Hi Dear Listeners,

I want to say a HUGE thank you for listening to this podcast for the past 3 years.

YOU have helped get the message out into the world about how awesome OT entrepreneurs are!

In this episode, I share from my heart about why I've decided to end the podcast with this 75th episode, on the 3rd birthday of the Mind Your OT Business Podcast.

I share:

• The lessons I learned from my podcasting journey
• My main goal when starting the Mind Your OT Business podcast
• How I'm learning to focus & niche to simplify my business (why it is OK to do less...or just enough in your business!)
• Why I decided to give up moderation of the OT Entrepreneurs Facebook group and end the Mind Your OT Business Podcast
• Encouragement for you if you're thinking about making big changes or a pivot in your business
• The total number of downloads as of the date I recorded this last episode! :) (Hint: it is MORE than 6-figures!!) THANKS TO YOU FOR LISTENING!!! 

I can't express how much sharing my entrepreneurial journey in this public forum has helped me...and I hope that it has helped YOU. 

The 75 episodes of this podcast will stay up for the indefinite future so you can continue to leave reviews and share with friends who may need any of the information here. You'll continue to find Mind Your OT Business listed wherever you listen to podcasts.

Always remember: take a small step, because small steps make great gains over time.

So until next time, mind your OT business!

xoxo

Laura

Resources from this episode:

OT Entrepreneurs Facebook Group

If you're a pediatric practitioner who loves nature, you might want my free e-book: The Nature-Based Practice Roadmap: A Guide to Help You Focus (& Avoid Costly Mistakes) as You Start or Grow Your Nature-Based Practice. Go to: bit.ly/natureroadmap to get your free copy.

Figuring out how to scale your business is something that entrepreneurs have to constantly consider. What are your business goals? What do you want to share with your audience? What do you love about what you do, and what can you outsource?

One great way to grow an intentional and sustainable business is by launching a membership site. Today, I’m chatting with Katie Caspero of OT Graphically about what to keep in mind when starting a membership site, as well as tips and tools for growing and maintaining both the content and community. Everything in entrepreneurship is a learning experience, and you’re sure to learn a lot of valuable information in this episode.

We discuss:

• The difference between membership sites and other online offerings
• How being self-aware can help you become a better business owner
• The importance of keeping the future in mind when making business decisions
• The value that exists in a space where discussion and implementation can happen
• Software options
• Understanding fair pricing that also compensates you for your expertise
• Why it’s a good idea to offer different levels (from pricing and engagement perspectives)
• Focusing on a good user experience
• Why the community piece of a membership site is critical to its success
• Why you can’t “set it and forget it” with a membership site
• Using data to inform how you market your business
• Knowing your end goal and business topic before launching your membership site
• How to deliver value to your members without overwhelming them
• Katie’s biggest fail-learn
• How an advisory board can be helpful
• Making sure your audience is broad enough for growth

Resources from this episode:

Follow Katie on Instagram

Visit the OT Graphically website

Listen to Katie’s previous episode

Membership Geeks podcast

Katie’s Bio:

Katie Caspero is an occupational therapist and owner of OT Graphically. She supports occupational therapists using evidence in their clinical practice through an online membership site where she provides infographics of research summaries, hosts journal clubs, and facilitates an online community space.

Get my free Nature-Based Practice Roadmap: bit.ly/natureroadmap

My Contigo Approach online course, which is the nature-based approach to pediatric therapy that I developed, is now open for enrollment. I’m also offering a free 1-hour masterclass for anyone interested in nature-based pediatric therapy, called The 5-Step Framework To Be An Effective and Confident Nature-Based Pediatric Therapist. It includes tons of resources, whether you’re just getting started or you want to deepen your work. In that masterclass, you have the opportunity to enroll in the Contigo Approach online course if you want to dive deeper. Visit naturemasterclass.com to register for the free masterclass.

Whether you already have a team or you’re hiring for the very first time, interviewing can be just as nerve-wracking for the interviewer as it is for the interviewee. With the right processes in place, though, you can set up your interviews to reflect your business values and help you find the hidden gems among your application pile.

In this episode, I’m explaining how to interview in a way that makes it easier to identify and hire stellar employees. I’m sharing my process for creating and using an interview guide. I’m also sharing how I develop my interview questions, conduct working interviews, and make my post-interview decisions.

We’ll discuss:

• Why it’s vital to get clear on your values before hiring a team
• How to identify problems you had with previous hires
• How to create an interview guide based on your values and brand
• What kinds of questions to ask in an interview to get to know the interviewee
• The benefit of asking interviewees to perform job-related tasks or working interviews
• How your processes can help you sort through interviewees to find the hidden gems

Resources from this episode:

Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller

Traction by Gino Wickman

Are you a pediatric therapist interested in taking your work with children out into nature? The ConTiGO Approach Online Course will open for registration soon: visit www.contigoapproach.com to join the waitlist.

 Go cash-pay or accept insurance? It’s one of the toughest questions any therapy business owner has to ask themselves, and the answer isn’t always simple. 

