Considering using video to market your business but have no idea how to get started? Cheryl is the founder of Arthritis Life and a registered Occupational Therapist. She started her business, Arthritis Life to educate, empower and inspire people living with arthritis. She is the creator of the Rheumatoid Arthritis Roadmap, an online educational and support program that helps patients navigate through living with RA.  In this episode, Cheryl gives insight into the best practices, tools and strategies for using video to market your practice.  Cheryl and I discuss: Cheryl’s reasoning behind starting Arthritis Life Her strategy for picking out which social platforms to be on Cheryl’s experience on various social platforms An overview of what TikTok is and how people use it Why you have to know your goal on social media How to repurpose your content across platforms The importance of getting started (it’s the hardest step but you have to just put yourself out there) Tools you need to get started making videos How to listen to your audience to find out what they want Our tips on building your know, like, trust and expertise How to deal with constructive feedback The lack of honesty in the healing space 

Mind Your OT Business

Episode 33: How to Create Engaging Video Content to Make Marketing FUN! with Cheryl Crow

I’m sharing my top ten tips for a successful online launch based on my lessons learned from launching 3 online products this year: my Business Bedrocks Group Coaching Program, The OT Entrepreneur Summit, and my Nature-Based Therapy Treatment Plans & Camp Kit -- which combined grossed $53,781 in total revenue, all during a global pandemic. I hope what I’ve learned in the process can help you. While these tips are focused on online launches, much of what I share here applies to ANY new product or service in your business. In this episode, you’ll learn: ·      Why “launching” is important versus having an evergreen product or service. ·      Marketing strategies to set your business up for a successful launch LONG before the actual launch. ·      Pre-launch preparation tips to make launching as simple as possible. ·      Specific tips for structuring the launch so that you can ENJOY selling your awesome service or product! Resources from this episode: ·      Now LAUNCHING: The ConTiGO Approach Online Course! The long-awaited online course to give pediatric therapists the therapeutic framework and practical skills for effective and evidence-based therapy with children in nature. Registration will be open Nov. 15-20, 2021 (yep- just 5 days!…listen to the episode to find out WHY) for our January 1-30, 2021 cohort…so check out the details and register today if you’re a peds therapist who is ready to adventure into nature-based therapy! ?  

Episode 32: Top 10 Tips for a Successful Online Launch

In our digital age, it is so important that you know how to effectively market your business on social media. But most business owners have a love/hate relationship with social media. We know we need to be there to promote our businesses, but we struggle to post in an authentic way that is not exhausting and life-sucking. ? I hope this episode will help you see social media as a way to CONNECT and make it feel less of a burden! Here I share 6 different types of social media posts so that you’ll never have to struggle with “What should I post?!” again as a business owner. They are:  Inspiration - Inspire your followers to live a better life or have hope for the future. Education - Teach your followers something. (Keep it simple! Better to do more posts with less information than one HUGE post that no one will read in full.) Community building - Invite your followers to be part of a community that is bigger than themselves and has a higher purpose in the world. Behind-the-scenes - Show behind the scenes of your business or your life (if you are comfortable doing so). Recommendations - Make a recommendation for a product or service you know and love. Not your own product, but something that will make life easier for your followers! Entertainment - Make your followers smile or laugh. (Even better if you can COMBINE this one with #2 and educate them at the same time! Reels and TikTok are great for this.) Today’s episode was originally published as a Facebook Live video in the OT Entrepreneurs Facebook group. Come join us if you’re not already there!  Shout out to Sarah Putt, host of the OT4Lyfe Podcast, the genius who suggested I also re-purpose the FB live content as a podcast episode! ?

Episode 31: The 6 Types of Social Media Posts...So You’ll Never Struggle with “What should I post?” Again!

