Allied Health Business Brilliance

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My guest this week is the true wild card of the Private Practice Secrets Podcast, Jacinta McMahon. Jacinta McMahon is the founder and director or Learning Fundamental, a centre for children with a variety of learning difficulties. What makes Jacinta, a wild card? Her background is primary teaching, rather than allied health! Jacinta started as a primary school teacher in the catholic education system before going back to complete her post-graduate studies in learning disabilities. She then continued to work for catholic and independent schools in a coordinator capacity where she became increasingly frustrated by the lack of funding provided for children with difficulties. Thus, Learning Fundamentals was born in her home study and is now a thriving learning centre with a wait list of clients in Sandringham! Jacinta and I also get to talking about: A centre for children with a range of learning difficulties She talks us through that first moment moving from paid employment to working from home, for herself Why she would like for her and people like her to be referred to as Educational Consultants rather than tutors Her thought process around moving the office from home and her motivation behind this decision Her motivations to go into business for herself, aside from the support of her dad who was a true source of inspiration How long it took between making the decision to open the centre for the doors to open Why she thinks that she could have done more planning around business aspect of opening the centre What her biggest challenges were going into a new premises / business Why outsourcing has saved her time and frustration She walks us through her centre and her amazing team The investment in relationships that her team has and how this makes Learning Fundamentals special How she has such and incredible team without advertising for new staff Growth, her goals and managing these Her thoughts around setting up another centre to get rid of her waiting list Where she gets her energy from Building her business and team to a point where she can have Friday off and how to do it Updating the policies and procedures manual and why it is a constant work in progress Her plans for service expansion off the back of the budget release and what is in store for education What her business has taught her Her vision for the future and her thoughtful question for me! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My guest this week is Rebekah Fraser speaking to us from Auckland, New Zealand. I met Rebekah coming up on one year ago on a trip to Cambodia where we were invited as coaches, to work with a social enterprise start-up. Rebekah has since founded her own business, The Back to Work Coach, supporting mums on their journey back into the work force. Rebekah has an interesting background, starting with completing her masters in psychology. While living in Belfast, for research observed a primary school teacher which then inspired her to return to study in primary education. She has experience in psychometric assessment, communication practices and now coaching. You are sure to learn so much from this conversation, I know I did! We also get to talking about: •Her research into the biggest challenges facing women returning to the workforce •Her beliefs around women returning to the workforce with clear intentions and a suitable work/life balance •Looking at family as a team and defining what that this means for women and their household. •How The Back to work coach is the only offering on its type in NZ •Recognition of industry needs to be focused more in this space •Her diverse roles and what she has learnt from each of her experiences •Her passion for learning and how this assists her in owning and running her business •Being authentic and walking the walk as a coach and mother in the workforce •Self-leadership skills from utilizing her strengths and working around weaknesses •Why it is important to always reflects on best practice •Her vision board –where it is and her methodology in building this •The importance of partnerships and what this means for her business •Women needing to see how amazing they are and how much having a child strengthens you •That feeling of walking back into the office on the first day after maternity leave •Why there is no need to ‘get it right’ and to be perfect •Her biggest personal learning – what it is and how it can apply to anyone in business •Her tribe – who they are, when they meet and what they talk about •Outsourcing things that she doesn’t particularly enjoy doing and focusing on doing the things that she loves •Her tips for being a mother, entrepreneur, colleague and friend •Her life learning, what it is and why she wants this to be her legacy •Quality conversations – why this is important and why we need to stop expecting our partners to be mind-readers •The ‘Giving Up Control’ challenge – what it is and why she’s doing it •A message for the mums returning to work •Her fabulous question for me and so much more!