PoP 134 | Transformation with Howard Spector

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In this episode, Howard Spector discusses transformation, business principles, and creating a vision beyond a product. Howard is the CEO of SimplePractice and someone who is changing the face of counseling and private practice.

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PoP Culture Meet Howard Spector

Howard SpectorHoward Spector is the CEO and Co-founder of SimplePractice. Howard has over 20 years of experience in the information technology industry. He conceived, built, managed and sold a successful technology company, TrackYourHours, that serves behavioral health professionals. Howard is proud to have earned his MA in Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in Depth Psychology at Pacifica Graduate Institute and spent thousands of hours training to be a Marriage & Family Therapist.

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Meet Joe Sanok

consultant headshot JoeJoe Sanok, MA, LLP, LPC, NCC is one of the world’s leading private practice consultants. He is the owner of the Traverse City counseling practice, Mental Wellness Counseling. Joe helps counselors to start private practices and grow them.

 

 

Podcast Transcription

Pop 134 | Transformation With Howard Spector

[0:00] Music.

[0:09] This is the practice and the practice podcast with joe sanok access number one thirty four.

[0:14] Music.

[0:27] To the practice of the practice podcast i am go sonic your host who live here in the rear center two building in beautiful downtown traverse city michigan in.
Practice of the practice headquarters world headquarters world domination headquarters.
For you diving today i want to thank so much greater vision web solutions greater vision,
makes is amazing websites and it the look like the cost thousands of dollars at so many consulting clients use them and i’ve been doing a blocking the course a free blogging course for people.
And it’s been great to see people that already have.
Have greater vision because they are all the infrastructure the need for blogging for ranking high they’ve that suppose.
On the it guys and gals that are making sure their website is beautiful and runs great.
And for only fifty nine bucks a month you can have a website to use the head on over to brightervision.com/joe,
and that’s going to send you over there you get a free month and just checking out you know i just was talking to somebody recently,
on that than a friend build a website it’s such a great idea you know maybe have a friend do it or use the resources you have but then,
get to a certain point when it’s time to upgrade me know that point and you know you’re losing business cuz you have an amazing website.
So maybe it’s time to just ask him to check the website see how much how to transition my go and i’ve ridden so again that’s brightervision.com/joe.

[2:01] Will you make your in the background some noises and i am leaving my window open i have earned it winters in northern michigan are long and harsh and this weekend was our first like warmup weekend.
In a i am recording this in late april so by may it better still be really warm.
We have got snow in may a few times but anyway since last weekend it was so fine and my four year old daughter and i did this fun run it was a mile run it was the super hero run it was the,
fund-raiser for big brothers big sisters here in traverse city.
And everybody dress up as super heroes and my little four year old she’s almost five and she wanted to be lava girl and she made up this superhero that shot lava.
And she put in her little quite sure in seattle la and a little mask and like a little sister and i had a cooler or a luau shirt a plain shirt.
And i was waves dad and so i had the power of leaves and water.
And he ran like eighty percent of the mile and then walking cu feet hurt and she run some more and.
Go to the and all the people cheering and she was just like here that your grand.
And to see if my daughter just get so into running and not a huge runner ie like exercise but i do not good enough and try to do it more and more.
But to see her being active and having fun with that and dressing up and being goofy and she ran under a twelve minute mile which was great wasn’t it was just a fun run but you just feel the tell her like this and faster and.

[3:40] Just a good daddy daughter bonding moment,
and what hiking up on old mission peninsula traverse city has these two babies west bay and east bay and west bay as well,
national cherry fest happens a lot more sailing in east bay is like a little more calm and can with the laid back bay,
i’m an old mission peninsula street on the middle so it’s got,
more like fifteen twenty one reason for piano and practice that’s where we’re gonna go when all y’all flying to traverse city and do some consulting and wine tasting so we’re gonna go up old mission peninsula,
switch up there and hiked at the swan lake up there that we never bench you and the girls,
play with marks and they found feathers and they found.

[4:20] Different things out in nature and we hung out outside all day and it was just one of those weekends he was just it was so good.
And one thing that i’ve talked to for a long time is the concert this sabbath i mean.
No matter what your religious persuasion is or whether you’re non religious the idea of slowing down and remembering that you’re a human being not a human doing which is in my words many people said that.
It’s so important and i think that as we hustle and we go after a big dreams we also have to remember that we gotta slow down and enjoy your life and be intentional about it and a few weeks saturday was one of those days.
Where we really scheduled and things that were different from the rest of our week and it’s just when you do that.
It just kills us so much life in me fuse you so much better at your job when it.
When you just like spend time with your friends and your family and doing things like we cooked and we made smoothies and.
This is awesome we did this picnic outside on sunday,
where on my twenty month old and a four year old me this platter and we got a shit and the other little place and the would even the playing had the wonderful shoes off and it was awesome and.
Like just taking those moments to chat enjoy parent hood cuz at least for me means a lot work people in town is gonna be as hard.