Episode 30: Building a Profitable Insurance-Based Practice with JoAnn Keller Ever wondered if you should join insurance panels in your private practice? JoAnn Keller, OTD, OTR/L, CHT is the owner of Hands for Living in Lynnwood Washington.  She is a certified hand therapist and a successful clinic owner with a profitable insurance-based practice. She also provides professional coaching for therapists to begin their careers in hand therapy and start their own businesses. In this episode, JoAnn shares insider tips on how to scale and grow your business in an insurance-based model.  JoAnn and I discuss:   How JoAnn started her clinic   Why you MUST generate referrals to be profitable in an insurance-based model, and how to do it.   Things to consider when deciding between cash-based or insurance-based practice models.     The administrative duties behind taking insurance.   The primary reason for insurance is the pool of potential clients is larger which may increase referrals, but the downside of insurance is capped income from the visit (which is set by the insurance company and varies by company).   Things to consider when hiring a medical biller to help with some of the administrative tasks of insurance-based practice.   The process of becoming a network provider with Medicare vs Medicaid varies per state.   How to be more profitable with proper documentation.   JoAnn’s biggest lesson from starting her clinic was thinking marketing wouldn’t work. She waited for people to call her, instead of reaching out to potential clients directly. The LESSON: don’t be afraid to talk about your business!   Also, make sure CONTRACTS are in writing …... lesson learned!   Resources from this episode: Join 7000+ other OT Entrepreneurs in the OT Entrepreneurs Facebook Group JoAnn’s private hand therapy practice- Hands for Living.  JoAnn’s free Facebook group for hand therapist entrepreneurs.

Episode 30: Building a Profitable Insurance Based- Practice with JoAnn Keller, OTD, OTR/L, CHT

 Sheela Ivlev is an occupational therapist and owner of OT Bay Area, a wellness-based OT practice in California. Her passion is serving others to improve their mental health and wellness.  In this episode, you’ll learn a variety of ways to serve ALLLL the possible people in your niche market. Sheela shares a variety of ways to increase equity and access to services in your business, while also keeping your focus on your specific niche clientele. Sheela and I discuss:  How Sheela runs her mental health and wellness OT practice. How OTs can help destigmatize mental health challenges.  The significance of July being Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. How we as OTs should consider disparities in health care access when creating our business models, and what we can do about it as business owners. Sheela describes how it is OK to have a niche in business! No business can serve everyone. But she shares ways you can think about equity while still maintaining your niche focus in your business. I share some ways I struggle with my own fears of perceptions around reaching out specifically to communities of color as a white OT business owner. Sheela’s responses surprised me and you’ll hear me process in the episode what this may mean for my own practice! I hope her ideas will inspire you to take steps in your business to increase equity to services. Why we have to get over our FEAR and discomfort and put ourselves out there to increase equity and access to our services. How we perpetuate inequities by staying silent and not taking action. How it is possible within a cash-based model to take steps to increase access to services. Why we should think about marketing to a wide-range of people within our specific niche market. The differences between “mental health” OT and “regular” OT...there aren’t many! :) Mentoring pre-OT students as a way to increase diversity in our profession. Why diversifying our social media feeds may help us understand the perspectives of those who are different than us and educate us and equip us with resources to help us serve a diverse range of clients in our ideal niche in our businesses. Resources from this episode: OT Entrepreneurs Facebook Group Peggy McIntosh’s article: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack Instagram hashtag: #blacktherapistsrock Sheela’s business website with loads of resources!: www.OTbayarea.com Sheela’s business on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/otbayareasf/ Follow Sheela on Instagram @otbayarea       

Episode 29: How to Serve ALL Potential Clients in Your Niche - Reducing Inequity as OT Entrepreneurs with Sheela Ivlev

This is a new kind of episode where we hear from brand new OT-practitioner-owned businesses in non-traditional niches. For our first Brand New Business Highlight episode, Anita Martin, owner of Sex Assist, joined me to talk about her coaching business where she helps female clients become more sexually satisfied. You'll hear how she got started in this important work, and the important lessons she's already learned. *Warning- this episode contains adult topics and may not be suitable for children. Wear headphones! :) Anita and I discuss: ●      Identifying her ideal client and meeting their needs. ●      Marketing her services and getting her first clients. ●      Diversifying revenue streams by offering webinars or online courses. ●      How she defines her work as an “independent coaching clinician” using her occupational therapy assistant background to inform her work. ●      How she connects with other OT practitioners as referral sources. ●      What her sessions with clients look like. ●      Supporting clients with a history of trauma. ●      And as always: her biggest “fail-learn” and biggest success as an entrepreneur and what you can learn from her experiences. Connect with Anita on her Facebook page here! (I purposefully scheduled this several months in advance to post ON her birthday so if you’re listening on August 13, go wish her a very happy birthday!) ? Anita Martin's Sex Assist Business on Facebook

