You have put in hours setting up your private practice, creating marketing materials, networking with other professionals, researching the necessary business tools, setting up your office, and applying for insurance panels. Then you wait for the phone to ring….. nothing. It can be very discouraging when you are ready for your practice to take off but you aren’t getting clients.
So how do you stay motivated? Here are some ways to not get discouraged while still working towards building your practice.
Set short term goals
Consider short term goals that will continue to market or build your practice. Whether it’s to reach out to a few new professionals to build a referral base or writing a blog a week to boost your web presence. Short term goals will keep you focused on necessary steps to continue to build your practice.
Schedule tasks and stick to your calendar
When your practice is slow it’s easy to get sidetracked by time wasters. By setting scheduled work periods and sticking to them, you can be more effective with your time.
Build a support team
Setting up accountability partners or joining a support group will help you stay motivated and keep you on track. This support team can be useful in several ways. They can hold you accountable, help problem solve issues as they arise, or even be potential referral sources.
Cut yourself some slack
Rome was not built in a day, neither will your practice. Make sure to give yourself credit for all the work you completed to open your practice in the first place. From there, stay positive with every achievement, no matter how small.
Self Reflect
Take time to identify what obstacles are in the way to be more motivated, then create a plan to address them.
Prioritize what’s really important
Starting a practice is hard and takes a lot of work. Remembering to prioritize what is really important can help keep you refreshed and motivated. Whether it’s self care or time with your family, make time for your prioritizes to help keep yourself grounded.
Staying motivated when starting your practice can be challenging at times. All of us have discussed motivation with our clients. It’s important that we remember take our own advice.
Amanda Be, LMSW, MBA is owner and counselor at Supportive Counseling Services in Grosse Pointe, MI. Amanda has been a practicing clinical social worker since 2005. She is passionate about helping others lead happier, more successful lives through her private practice, advocacy and volunteer work. Amanda’s main objective is to support others during life’s challenges and hopes these blogs will help. She writes and speaks on topics for parents, counselors and educators. For more information, blogs and videos: scs-mi.com.
