I have a question for you Osteopaths. Success: how do you quantify it? Is it back to back patients for twelve hours a day and six days a week? Is it reaching a certain level of income? Or is it not being ridiculously busy and having time for loved ones, workouts and fun?
Which way Osteopaths?
It surprises me but there seems to be some reticence in Osteopathic circles in talking about the subject of success. Or failure.
Not being busy enough is nothing to be ashamed of. Struggling in business is not a reflection of your skills and ability. It is merely indicating a need for some marketing training and focus at the front end of your business so that things will fall into place.
From my observations, the problem generally seems to be two-fold.
- Success often seems to be measured by number of patients per day rather than lifestyle and balance
- Very little marketing training is given at graduation, leaving some trying to set up in business without all the necessary tools.
These are the very reasons I launched Business Coaching for Osteopaths and the Osteobiz Club a year ago. Having worked with The Rollin Becker Institute for 4½ years, I heard many stories of struggling Osteopaths who were unsure about how to generate interest and grow their patient lists. There didn’t seem to be anywhere for them to turn to get solid and sensible advice to create a focused plan for expansion.
Time and again, I’ll start a coaching call (via Skype or phone) and the Osteopath in question will be well equipped with excellent skills, a great personality and thoroughly motivated to succeed. However, often they just need the kernels of some original ideas and some well thought out steps they can take to turn things around. I see them (or hear them) excitedly scribbling down the road map to success which we have hammered out together.
Most times, my Osteopaths don’t even need to come back and ask further questions.
As they progress on their journey, most Osteopaths have what they need because they now know clearly what to do and how to do it. Then the magic of referrals will kick in and further boost the business.
Every case is different with unique issues and my creative brain loves to go into overdrive, getting to the bottom of the problem, finding innovative solutions and inspired ideas. If there was one thing I could do all day it would be this. Just like an Osteopath, I love to get to the nub of the problem, work out what’s needed and decide on a course of action.
I’m busy but I am also still growing my business.
So I too invest in a very supportive coach but she also demands accountability and prods me to keep me at the cutting edge of my unique work.
Let me be clear. Investing in yourself is not a sign of failure; rather it is the sign of someone on the cusp of success. Having a coach to turn to who is a business owner too, who has been where you are now and who understands the difficulties you face is the fastest way to get unstuck. It is critical to get on the right track to achieve the results that you want.
Indeed, this must be your own interpretation of success too, rather than some abstract measure against someone else. That’s why a coach will never tell you what to do. Our job is to dig down and reveal what you want your business to look like and then plan how to get there.
Don’t forget too that it is unwise to compare the back end of your business with the front end of another’s!
And all this ties in very sweetly with my own values and motives. In helping Osteopaths one by one to get better known in their communities, more people will hear about the incredible benefits of Osteopathy and less people are left suffering and in pain. For me, this is something very worthwhile to strive to achieve. And that’s what I call a win win situation.