Episode 28: Brand New Business Highlight: Anita Martin, owner of Sex Assist

This is a solo episode where I answer frequently asked questions about starting and managing a nature-based pediatric practice, PLUS share some super-honest insights (as usual!) and lessons learned during the prep for launching my practice’s online products for nature-based pediatric therapists- check them out at bit.ly/therapyinnature ***NOTE: If you just want to listen in for the Honest Talk about Launching & Pricing Online Products! it starts at 32:40!***  

Episode 27: How to Start a Nature-Based Pediatric Practice + Some Honest Talk about Launching & Pricing Online Products!

Moise Hermantin is owner of Affluent Profit Advisers, a bookkeeping and accounting service primarily focusing on occupational therapy and physical therapy entrepreneurs. He’s on a mission to make working on business finances fun and personalized for OT and PT business owners. Moise and I discuss: Why a bookkeeper is one of the first people you should put on your business team! Moise recommends Mike Michalowicz’ book Profit First (and I DO TOO!) Ways to get capital to start your business Setting up a business bank account Why interviewing a bookkeeper or accountant is important Things to know about Quickbooks Online (Moise doesn’t like the online version of quickbooks) vs. purchasing a licence for your own Quickbooks. Reports that you should know how to read as a business owner: Revenue statement- how much your business made and where the money came from, plus fees you paid to get the money. Profit/Loss statement Balance sheet- shows everything you have in your company vs. how much you actually own in equity vs. how much you have in liabilities (loans, credit card debt, etc.) Your BUDGET! Tips for managing billing insurance and getting paid a long time after services are provided The difference between cash vs. accrual accounting (and why you must use accrual-based rather than cash-based accounting if you are an insurance based practice.) The difference between “receivables” (you’re “able” to receive payment; what you’re DUE to get) and “payables” (you have to be able to pay these!; what you’re mandated to pay in the future). How you can save money by giving your bookkeeper or accountant what they need on a monthly basis (rather than letting things pile up for a year and paying a premium)! Tips for ways to manage business receipts. Connect with Moise on Instagram @affluentprofitadvisers or on Facebook or LinkedIn. My action step from this episode was to ASK QUESTIONS of my bookkeeper and accountant, to stop being afraid to make them explain things to me. What was your main takeaway?

Episode 26: Making Business Finances Fun, with Moise Hermantin, Bookkeeper & Accountant

I am so excited to bring Janice McCullough on the podcast today for an on-air coaching call with me. Janice owns a practice in Alberta, Canada called Rest is Best which focuses on the niche of sleep. We discuss marketing, conducting discovery calls, finding ideal clients, making improvements, finding opportunities, and how to be brave and take charge as an OT entrepreneur. I really admire Janice for having the courage to do this coaching call on-air… because it isn’t easy to share our entrepreneurial journeys with the whole world! I hope you’ll learn a lot from our conversation and be inspired by her! Janice and I discuss: The story of how she started her business, Rest is Best, and what it’s all about.     Identifying her ideal clients.     Doing internal work to think like an entrepreneur.     How taglines can work for your marketing.     How to take charge of a discovery call to protect your time and establish your expertise with potential clients.     Tips on making online marketing easier for your business.     Looking for opportunities to connect with her ideal clients.     Designing products around her niche and thinking about creative ways to deliver value to her ideal customers to make her business even more profitable. I think Janice had some real breakthroughs on this call and I can’t wait to see where she goes with her business in the coming months and years!  Connect with Janice and follow along with the growth of her business at: Rest is Best Website Rest is Best: Wellness Through Sleep Facebook Wellness Through Sleep Instagram

