Hi Reader,
You already know that I feel pretty strongly about being able to produce an income outside of a 9 to 5. My private practice has given me flexibility and freedom like nothing else ever has in my life, not to mention a higher hourly rate than I would ever earn from a W-2 position.
Over the last few years, I've been watching companies run by tech bros build online marketing machines that employ RDs. And let's be honest: these companies are great at marketing. But they're built to make a profit for their founders and shareholders, not for the RDs who provide the services that generate the income.
I believe we need to cut out the middle man.
What's inside:
- ๐ฏ This Week's Edge โ the part of starting a practice that RDs really get stuck on
- ๐ 5-Minute Momentum โ one name, written down
- ๐ฌ Your Turn โ what have you spent your time on so far?
๐ฏ THIS WEEK'S EDGE
THE SETUP IS THE EASY PART
Not easy as in trivial, easy as in solvable.
There's a right answer to "do I need an LLC?" and you can find it. The forms exist. The requirements are written down. Hand an RD a checklist and we will finish it, because we are mostly type-A people who do the work.
The hard part doesn't come with a checklist.
It's telling a colleague you're taking clients. It's asking a physician you already know whether they have anyone who needs your services. It's saying your rate out loud without flinching.
None of that goes on a checklist, so we build the website, compare EMRs, and pick a color palette. Those things feel productive, and at the end of it we have something that looks like a practice.
But a website with no clients is a hobby, not a business.
Don't use your time to make your practice look like a practice. Use it to make your practice work like one.
๐ 5-MINUTE MOMENTUM
Write down the names of three people who already know you're great at nutrition counseling. Those are the first three people you could call to announce you're opening your business.
๐ฌ YOUR TURN
WHAT HAVE YOU SPENT YOUR TIME ON?
If you've been building a practice in your head, what have you spent the most time on so far? Hit reply and tell me. I'm curious whether it's the checklist or the conversations.
I'm rooting for you,
Julie
P.S. I believe the reason why so many RDs are moving to online nutrition platforms is that we've been trained to be excellent practitioners, but not necessarily to own the demand-generation and business infrastructure around our expertise. I'm super excited to be building a small group program called Practice Makes Profit for RDs who are ready to change that. I ran a similar program in the past, and I've been working on this version for several months now. More details coming soon.