[5:51] What encouraged you.
To find your own moments of sabbath your own moments to refill yourself with the things you love into design the lifestyle you want to let your business follow.
So today i’m so excited because i have howard specter.
On the show today and howard is a guy that he does a great job zooming out from his business also.
And we’re going to a lot of that today he’s the ceo and co-founder simple practice his years of experience in creating and developing technology companies and the creator of tractor hours that count,
his ma in psychology i’m gonna be a from university of southern california.
And i’m how back in two thousand fourteen and we just started talking about on simple practice this cloud based private practice management system and now has group practice things.
And what i really love about our conversation today.
Is that we really talk that much about simple practice and we talk a lot about the philosophy of owning a business of.
Looking at things or even bigger than maybe what we have in the past and.
Yep we just died and so many life things in on a business so you just gonna tune in here discussion so without any further ado i give you howard spector thing over by the bathroom which is farthest from my office it’s always hit and miss so.
I unplugged the internet down here and i’m doing podcast interviews no i get it i when i was working from home headed to next have this big computer and.

[7:24] It just the connection so much faster than we wife is great news fast food either the stephen way faster yeah yeah i figure especially for things like this like at on a deal with you know if someone else jumps on and all it’s not like slows things down.
Yeah totally got.

[7:40] Cool so what are some things that you and make sure touch and today in the interview me but i know the group practice thing but any like things within the business that exciting right now replaces your headed.

[7:52] Well yeah here’s the thinking a lot about lately and it may be something of interest in talking about but it’s this idea of.

[8:03] I’m getting another one of the transformation it’s like i’ve been thinking about you know where i’m at business right now like i could just thinking where.
No you’re going to the podcast tonight and i think that was what happened in the past year not so much about like he be added this feature that feature but more like.
You help i changed as a business owner has my business change and.
No realizing that and a lot of skin without also because i wrote this little bought blog post about why which is a butterfly for a logo and.
You know that butterflies transformation coming that the psyche solar means in a transforming is so many things are butterfly-nets why we chose it and it was kind of this,
these were path we that we talk to get to the butterfly logo which had a long story but.

[8:53] But that’s where the business of you know when the business of like a i’m on in this process of changing it as a business owner and in our company change your product is changing and our customers are changing and their clients are changing it every,
that’s everything that is about so.

[9:11] Really thinking about like what are we in the business of it you know what a simple practice do and you know yeah we sell scheduling and billing software but it’s so much more than that my mission for this is really about.
You’re helping customers succeed in their in running the business and help me get through this process of transformation of growth even you unlock your look what you done in here so.
I love that idea because i was there with you but today’s interview.
Like even just having had recently of how do i expand what i’m doing outside just counseling but not just that matches expanding but,
what’s the why behind what i do and with the sex life and passion and been reading a lot about steve jobs and other great leaders,
and just you know you sell your computer but he was selling but i will change he was not on your computer so he uses his actually selling,
what you can do,
with that technology exactly yet so yeah lets i like i would much rather i think that’s more inspirational the people i adopted that story like of our own change in the last year is really.
Just not sightings yeah let’s just let’s just talk about that stuff and me we can leave and features but when i see these are things are gonna be way more compelling to people than just,
he now we grew practice,
yeah i know am for my mission right now terms of how i communicate and in the do a lot more our communication from the face of the company but less and less about.
Hey look at this new feature it’s more about who are with the business how are you supporting you know what is it like more those things because that’s really passion about natalie with this all about and.

[10:47] Yeah with an amazing product it’s any better but.
No i wanted to talk to features rest right after we eat we could touch a little bit but it’s not.
That’s not what the photo is about will why don’t we start with the butterfly blog post cuz i think that would be a natural life,
can a lead in to adjust transformation and why that’s important to you and then we can just bring were from there about how you changed in the last year.

[11:11] Get me lit up to thirty just put the tray now what is he talking and there’s a part that is when even introduce you like you’ve been live it has the kinda cool actually lets do that i’ve been record it started so here we go,
alright how long until welcome to the practice the practice podcast,
hey jarvis jellybean yeah rescission we just had the people got to peep into so let’s start with talking about your butterfly logo,
yeah okay or better yet when we can set up a young become a did.