Episode 25: Being Brave and Taking Charge as an OT Entrepreneur

It’s been a very hard week…months…decades for black OT practitioners and people of color in our nation here in the United States. I’ve been personally challenged in how I can be anti-racist as a person, but also as an OT entrepreneur. I’m sharing my heart in this solo episode. I hope you will listen, especially if you are in the 86.2% of United States occupational therapy practitioners who are white. Shownotes with resources for you to do the work to become anti-racist: www.mindyourotbusiness.com/dothework

Bonus Solo Episode: Becoming Anti-Racist as a White OT Entrepreneur

 This is the MOST nervous I have ever been about publishing an episode! ? Laura Joyce Davis is a dear friend, a talented author, and the creator and host of Shelter in Place- a podcast about “finding daily sanity in a world that feels increasingly insane.” (Great tagline, right?) A few weeks ago, she interviewed ME for her podcast. Then she surprised me by suggesting I share it with all of YOU here on the MYOTBiz podcast. I was rather resistant to this idea but in the end, decided to lean into the discomfort and share it. You’ll hear why in my super-nervous intro… We discuss occupational therapy, entrepreneurship, parenting, and lessons learned during this time of the Coronavirus pandemic. I hope you feel encouraged after listening to our conversation. What were your takeaways? I would love to hear! Comment below or join us in the Mind Your OT Business Facebook group to discuss your thoughts. ? For more thought-provoking content about finding sanity in a world that feels increasingly insane, go to laurajoycedavis.com or listen to Shelter in Place wherever you get your podcast fix

Episode 24: The Entrepreneur In All of Us — Reverse interview, hosted by Laura Joyce Davis, host of the Shelter in Place Podcast

In this value-packed episode, the fabulous OT serial-entrepreneur Tomeico Faison shares how she’s strategically built community mental health OT services into her business model at Therapeutic Solutions of NC in North Carolina. She also runs Faison Consulting where she helps therapy entrepreneurs create fun, profitable, and service-oriented lifestyle businesses, particularly for under-served populations. (Such important work…all of it!) We discuss: What community mental health OT actually means. Identifying a gap in the market. Different ways to get paid to provide community mental health OT services Contracting directly with Intermediate Care Facilities (ICFs) in your state. Pricing services when submitting proposals (A GREAT STORY HERE! You gotta listen!) Responding to government Requests for Proposals (RFPs). Billing insurance. Tips for Billing Insurance Know which ICD codes and CPT codes can be billed together. Know your Local Coverage Determination (LCD) codes. Look at the Medicare, Medicaid, or insurance companies billing codes to see what they will reimburse for. Find your “Fiscal Intermediary” (FI) who manages billing and regulations for your geographical area for Medicare. Why you need to be looking at the numbers in your business. Considerations to make when conducting occupational therapy groups. How you CAN advocate the value of OT to insurance companies! Ways to ensure your business is profitable even when you serve underserved populations: multiple streams of income OR scaling your business. How you need to have tenacity as an entrepreneur to keep you going when things are hard. What are Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and why you need to consider them in your business. How to gather an advisory board to help keep you honest about all the numbers in your business. Recommended book: Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill Why we MUST remember “It is NOT about us; it is about the people we’re serving.” Tomeico says: “If service is at the center, it attracts money. If you truly understand the ‘why’, you can get to the ‘how’.” Want to hear Tomeico talk more, specifically about government contracting? (Seriously can’t get enough of her. I could have talked to her forever!) She’s speaking at the OT Entrepreneur Summit (May 11-20) and registration just opened ! Click HERE to check out all the details and register TODAY with early-bird pricing only through May 4, 2020! See you at the Summit! ⛰ Until next time, Mind Your OT Business!

