Are you a solo business practice owner (physician, dentist, chiropractor, attorney, accountant, auto technician, etc.)?
If so, you may have Solo Professional Syndrome. No, of course that’s not a real name for an illness. It’s just how I refer to the situation where you are doing all the work yourself and can’t grow the business or find time to work On the business instead of In the business.
You’ve done everything possible to streamline operations, maximize revenue and increase margins. You may have even outsourced marketing, accounting and payroll to give yourself a few precious extra hours every month. You have proven that you can be successful going it alone. However, you find yourself wondering, “Isn’t there a better way?”
Think about it. You are responsible for every dollar of revenue generated by your business. If you are absent, no revenue comes in. If you are disabled or worse, your practice likely will shut down and you will lose all the value that you have created over your years in the business. Why? Because you have no successor in place.
What if I told you that there is a way to increase your current income without doing all the work yourself? And, at the same time, you would then have time to step back and work On the business instead of In it, reduce your financial risk when you are absent, protect the value that you have created in your practice and provide yourself with a succession plan. Would that interest you?
You may be thinking right now, “Why don’t I just add an associate? That’s what Suzy did on the other side of the city.” That can work….but there are pitfalls that need to be headed off before doing that.
Where will he/she work? Where will I find clients/patients for him/her? I don’t want to eat their salary until their book fills up. How can I be sure he/she won’ t leave after getting all trained up and end up being my competitor? Ugh…I think I will just stick to the problems I already have.
That is an understandable conclusion. But it would be wrong. Let’s get a little creative and figure out how to do it right and provide those benefits mentioned above.
You are right to be concerned about having enough patients/clients to keep the changes from costing you a lot of money. It’s really not reasonable to expect the associate to fill their own book of business. You are hiring them to produce revenue, not make sales calls.
So, to combat those issues, the method I am suggesting is to acquire another solo practice. Preferably, it would be one that is geographically nearby so you can fold it into your existing practice. This will give you a very good chance of keeping that new associate busy.
If this has your interest piqued, let’s discuss where to start.
First and most importantly, you need to make sure that you, personally, are ready to lead another professional. How are your supervisory skills? Do you explain things in a manner that someone else can easily pick them up? Perhaps you need some training. Go and get it!
Second, assess your financial situation. How much cash do you have on-hand? How much can you afford to spend on another business? Talk to your banker about loans, if necessary. Check with your accountant with respect to tax issues. Talk to your attorney about the employment document that codifies a compensation plan that we will cover in just a moment.
Third, start looking for acquisition targets. This may take some time. There aren’t always businesses for sale. Take your time and get it right. This is the beginning of your exit strategy and intended to give you more near-term freedom and strategic thinking time (working On the business).
OK, so getting the acquisition done will take care of the near-term revenue growth and work/life/time balance issues. It does not, however, address how to extract the value you have created in your practice when you decide to retire.
If you hire the right associate, he/she will also be a part of that solution. A really good associate will, most likely, want to own their own business one day. You should make sure it is your business that they acquire to make that dream a reality. Build a compensation plan for them that rewards performance with equity in the business.
As part of that compensation program, you make it clear that there is a specific process for him/her to succeed you when you decide to retire. In fact, it should be documented that they must succeed you and buy the practice. Failure to actually purchase the business from you at the agreed upon time will cause them to forfeit the performance rewards. That is how you will extract the value you have created. It is virtually guaranteed.
It will take some extra work up front and test your coping skills during the early months after the transition. But if you hire the right person and set your business and compensation plan up the right way, you will reap the benefits.
Business Isn't Complex (But it's Not Easy) 