Why do you really have a private practice business?  Please take a minute (ideally, more than one) to think about that question.  Why do you have a private practice?

You need to know your real motivations if you are going to make a good living.

Why?

I’ll let you in on something:  Starting and building any business is hard work.  And if you don’t know why you want to be your own boss, and own your own business, after awhile you won’t want to do the hard work anymore. You’ll close up shop, work for someone else and forget all those dreams of working for yourself.

Admittedly, I have had hard days in my process of growing my practice.  I have thought about giving it up and working for someone else.  But when I start to think about leaving my own practice behind and look for alternatives, I shudder and resolve to make the practice work.

Why?  Because being my own boss gives me my IDEAL life!  I am so happy and energized by my work and my family because I work on my own terms. I can never have a boss again. I’d be a terrible employee because I’d constantly seek flexibility and empowerment.

Here is my short list of why I have my very own private practice:

· My flexible schedule. With a  young son and a husband who travels for work often, making my own schedule is literally priceless and worth every ounce of energy I put into building my practice.

· Personal control and decision making. I would not call myself a control freak, but I like to be in charge of my career and have the power to decide how I conduct my professional life.  My practice reflects me, my strengths, interests and joys.  I work as hard as I want to work and reap the benefits.  Love. It.

· The challenge of making it work.  As I built my private practice, I had a lot of naysayers around me predicting it would be difficult to succeed.  I took those negative attitudes as a dare and set out to prove I could build my practice and make it financially viable. I love a challenge!

· Financial success. I make more money working for myself.  Enough said.

My practice isn’t perfect. I still have things to develop and adjust. I want to take it to another level of success so I can:

· Travel with my family to cool places.

· Send my son to the perfect schools for him. 

· Fulfill my dream of owning a home by the ocean.

· Work exclusively from that home so I am home for my family whenever they need me.

These values and dreams are what keep me going when building my business gets messy and difficult.

Your assignment:  Take out a pad of paper and write down why YOU want to build your private practice.  To grow a business you must be highly motivated.  What keeps you going? What excites you about the business of practice?  Please don’t focus on what you do for others in your practice. Yes, you help people, but you can do that as someone else’s employee.  Why do you want to be your own boss?  Dig down deep and be real with yourself and own your motivations.  And when the going gets tough (and it will), the list can sustain you as you work through the normal ups and downs of business building.