WP199 | The 10 Most Common Mistakes I See Practice Owners Make
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Running a private practice means making mistakes. The goal is not to avoid every single one. It is to recognize what is keeping you stuck and make changes before those patterns start controlling your business.
In this solo episode, I’m sharing 10 mistakes I regularly see practice owners make, including trying to do everything themselves, making decisions based on emotions instead of data, chasing shiny objects, waiting too long to hire, and avoiding difficult conversations.
We’ll also talk about why your practice will always go through changing seasons, how easily your identity can become tied to your business, and why consuming more information will not help unless you actually implement what you are learning.
Y’all, you do not have to fix everything today. Choose one area that stood out to you and take one practical step forward.
Trying to Do Everything Yourself
One of the biggest mistakes practice owners make is trying to handle everything on their own. I know this one well because I still struggle with it, even with a strong team around me.
Sometimes we hold onto tasks because we think we can do them better. Other times, we feel guilty asking someone to do the job we hired them to do. Whatever the reason, refusing to delegate eventually makes you the bottleneck in your own business.
There are things in your practice that only you can do. Your job is to identify those responsibilities and create enough space to handle them well. When you delegate the rest, you may even discover that someone else can do those tasks better than you ever did.
Your practice can only grow as much as you are willing to let other people lead alongside you.
Making Decisions Based on Feelings Instead of Data
Practice ownership brings up plenty of emotions. When referrals slow down or revenue feels lower than expected, it is easy to panic and assume something is going terribly wrong.
But feelings are not always facts.
Before making a major decision, look at your numbers. Track your client count, retention, revenue, expenses, marketing efforts, and other key performance indicators. Create a dashboard and review it consistently.
Larger group practices may need to review their numbers weekly, while a solo or smaller practice may look every other week or monthly. The important thing is that you have a regular schedule.
Sometimes the numbers are not nearly as bad as you feared. When they are concerning, seeing them early gives you time to respond before the problem grows.
Constantly Chasing the Next Shiny Object
Entrepreneurs love new ideas. A new software platform, marketing strategy, program, or AI tool can feel exciting, especially when the daily work of running a practice starts to feel boring.
But consistency is what grows a practice.
Before adding something new, ask whether it supports your current goal or distracts you from it. A new idea may be helpful, but that does not mean it is the right idea for this particular season.
At my practice, we use 90-day goals to help us stay focused. Those goals give us something specific to work toward and make it easier to recognize when a shiny object is pulling us away from what matters most.
Choose one priority, work on it consistently, and give it enough time to produce results.
Waiting Too Long to Hire
Many practice owners believe they should wait until they are completely full and overwhelmed before hiring. That is often the worst time to begin.
When you are already exhausted, turning away referrals, and desperate for relief, you are more likely to rush the hiring process or choose someone who is not the right fit.
Start preparing before the need becomes urgent. Think about the values you want your team members to have, the role you need them to fill, and the type of support your practice will require next.
This applies to clinicians and administrative support. When you first begin thinking seriously about hiring an assistant or virtual assistant, it may already be time to start the process.
Hiring before you reach a crisis gives you the opportunity to make a thoughtful decision instead of a desperate one.
Avoiding Difficult Conversations
Therapists have hard conversations with clients all the time, but having one with an employee or team member can feel completely different.
Maybe there is a performance problem, a boundary that has been crossed, an expectation that was not communicated clearly, or tension between team members. Avoiding the issue may reduce your anxiety temporarily, but it usually allows the problem to become bigger.
Eventually, all that frustration can come out in a way you never intended.
Address concerns quickly, honestly, and kindly. You do not need to be harsh, but you do need to be clear.
There may already be a conversation you know you need to schedule. Let this be your reminder to stop putting it off.
Expecting Your Business to Stay the Same
Your practice will change because every business goes through seasons.
Revenue will rise and fall. Therapists will come and go. Referrals may slow during the summer and increase again in the fall. Programs that once worked may need to evolve.
The danger comes when practice owners panic during a temporary change and make drastic decisions. For example, you may stop marketing because money feels tight, only to create an even bigger referral problem later.
Of course, you should stop paying for something that truly is not working. The key is to make that choice using data, not fear.