[11:47] So i am warning reads this blog post for a long time first we started a blog a while ago and it started sputtered out and it was,
tried a couple of times to get going and i think this is typical of a lot of people that wanted have good intentions are blog posts and how difficult it really is and you have to really.

[12:04] It’s really prepare for this thing so we starting up again and i’m very excited about that and one of the things i wanted to write about for a long time is,
yeah why do we have a flash logo on it and it was just this random thing it actually happened this immature that was it’s a longer story of some of the bore everybody with but i’m,
yo we.

[12:26] Wish without a logo ideas back from a designer and there’s always like there’s a couch and know panel was like stuff that’s like,
thirty and there’s a butterfly mix up in this whole thing i’m like why the hell is a butterfly the process to me and.
I told the designer that and then in a few days later it kinda came back to look at it and realized what is this that’s the perfect logo because.
A butterfly if you look up the government psyche and soul and that all these meetings associated with it is also really about transformation and,
as i mentioned earlier you know that’s the business we’re in you know clinicians are all about you’re hoping that the clients of,
become aware of things and what’s the transform their lives in differ ways i’m.
Yo i’ve transformed a lot the past year my business has a product has your company has and a client’s house so.
To me it’s like to fitting symbol for what we do and what our mission is which is really about helping in a customer succeed in the practice and that’s all about.

[13:28] Transformation well and i feel like so often,
ask your business you’ll say you know pick a name for your business book of your website that is so easy to understand that if you gonna teach counselors to social media name it,
counselors living social media and have the logo match that but a butterfly the thing more abstract like so what will you see the argument for why you should,
push for something that’s more of a metaphor or not as clear-cut like you could say we’re electronic medical records be well with simple practice and,
that’s a tummy tuck a little bit about using metaphor as part of your name being in your product be on just the most simple clear-cut names or logos.

[14:10] Well i mean i see there’s no metaphor you know is there so much in a in a meeting at four things like that i feel like those really communicate a story,
and you’re everyone’s about stories there’s never of therapy there’s never comes into the store in their lives and you want to tighten and thinking been a business.
You wanna try capsule late you who you are what you do we stand for,
i’m in some kind symbol and in the toilet so story and i think that you have for us we got very lucky and very serendipitous the kind of fell into the symbol for our proper business and i think that.
It really just telling a story if you think about it and i feel like got something that.
Begin effect kinda fell into our lap and we didn’t notice it at first but then we kind of open our eyes and saw and i feel like if people spend a little time really thinking about.
No who are we as a business what are we trying to do you know what is our unique mission and crank up something that really symbolizes and you know could use a meeting for you and power for you and you can tell a story about why that support for you.
Yeah get felix so much where i’ve had in the last year has been.
Now when i first started i want to just be very clear cut and here’s how you run a private practice and here’s can the marketing tools and there’s nothing bad about that but,
can a zooming out for myself and saying why is there pee really important why is running a business are having a lifestyle business really important and,
you’re really gonna asking the why behind success has been direction i’ve been headed and it sounds like you’ve been.

[15:40] And i even leveling up can’t past simple practice more and like what’s the bigger picture so maybe tasty like what’s happening the last year that.
Has helped you just transform who you are.

[15:52] I’m okay with the big boys is the question great picture people to cry and laugh at my home on crying inside on.
So i think that.

[16:07] You know sometimes when you’re going through a lot you is it something hard to notice when it’s happening and then and that’s it happened to open your eyes little bit and i think for us you know.
What was the price including play me in there as well as if i can separate them out and ask me about my business of practice on but.
You know we’ve we go off i think of what i would it be this transition from being a start-up to the real business and.
Got something that we read about start-ups all the time but there’s this point in the life cycle of a business or person whatever where you can turn this corner,
and you have to ge me some changes in how you do things and how you look at things and i feel like for us yes we’ve really grown rapidly,
i’m it had really move from a business where there’s a few people try to do a lot of different things i try to talk about stuff to a business where,
because i have successfully will hire more people in an hr people to specialize and with that’s really meant for us is.