Tomeico Faison on How to Actually Get Paid Providing Community Mental Health Occupational Therapy

In this episode, I have a conversation with my Outdoor Kids OT Practice Manager, Nicole Storms. Nicole is a certified OT assistant and an online business manager. She is an admin nerd who is productivity-obsessed. She is also a pediatric Occupational Therapy provider with over 15 years of experience. Nicole’s goal is to make your life in business as easy as possible. We talk about the top 3 mistakes she sees that business owners make. There are so many key takeaways from this episode and I’m so excited to share this with you. Nicole and I discuss: Nicole’s work as a Practice Manager of Outdoor Kids OT. The story of how she started Your Admin Solution and where it is today. Top things business owners should look for when hiring for an admin role. Three biggest mistakes business owners make: Not having SOPs. Giving bad customer experience. Not hiring people to fill the other holes in your business. Planning for your business’ future. How success doesn’t look the same for everyone. Takeaways from the episode   Links: Your Admin Solution Nicole Storms LinkedIn Email Nicole   Join the OT Entrepreneur’s Summit Waitlist Business Bedrocks Group Coaching Program Laura Park Figueroa Instagram 

Episode 22: Nicole Storms on the Top 3 Mistakes Most Business Owners Make

The fabulous Sarah Lyon is an occupational therapist and founder of the OT Potential Club, an online membership site dedicated to helping all occupational therapists implement evidence-based practice. Since Sarah and I recorded this episode only 2 short weeks ago, so much has changed. The COVID-19 virus pandemic resulted in the cancellation of the AOTA conference, followed by a “shelter in place” mandate in my area. At this time, we are only allowed to leave our homes for essentials (like groceries or medicine) or to recreate outdoors while practicing social distancing. There is just so much uncertainty, in our families and communities and especially in our businesses. If you are a business owner feeling uncertain and anxious - we are all in this together. Don’t do it alone! Reach out and find community- it is so important during this time! I believe this episode is the positive boost you need right now. Sarah is such an optimistic person and it’s so interesting how serendipitous it is that this is the episode I had previously scheduled to release in the midst of all this. Sarah has so much optimism for our profession and for the potential of our profession to do such great things in the world. The world needs what we have to offer as occupational therapists. We will survive this and we will emerge stronger than ever! Sarah and I discuss: ● Sarah shares how OT Potential started and how it looks today. ● Starting her blog and monetizing it. ● The resources that are available in the OT Potential Club. ● Surprises she has found out in her research. ● How OTs will be more valued in the future. ● Sarah shares the critical things she did to replace her clinical income with her website in a span of 5 years. ● Why affiliate marketing is not passive income. ● Why it’s important to use evidence-based practice. ○ Recommended Video: OT Potential Club ● Why being a business owner is not for everyone ● The importance of being members of our state and national (AOTA) professional organizations. ● The biggest failure she has had in her business and her advice about working with contractors. ● Things that are going well in her business and what she recommends for others to have the same success. Connect with Sarah and all her resources at: ● OT Potential Website ● OT Potential Club ● OT Potential Podcast Want to discuss this episode? Join us on the new Mind Your OT Business Group on Facebook for discussion on topics from this episode! Let’s support one another through these unprecedented times.