Learn the natural seasons of your practice. Prepare for them financially and emotionally. Strong leadership is not about controlling every change. It is about learning how to lead through it.
Building Your Identity Around Your Practice
It is easy to make the success of your practice mean something about your worth.
A therapist leaves, and you wonder whether you are a bad leader. A client stops responding, and you question whether you are a good therapist. Revenue drops, and you feel like a failure.
We make these situations personal even when they may have very little to do with us.
Pay attention to feedback and take responsibility when needed, but remember that you are not your practice. Your identity also comes from your faith, character, relationships, interests, and life outside of work.
Spend time with people who are not your coworkers. Do things you enjoy that have nothing to do with your business. Create a life that reminds you that you are more than your role as a practice owner.
Waiting Too Long to Invest in Yourself
Many practice owners invest in their clinicians, clients, marketing, and office space while forgetting to invest in their own development as leaders.
Business coaching, books, courses, podcasts, consulting, and professional communities can help you make better decisions before expensive problems develop.
I often meet practice owners who finally reach out for support after they have already made complicated hiring, compensation, or financial decisions. I am always glad they reached out, but I also wish they had received help earlier.
Investing in yourself may feel like another expense, especially when your practice is still growing. In the long run, the right support can save you money, reduce stress, and help you build your business more intentionally.
The larger your practice becomes, the more important this investment will be.
Consuming More Information Than You Implement
Learning can feel productive, but learning alone does not change your practice.
You can read every business book, attend every webinar, and listen to every podcast episode available. None of it will matter if you never put the information into action.
After learning something new, ask yourself what you will do with it. Choose one practical step, add it to your calendar, and follow through.
This is why implementation is such an important part of the Wise Practice Community. We do not want practice owners to simply collect more information. We want them to work through it, ask questions, receive support, and make real changes in their businesses.
You probably do not need more information right now. You may simply need to act on something you already know.
Trying to Build Your Practice Alone
You may be the owner, but that does not mean you should carry the entire practice alone.
Other practice owners can give you encouragement, accountability, ideas, prayer, and support that people outside this work may not fully understand. They can celebrate your wins and help you think clearly when something feels overwhelming.
Some of the greatest support in my own journey has come from relationships with other practice owners. Having people I can contact with a question or talk through a decision with has made a tremendous difference.
You do not have to solve all ten of these mistakes today. Choose the one that stood out most and decide what you will do next.
Delegate one task. Review your numbers. Schedule the difficult conversation. Create a hiring plan. Reach out for support.
Growing a healthy private practice is not about becoming a perfect owner. It is about becoming more aware, making intentional changes, and surrounding yourself with people who will help you keep moving forward.
Show Sponsor Ubuntu Freelancers
If you’ve thought about hiring remotely but weren’t sure where to start, you’re not alone.
Questions about quality, communication and finding the right person stop many practice owners from taking the next step.
That’s where Ubuntu Freelancers comes in.
Ubuntu specialises in connecting therapy practices with exceptional South African professionals who have the skills, professionalism and experience to become valued members of your team. Every candidate is carefully vetted and matched to your practice, making the hiring process straightforward and stress-free.
Whether you’re hiring your first Virtual Assistant or expanding your support team, Ubuntu guides you through every step of the journey.
As a thank you to Wise Practice listeners, Ubuntu will cover the first five hours of onboarding support with every successful placement. Simply mention the code WISE when you contact Ubuntu at www.ubuntufreelancers.com.
Links and Resources
Free Webinar: 10 Proven Strategies to Grow a Christian Private Practice
[ August 25th ] Registration is required, so be sure to save your spot HERE!
Join the Wise Practice Community(The Wise Practice Community will open for enrollment August 26–28.)
Learn More about Wise Practice Consulting
Connect with Wise Practice on Instagram
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Whitney Owens: If you thought about hiring remotely but weren't sure where to start, you're not alone. Questions about quality, communication, finding the right person stop many practice owners from taking that next step. That's where Ubuntu Freelancers comes in. Ubuntu specializes in connecting therapy practices with exceptional South African professionals who have skills, professionalism, and experience to become valued members of your team.