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My guest this week is the remarkable Kim Sheppard aka ‘Cool Kim’. Kim is a family psychologist and founding director of Cool Kid Psychology. Kim’s private practice and solopreneur work started back as early as her undergrad years where she worked privately with families. Since finishing her masters and becoming registered, Kim has worked out of rooms and is now running her successful business from her beautiful home with the help of her incredible virtual assistant. She has created a safe space where families can be open and relaxed, not to mention, Kim can step into her own backyard for a kick of the footy after a long day of doing what she loves. We also get to talking about: Why she chose the awesome name for her business Her year working for a public intervention service The importance of knowing what the different disciplines do and how this assists with knowing when to refer a patient The early days and starting out on her own Why deciding to have her practice on her property wasn’t exactly an easy choice and how she came to make the difficult decision A walk though of her beautiful practice and the boundaries she has in place to protect her personal balance Her experience with working with her virtual assistant and the benefits this has had for her business Her 2 big struggles in business – what they are and how she is handling them The importance of referrals and how to get more of them Being life-long learners and the Paeds Biz Conference Business management and how she has learnt to outsource the things that she wasn’t good at to free up her time to focus on the things that she is good at Being a good decision maker and problem solver The digital marketing space – what she does in terms of social media and digital marketing Her current services and what she plans to offer in the future Trying not to be pigeon holed in terms of the services she offers Recruiting – what she is learning around interviewing applicants and how much information to give to applicants about the business What she’s loving about her business now What she does to look after herself and so much more! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to season 2 of the Private Practice Secrets Podcast. This week it was my absolute pleasure to speak with the dynamic, Bev Sher, director at Bev Sher Speech Pathology. To say that Bev is a wealth of education and knowledge would be an understatement. She is a mother, with a triple degree, her own successful practice and has presented at international health professional conferences. Bev trained in South Africa where she graduated with a degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology. Having studied speech and drama from a young age she then went on to complete an associate’s degree in this area of passion also. After relocating to Australia in 1998 and being told that the likelihood of her finding work was slim, she hit the ground running working for the education department and in private practices before starting to work for herself in 2000. Her approach to business and her professionalism is inspiring and I know you will get as much from this episode as I did. We also get into: How volunteering lead to some great career opportunities, including paid work as an emerging Speech Pathologist Her experience as the Clinic Coordinator at the Fragile X Clinic, the only one of its kind in Australia Managing and supporting multi-disciplinary teams Being an attendee and presenter at 3 of the Fragile X conferences in the United States How her work has given her the opportunity to travel domestically and internationally How her business has grown quickly from starting in her living room – employing contractors after 1 year Taking a work call in the labour ward with her second child (that’s dedication!) Business management - what she knows and where it came from The pros and cons of working with family The importance of investing in professional relationships Her practice setup – the benefits of co-locating What she is most proud of in her career and business Her thoughts and preparation for the NDIS The work / life balance and her question for me about this How her work has inspired her children and so much more! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My guest this week is the incredibly entrepreneurial Fran Nicholson, Director of Sensational Kids. Fran is a mother, mentor, innovator and management expert and has seen huge success in her practice. However, Fran did not start out in paediatrics. Fran was introduced to paediatrics by a friend and former owner of Sensational Kids. With his encouragement and training Fran made the transition, bought into the business 6 months later and took over the business solely in 2012. Sensation Kids has such an interesting history including being one of the first Australian practices to introduce the DIR Floortime model back in 2007. Fran’s passion, expertise and entrepreneurial spirit is certainly a breath of fresh air within our industry. We also got to talking about: Her expanding team and specialties - the importance of a diverse support team How to team around the child effectively – meet, discuss and debrief as a matter of importance Coordinating teams across 2 centers – how to manage and keep the team on track Her very careful hiring process and how important it is to recognize people’s strengths and the satisfaction they get from their work The secret to delegation - the systems and processes that she has in place and how they integrate their core values into these Flexibility and how being flexible allows her team to make decisions for themselves around charging for patient services NDIS – her excitement and thoughts on how this effects businesses and families What’s unique about Sensational Kids and how this has people travelling distances to engage their services The innovative culture and how this is fueling their new group programs for children Management, mother, mentor, entrepreneur – how she structures her week to accommodate all her different hats We discuss our favorite books and podcasts Her Wishlist – it’s on the wall and updated weekly by herself and her team! Clinic wear & tear – what she does for to keep up with the upkeep Her very interesting question for me… See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My guest this week is the incredibly talented Natasha Hawker, director of Employee Matters. She is an author, trainer, speaker and mother of 3. Her book, From Hire to Fire and Everything In-between is a handbook for business owners of the ‘how tos’ of managing staff and even having those difficult conversations. As chance would have it, we spoke on International Women’s Day which saw us discussing some