In this episode, I’m chatting with Brandon Seigel about the complexities of accepting payment in your therapy business. We’re digging into your options for accepting or not accepting insurance, explaining how to best advocate for your patients, and discussing how to balance acting as a therapist and a business owner.

Brandon Seigel is the owner of Wellness Works Management Partners, and provides coaching, consulting, & management solutions for therapy entrepreneurs in the areas of operations, digital marketing, revenue cycle management, and workforce analytics and empowerment. WWMP is a results-oriented team that brings a unique subset of expertise to Human Resources, Technology Innovation, Medical Billing, Data Analytics, Digital Marketing, & So Much More! Their website is wellnessworksmp.com.

[Disclaimer: The information in this episode is primarily applicable to therapy practices within the United States. It may not be applicable in your country of practice.]

 We discuss:

• Why Brandon developed his own medical billing company
• How to get paid faster for your services while still advocating for your patients
• Why should you learn to work with insurance, not against it
• How to serve both in-network and out-of-network patients well
• Why some patients are more willing to pay in cash than others
• How licensure is changing to allow for more telehealth opportunities
• The benefits of charging more for your services, even when working with insurance
• How to create documentation to benefit your patients, their families, and the payers
• Understanding the mindset of both your patients and insurance companies
• How to balance working as a therapist and a business owner

Resources from this episode:

Listen to my first episode with Brandon

Explore Brandon's company: Wellness Work Management Partners

Check out Brandon’s book, The Private Practice Survival Guide

My favorite Electronic Medical Record: Therabyte

P. S. Are you a pediatric therapist interested in taking your work with children out into nature? The ConTiGO Approach Online Course will open for registration soon: visit www.contigoapproach.com to join the waitlist.

Should you get a doctorate degree? It’s a difficult question, and it’s one that looms over plenty of entrepreneurs in the OT world. Before you make the decision, it’s important to understand why you might (or might not) want to pursue a doctorate degree and which type would benefit your business most.

In this listener request episode, I’m explaining the benefits of doctorate degrees for entrepreneurs in the OT space. I’m breaking down the differences between a PhD and an OTD, and I’m explaining how each can help you grow your business. Plus, I’m also sharing my personal reasons for pursuing a doctorate degree and my plans to implement what I’ve learned in my entrepreneurship journey. 

Thanks to @bpesh on Instagram for suggesting the topic for this episode!

We’ll discuss:

• Why an OT school’s main purpose shouldn’t be teaching you about business
• The difference between a PhD and an OTD, and which is more widely recognized
• How doctorate degrees can significantly improve your entrepreneurship journey
• Understanding the purpose of a doctorate degree as an OT
• Why some OTs will never need doctorate degrees to run successful businesses
• How doctorate programs can help you learn to think critically and analyze research

Resources from this episode:

Are you a pediatric therapist interested in taking your work with children out into nature? The ConTiGO Approach Online Course will open for registration soon: visit www.contigoapproach.com to join the waitlist.

Do you struggle selling your services? I hear time and time again from business owners that they feel slimy asking for money, that they feel a sense of guilt when they use traditional sales tactics. But the key to selling with confidence is to combine the best strategies while doing what feels authentic to you.

In this episode, I'm sharing my thoughts about selling- why it’s so important to understand your offer and your audience and why so many people undervalue their own services. Plus: the mindset shift that has helped me sell from a place of authenticity.

We’ll discuss:

• How to understand and believe in the value of your product or service
• Why most business owners start off undervaluing and underpricing their work
• How to market your offers while staying true to yourself
• How showing up as yourself online can help you attract the right audience
• Understanding your motives and your vision for your business
• How to address your customers’ most common objections and concerns

Resources from this episode:

Are you a pediatric therapist interested in taking your work with children out into nature? The ConTiGO Approach Online Course will open for registration soon: visit www.contigoapproach.com to join the waitlist.

It’s that time of year that, frankly, many business owners have come to dread: tax season. It can be overwhelming, but know that you’re not alone. You don’t need to have stress around taxes. It is in your best interest to outsource tasks that are not in your wheelhouse so you can run your business effectively and focus on your expertise.

Enter, Sandi York, my wonderful CPA. She’s on the podcast today to talk about all the things taxes, and to remind us that it doesn’t have to be a stressful situation. We’re breaking down common tax concepts and situations as well as tips for staying financially savvy as a business owner. You’re going to want to take notes. 

We discuss:

• Sandi’s experience as a tax professional
• Breakdown of basic categories of types of taxes
• Sole proprietor vs. LLC vs. S-Corp (which is best for you depends on many factors)
• The importance of hiring finance professionals (bookkeepers, accountants, payroll companies)
• Making sure you hire someone that you trust who is attentive to your needs
• The ins and outs of self-employment taxes
• Getting familiar with your state’s website for taxes and employers
• Independent contractor vs. employee (rules vary by state)
• Keeping a positive mindset around finances
• How even a base financial understanding helps you sustain and grow your business
• Getting your systems in place while you’re still small

Resources from this episode:

Sandi’s Instagram

OnPay

Gusto

Avalara

Robert Kiyosakai - Rich Dad, Poor Dad

Tom Wheelright - Tax-Free Wealth Podcast

Laura’s Instagram

My Contigo Approach online course, which is the nature-based approach to pediatric therapy that I developed, is now open for enrollment. I’m also offering a free 1-hour masterclass for anyone interested in nature-based pediatric therapy, called The 5-Step Framework To Be An Effective and Confident Nature-Based Pediatric Therapist. It includes tons of resources, whether you’re just getting started or you want to deepen your work. In that masterclass, you have the opportunity to enroll in the Contigo Approach online course if you want to dive deeper. Visit naturemasterclass.com to register for the free masterclass.