[17:16] Look for me is an example instead of me messing around mail chimp and all the things on his but getting the weeds too many things,
i can have other people do that i can focus on the things i need to focus on and it’s really what it comes down to is you know what should i be doing,
where should i not be doing any kind of looking at my home organization and kind of going to each individual there and doing the same thing,
that’s really important for everybody i think as you grow your business and another even outside of business.
It’s looking at you wasting your time doing and are all the things that you’re doing are things you should be doing and been in really.
Be able to identify what you should not be doing because when you can kinda let those things go it allows really focus on the important things.
And i think is really been the biggest transformation for us in terms of,
just really ready and will focus and specialize and that we can dig deeper into each individual part of our business and hopefully provide a better business and and product,
the defrost and any other stories are examples of when you are too much in the weeds and like it wasn’t flowing like it should or on the flip side when you like loud like it’s really good that i have someone else doing this to the fight done it,
maybe we can work as well yeah we will.
It’s very hard to let go this is a business owner you know and you have a vision you want things on a certain way,
but something is trust of the people to be able to you know of the hydra people you gotta be able to communicate with you want you got a passion to people understand.

[18:50] No well what would my here for a while i do the things i’m there’s a lot of times and even still i fall back and its habits where.
Yeah i get too involved in things that other people i get his way sometimes they try to get too involved,
i’m in things in particular if i have house was writing a blog post maybe you want to insert my voice and there but have to really step back and let them have their voice to the voice part of our business now on.
Set the number that’s one example being tuna weeds on the flip side.
Yeah recently i went away for a couple of days and have what i call my ceo private retreat where i went up to santa barbara for a few days i gotta tell too much work with me,
and i just worked by myself on thing this year and more higher level in i set back with and i thought wow this is amazing i can go off and do this now,
and my business is running it is amazing people back there they’re doing great work and i really care and really try to do the right thing.
And there’s this interesting just up and working head down for four years and civil practice,
yeah weekend nights and missing important events and how high from doing things and,
that was the first time that was it back in and think wow i don’t have to do that to that level,
anymore i can focus on other things and i was thousand but pretty amazing realization like how do you prepare for that cuz i feel like that,
it would be really helpful for any practitioner to step away from the practice and say.

[20:22] I got a new ceo retreat i love naming it that because even if you’re still open or to think of your business as you’re the ceo of a.
Would be really helpful if you how did you prepare have you structure your time figure out what you’re gonna work on.
Joke why you never talk that i didn’t work there how do,
right what happened if i do this and i did it i went on price line as gone ten minutes and the little is almost how what how was i think for me any toppings last time you know it.

[20:54] Things kind of falling in place for me but i know when it’s time to do something or not do something and,
seven billion intuition about certain things and when i want to follow it you know it was the right one i don’t realize i should’ve i think that.

[21:08] You people talk about making time for themselves and you’ve been in therapy on.

[21:14] But i was in school people have a self-care things like that which is really important i don’t think a lot of people do as much as i need to and i think for business owner or anyone like that were talking about this right now.
You have to get away and use for a an afternoon or day you’ve gotta make time where you can just sit back and get rid of that you stop doing them and you shut things.
And think about you where my going you know what i wanna do with my practice is it.
Yeah i am i doing the things i like my seen the kind of patients that i like you know my running things while running is office the office and what have you know do i want to paint the walls whatever it is.
You got any time to do these things and really think about it in june on a regular basis because otherwise.
You you wouldn’t turn your head and your toes fire two years goes by and you haven’t done certain things in your colors on auto pilot and are pugs good sometimes but.
Your real growth comes and you can kinda step back and really make some conscious decisions about like where you wanna go and be very deliberate,
and if you can do that with your son a hamster will be removing all time high i totally agree howard i like this morning he came into the office is here.
Eight thirty and i got my first intuition was i’m gonna check my email cuz i went away and a guys weekend this weekend there’s probably more e-mails or the normal,
but then like you know what no i need to look at my list of what my big things are to work on and,
there’s a couple of speaking engagements that i wanted to land and so i’m like i’m gonna fall on those e-mails make sure that they have my speaker bio.

[22:46] Cuz that’s the move my career forward more than just replying to a couple emails and even though still an email that was being sent to as a focused email on.
So frequently i think people do get stuck in that scene clients billing clients doing all that important but they don’t say will where i wanna be in a year and three years in ten years.
Yeah our six month for six months yeah yeah i mean even the fact you have a buyer that you’ve written on the calendar and got in it or i don’t know but is it really the one that i want a doubt one of this things where are my next retreat.
I’m working like that because it’s important to communicate you know the right thing about me or whatever i’m.
At and t can do that is whipping something up and is ready usual by available right but we’re living seven myself in a pile.
But again you got time to do that and it’s so hard and a lot of people as professional as the weather starting out or any phase of the of the of their careers hard to realize i’m a cash settlement time ago do this important work right now.
I’m so i just look at what you do that schedule time as hard as it might be and it’s never the time to do it ever radio you just gotta put in the book your calendar,
and and the time for and do it again it could be the afternoon of this morning cuz sometimes you times decompress,
but you know i think so for people to do that yeah only for my bio is,
i first started with just kinda basic podcast interview by like you wanna you wanna be on the podcast here’s my bio.

