Healers Get Vulnerable

Jen Cross is a visionary and a healer who's helped hundreds of survivors, but she still struggles with the business side. This episode is a rare opportunity to go behind the curtain and hear some honest talk about business. Jen talks about the difficulty of finding a balance between serving her community and sustaining herself financially. You'll also hear me slip into some unrequested coaching. Oops.

Topics Discussed In This Episode:

• Why she's sometimes surprised she's an entrepreneur
• Creating writing and healing workshops for survivors of sexual trauma
• Taking time off from the workshops she runs
• The difficulty of promoting her work
• Holding boundaries as a business owner
• Working through her desire to hide
• Working in a community that has an expectation of low-cost services
• Finding her business community

Show notes at http://coachingwithannie.com/podcast/71

You started your own business so that you could work the way you want to work. You've got a vision of how you'd like your business to work, but it's easy to veer off course and make the wrong compromises. Devona as been careful to make all of her business decisions with her vision in mind. She's created a business that allows her to do the clinical work she's most passionate about and engage in a full life outside of the office. Listen as she talks about the practices she uses to stay on track and in balance.

Topics Discussed In This Episode:

• How she arrived at her niches
• Referring clients out when they aren't the right fit
• Making decisions to keep her business within her vision
• Her questions to help her stay on course (and one of mine)
• Supervising as a small part of her practice
• Scheduling one week a month to not work on her business
• Engaging in self-care practices
• Her fees and how and when she raises them
• Setting up systems to keep her practice full

Show notes at http://coachingwithannie.com/podcast/70

Setting goals is easy, but sticking to a plan is freaking hard. Let me show you how to set a goal and make it happen.

This is the last in a 6-part series of minisodes. In each one, I'm geeking out about an aspect of your business that matters.

Topics Discussed In This Episode:

• The difference between setting goals and making projections (and why you need to set GOALS)
• How to create a flexible plan so you won't give up when things change
• Why you must focus on ONE goal (and yes I know it's hard)
• Why your goal should be uncomfortable and edgy
• Identifying obstacles ahead of time so they don't take you down.

Enrollment closes for my 3-day program, Superpower Intensive, on Thursday, August 9th. The program happens from Friday, August 24th through Sunday, August 26th, in person, in Berkeley, California. We'll be spending time on the 3rd day on goal setting and planning. What I don't know is whether the program is already full, because I'm writing to you from the past, when the program was a little over half full. Learn more, like whether there's still a spot for you, and apply.

Show notes at http://coachingwithannie.com/podcast/69

Marketing your therapy business might make you feel disgusting. That means you're doing it wrong. WRONG.

This is the fifth in a 6-part series of minisodes. In each one, I'm geeking out about an aspect of your business that matters.

To market your therapy business, you need a framework to help you understand your unique business, and you need to do a few things really well. You do not have to do everything and in fact you CAN NOT do everything.

Topics discussed:

• Why you have to choose which marketing activities to do and let go of the rest
• A 2-part framework for understanding your unique business
• Part 1: Leveraging your Superpowers
• Part 2: Knowing your Right-Fit Client
• Questions to ask about any potential marketing activity so you'll know whether it's for you
• The 2 components you DO need in your marketing plan: a strong online presence and a solid networking plan
• Choosing the right additional activities to speed up your marketing

Why is this all such a big deal? When you've got clarity about your marketing plan, you won't be overwhelmed and you won't find marketing disgusting anymore. You'll get better and better at bringing your right-fit clients into your business.

In The Superpower Method For Therapists® Program, we dive deeper into your marketing plan. You walk out with a marketing plan that works AND that you'll actually follow through with. Superpower Intensive is an opportunity to go through the program in 3 days, with me, in Berkeley, California, from Friday, August 24th through Sunday, August 26th. Learn more and apply now.

Show notes at http://coachingwithannie.com/podcast/68

Today's rant is about setting your fees. You're probably doing it wrong now, and I want to help you get it right.

This is the fourth minisode in a 6-part series of minisodes. In each one, I'm geeking out about an aspect of your business that matters.

Topics Discussed In This Episode:

• Why your "full fee" is failing you
• Three missing pieces to your fee-setting process
• Missing piece #1: When you set your fees, you didn't accurately account for your sliding scale
• Missing piece #2: You underestimated the interruptions in your schedule
• Missing piece #3: You're not allowing for savings
• Why your worth is NOT directly related to your fee
• An excellent listener question about the difficulty of raising fees and my answer

If you want to work with me in person in a small group, here's a unique opportunity to do that. Check out Superpower Intensive, a program in Berkeley from Friday, August 24th to Sunday, August 26th. Learn all about it and apply.

Show notes at http://coachingwithannie.com/podcast/67

Let's talk about your business model. What's a business model? It's simply the collection of services you offer in your business. It's how you make money. Let's take a look at YOUR business model and see if it's a good fit for you, or if it's time to make some changes.

This is the third in a 6-part series of minisodes. In each one, I'm geeking out about an aspect of your business that matters.

