While it’s highly recommended to write regular posts, I have to admit that I have been in “violation” of this golden rule for blogging. But … I had a good reason!
The past couple of months it’s been crazy around here, since my husband decided to start his own physical therapy practice. All hands were on deck, searching for a location, equipment, computer, software, supplies, and all that’s involved in started a business. This all had to happen within two months, and it took many hours, visits, calls, internet searches, take out dinners, etc., but we pulled it together! All my prior reading, research, teleclases and other information sources must have prepared me mentally to tackle this job, because I never expected to start a business this way, and this quick. We learned to prioritize and made the practice functional by the start date, leaving the purchase of additional equipment and decorating for later. Roel already had a client base and they needed to be serviced!
Having an existing client base was crucial to the decision to start the business, because if we had to start from scratch we would probably not have taken this important step. The practice is up and running, even though we both have so much to learn. Most healthcare providers who are highly skilled in their field, never learned how to run a business. Equally, most translators and virtual assistants don’t know a thing about medical billing, but if we wanted to succeed, we’d better learn fast.
So while Roel was diving into all types of books, magazine articles and internet sources, he learned that he had to switch his mindset to that of a business owner. On the other hand, I was burying myself in books and talked to specialists about medical billing, to help me understand how the billing cycle works. This helped me big time, when we had to decide which billing and office management software to choose for the practice. I learned about the features, requirements, support and the different price tags of these programs. These are the most important factors in the decision making process for this type of specialized software, and again we looked at all the pros and cons before we decided what best fit the needs of the practice and our wallet. It is real easy to get carried away and order that fancy package used by most PT clinics (which may have a staff of maybe 10?). But we kept our head cool and choose one in the midrange.
Knowing some about technology, computers, business requirements and latest developments and trends, contributed to the final selection of the best computer package and printer for our needs, saving us a lot of money on set up and installation as well.
In the meantime I was also working on creating the website for Remobility, using information from the old brochure and what I knew about the practice and it’s owner (LOL). In addition, all that knowledge I had gathered over the years on how to create a decent website could be put to good use once again. The website is an ongoing work in progress as we continue to test what works or looks better.
My latest endeavour was getting the newsletter together. The main purpose will be to educate clients and the general public, and at the same time be a useful (online) marketing tool next to the website. We have already received some feedback about the newsletter, that we will implement with the next edition. The newsletter will also be made available on the website. We have many exciting plans we want to develop for the future
As you can see, I had a good enough reason to be away from my blog even though I felt very guilty about not posting. However, I am back and I hope to write more frequently because I am beginning to get inspired to write more (LOL).