[00:00:23] Every candidate is carefully vetted and matched for your practice, making the hire process straightforward and stress-free. So whether you're hiring your first virtual assistant or maybe you're expanding your support team, Ubuntu guides you through every step of the journey. And as a thank you to Wise Practice listeners, Ubuntu's offering the first five hours of onboarding support with every successful placement.
[00:00:46] Simply mention Wise when you contact Ubuntu at ubuntufreelancers.com
[00:00:55] Jingle: Hi, I'm Whitney Owens. I'm a group practice owner and faith-based practice consultant, and
[00:00:59] Whitney Owens: I'm here to tell you that you can have it all. Want to grow your practice? Want to grow your faith? Want to enjoy your life outside of work? You've come to the right place. Each week on the Wise Practice Podcast, I will give you the action steps to have a successful faith-based practice while also having a good time.
[00:01:17] Now let's get started
[00:01:21] Jingle: Where she grows your practice, she don't play. She does business with a twist of faith. It's Whitney Owens and the Wise Practice podcast Whitney Owens and the Wise Practice Podcast
[00:01:39] Whitney Owens: Hello, friends, and welcome back to the Wise Practice Podcast. I love that you're here. Thank you so much for taking the time to listen to the show. I have really enjoyed the series that we're doing. Um, I'm doing some solo shows all about things that I'm noticing with practice owners. But before we jump into the 10 mistakes that I'm noticing, and don't worry, we all make 'em, me too, I wanna tell you real quick about a webinar that I'm about to do next week.
[00:02:07] This is on August 25th. It's the 10 Proven Strategies to Grow a Christian Private Practice. I put this together because I have so many people reaching out saying, "I don't know how to best spend my money, my time, my energy on marketing, and how do I actually grow this thing?" People are going out and doing their practices, they're trying to grow their group practice, and they can't seem to get where they wanna be.
[00:02:29] So if that is you, make sure you register for this webinar. I'm gonna walk you through the exact strategies that I used to grow Water's Edge Counseling. That is my private practice. I have about 15 therapists, private pay, faith-based group practice. I tell you that because I'm actually doing it. I'm not just telling you the things to do, I'm implementing them, and they're working.
[00:02:51] So I'm gonna teach you those in the webinar. Make sure you register in advance, August 25th, the 10 Proven Strategies to Grow a Christian Practice. You can find the information in the show notes or head to the Wise Practice consulting website. You'll see a webinar there under events, and I look forward to seeing you there.
[00:03:12] If for some reason you can't join us live, we will have a recording. As long as you register, we'll email you the recording later in the day, and you can watch it. I will have a really cool opportunity at the end, so make sure that you take advantage, and I can't wait to see y'all there. All right. Now, let's jump into the episode.
[00:03:30] So I love meeting with practice owners and talking about private practice. It is just my jam, and if you've ever come to a retreat with me, the summit, or gotten to be with me live, you know how much I love talking about private practice. So in this episode, I'm just imagining that you are on the other side of the table with me at a coffee shop.
[00:03:53] We've just ordered our lattes, or maybe you like just regular coffee. For me, it depends on the time of day. And we're sitting and talking about what it is like to be a practice owner. I've had these conversations with practice owners for years. I consulted hundreds of practice owners, and we're talking about people that are starting their practice, they're solo owners, and they're group practice owners.
[00:04:15] So if you were in front of me, I'd be saying, "Hey, let's talk about the mistakes we've made along the way." I wanna teach you where I've gotten lost, and I wanna teach you what I'm hearing other people and where they're getting lost so that we can all grow our practices together. And yes We wanna grow our practices and make money, but we really have a mission as faith-based practice owners.
[00:04:36] We want to help clients find healing. We feel called to this work. So it's important to me that you know how to build something that meets those needs, right? Not e- not all of us need to be some massive thing. We just want to do the work, and we want to care for clients. So I'm gonna talk to you about what those 10 mistakes are that I'm seeing every day.
[00:05:00] And I just want you to know that we sometimes hear the word mistake as therapists, and we freak out, right? "Oh, no, I made a mistake." First of all, remember, I tell you this all the time, you're gonna make mistakes. That's part of owning a private practice. If you're not willing to be an entrepreneur and make mistakes, then don't be an entrepreneur, 'cause you're not gonna make it, right?
