect Podcast

Do you sometimes get the feeling like/that your onboarding process for new team members in your allied health business might leave a little something to be desired? In this episode, I talk about... Problems allied health businesses are having with onboarding new recruits Current challenges in hiring and retaining staff Why having a strong onboarding process matters Why you need to go slow Suggested onboarding process timeframes Top priorities and where to start with your onboarding process How to document everything Processes to follow What format to deliver your onboarding in for maximum employee engagement Communication, reflection, and feedback How to incorporate NDIS compliance into onboarding Who in your team needs to get involved How to continually evolve and improve Useful links:  nfo@nacre.com.au  Cathy Love LinkedIn Nacre Website Private Practice Made Perfect Podcast  

I get asked time and time again, “How do I learn about the business side of things?” What’s more accurate is allied health business owners telling me, "I've never learned the business side of things”. It makes complete sense, they're different sides of the same coin. When I was at university doing my occupational therapy degree, there was not a single sniff of any sort of business education. But things are changing. In this episode I share my top 10 tips for improving your business skills so you can be the allied health business owner you strive to be. Episode highlights: Business education - universities taking notice and building business awareness Educate yourself - read business books Listen to podcasts on the future, personal accounts, technology, marketing, mindset and more Engage with the allied health industry online - Facebook groups Participate in programs, events, webinars and courses The importance of building your team - lawyers, mentors, coaches Investing in your future - book yourself into programs to build your business skills Remember to ask for help when you need it Building good habits will help you in the long run Collaborate with your customers - find out what works for them and what they need from you Patience is key to success Useful Links:  info@nacre.com.au  Cathy Love LinkedIn Nacre Website Private Practice Made Perfect Podcast

In this episode, I talk about all things NDIS with Renee Townsend and Tarry Dee, co-founders of My Diffability. We discuss the challenges as an online supplier, hearsay in the allied health sector, and, perhaps most importantly, remembering the bigger picture: it’s about helping people. The Victoria-based company is an online store that provides therapy resources, equipment, toys and gifts for people with different abilities, special needs, sensory processing disorder, autism ASD and learning difficulties. Both owners are successful in their respective fields of Paediatric Speech Pathology and Occupational Therapy and after seeing a gap in the sector, made the leap to become business owners in 2011. While they’d put their success down to “good fortune”, they’ve worked hard to upskill in order to set up the business and continue to grow, even through the challenging channels of the NDIS. In this episode we cover: Why Renee and Tarryn started My Diffability in 2011 - knowledge of affordable resources and how to use them What the initial business plan looked like How they found the start-up phase - a lot of good fortune through solid relationships What My Diffability looks like today - 3 employees, still a small home-grown company How do you build a business that serves you? Systems and processes and a good business partner balance Taking calculated risks Lessons learned from building a team - the challenge comes from working remotely What does the working week look like for Renee and Tarryn? What differentiates My Diffability from other therapy suppliers - hold customer service highly Renee has learned a lot about communication - how to interact with different people and personalities Tarryn has found a love for business - enjoying accounting, coding, editing etc. Being a registered NDIS provider and what that looks like for them How do they think the NDIS might change for everyone - we can’t expect it to be perfect now or in five years Renee and Tarryn’s vision for My Diffability - holding a conference, upping the public speaking and education, employ people with disabilities Favourite toy or product that My Diffability sells - Time Timer Watches, Vibrating Wiggle Pen How do Renee and Tarryn decide what to stock - queries and searches from customers What products do families love the most? The Move n’ Sit Wedge Their approach to marketing - minimal, a lot of word of mouth, focus on organic traffic Slowing your business growth so you don’t compromise the quality of what you’re doing Useful Links:  info@nacre.com.au  Cathy Love LinkedIn Nacre Website Private Practice Made Perfect Podcast Renee and Tarryn's Quick Links Website Facebook Instagram YouTube Tarryn Dee LinkedIn

Allied health business owners invest a lot of time and money into their craft and their technical skillset, but tend not to invest the same energy into the business and team management side of things. Running an allied health business can be lonely and isolating and emotionally and mentally draining. Sticking together to help each other get the most from our private practices is the way to go. In this episode I chat about getting the right business advice, my Business Advantage Membership program, and what I think you need to do to ensure a successful allied health business. Episode highlights: Investing time and money into technical skills vs management skills What allied health business owners have told me they find difficult Asking for business advice - is it too general for the allied health sector? Developing a needs-based resource specifically for allied health business owners My Business Advantage Membership program - what it can do for you and your team Program feedback - building a better resource for you My business tips - business development time, a business plan and asking for support Useful Links:  info@nacre.com.au  Cathy Love LinkedIn Nacre Website Private Practice Made Perfect Podcast

