Allison is a down-to-earth, passionate and energetic supporter of clinicians making the leap of faith into private practice. She founded her company, Abundance Practice Building with this goal in mind and developed a curriculum for clinicians that are seeking more autonomy, authenticity and flexibility by going into business for themselves. I became interested in interviewing Allison after coming across (and joining) her Facebook group and from receiving her blog posts. As a therapist starting a private practice, I have felt inspired by the ideas and energy of Allison and the group of clinicians that have been drawn to her in the Abundance group. I am grateful for her honesty and directness of the responses in this invaluable interview.
Get a feel for Allison’s enthusiasm at www.abundancepracticebuilding.com
Interview Questions:
What first inspired you to become a helping professional and what keeps you going in this field?
I decided I wanted to be a therapist at age 11 without knowing a therapist, being in therapy, or really having a clue what it meant. I think it fit temperamentally since I was a natural helper, the friend kids went to for advice, and keeper of secrets. As I got a bit older, survived the turbulence of adolescence, and entered into early adulthood, I’d had some experience as a client in therapy and was really inspired by how much better my life was as a result. So, I followed through with that 11 year old’s dream.
At this point I’m a helping professional in two different businesses. I’m still a therapist and love that. The bulk of my work time is spent helping other therapists get into private practice. I’d experienced my own burnout and toxic work environments working in agencies. Starting my own private practice and becoming my own boss changed my life in ways I never expected. Not only was my life better, but my clinical work was more effective as well. I also matured in a way that only owning your own business can mature you; business ownership puts all your “stuff” in your face and your only options are to quit or work through it. I’m really passionate about helping people find what works for them, whether in therapy or work. Life opens up when you do. Struggle is inevitable, but knowing you can handle it gives you incredible freedom.
I’ve read through and feel inspired by the “my story” section of your website. I was laid off last November and can relate to what you described about what’s next. What would you say was helpful and not helpful about taking the “private practice plunge” in the midst of dire circumstances?
Taking the plunge in less than ideal circumstances was terrifying. I had to do a lot to keep myself from freaking out and giving in to the fear of failure or self-judgment. It gave me a lot of experience to practice what I preach. In that way it made me stronger as a person and more empathetic in both my careers. On the positive side, I had a lot of time to devote to learning about business and creating infrastructure that worked for me. I had time to market like crazy. I also had incredible pressure to pay our bills and feed our family, so while I flirted with the idea of failure when I was scared, I knew it wasn’t really an option. It would have been a thousand times easier if I’d had a husband footing the bills (rather than in school) or rich parents floating us, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. It gave me the confidence I have now in my business acumen.
Can you share some examples of challenges you faced in starting your business?
With my first full time private practice, limited resources tops the list. I had a scarcity mindset at the time that definitely didn’t help. There was a lot that I didn’t know that I didn’t know. Often stumbling through a learning experience is the only way to learn those if you don’t have a community of people saying, “Hey, watch out for this pitfall!”
With my Abundance Practice-Building business, I had to make the choice to decrease my therapy caseload, aka my lucrative, consistent business, in order to take a significant pay cut and devote time and money to building this thing I was in love with but wasn’t sure would replace my income. Again I ran into learning things the hard way. I invested a lot of time and money in business education and consultation to move it along faster. From a business management perspective, Abundance is a totally different kind of business than a therapy practice with more overhead, more putting myself out there, and significantly more time investment. Trying to balance both businesses is hard, especially before I hired an assistant. Learning how & what to delegate was also difficult because I had that entrepreneurial “I can do it all” mindset.
How have the experiences you’ve had throughout your career influenced how you now run your own company?
I stopped believing in competition, which on the surface is a very un-business-like thing to do. I collaborate with my “competitors” and trust that there are plenty of clients for all of us. The clients I want to work with are smart and do their research. They know who the best fit is and the work I do is really contingent on being trusted. If I’m not a great fit, I am happy to direct folks to someone I think would work better with them in either business.
I’ve also learned to be myself, unapologetically. I’m irreverent. I cuss. I have totally given up all hope of ever being perfect so why pretend? I’m totally not corporate. The people that like that about me are my people. They tend to be the same way. I’ll be a better fit for them as a result. So if an F-Bomb makes someone not want to work with me, I’m cool with that.