[00:05:19] I make mistakes constantly. I just apologized for a mistake this morning, and I apologized for another mistake yesterday, because I am still learning how to lead and communicate well. So when I bring up these mistakes, I first want you to know that I do them, okay? I'm not immune from this, and you're doing them, and you're gonna do 'em again.
[00:05:40] But we're gonna be aware of them, and we're gonna grow from them, and we're gonna be better leaders for it. So I'm excited to share those with you. So the first one that I wanna jump into is trying to do everything yourself We are the bottleneck in our business. This is something that I constantly struggle with, and you might be saying, "Whitney, how the heck are you struggling with that?
[00:06:08] You've got, like, five assistants." Uh, something like... I have something like that, and it's true. I have two intake coordinators, I've got a client care service person, I've got a marketing person, and I still get too involved in the weeds of doing things. I, I can't say for certain the reasons that you do that.
[00:06:29] For me, control. I think I can do things better. I... Honestly, for me, my biggest one, and if you've ever worked with me, you know this, is I feel this, like, guilt asking people to do their job, almost like I'm imposing on them. I mean, goodness, I hired these people to do their jobs. I don't know why I think that I'm asking them for something else.
[00:06:56] But for whatever it is, we all have our origin issues, our stories, our past experiences with employees or with people we have worked for that we're scared we're gonna become like. We have whatever story it is that says to us, "I can't delegate. I don't wanna trust. I don't know how to give this away." Well, let me tell you, when you don't do those things, you're making things worse.
[00:07:21] You're keeping your business from moving forward, right? You are that bottleneck. You're wearing so many different hats, you can't focus on anything, and then you don't do anything well. This just happened to me the other day. I was freaking out about the finances, and I was like, "Goodness, we're not gonna meet our numbers this month.
[00:07:42] You know, we gotta hurry. We gotta do these things." I was in reaction mode, and anxiety to the max So then one morning, I woke up and I was like, "I'm gonna spend my time looking at this money when I have a clear head, no distractions." And guess what? It wasn't as bad as I thought. It taught me that I am doing too many things and I need to be giving away things more because I've got to know how to run the money.
[00:08:12] No one else can do that. There are gonna be things in your business that only you can do. You've got to delegate out the other things or you're gonna get stuck in the weeds. And it's not even necessarily about, well, I have the time for that, I should do it. I want you to be thinking, "I need to get that off my plate just so I can think more clearly," right?
[00:08:31] 'Cause having a level head is important. You don't wanna fill your bucket all the way to the top where you're so tired and you can't move forward and think clearly. You've got to provide that space for yourself. So in the early years of Water's Edge Counseling, I struggled to hire an assistant. I was worried about trusting someone to answer the phone, to care for clients the way I did, to know how to schedule people.
[00:08:55] I'm sure many of y'all can relate. Finally, I hired Christina. She was a godsend. And then over time, she and my other intake staff that I've hired since then, they schedule better than me. They spend more time with the clients. They're getting more used to it. They're experts at it. So sometimes the people you delegate to actually end up doing it better than you.
[00:09:18] Most recently in the past couple of years, I've created a great leadership structure. I have a COO by my side. I have someone who's managing the operations of the practice. I have a clinical director, and that has made my life so much better. So now I get to work on cool projects in the practice. In fact, I'm working on a longevity program right now for my therapists.
[00:09:39] So I'm not bogged down so much in the details of the practice in really the head space for me. Someone else has taken the thing. I don't even have to think about it or follow up with them. I can know it's getting done. So the first mistake is trying to do everything yourself. Remember, your practice will only grow as much as you're willing to let other people lead and do the work with you.
[00:10:01] Mistake number two, making decisions based on feelings and not data. If you've known me for very long, I talk about data all the time, and often people will say, "Well, that sounds like a good idea. I'm gonna do this thing." And when I consult practice owners, I'm like, "Okay, show me the data. I have to see why we're doing the thing."