important topics for women in the workplace. We got to speaking on women’s empowerment, both professionally and personally and the lack of strong female role models. That’s not all we had to talk about! We also cover: The home/work balance – juggling home and work life, the flexibility, the advantages, the challenges and the guilt Business management – learning how to manage without being taught how to manage The time-consuming task of managing people – factoring in time to nurture, develop and support your team Fear of HR for business growth - engaging contractors and part-time employees for the first time The importance of timing in hiring and job descriptions Improving interview techniques – the interview process, reference checks, background checks and understanding the 3 different interviewing types Celebrating milestones – the importance of reflection and how Natasha celebrates hers What she is most proud of professionally Environment vs. Productivity – surrounding yourself with the tools you need to be successful How she came to write her book, From Hire to Fire and Everything in Between The 9-step employee lifecycle – what is it? Performance Management – why is it important and what it means to manage an employee’s performance “Staff” – why Natasha thinks it’s a dirty word See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My guest this week is Melinda Houghton, Director and Senior Planner at Houghton Strategic Solutions. Melinda is a mother, award winning business woman, consumer advocate and the best part – she offers financial planning for real people. Her down-to-earth nature is reflected throughout her work. Melinda’s decision to go into business for herself came from the frustration she felt after working within financial planning businesses that all followed the same flawed business model. Her vision for a better way has proved that you can build an ethical and profitable business while catering to those that aren’t wealthy… yet, anyway. On top of running a successful business and spending time with her beautiful family she is dedicated to improving financial literacy and transforming the not so favourable image of the financial planning industry! In this episode, we also talk about: The history of financial planning and why it gets a bad rap – the financial planner vs. the ‘financial product flogger’ Financial planning is about the strategy – products are secondary and they are only a tool to get you where you want to be The importance of focusing on your personal goals and objective when devising your financial plan The training requirements to be a financial planner – your financial planners will be required to have a degree equivalency Running your business - getting your head around the financial side by employing a team of experts and the confidence that it will give you Having someone with expertise taking care of the expert areas – have a team of advisors – it takes a village! What to look for when seeking an advisor – finances are important, don’t just sit down with anyone Mel’s upcoming book, The Insider’s Guide to Getting Quality Advice Before You’re wealthy How she came to win several awards for business and financial planning Her unique business structure and what drove her to go out on her own and challenge the industry norm The pride she takes in focusing on and representing people who are not yet wealthy What Mel would do with a whole free day! The first-hand advice she has for health professionals working with children and families The difference between an accountant and financial planner Her very interesting question for me… you’ll have to listen to find out! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jenna Moffat is the Co-founder of Clickability, a rating and review website for disability services that is best likened to Trip Advisor. Needless to say Jenna has a passion for social change which saw her starting her career as a carer and then social worker. Jenna was drawn to working with people with disability however quickly became frustrated by the lack of consumer-focused information and accountability available to help people navigate systems. She’s taken her social work principles and applied this to her new entrepreneurial role supporting the development of savvy consumers and working with service providers on this grass-roots, community driven organization, providing peer-driven information to subscribers. So impressive is the work that she and co-founder and director Aviva Beecher Kelk are doing, they are already being recognized and awarded for it! That’s not all we talk about, we also get into: The importance of informed choice and transparency in the disability sector The response from services providers to a service like Clickability and how they aim to work with service providers not against them The empowering response from participants, excited to have somewhere to speak about their services and know that services are likely to improve as a result Being the new kids on the block – after the site piloted for 9 months their official Victorian launch was only in January 2016 Challenging the culture of ‘fear’ about speaking up about services in a public forum. The NDIS, of course gets an honourable mention The NSW launch of Clickability and what they would like service providers to do to make sure their listings are correct The incredible team at Clickability and why their organisational culture in unique The creative ways they communicate being a remote team The end user, accessibility and their priorities when building the platform Richard Branson – you’ll have to listen to find out how he fits in And so much more! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Spectrum Speech Pathology runs two very busy sites in Melbourne. The large part time team is clinically mentored and supported, the small number of full timers have balanced week of clinical, admin and business development activities to prevent burn out. Their staff retention is exceptional. Christine Kendall and Gloria Staios have seen the private practice and disability landscape change significantly during their twenty years as co-founders of Spectrum Speech Pathology. During the chat Christine and Gloria energetically share their business journey, their passion for doing what they do well and their commitment to their staff. In this episode, we also discuss: What Gloria and Christine have learned about recruitment, supporting staff, customer service and team training The value of uninterrupted thinking time - I spoke to the dynamic duo while on a four day business planning retreat Tips for how to work with referrers The NDIS game Changer and keeping an open mind Their roles on the steering committee for the Autism Teaching Institute Their regular speaking gigs such as small group mentoring programs, lectures and large workshops And so much more, there is something for everyone! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Emma Price is the founding CEO of Source Kids, has a background in marketing and now leads a business team of 4. Source Kids, issues a phenomenal FREE magazine that links parents who have a child with a disability with product and service providers. This hugely successful publication now has a typical online reach of 240,000 people per month. The magazines are stunning. The content, images and adverts are bright, vibrant, professional and interesting. I am a huge fan and look forward to my bimonthly copy in the mail. Source Kids have big plans for the next twelve months, several of which are still top secret. What we can expect is more fantastic magazines, more video and a growing online presence. Stay tuned folks. In this episode, we touch on: •The difficulties that parents face when looking for disability service providers •How Source Kids is bridging the gap for families •Emma shares about her family and navigating Angel man’s syndrome with her daughter • The role of health professionals •Dr Google gets a mention •The challenges of finding writers, sponsors and distribution partners during the first year has paid off. •And so much more!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tahnee is an occupational therapist and the owner of Sydney’s Hopalong Occupational Therapy for Children. She has extensive private practice experience and has been the owner of Hopalong for ten years. Her two clinics sound wonderful and her team also provide community services. It takes a team to raise a business, Tahnee has a strong admin and business team and readily delegates to their fields of expertise. Her typical day includes a maximum of 3 clients, clinical supervision and marketing activities. In addition to this Hopalong Occupational Therapy for Children is an award-winning business. They apply for local business awards and win them, including Business of the year and Business Person of the year.  You are sure to get as much from this episode as I did, here’s more of what we talk about: Hopalong Occupational Therapy for Children’s business journey to 2 clinics The challenges of operating a private practice for over 10 years Having an expert team and delegating according to strengths Facebook and the need for an editorial mission Applying business awards and winning them, including Business of the year and Business Person of the year What the 8 week Bounce Back for Kids Program is How she self-trained as a business manager Business software to swear by The year ahead and so much more! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cate Schreck is founding owner of Lightbulb Training Solutions a fabulous business that provides customer service training that educates and motivates. Cate is also the author of ‘The A-Z of Service Excellence, the essential guide to becoming a customer service professional’.  Her book is a must read for all business owners who have team providing direct client services, it is clear, motivating and practical.  Cate has worked in disability services and been a small business owner for many years. She understands the world of the private practitioner and has delivered content to Cathy’s tribe for years. They know each other well, they like a chat and a wine.   Here is what they get into on this episode of Private Practice Secrets: The Lightbulb Training business journey A bit about Cate’s book, The A-Z of Service Excellence, the essential guide to becoming a customer service professional Her work in disability services and the private practice sector What it’s like being a small business owner Soft skills and hard skill and what they mean for your business How behavioural profiling such the DISC and the benefits for your business Service excellence tips and tricks for the disability sector Work / Life balance and so much more! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dino Mennillo is the co-owner of OT for Children, a large well-established private practice in Adelaide. Dino describes the early days of his business, the horrendous hours, not being quite available for family and fun and how he turned it all around. Dino shares all, including how he spent 12 months systematising every aspect of his business so he and his family could take a three month holiday without his practice missing a beat. OT for Children have a large admin and clinical team, the senior management team are organised, proactive and accountable. Dino’s passion, energy and commitment flavour this conversation. We also talk about: Clinical excellence and innovation in private practice Service delivery, customer service and the challenges involved The importance of investment in self Team and business growth NDIS and the impact on his business – being in Adelaide we went into depth on this one Insights into management of teams See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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