[24:21] And then i have moved and kenmore public speaking once i have one that’s for business community’s one that’s for non profits when it’s for faith communities,
i’m kind of focusing on specific groups they have specific needs around social media and marketing and how to canada,
level up their business or non-profit steven just within it saying who do i want to focus on and creating a bio that’s unique to each of them as well.
Yeah exactly and also like what is it.
You know what all to your that you’re trying to do like you know as joseph back as a clinician and then and you as the head of the company practice of the practice is like.
What is it you’re trying to do you know what is your mission.
And that’s one of the things that came up for me recently just of thinking about transformation thinking about what are we doing as a company and realize that for us it’s.
You know what really selling you know when we talk about this a little bit and them in the tree in the prologue to half,
you know are we selling software only scheduling and billing software or are we selling something else and i feel like you know we’re really not helping customer succeeded running their business and also your mission is,
you nothing better biz operators but also having you know the person control you no control over things were selling effortlessness for selling you know.
Time to time to do what you want your life and to me that’s.
That’s the bigger picture for us it’s not about our latest feature it’s really about how we really hoping you.

[25:54] Be better business and giving you more time in your life and how do we sell you again software product also the idea that.
When you were when you work with us you get a whole team of the whole team of people that are caught that are working really hard for you so it’s almost like.

[26:11] You getting all of us and to me that was a real breakthrough in my thinking in terms of our business and what were all totally doing again it was like the overall mission of a simple practice it’s.
We were legally selling and i think everyone should really go to that exercise and understand like.

[26:27] Why are you really doing what you’re doing now and what is the bigger what is the big mission of your business whatever it is and how did you land in that time was the big value that you guys were offering.

[26:42] Well my when i first obstacle practice you know you think about social media either facebook and all these other products and their main goal is a business is to is to suck you in and keep you engage you know anyone the use of product.
More more hours of your life and that’s the goal,
and if so how was the opposite i want to create something that people have to spend less and less time doing in time in the product because,
to me that’s our job our job is to make a software product and provide a service where you.
You can just do it very quickly and move on with your life and because.

[27:21] The look of so much the summit of you wanna do you know i spent all your time sing for us computer are you have been doing your billing,
do you want to be done for you as quickly as possible and that’s one of the reason opponent whether future here actually and we could always automation star product,
on which the blows my mind with done where.
You can basically sat are our software to automatically generate invoices automatically generate you know claim filing do all these things alternately.
You can set up and you have total control of all the stuff you can set it up so all you literally have to do and if you use online booking system during the book your appointments,
so you shut your session you do great work you write a note.
And then you’re done because of soft was gonna then invoice are making for that session,
if you want to have your credit card charge your credit card charge and acting do that for you if you send notification of you while another invoice for other stuff available apply for all,
and if they have to give the credit card and go to class or when pay see you literally got on it everything,
and you can do short your work read your notes and we do everything for you anthony the beauty of that is so much about dot do you know that we both these features it wasn’t give,
our customers because the customers freedom and doesn’t have time back and it doesn’t piece of mind it’s me that’s a beautiful thing.
Absolutely no feeling companies or individuals are speakers whoever,
can’t say what’s behind what i am doing all this work we put into simple practice or practice the practice or whatever people putting their time into when they can drill into the why.

[28:59] That’s just so much more compelling in makes more sense to kind of makes your heart just bigger.
Yeah absolutely and you could you know you know why you’re doing what you’re doing and hopefully if you doing what you doing from really good places he really try to help people,
i’m done that’s a great that’s great mission now and there’s means that mission,
if that’s not dollars and cents is really about getting come back to were transformation out of hot yeah so where there books or podcasts to help you.
Formulate some of that the stories or the meaning behind simple practice any resources to help you with that process.
You know the part of the practices podcast i am sure the wine i mean that’s really the best out there,
that’s a tough question read so many things over the years and i think what happens at least for me and is probably same for other people you know you.

[29:57] Your life is the inspiration and acceleration rate so you read books you do things you you taking all this information in your life and it kind of.
Metabolize around your head and at some point something is created from that and i think that.
You not the right moment right time sometimes things have come at a place in florida for reason in that moment it is cuz i went off and i was by myself and had a little solitude and was able to really kind of.