[00:10:23] If you've been listening to this series I've been doing the month of August, you know I've been talking about this. So go back and listen to the first two episodes this month to learn more about data tracking and KPIs from the last episode. But you've got to know your numbers. You have to know if your marketing's working, why people aren't calling.
[00:10:41] Is the revenue actually low? Just like my example, it was a lot better than I thought, but I had not taken the time to know the data. I was basing it on a reaction and a feeling. So you've gotta know your numbers. You need to have a dashboard as a practice owner, and this is any phase of practice, that you're looking at on a regular basis.
[00:10:59] That dashboard will include some of the KPIs we already talked about in the episode, um, last week, but being able to track your client numbers, your retention, your finances, your marketing efforts, so you can see that on a very regular basis as a practice owner Measure things consistently. Know your numbers.
[00:11:20] Sometimes they're not as bad as you think, and if they are bad, you wanna stop the progression before it gets worse. So make sure you're looking at it. If you're a larger group practice owner, I'd say look at it every single week. If you are a smaller practice or a solo practice, every other week, once a month, you know more of what's going on.
[00:11:38] At this point in my practice, I don't even know the intakes or how many are coming in. It's only when we sit down once a week and my intake department tells me that I know those in- that information. But I know it, that way we can make changes as needed. Sometimes we simply just need someone to interrupt us and make us look at the numbers instead of reacting emotionally.
[00:12:00] So create a schedule and look at those numbers. Mistake number three: constantly chasing the next thing, the shiny object. As entrepreneurs, we love shiny objects, exciting things. I had a practice owner, um, send me a message the other day, and she said, "Whitney, um, your mastermind was so great. I've gotten things all in order, and I'm kinda bored.
[00:12:26] It makes me wanna try something new, and I know I shouldn't because I need to just be consistent." And I'm like, "Amen. You've been listening, and good job," because we do need to be consistent. Don't just go after something 'cause it sounds like a good idea or 'cause you're bored. Consistency is what grows your practice.
[00:12:44] Think about a building. It's one brick at a time. So you might be like, "Oh, here's this cool new marketing software, a new tool, a new AI." Great. You gotta really think through, "Is this the right time for that thing in my practice? Is it distracting me from the one thing I need to work on, which might be building somebody's caseload?"
[00:13:03] Doing consistent things is what grows, not going to a lot of different things. We talk about this actually in episode 196 if you wanna go back and listen to that episode about consistency beating constant change. Make sure that you're going after one thing at a time. At our practice, we create 90-day goals 'cause it gives us something to focus on and shoot for.
[00:13:25] So of course, the last time we created goals, I went to my COO and I was like, "Oh, but I wanna try this other software, and I think this would really help with this thing." And yes, it would really help with that thing, but it's gonna distract us from all the other goals that we already set, and we wanna be successful with those.
[00:13:40] And I think a lot of practice owners get discouraged because they go after too many things, then they're not successful in the thing they need to be successful in. So make sure that you're having consistency. Mistake number four: waiting too long to hire. Signs of burnout, turning away referrals, you're exhausted.
[00:14:01] That means you need to think about hiring. So many people who tell me they wanna start a group practice have this idea that they have to be completely at max capacity before they hire. That is the worst time to hire. You're too tired. Then you make rash decisions to try to fill up your practice, to try to get therapists.
[00:14:20] You wanna hire in advance. In fact, this year in my practice was the first year that we did advanced hiring. So the positions were not available and we hired people. Now, I know that might sound crazy. I was kinda thinking that at the time. But now that we did it, I'm so glad we did, because people have quit during the year, and we've already replaced them before they put in their notice.
[00:14:42] So we transfer clients a lot more seamlessly as opposed to being totally overwhelmed. And even with your admin work, maybe you haven't hired an assistant yet or a virtual assistant. You wanna-- If you're thinking about it, go ahead and do it. Most people who think about it think about it for too long, then they hire someone, and then they're desperate to make everything better when they should've hired ear- earlier.
[00:15:07] I can attest that I do these things as well. So when you're in a rush, you're desperate, you make poor hiring choices. I want you to work on your values, using your values to hire the therapists or the other team members that you're looking for. Plan those in advance. And make sure that you're thinking about what it is that you need in your practice.