The allied health sector is all about caring, but often it’s the health of the caregivers themselves that’s overlooked or not handled as well. In this episode I chat with Emma Small, an “entrepreneurial Occupational Therapist and co-founder of NSW-based company, Risk Managed. Emma’s background is in working with people with disabilities and care organisations. After a number of years rehabilitating injured workers, she founded Risk Management with her business partner, Aideen Gallagher. The company works with disability care organisations, consulting on health and safety and providing training to help keep support workers injury free so they can continue to provide quality care. Her second time running a business means the “serial entrepreneur” has learned many valuable lessons. She has also gone on to write a book, Handle With Care: how to avoid injuries, reduce costs and become a provider of choice, coming soon. Episode highlights: Emma’s business background - working for herself Being a “serial entrepreneur” - starting a new business for the second time and getting it right Emma’s new business, Risk Managed What it’s like working with a business partner and why Emma chose that the second time around What Risk Managed is working towards - developing its services like training packages and packages aimed specifically at allied health professionals Working with staff vs working alone Finding the right staff - the importance of value Emma’s time spent mentoring - offering casual work Who’s on the Risk Managed team? Several Virtual Assistants, a full-full-time OT and a casual OT How Emma found her Virtual Assistants - using Upwork to find the right fit The benefits of using Upwork as a start-up business A bit on Aideen’s book, The Manual Handling Revolution: How Health Professionals Can Achieve Creative Solutions for People with Disabilities and Their Caregivers   What Emma’s learned from writing her book, Handle With Care: how to avoid injuries, reduce costs and become a provider of choice Business 2.0. - The opportunities that come from writing a book What Emma’s business has taught her - celebrate the small wins Being a bold female business owner Useful Links:  info@nacre.com.au  Cathy Love LinkedIn Nacre Website Private Practice Made Perfect Podcast Emma's Website Emma on LinkedIn Emma Facebook

When it comes to ensuring a successful allied health business, or any business for that matter, a business plan is a must. The power of the one-page business plan is often overlooked because business owners say they don’t have enough time to develop one. Some say they want to and might even start the planning process, but never have quite enough time to finish it. It’s not easy to implement, let alone when it isn’t fully baked. But I think if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Topics covered in this episode: Allied health business owners overlooking business plans - not enough time Planning to do the same and yield the same results the next year might not work - increased competition in the industry Increased competition means increased opportunities Business planning doesn’t have to be hard - preparation is key Thinking ahead about what needs to be done - pulling reports from your accounting and practice management software My virtual business planning workshop - following my seven success factors for private practice Following the business planning document Useful Links:  info@nacre.com.au  Cathy Love LinkedIn Nacre Website Private Practice Made Perfect Podcast

Whether you’re a solo practitioner, have a small team, or are a large practice, it’s important to spend time and money on your brand. For many, it seems like a waste, but that could not be further from the truth. It could help you significantly grow your new client list. I spoke to Tristan Gray, co-founder of digital marketing agency Studio 56, who shared his knowledge of successfully building a brand and online presence. The Geelong-based company works with healthcare practices throughout Australia on marketing and business development, predominantly digital marketing: SEO, Google Ads (AdWords) and websites. After starting the business just four years ago, Tristan now has a strategy he says works for the allied health industry, particularly for helping businesses shift away from depending on referrals for new clients. As a result, Studio 56 now focuses solely on allied health clients. He spills some of his secrets for success for the trickier, technical stuff like SEO, website content and the importance of good imagery on your website. Subscribe here: Apple Podcast, Stitcher, Subscribe on Android, Player.fm, RSS Episode highlights: About Studio 56 and what it offers - marketing and business development The difficulty of relying on referral networks for new clients Showing up on Google - working on your online brand and presence The importance of SEO Common issues - allied health business owners don’t see the benefits of a website Hitting the sweet spot with your content - helpful but not selling something Refreshing content - continually add new content to your website Google Ads (AdWords) explained - be targeted so you don’t spend money on the wrong words How Studio 56 builds and manages allied health websites Homepage - 3 seconds to... How important is imagery? It needs to be real and authentic What Tristan thinks websites will look like in a year or two - the introduction of video A little about Studio 56 - based in Geelong, VIC, team all over Australia Useful Links:  info@nacre.com.au  Cathy Love LinkedIn Nacre Website Private Practice Made Perfect Podcast Links:  Studio 56 Website Tristan Gray LinkedIn

Today I’m talking about writing a book; the process and all that goes with it. I speak to many business owners who have plans to write a book. It was something I thought about, and something I was always encouraged to do. Different people poked and probed and said, "What about a book? You should write a book." I never really took them seriously. I was of the belief that because I work with families and children, like everybody else, I had nothing different or interesting to say. It was during a business program that it really dawned on me that there were some glaring gaps in the allied health market so I wrote ‘Becoming Chief: How To Lead Your Child's Special Needs Tribe’. In this episode I cover:     Realising the opportunity to write a book     Keeping parents’ needs in mind when writing the book     The planning process - working with a book mentor to come up with a structure     The writing process - how I wrote my book in 30 days     Editing, illustrations and graphics - when the real adventure began     A brief outline of the contents of my book - what you’ll find in each chapter Useful Links:  info@nacre.com.au  Cathy Love LinkedIn Nacre Website Private Practice Made Perfect Podcast

Have you ever wondered if maybe you should start a podcast for your allied health business? Or how difficult it might be to get set up and running with a podcast of your own? In this episode, I talk about podcasting, pull it apart, and demystify it a little bit. I’ll walk you through the main reasons why you should (probably) start a podcast and the steps to get started (because it’s actually not as hard as it sounds!).   Topics covered in this episode: Why start a podcast Why podcasting is the new blog The benefits of podcasting for time-poor clients Why podcasting is a great marketing tool Simple steps to get started with your podcast Figuring out the purpose of your podcast Knowing your listener My process to brainstorm ideas and plan out content Why you should hone in on a micro-topic for each episode The ideal length for your podcast episodes Recommended styles, formats, and approaches for your podcast The tech I use to record my podcast What to say in your intro and outro What you need to know about editing and publishing your podcast Common excuses and objections to starting a podcast Useful Links:  info@nacre.com.au  Cathy Love LinkedIn Nacre Website Private Practice Made Perfect Podcast