[30:23] I’m.
I’d let go of some things i give myself the space to really kind of how this revelation one of a kind of come to me about what is really the core of our business yeah i think bits and pieces of it have been.

[30:36] I thought about here and there but just haven’t had the time to let a kind of all colors together so,
i would say it’s you know it’s combinations a lot of things that are rad and things that i’ve that i’ve done was your majesty jobs earlier yeah he’s.

[30:51] You have read a lot about him and several of business books.
And no one of the things that comes up or completely actually cameras with the brother read about this but you and you miss the earliest passion,
you know if you have a passion for something,
you that the energy around how soon is the driving factor and a motivator for yourself and others get motivated by eight unit healthy can tell you passion about something and it inspires them so.
I think people that.
Have a passion done good things that inspire me and make me wanna be better and do better things to do bigger things not white maybe be doing bigger things is why i think more about.

[31:35] It’s not about software it’s about something bigger than that starts with my company is about something bigger and i really like that idea because if i work as hard as a working my teams work is harder than working it’s gotta be for,
a big right yeah than just software yeah yeah.
I was i was reading a chapter in the story the story-teller secret which just came out by.
Gallo his and the did the nine secrets of ted talks called talk like ted fred that is yeah so i’m like.
Four chapters and he was talking about steve jobs in the hole in the first chapter and in that has a passion and what makes your heart sing income some of his famous keynotes and.
I just set back with what is it like for me is propelling all of this cuz i keep you know going for the fax the practice meant on the.
And i think for me it’s that adventure and growth like are coming together for me and that can lead into experiences and.
What i often see is that either couples or individuals that are in counseling are clinicians when they’re stacked stagnant and not inspired it seems like,
they haven’t been having adventure or growth or,
new experiences in their life they can inform them and push them farther and when they start doing more of that and i can be locally that doesn’t have to go to the himalayas all the bad side.
Good that adventure and that new way of thinking about the world.

[33:07] I really and forms like how much inspiration you have vs every day is gonna be exactly like the day before and the day after that that’s really tough to be a good clinician when you don’t have your own adventure going on in your life.
Yeah i agree with that and the clinician or anything but i know you imply that i’m yeah it’s,
buy twix fire from the mind consulting working with us and then she become from my now and she basically pick up the office one day and said,
emily today that colorado is where my okay and what’s the museum so there’s amazing art exhibit as whole idea of like getting out of your routine going to do something new and.
Again allowing you to have a different perspective on things or just to get out of that get out of that habit,
and i think for a lot of clinicians any and everybody but a lot of folks conditions are not conditions in life you get the more you do the same thing your you going in and you do the same thing.
Day after day.
If you don’t break up with something then because wrote and it gets you mechanized and you have to you have to i think i will i think you have to pay anything.
You know you gotta find ways to get.
To get a different view on life and get some inspiration and i think that helps you and then how’s everyone else to think for christians house in hopes of clients that even means going to a conference are.
You know i’m going to networking events or good for hiking mean whatever it is.

[34:42] Yeah you gotta do it so i think that in a few minutes and what usually happens a lot of folks like they think about it i have really good intentions on the thought of doing things.
But taking that first doing it.
I’ve never happens or texts or doesn’t happen often enough and i just think that that’s where those moments when you can get out of that routine i think that’s where,
creativity happens that ideas happen that’s when you know a lot of the things happen in the spaces and if you don’t give yourself the time to let us to happen then it gets harder for to happen.
Yeah yeah it’s almost like if you don’t allow that space for the unexpected to happen then.
You just fall into that rut the area where i just had this guy’s weekend with some of my close guy friends from college in,
we went to the museum of modern art down and grand rapids and they this whole exhibit and guns and it was really interesting so as we are leaving this homeless guy came up and like.
Went to give me a hug and i was like oh okay so i give my hug and he gave all my guy friends hugs and then he is like i have some money,
and usually i don’t usually give money to like just random homeless people like it feel like especially rapids there’s a lot of a couple of things but what you need to for years i just wanna be air and i was like you know,
he’s really honest like you some guys be like i need to so i give him some money and then he like follows us in which was.