[00:15:30] But don't make the mistake of waiting too long to hire. Number five, the mistake of avoiding difficult conversations. Isn't it funny? As therapists, we work with clients. We have hard conversations with them all the time, but when it comes to us talking to a team member or other difficult conversations, no way.
[00:15:51] Brings up so much anxiety. I am with you if you're feeling that way. It might be a team performance issue, boundaries, expectations, conflict. Any time a therapist texts me and says, "Whitney, I need to meet with you," I have immediate anxiety. It's gotten better over time. I have to remind myself I'm in charge.
[00:16:11] It's okay. This does not necessarily mean the end of the world, but it can be anxiety-provoking. So I don't want you to run away from hard conversations. A lot of times we see things going on on our team, but we don't wanna have hard conversations 'cause we don't wanna address them, and then they get worse.
[00:16:30] And you know what happens when they get worse and we don't address them. We explode when we least expect it. That's never good either. So I want you to address things quickly, honestly, and kindly, as I know you will, and don't avoid conversations. So maybe right now as you're hearing me, you're like, "Oh yeah, that conversation I've been avoiding."
[00:16:49] Hey, maybe this is your little sign from God today. Pay attention. Schedule that conversation. Mistake number six, expecting your business to stay the same. Business goes up and down, just like life. I was just talking about this in staff meeting yesterday, and one of my therapists was like-- We were talking about what things we wanna start and stop in Water's Edge Counseling, and she said, "Whitney," like, "I've seen so much transition.
[00:17:16] We will always have transition." You know, we will always be making improvements, and it's totally true. Just like life is like that, your business takes a life of its own. Every season has something different, and you don't wanna make drastic decisions thinking that everything's gonna stay the same, 'cause I, I'm telling you, it will not stay the same.
[00:17:36] I can't tell you how many practice owners start pulling out of initiatives and things that are helping their practice 'cause they freak out about money, right? Thinking, "This is the amount of money I will always have." Well, guess what? When you pull out of the things, even though you don't feel like you had a lot of money, you start having less money because you pulled out of the things that were helping you make money.
[00:17:56] So for example, you feel like your marketing's not working, so you stop doing the marketing. Well, then you're gonna have less clients, not more clients, right? Now, obviously it's a totally different story if you need to pull out of something 'cause it's not working. But you wanna make sure that you're being consistent in the things that you're doing and understanding that businesses will fluctuate.
[00:18:17] Summer, obviously this episode's coming out in August and we've getting through the summer slump. It happens every year. You will always have a summer slump. It'll always be annoying and stressful. And then the therapist, um, will get full again in the fall and you'll be like, "Wow, why did I worry?" I say this to myself every year.
[00:18:35] Um, so you're gonna go through seasons, and that's okay. So just be flexible and prepare for those and learn how to lead through change instead of control. Um, and then really look at the seasons of the year. 'Cause like I said, with the dip of summer and other ideas of what happens in different seasons, it's really helpful to kind of expect some of that coming.
[00:18:55] Um, but you should always expect change as a practice owner. Number seven, building your identity around your practice A lot of practice owners find themselves and their team members in their branding and how successful they are and how much money is coming in. We do this without even realizing it. So for example, maybe a therapist leaves your practice or maybe you're working with a client that you think is going really well and they just ghost you, and then you say to yourself, "What's wrong with me?
[00:19:23] Am I a bad leader? Am I a bad therapist? Do I not know what I'm doing?" We say this to our clients, and we'll say it to you, it's usually not about you. It's usually about the other person, and I have to constantly remind myself of that. I mean, we wanna pay attention, take feedback, yes, but we make things way too personal.
[00:19:44] You don't need your identity to be revolved in your practice. You've got to make sure that you're taking care of yourself outside your practice because if you don't, your identity will become your practice. If you're working all the time or you don't have other interests or other healthy relationships, so make sure you're connecting with people that aren't your coworkers, you're doing activities that you enjoy, so you can find your identity and who you are outside of your practice.