Also, management training. If you are going to have anyone working under you I highly recommend you get some training. Being a good therapist did not make me a good boss. It actually made me a worse boss with poor boundaries and too much empathy. I was so set on being the “best boss ever” I shirked my own responsibilities as a boss and allowed them to shirk theirs as employees. I’m so grateful to now know how to manage people in a way that empowers them and holds us both accountable.
What do you do to stay motivated?
I’m pretty driven, so motivation isn’t usually an issue for me, slowing down is. I work to stay present, schedule vacations, create a schedule that doesn’t make me feel too harried, make sure I don’t eat lunch in front of the computer. The only times I struggle with motivation are when I haven’t taken downtime during the day for a few days in a row. I try to have an air-tight business vs home schedule but sometimes slip and check emails or social media at home.
Please describe a typical day and/or week in your business.
Per week: About 15 hours of therapy clients, 10 hours of consultation clients (including groups), 2 half hour blocks to respond to social media each day (usually around 30-50 notifications each time), 2-3 hours of blogging, 1-1.5 hours for lunch each day depending on if I’m networking or eating solo, 1 hour meeting with my assistant, at least 1-2 hours of devoted self-care (massage, facial, Reiki, therapy, doctor’s appt.), 2 half hour blocks to respond to email each day, 3 hours of business coaching (including homework).
What do you do to keep up with best practices and current events in the industry?
For therapy: the good CEU’s, not the cheap, easy, fast ones. I love the big symposiums that last days and make me feel like I just rebooted the clinical part of my brain.
For practice-building: books, podcasts, the business coaching program I’m in. I actually had to make a No Business Books at home rule to maintain that boundary.
What do you do to continue to grow and develop your business and/or yourself as an entrepreneur?
I don’t think any entrepreneur can claim that it isn’t also self-development. I’m always working towards more balance; I feel very competent in my businesses and it’s alluring to spend my time there sometimes rather than the murkier world of parenting where I feel less sure of myself. So for me, staying present with my family during my home time means I’m honoring my healthiest self, which will always be better for business. The business coaching program I’m a part of is pretty intensive and requires about 3 hours per week for a year. I listen to relevant podcasts when I’m in the car by myself (no one else wants to hear them).
What do you think are the necessary qualities for a therapist to be successful in private practice?
Clinical Competence, tenacity, frustration-tolerance, and emotion regulation. Having a successful private practice is completely doable; it just takes a solid plan and surviving some discomfort. It’s a low-overhead, ultimately low risk career as compared to a lot of entrepreneurial ventures. And you actually get to pay yourself the first year which is rare in a start-up!
How do you measure success for yourself?
There’s a part of me that can be really linear, numbers and spreadsheet focused. How many consultation clients did I bring in this month? How many group members? At what rate is my email list growing? How much money? How does that compare to last month or year?
Those things are important in business and provide me with the kind of black and white answers that show me what’s working. Plus, I can really geek out on a spreadsheet.
What I’m focusing more attention on lately, while also keeping an eye on the numbers, is how much value I’m providing. I have an “Atta Girl” folder in my email system where I keep the “Thank you” emails people send. Am I staying present to the fact that I’m helping people live lives they want to live? Am I feeling harried and over-worked: experiences I rail against, or am I allowing myself time for self-care and letting the business unfold without micromanaging everything. One of the things I say to my practice-builders is to build their practice like their clients are watching, meaning that they aren’t eschewing their own well-being for hustling and they aren’t basing their self-worth on the numbers. I try to do the same.
What are your ideas about future growth for your business? Do you feel satisfied with the current size or are you thinking about expanding?
I’d love to expand. I’m changing my business model when I return from maternity leave to allow for more practice-building groups and more intensive work with people as they build. I’m continuing to build the resources I can offer my clients and the dynamic ways the internet allows us to interact allow for so many different opportunities to serve people. At some point I’d love to do retreats or intensive workshops as well.
What advice would you give to a therapist beginning the journey into private practice?
Expect it to be hard in different ways than you expect. Building a practice is a reasonable goal; it’s not like trying to be an NBA star or a celebrity where a small percentage of people succeed. Building a practice has more to do with making strategic choices for your business than doing great clinical work, though competence and quality are important. Being a great clinician isn’t enough to fill your private practice caseload; you’re going to have to learn how to market and manage your business. I swear it’s not as soul-sucking or complex as it sounds though. It takes tenacity, and since you made it through grad school, you probably have what it takes if you’re really devoted to it. You just need a plan and consistent marketing that works for you and your clients.
Thanks for reading!
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