Topics Discussed In This Episode:

• Why NOT to choose your business model by default
• Myths about your (lack of) choices as a therapist in business
• Tons of options to expand your business model
• Some bad news about passive income
• Some great news about adding offers to your therapy business
• How to get started with adding services to your business

Do you want to make some significant changes in your business, both to make more money AND to feel more aligned and fulfilled? What is stopping you? Is it hard to set aside the time or to actually do the work? Is it hard to prioritize figuring out the most important stuff because you're caught in getting day-to-day stuff done? Superpower Intensive is my answer to this. I'm spending 3 days with 10 therapists to actually do the work together. In real time. NO distractions. I'll walk you through the core steps in the superpower method and you'll actually do the work with me. You'll walk out with the most important pages of your website rewritten in a way that communicates a powerful message. You'll walk away with a step-by-step marketing plan designed to meet your goals. You'll also have time and space to go on walks or journal because the best work is not done in hustle mode. This happens in Berkeley next month from Friday, August 24th through Sunday, August 26th. Learn more and apply.

Show notes at http://coachingwithannie.com/podcast/66

Today's rant is about embracing your Superpowers and using them to grow your business.

This is the second minisode of a 6-part series of minisodes. In each one, I'm geeking out about an aspect of your business that matters.

Topics Discussed In This Episode:

• Why what works for others will not work for you
• What I mean by "Superpowers"
• Being different is BETTER than being better.
• An example of what happened when someone tapped into her Superpowers
• How to begin discovering your Superpowers

Why does this matter so much? The more you embrace your Superpowers, the stronger your business will become, the bigger your impact, and the less likely you are to burn out.

I'm here to help visionary entrepreneurs create awesome businesses. If you want to go deeper and build your whole business around your Superpowers, one way to do that is through The Superpower Method for Therapists® Program. I've got a 3-day Superpower Intensive coming up on August 24th, 25th, and 26th in Berkeley CA. As I'm recording this, we've got spots available. Learn more and apply.

Show notes at http://coachingwithannie.com/podcast/65

How you take a vacation from your business matters, and I've got tips to help you do it better.

This is the first in a 6-part series of minisodes. In each one, I'm geeking out about an aspect of your business that matters.

Tips for taking vacations right:

• Build vacation into your overall financial plan. Base your overall earning goals on 40 weeks a year or 45 weeks. Give yourself weeks off for sickness, emergencies, AND vacation.
• Don't apologize for taking a vacation. Your clients suffer when you do.
• Get coverage early
• Don't double up on clients the week before you go or the week you return.
• Notice what your best vacation rhythm is. If it's a few days off more often or if it's a full month off once a year and fewer other vacations throughout the year.
• Create a to-do list for the day you return. You won't remember exactly where you left things. Imagine yourself on the day you'll return and give yourself a list of what's most important.
• Decide what you're going to do about email ahead of time. If you don't want to check email, make it clear that you're not. Set a vacation auto-reply.
• Don't say you'll get back to people on the day you return. Be realistic. Say you'll be returning emails the WEEK you return.
• If it's a long break, give yourself one admin day after you return before you start seeing clients.
• Consider a staycation. If you can't afford to go away or don't want to go away, take time off and stay in town.
• If you decide to return any emails while you're away, you can schedule your emails to be sent after you return from vacation. That way you're not encouraging a back and forth email conversation during your break.
• Anticipate your vacation for as long as possible. Research tells us that we get half of our enjoyment of wonderful events in the anticipation of them. Spend time and energy looking forward to and planning that vacation.

Why is this all such a big deal? The way you take a vacation is one of those things that will determine whether you are able to thrive in your business and love being an entrepreneur OR burn out over time. I want you to love your business.

From Friday, August 24th to Sunday, August 26th, I'm running Superpower Intensive, where I will take 10 therapists through the Superpower Method For Therapists® in person. We'll get the steps done together in a beautiful house in Berkeley. We're not gonna stay there, but we'll hang out and make bold business moves together. Learn about it and apply.

Show notes at http://coachingwithannie.com/podcast/64

Casey Truffo is my favorite group practice guru. Whether you're expanding your practice or just want to soak up business wisdom from a master therapist business coach, you'll grab a lot of gems. Casey shares her biggest lessons learned in creating her therapy center, The Orange County Relationship Center, and how to know if owning a group practice is right for you.

Topics Discussed In This Episode:

• Signs that you're a good candidate (or not) for running a group practice
• A typical day and week in Casey's life
• Productivity hacks to get the important stuff done
• Advice about setting up effective systems
• Being the CEO of your therapy practice (group practice OR solo practice)
• How to get started with running a group practice
• How she figures out who to hire in her center

Show notes at http://coachingwithannie.com/podcast/63

Katie May is a change maker. She created a therapy center that serves vulnerable, high-risk teens AND creates a living for herself and the seven clinicians who work for her. Listen as she dives into how she decides which ideas to follow and which ones to let go. You'll love her honesty and her contagious enthusiasm.

Topics Discussed In This Episode:

• Why she's a boss with purple hair
• How she grew her therapy center
• Creating new services for teens, including a therapeutic summer camp
• Hiring employees who share her vision
• Making life decisions with her husband
• Her take on being an entrepreneur
• How she balances her life inside and outside of work

Show notes at http://coachingwithannie.com/podcast/62