Business Planning for Therapists:Steps 1-44

Your business plan will look a little different based on your particular needs or vision, but you can tweak that process as you go. We started lining out the basic steps you need to take and this post got really, really long. If you ever feel like there are a LOT of moving pieces to run a business...you are correct!

Remember, with business planning, it is progress not perfection.?

If you worked on implementing one of these steps each week using best practices your business would be ROCK solid within a year!

Yes, we know there are often a lot of moving parts and learning on each of these steps. That is why we created Business School for Therapists--to put everything you need into one spot

Okay, back to the next 43 steps in your private practice business plan:

2. Create clarity on your perfect day. What exactly does a perfect day look like to you? Now is the time to set the comparison to the wayside and focus on what you need.

3. Look at your work and life balance. Get clear on how your life and work are going to work together.?You need to make room for taking care of you and your life.

4. Get clear on your strengths and what you are great at in business and clinically. Ultimately, you need to “know” what is different and unique about you so you will be able to use that in your marketing later.?Write down what is unique about you beyond “I’m empathic” or “a good listener.” Focus on what it is like to be in the room with you.

5. What are your values and your overall mission? There are many ways to use your talents and skills, why are you choosing to do this in a private practice setting? Your WHY is the foundation of your business.?

6. Create a plan for managing anxiety and negative thinking. Building a business will bring up your “stuff” and if you don’t plan how to work through that it will stop you in your tracks.?List out your blocks or the myths that can hinder your growth.

7. Line out the legal and logistical steps to having a practice in your location or online and create a plan to put those into place OR to keep them up to date.?Legal documents can include for your website, documentation paperwork with clients, contracts and employment documentation if you have staff.

8. Get clear on the steps that a client needs to go through to start working with you and look for ways to optimize that experience at each step.?Write out the client journey from the first time they find you to the last session.

9. Integrate a plan to track outcomes with your current and future clients (this will be used to improve your marketing, determine what trainings to take, tweak your processes, and shift your clinical outcomes in the future).?

10. Create clinical and business policies and procedures based on best practices for your clients that include how you will keep documentation up to date and accurate, how you will bill clients, etc.?

11. Review all paperwork and ensure that aligns with your policies and procedures and serves your mission and values.

12. Integrate documentation, court, social media, virtual practice, and website terms and conditions into your paperwork and processes.

13. Review your current reputation online.?Make a note to do this at least annually.

14. Get a calendar system setup for personal and professional scheduling. Get clear on what times you will work in the business seeing clients and when you will work ON the business (all the rest of the stuff).?

15. Create a process for keeping track of tasks and projects as a business owner.?Kelly loves Trello!

16. Review what you can eliminate, automate, and outsource and implement that plan.?

17. Review HIPAA and security guidelines and ensure your practice is on track.?

18. Implement a practice management system with best practices to streamline and automate your practice.?

19. Create a financial plan and projection based on your particular setup. Get clear on the salary for you (and any employees), marketing budget, annual costs, what your weekly and monthly operating costs are, what fee you need to charge or be reimbursed to reach your goals, and create a plan for your vacation, savings, and retirement.?Get a handle on the cash flow in your business.

20. Implement plan which could include changing contracts with insurance companies, raising rates, asking for raises from insurance companies, leaving certain companies, or getting paneled with others.?

21. Do a SWOT analysis on your business.?

22. Make sure your personal finances are in order and you are budgeting and not just expanding your spending as you get busier. Get clear about your tax planning strategies and a process to keep track of your business bookkeeping so you can easily file taxes at the end of each year.?

23. Build your financial team and understand the difference between a bookkeeper, CPA, and financial planner.

24. Get clear on your niche and who your ideal client really is and what they need right now.?

25. Do market research on your niche and your area. If you don’t have a location yet, or are opening up another location get clear on the needs in your area and use that to determine your office location.?Keep this data so you can measure changes over the coming years.

26. Know your google search keywords for your niche?.

27. Create a marketing message for your niche (or niches) that compels them to call you.?

28. Develop an elevator pitch for your niche.?

29. Build or revamp your website based on your niche(s), keyword needs, and best practices to engage clients.?

30. Create a plan to get your website to the first page of google for your keyword phrases.?

31. Create a marketing plan with how to get more people referring directly to you that fits your schedule and personality type.?

32.?Create a marketing plan with how to build your authority that fits your schedule and personality type

33. Create a marketing plan with how to increase website viewers that fits your schedule and personality type.?

34. Collect your marketing numbers to date and run your marketing numbers and get clear on how many people you need seeing your materials, calling, etc. to reach your client goals based on your current conversion rates.?

35. Review your phone consultation plan, start tracking your phone conversion rates, and improve your phone conversion rates.?

36. Develop a marketing plan to get more of your ideal clients picking up the phone to call you.?

37. Get clear on whether you need social media, and if you do what platforms are best suited for your business and marketing plan.?

38. Determine what marketing strategies are best short-term to get the phone ringing right now, and what marketing strategies you can use to keep the phone ringing without as much work.?

39. Based on your marketing plan- learn the skills necessary to implement: social media, blogging, in-person networking, speaking.?

40. Review your vision for hiring any employees including clinical and non-clinical.?

41. Create easy processes you can outsource to attract high quality employees to your practice and onboard them with ease.?

42. Have contingencies in place for when life happens including illness, accident, family planning, and losses.?

43. Review your brand and image for your company and make sure you have the right things in place from a branding perspective to help your potential clients and referral sources trust you.?

44. Create a clear strategy for your business's growth and expansion that is sustainable and profitable and that you have time to implement.?

Group Practice Bonus:

45. Create a clear business plan and pay structure to support your vision and financial projections that show you what your profit looks like if you do or do not hit your monthly session goals.

46. Create a hiring and onboarding plan to attract, train and retain the right employees for your practice and teach them to retain the awesome clients you attract.

47. Create processes and procedures for your clinical and administrative staff that allow you to streamline the business, automate, outsource, and eliminate your tasks so you have time to work on the business and be fully present for its growth strategy.

48. Ensure you are following all legal mandates regarding employees and limiting your liability.

49. Get clear on your clinical caseload and ensure that as your group practice grows, your profits grow and you can adjust or eliminate your clinical caseload, or hire someone to manage the practice without losing income.

Let us repeat:?

Remember, it is progress not perfection.?

If you worked on implementing one of these steps each week using best practices your business would be ROCK solid within a year! Yes, we know there are often a lot of moving parts and learning on each of these steps. That is why we created Business School for Therapists --to put everything you need into one spot.?

This whole list is what you could complete in BSB.

Our program is made for therapists by therapists and is focused on allowing you to be the most joyful business owner, clinician, and human you can be. We hope you’ll allow us to dig-in to the nitty gritty of creating a business that you LOVE in 2022. Click here to read more about Business School.