Episode 21: Sarah Lyon on The Unlimited Potential in OT Entrepreneurship

 In this solo episode, I share some BIG announcements + 10 surefire ways to get new clients…and you’ll get 2 more here in the show notes. :) First for the announcements! We now have a FREE Facebook group now for Mind Your OT Business listeners to interact and discuss content from episodes! I would love to meet you there and welcome you to this community. JOIN HERE! The OT Entrepreneur Summit is coming May 11-20! Trish Williams and I have curated a highly-qualified list of speakers who have agreed to take you “behind the scenes” of their success as OT entrepreneurs! Interviews will be sent via email to attendees (so you can watch on your own schedule) and we will have a FB group open till the end of May for us to discuss topics. Interested? Join my email list here to be notified! Finally, I just opened registration for the 2020 dates for Therapy in the Great Outdoors- A Training Retreat for Pediatric Practitioners. Early bird rates till April 1! OK- Now for your list of 12 sure-fire ways to get more clients!!! We talked about 10 on the podcast and there are 2 more for you here in the show notes… Make a list of everyone you know and send a personal email letting them know about your services. Make sure to make it EASY for them to send referrals your way by including relevant content in the email to allow them to simply forward to a friend. Give a discount or other incentive to get people to sign up for new services by a specific deadline, and advertise this heavily in social media and in paper flyers/postcards locally. Do a brainstorm about where your ideal clients hang out locally and then leave postcards in all of those locations. Offer 15-minute inquiry calls or consultation calls to interested clients (then OVER-deliver and spend 30 minutes talking to them). During the call, simply aim to HELP in some way...not necessarily get them to pay you for services...but really it will be people who are a bit interested.  This builds “know, like and trust” value with people in your community.  Even if the person doesn’t become your client, they have had a good experience with you being helpful...which means they may mention it to others in your community. Offer free or low-cost one-time sessions for interested people, and then have a specific offer for them if they sign up by a certain date for an assessment or services. Share relevant and helpful content (NOT just info about your services) on social media. Aim to HELP people...NOT sell your services.  Every now and then, have a special offer for people who take advantage of the offer by a specific deadline. Do research on Facebook and other social media about where your ideal clients hang out online, and offer meaningful and relevant comments in these forums. (Again, aim to be helpful, not sell your services. You are building your expertise in these communities, and by helping, you will get people to know, like & trust you as a provider.) Face-to-face networking and personal connections are the BEST way to find new clients….this also takes the most time. Put yourself out there!  Offer free in-services for people in your target market, or attend networking events that are NOT just for therapists. Ask your current or past clients to refer their friends, or leave online reviews of your business. Send a very specific email asking them to send new referrals your way. Make sure to make THEM the HERO! Emphasize how they will be helping others by leaving a review, as it will help people find the services they need.  Provide links directly in the email so they can easily click and write a quick review. Build an email list! Most of the people who visit your website are NOT going to purchase services right at that second!  You MUST have a way to capture their email to stay in touch with them because they are potential future clients! Make a short list of valuable tips or advice for your clients’ problems and give it away for free to people who sign up for your email list. (Do some research on how to make a great “lead magnet” online. Also make sure to be GDPR compliant with your emails...I’ll let you research that piece online.) After you have an email list, start a drip email marketing campaign to help potential clients and stay top-of-mind in your clients’ and interested parties’ minds. This is NOT to just bombard your audience with a request to purchase your services; it IS a series of helpful emails you send to your list on a regular basis to give them FREE helpful tips or advice to serve and care for them and their needs.  Mine are set up once-a-month and I simply add an email every 30 days.  When someone joins the email list, they get the first email, then the 2nd 30 days later, and so on.  I have about 6 in the “bank” now that auto-send to new subscribers… this automatically allows my business to provide value to people every month for 6 months after they subscribe. (I’m aiming to get at least 2 years of emails in the bank...adding one a month right now.) Learn copywriting. Honestly, this is my one best tip for therapy practice owners.  Most therapy websites are SO BAD at communicating our value to clients.  Learning basic copywriting will COMPLETELY change how you write your marketing materials.  My favorite resources online are Neville Medhora’s Kopywriting Kourse and (Sign up for Neville’s emails. They are HILARIOUS and you’ll love reading them every month, all while learning how to write your own advertising / marketing / website content in an engaging way that your clients will resonate with and understand!) Building a Storybrand by Donald Miller is the BEST book resource I have found related to this topic.  A must-read for all business owners. Have you tried any of these? What has worked for you in your business? Come to the Mind Your OT Business FB group to hang out and discuss! Until next time….Mind Your OT Business! :)

12 Surefire Ways to Get More Clients

The Mind Your OT Business podcast empowers and equips occupational therapy practitioners to be savvy and successful entrepreneurs. Learn along with the always-honest Laura Park Figueroa as she shares valuable knowledge and resources you need to start, run, and grow a profitable business. We discuss start-up, systems, organization tools, product development, passive income, marketing, finances, staffing, leadership, preventing burnout, and more. We'll be learning by DOING...because we're OTs! Ready to take action? Let's jump in!

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Mind Your OT Business

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