With 2021 behind us and the new year in full swing, it’s the perfect time to reflect on how far we’ve come and create a plan for even more growth. Whether you run a multi-million dollar business or you’re just starting out, goal setting is a vital part of scaling your business and increasing your personal income. 

In this episode, I’m sharing my 2022 business goals and looking back on the past year. I’m opening up about the real numbers in my business: how much I made in 2021, how much I spent, and how I reached my financial goals. Plus, I’ll explain how I set my upcoming goals and worked backwards to create my plan for reaching them.

We’ll discuss:

• Why I think it’s valuable to share my goals and numbers
• The types of goals I’m setting in my business and personal life
• Why it’s important to simplify and streamline your business
• My business’s numbers from 2021, including revenue, expenses, and my payroll
• Learning to align your pay with your skill level and work ethic
• How to set financial goals and work backwards to achieve them

Are you a pediatric therapist interested in taking your work with children out into nature? The ConTiGO Approach Online Course will open for registration soon: visit www.contigoapproach.com to join the waitlist.

Every failure is a learning opportunity. No matter how bad it feels in the moment, you’ll someday be able to reflect on the experience and identify the lifelong lessons it gave you. It might take a month, it might take a year, but eventually you’ll be grateful you survived it.

In this episode, I’m opening up about my biggest fail-learn since embarking on my entrepreneurial journey. I’m sharing my experience with this year’s OT Entrepreneur Summit Live: what the plan was, what went wrong, and how I’m moving forward. Tune in for an honest conversation about this big fail-learn and the lessons we can all take from it.

We’ll discuss:

• My biggest fail-learn since embarking on my entrepreneurial journey
• Our plan going into the OT Entrepreneur Summit Live and what went wrong
• Why it’s not always wise to place all your trust in the “experts”
• Trusting your gut in your business, even when others disagree
• Why it’s vital to advocate for your customers in your marketing
• Why I’m treating this experience like a learning opportunity
• How I’m moving forward in my business and what’s in the works for 2022

Resources from this episode:

Are you a pediatric therapist interested in taking your work with children out into nature? The ConTiGO Approach Online Course will open for registration soon: visit www.contigoapproach.com to join the waitlist.

Many business books and courses recommend offering a money-back guarantee. That might seem straightforward for a product-based business, but as a service-based business, how can you offer a guarantee while still protecting yourself from unnecessary refunds?

In this episode, I’m sharing how I crafted a guarantee in my OT business that actually makes my clients more invested in their experience and encourages them to do their end of the work. You’ll learn how to structure your own guarantee, what your guarantee should not cover, and how to communicate your policies to your clients. Plus, I’m breaking down the differences between offering these guarantees as a service-based business or a product-based business.

We’ll discuss:

• Why it feels harder for service-based businesses to offer guarantees
• Anxieties around offering these guarantees (and how to work through them)
• How a guarantee builds trust with your clients
• How to write a money-back guarantee that protects your business
• What your guarantee shouldn’t cover 
• How I created my business’s Good Fit Guarantee
• Offering a guarantee as an online or product-based business
• Ways to structure and communicate your own money-back guarantee
• Using your guarantee to encourage clients to do the work

Did you hear the OT Entrepreneur Summit is going LIVE in 2022? Join the waitlist here: https://laura-park-figueroa.mykajabi.com/summit

Instagram is such a powerful tool for building community and creating connections, but are you using it to help grow your business and reach new clients as well? In this episode, I’m talking with Amirra Condolee about all things Instagram and how to make sure it is working for your business.

Amirra shares her journey on Instagram, how she grew her account and even gives an audit of my Instagram account. She discusses why connections on Instagram are so important to grow your account and how to create content that is going to be impactful and attract followers. From creating systems, knowing what and when to post and how to monetize your Instagram account, we cover it all. This episode has so much information on growing your Instagram account and connecting with potential customers, you will want to take notes!

We discuss:

• Amirra’s OT and early intervention business journey
• Why it’s important to niche down your content on Instagram
• How to balance business and personal content on your account
• The importance of connection authentically with people on Instagram
• How to find connections without mindlessly scrolling
• Why you should create posts based on your followers pain points
• How to create a system and schedule for Instagram posts
• Why your posts need a “hook” to grab people’s attention
• Partnerships on Instagram and what they can look like
• How to know when your followers are the most active
• Relationship building and engagement and why it’s so key to Instagram growth

Join us for the OT Entrepreneur Summit Live! November 12 - 14, 2021 in Florida. Click here to get your ticket today!

Resources from this episode:
Marvelous Mirracles
Marvelous Mirracles on Instagram
Tyler J. McCall
Social Media Marketing World