[36:13] You know if joe sees us we’re gonna all get killed,
what he’s gonna cuts off and i’m like my gosh is that the beginning of a bad movie and have any does any of walking away and but it was one of those moments of like that is not common in my life to have someone tell me that somebody else is gonna make,
tell me that he met in prison and so just those random things that you know,
i’m not sure what else can i do other than that you are we are in a new place some doing something new and something new definitely happened but something in that makes you feel more alive makes you feel more excited about life.
Cannot yeah i think that there’s i think sometimes you know i lose sight of the fact how connected everything really is and how.
It’s always interesting to me when you put yourself out there like you just like you did and things can come from that you now.
But if you don’t put yourself out there then you never know and there is a car wash today and has a beard fill facebook of these car washes and once it’s up the title of something like and do something that scares you everyday and i thought.
Gotta something to scare me that will do i should know i should buy the books could you half so.

[37:31] But i feel like that’s where your life you know i think like happens on the edges you now and you have to you gotta.
You gotta go out there you for this is to happen and.

[37:44] I think that that’s where that are great things occur in the transmission is so hard what are some things that scare you that you wanna do.

[37:54] He knew i would follow up on that hack clash of his house like the mother of.

[38:03] I don’t think they’ll do more speaking,
if things like that about the things were talking about in that scares me because you wonder if people really care we have to say from it are you going to be good at it,
i’m there’s that there’s a lot you know do more writing the blog things like that so i think those are some things it that i have some fear around that.
The the remedy is to just do it and i think that’s the key is your roommate on things limit on things that you gotta just do anything for me for a lot of our customers that talk about wanting to do blog so morning to you do.
Do more things read books whatever it is on you know you’d have to do it.

[38:45] Yeah it would you think everything is about blogs in particular executive from so many my consulting clients and people get stuck in know they should do a blog but what is it about blogs that people get stuck and you think.

[38:57] Well i think of lots of therapists are interesting thing because you have.
Everything happens has her website but i told believe that he got on marketing yourself as soon as possible and i think a lot of.
What people think a website to think about what should be my website one of things always comes up the block and.
I think because the choice of like when you go to a co weather kiev brighter vision with you know perry or thirty sites whatever it is,
yeah there’s always like this he won’t block you know there’s a choice and i think people in and people really on a lot of.
There’s a lot of articles out there about how you have to mark yourself and do a blog in and this is like this push for people have blocked and i feel like.

[39:45] That’s a shame because not everybody shop a block.
You don’t have to live because if you if you wanna have a blog thing you better right consistently not logged rent and then it got i’m guilty this i didn’t do it for a while,
when you go to someone’s blog in the last post me your half ago yeah then that tells.
The ranks story you know you don’t tell that story you wanna be able to win before you turn a block on you have a lot of content you already written so when those weeks come where you can write anything or whatever you got something to post,
because of logs all about timeliness and in it takes a lot of work.
Does a lot more work because it’s ready to go block the people really,
no especially clinicians you think to blog and it’s gonna be great market with people,
and then that one post in the done and that one post sister site for it for a long time and get told the wrong story so i think the not of which blog,
i think if you gonna block you need to sit down and really need to prepare and ask yourself why do i wanna block.
What is a really wanna say and do i really have the time and do i really have what it takes.
Yeah to do this in a consistent way and it’s gonna basically ss in a cell sell the message of what i’m trying to sell for my business.
And i think until you can really answer those questions while and really plants and things out need to write a blog post before even for a blog on don’t do it.
This other thing you can focus hon i’m but you don’t you need to block and if you have anything against the original say you know from you.

[41:23] Then don’t do it because i think a lot of people who write blog post to be purpose content that’s like.
The bullshit and party my but it’s like don’t waste people’s time and let you feel incredibly passion about your writing and you think it’s really gonna be helpful for them.
Yeah i think that so many people think that they just have to do a blog when you maybe they would be better at a you tube channel are making really meaningful info graphics or like matching what they wanna do.
With what they do because if you’re doing something cuz you think that someone else says hey you should do this,
and you’re gonna attract a second client that’s probably different from who you are like if you hate the internet and you hate social media.
Then you probably wanna try to find ways to check to other people that have similar feelings and they may not be you know reading blogs on social media if they hate blogs and social media and that’s who you wanna focus on.
So i think too often clinicians do i just go with what they think they’re supposed to do rather than thinking outside of that.
Yeah i agree and i also believe in on the top of this last time but everything you do is telling the tongue story about you in its that’s it in.
Customers and potential customers or clients we don’t call them are our formulating an opinion about you,
yo and and soready to block us about this but it’s from like the moment i call you to set appointment and hear your answering machine,
message you have the dogs barking in the background or whatever its is that the audio quality is poor.