[00:20:07] You have your faith, you have your character, you have your friends, you are a great leader, right? So make sure that you're moving forward in what you want and who you are, not just necessarily what your practice is demanding of you. Mistake number eight, waiting too long to invest in yourself. Constantly running your practice, forgetting about you, and not investing in the business side of your practice.
[00:20:36] And I say that to mean that could be courses you're taking. It's listening to the podcast like you are right now, so good job avoiding mistake number eight today. But waiting too long to invest. I see so many practice owners reach out to me for business consulting, and I think to myself, first I think, "I'm so glad you reached out."
[00:20:54] Second, I think, "I wish you had reached out earlier. We could have avoided a lot of this." Especially when people start a group practice. They've already made a lot of mistakes in what they choose to pay and the type of people they are, like the therapists that they choose to hire and the specialties and things.
[00:21:10] They have put them in the wrong seats, in the wrong positions in their business, and then they're coming when they've got all these financial demands and all this setup they've done, and that could've been avoided, those problems. Maybe you are a solo practice owner trying to figure out where to put your time and money into marketing, so you're just doing all the things because that seems to be the right thing to do.
[00:21:34] But if you hire a coach, they can really help walk you through the best way to invest so you're not making those mistakes. So don't wait too long to invest in yourself. You can do coaching, you can read books, you can go to the podcast, you can join our membership community. There's so many opportunities to learn.
[00:21:51] Take the time out to do it. A lot of times therapists are like, "I have to see all these clients. I gotta make money." And yeah, that's true, but you're gonna save money by investing in yourself in the long run, make better choices, feel more energized, and it'll be better in the long run. I see the most success with the practice owners that are investing in themselves, and the larger your practice is, the more you need to be doing that.
[00:22:17] Kind of in the same vein here is mistake number nine, consuming more information than you implement. Y'all hear me on that. Reading books constantly, listening to podcasts, going to webinars, learning and saying, "This is so great," but then not doing anything about it. You don't need another webinar unless you're gonna implement, right?
[00:22:43] Instead of just, "This is what I learned," asking yourself, "How do I put this into action?" This is actually a big part of our Wise Practice membership community. We just changed our format where instead of, um, weekly meetings that don't connect to one another, now we're gonna have themed months. So the first week of the month, you get a teaching on a topic.
[00:23:08] The second week, we have an expert come outside of the community and speak on that topic. The third week, we have a workshop. That's when we implement the thing we learned in week one, right? Because I don't want people just learning. I want them doing. And then the last week is a Q&A so that when you get stuck, you have a place to ask questions, kind of like an open office hours.
[00:23:27] I share all that to say we are actually doing the things that we're learning, consuming and implementing. So actually, just to give an example, the month of August, we're doing profit. So the lesson is on profit. Then we have an expert talking about profitability with therapists who's an accountant, and then we have a workshop.
[00:23:49] We're gonna teach practice owners how to c- figure out what their profit is and how to implement it into their practice. The next month in September, it's gonna be on money leaks, so it's not just about, "Here are the leaks in your practice. Here are the 10," but, like, let's figure out which ones you're gonna fix, and let's talk about how you're gonna fix it, and let's actually do the work, right?
[00:24:10] All right. Mistake number seven, trying to build your practice alone. This brings it back full circle. In episode 179, I talked about the hidden reasons that your practice isn't growing, and one of the biggest reasons practices stay stuck isn't because owners don't know enough or that they're not smart enough.
[00:24:31] It's because they're doing it alone. We can get so much energy through one another. We get accountability through one another, prayer, support. As I look back on my journey, ugh, man, the other practice owners that I have known along the way have been my largest supporters. In fact, I'm involved in a mastermind group.
[00:24:52] We've been meeting for, gosh, I don't even know how long, many years, and we just met this week, and it's when I talk to them about what I'm gonna do and we implement together. Makes the world of difference. I can shoot them a text. "I have a question. I need your extra support." That is what it means to grow your private practice, that you're not doing it alone, that you're celebrating together, that you're asking questions, that you're praying for one another.
[00:25:15] You don't have to do it alone. That is why we have the Wise Practice membership community, because it's an opportunity for practice owners to come together and help one another and not grow it alone So you don't have to answer all these problems today. We have mistakes. I just want you to be aware of them, be working towards them.
