Continuing on from last article which can be found here: https://practiceownership.com.au/scaling-and-expansion-to-multiple-locations-or-larger-practices/ – we go into other areas which will aid in your ability to scale to multiple and larger practices.
3. Trust your staff and delegate EVERYTHING
When I state that you need to delegate, it’s because if you want to scale and do everything yourself, you simply won’t have the time. It will also cause you massive stress AND affect your private life.
The major reason I want to achieve scale is so I can enjoy an excellent lifestyle where work is a choice and not a requirement to live. But aside from the financial success that allows that, you also need to free yourself from the day to day tasks of the practice. You also need to free yourself from dealing with minor issues that may arise from time to time.
The ability to delegate begins from recruitment. My number one value is honesty and then loyalty and I demand this from all my management staff. We hire the right people that honour these values and it gives me peace of mind that my business is being run by people I trust. Mistakes happen. It’s how these mistakes are dealt with that is important to me.
Another reason people find it difficult to delegate is that they don’t trust the job will be done as well as they would do it themselves. To those people I ask – what is more important? That every task gets done to a super super high standard or that you achieve your goal of scaling with tasks done to say 80% of the level you would do it. I know for sure what I would choose. Scale. Every day of the week.
4. Respect others businesses, don’t screw people down for every single dollar. Take a long term view
Too often I see dentists complain about how their patients will goto cheaper dentists, how their patients don’t wanna pay for their services etc etc. Many of these same dentists then go and try and get the cheapest lawyer, cheapest accountant and screw down builder etc on price all the time.
Whether I deal with supply companies, accountants, lawyers, or other vendors that I do business with, I always keep in mind that they need to make a profit too. Don’t get me wrong. With volume, I expect great pricing and I’m often tougher with negotiating pricing with big conglomerates than I am with smaller mum and dad businesses, but at the end of the day I want great service at a fair price.
Also remember that you need the people you enjoy doing business with to make money so they are sustainable and exist many years in the future.
I will continue in part three of this.