[42:55] That i can’t like with the punches other not now made it made a judgement and.
Then i could you website to look at that and i look at the photos on your website to come onto your website and your blog or lack there of lol whatever it is you know all these things are now becoming part of my story about you and.
That’s really important because dot is you you’re like to all this work to be out there in the world and then you got the stuff out there that is representing you and you gonna make sure that really represent you the way you wanna be represented so.

[43:27] You know think about when you think about making your website know what is it say what is you know what were the images on their,
yeah it update now is the handle this always bothers me the foot of the bottom websites that sometimes it’s two thousand sixteen people have a two thousand twelve hundred likes to,
did you tell matter if i can you can automate that i can use have a code for the current year so,
yeah so that’s really easy to do and i like the bring up the whole voicemail thing,
but the difference between even just if you’re gonna record it with your regular mike in your phone versus just plugging in your white headphones you know.
And recording of that the audio quality is gonna go up or i use my i pod casting like to do all of our voicemail messages in that extra step of quality produces a certain image for our practice.

[44:15] Absolutely and everything you put out in the world is telling the story or perpetuating a story about,
your business about you so give some thought to it again talking going back to set about making time to kind of get away and think things through,
yeah there’s nothing to think about no let me look at the hourly facing.
Elements that i have of my business there in the world and are all those things you know telling the story that i will tell about who i am or what i do.
Yeah absolutely so what’s continuing to inspire you as you move forward and think differently about business.

[44:54] Well i think everything was talking about the top of my tree right now in a really.
Spending time communicating like no who we are what we do as a business and and again above just software and then for me it’s.
It’s how can my experiences that help people understand or.

[45:16] Maybe i’ll see what’s fire how can this how to the things i’ve been going thru an understanding about.
My business and my processing things that been happening with me as a business owner you how can i communicate those.
Out to places and whoever else and help them you know what kind of normal life things and help him understand that these are common things in this is how i got through it and so you can do in.
You actually got start something totally up for me right now you’re trying to really help people through you know my experiences good and good and not good running my business and how to relate to other people’s businesses absolutely.
Yeah well how inspector if every counselor in the world were listening right now will you want me to know.

[46:01] I wanted to know that they’ve all got the opportunity create a great business if you need to them and they just get a plate of make the time to go out and figure out what that is and.
You know big time for that and do it and know that you would things or things are good they can be good when things are good that’s great just celebrated and account become better.
That’s awesome so if you wanna connect this simple practice with the best way for them to connect with you.
What to go to the website simplepractice.com and we got and i got a great team there fifty questions you can email us at support at simple practice dot com of the great growing team,
i’m that are incredibly proud of and for billy amazing resources to help people.
I am connected with us and understand more about a product and understand more about how to run your business better and i’m gonna amazing rest of this year planned for a product for company and hope people come check us out.
Awesome thanks for being on the show howard i didn’t make you cry by least we had some laughs has a crack across it when i listen to this hold you have.

[47:10] Music.

[47:27] I’ve been reading this book called the story teller secrets secret and the reference that in the interview.

[47:34] And one thing the gallows talks a lot about is that people.
Go back to their origin story for another legend story of how did they become who they are and telling the story.
Of who you are is the answer interesting brain research recently there has what’s called synaptic mirroring were when somebody’s telling a story.
The part of the brain that light up are the same part of the brain that the listeners have lite up as well it’s the when that’s happening there’s this emotional connection this mirroring is happening between people.
And so kind of easy to want to.

[48:16] I guess just get the bottom line the five ways to prevent divorce or the seven ways to improve your counseling practice and.

[48:24] That’s really important how to be also having the why behind what you do being rating for front what’s your story what why you should people care about you and what do you bring to the table.
And the more that you can do that same howard is talking about it simple practice yeah it’s cloudy solution or an electronic medical record but.
He wanted to be transformation he wants it to be something that just gives people time back.
When you can search of rain your business around that why that’s really when you start to see the growth.

[49:01] To think about that thing about that equal howard talked about to take our conversation and put in to action.
And if you can for website check out brightervision.com/joe brighter vision makes amazing websites for therapists and if you need a website go check amount.
Thanks for letting us in two years and into your brain that you guys rock you are so awesome and i just appreciate you so much i appreciate the reviews you do an itunes and,
been noticing e-mails and things that you send me is just it’s humbling to.
The part of this week global movement to make purpose and small business owners it even better and give them the lifestyle that they are seeking a flat.

[49:45] Music.

[50:04] Special thanks the band sounds is sexy and emerald parkway like music and this podcast is designed pride accurate thirty that information in regard to the subject matter covered,
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[50:21] Music.