[00:25:40] Even if there's one mistake that you can find from today that you can implement, that'd be awesome. Let me walk through them real quick for you. The first one was trying to do everything on your own. Make sure you delegate. The second, making decisions based on your feeling and not data. So make sure you've got a dashboard that you're viewing regularly and using that to make decisions.
[00:26:04] Constantly chasing the next thing. Don't go after the shiny ob- shiny object. Find your goal and go after it. Wait- waiting too long to hire. If you need to hire somebody, get the ad out today. Don't wait. Number five is avoiding difficult conversations. Make sure you talk to the person you're thinking about, and that you're receptive to meetings that might be less comfortable.
[00:26:27] Mistake number six, expecting business to stay the same. Your practice will always change. Don't make drastic changes just because something changed in your practice. Consistency is key, but also just be aware it's gonna go up and down, and that's okay. It doesn't mean you're a failure. Number seven is building your identity around your practice.
[00:26:48] Remember, you are not your practice. You are much more than that, and if something bad happens, it's not always a reflection of you. You don't have to find your identity in it. Mistake number eight, waiting too long to invest in yourself. So make sure that you're finding ways to grow in leadership and as a practice owner to care for you, so business coaching, podcasts, books, whatever it is.
[00:27:11] Number nine, consume more information than you implement. So make sure you're actually implementing the things that you're learning and not just taking the information in. And the last one was, don't do it alone. Practice owners who try to do it alone make mistakes. You've got a community here with you.
[00:27:29] So as you've, as you've been listening to these episodes I'm teaching, if you're finding them helpful to you, you will love the Wise Practice community. I am so passionate about this community. It is the highlight of the work I do. We meet every single Wednesday online at one o'clock to be able to grow our practices.
[00:27:47] We have accountability groups every other week with similar face of practice. We help you grow your practice, and I lead it with other consultants, so you're really gonna learn the things, right? We implement, we're consistent, we hold one another accountable. It's like having people around you who understand you, not just how to build a practice, but your faith.
[00:28:11] It's not another place to just consume. It's a place to implement and practice what you're learning. We hear practice owners consistently asking for help, and then sometimes when you're just really struggling, "Hey, will you pray with me?" Right? Because we can incorporate all those things together. So the doors to the community, we only open it a couple of times a year because we want you to come in a cohort, 'cause in a cohort is community.
[00:28:34] We have a welcome party for those that join the week after the doors open, and you'll be able to connect with me in all of our consulting services, our mastermind groups, our individual consulting comes through the community. It is so fabulous. And look, it's $89 a month, and I know that can feel like a lot, but for the value that you get, it is far worth it.
[00:28:58] If you show up and you implement the things we teach you, I promise you will grow your practice. And along with all those live events, we also have tons of courses, and you can pick courses based on your phase of practice, topics that you wanna take courses on. It is all in there, and it's all stuff that I have learned and used in my practice that helps me grow.
[00:29:18] The doors are open August 26th through the 28th. I'd love for you to join. Do not miss out. That is next week. And remember, if you want a taste of what the community is, join me for my webinar on the 10 Proven Strategies to Grow a Christian Private Practice. It's gonna be August 25th. That way, you know a little bit about what the community is like, a taste.
[00:29:41] I would love for you to join the Wise Practice Community. August 26th through the 28th, the doors are open. You can head to wisepractice.com to get more information. Check out the show notes. I am committed to you and your growth, and I look forward to seeing you in the community
[00:30:00] Jingle: So click on follow and leave a review and keep on loving this work we do with Whitney Owens and the Wise Practice Podcast. Whitney Owens and the Wise Practice Podcast
[00:30:18] Whitney Owens: Special thanks to Marty Altman for the music in this podcast. The Wise Practice Podcast is part of the SiteCraft Podcast Network, a collaboration of independent podcasters focused on helping people live more meaningful and productive lives. To learn more about the other amazing podcasts in the network, head on over to sitecraftnetwork.com.
[00:30:39] The Wise Practice Podcast represents the opinions of Whitney Owens and her guests. This podcast is for educational purposes only, and the content should not be taken as legal advice. If you have legal questions, please consult an attorney.
