– Email support between sessions
Figures courtesy Practice Solutions
By considering these factors and implementing value-based pricing or tiered pricing options, you can establish a competitive pricing strategy that attracts clients while ensuring the sustainability and profitability of your counseling business. Remember to regularly evaluate and adjust your pricing to remain competitive in the market and meet the evolving needs of your target audience.
When it comes to running a successful counseling business, effective communication of pricing and value is paramount. Clear and transparent pricing not only helps clients understand the cost of services but also builds trust and sets clear expectations. In this section, we will explore the importance of transparency in pricing, establishing a pricing policy, and the role of effective communication.
Transparency in pricing is a fundamental aspect of any counseling business. By clearly outlining the cost of services, therapists can help clients make informed decisions and understand the value they will receive in return. Transparent pricing demonstrates honesty and integrity, fostering trust between the therapist and the client.
To ensure transparency, it’s essential to provide detailed information about the pricing structure. This includes clearly stating the fees for individual sessions, as well as any additional charges for assessments, reports, or specialized services. By being upfront about the costs, clients can better plan and budget for their counseling needs.
Establishing a pricing policy is crucial for maintaining consistency and accountability in a counseling practice. By setting clear guidelines and standards for pricing, therapists can avoid confusion and ensure fairness in their fee structure. A pricing policy communicates to clients the investment required for their services and holds the therapist accountable to the desired pricing.
When establishing a pricing policy, therapists may consider factors such as their expertise, experience, and the local market rates. It’s important to strike a balance between charging a fair and competitive price while also considering the value provided to clients. Some therapists may choose to offer sliding scale options or very affordable fees to accommodate clients with limited financial resources or to accumulate clinical hours for licensure.
Effective communication plays a crucial role in conveying the value of counseling services to clients. Beyond simply stating the price, therapists should highlight the benefits and outcomes clients can expect to achieve through their counseling journey. This can be done through clear and concise explanations of the therapeutic approach, the therapist’s expertise, and the positive impact counseling can have on clients’ lives.
Therapists should also take the time to address any questions or concerns clients may have regarding pricing. This demonstrates a commitment to open and honest communication, fostering trust and building a strong therapeutic relationship. By effectively communicating the value clients will receive and the positive outcomes they can expect, therapists can attract and retain clients who are invested in their own personal growth and well-being.
Remember, effective communication goes beyond verbal interactions. It also includes the use of clear and informative written materials, such as brochures or website content, that outline the pricing structure and the value of counseling services. By providing comprehensive and accessible information, therapists can empower clients to make informed decisions about their mental health and well-being.
In conclusion, transparent pricing, establishing a pricing policy, and effective communication are essential components of a successful counseling business. By being transparent in pricing, therapists build trust and set clear expectations. Establishing a pricing policy ensures consistency and fairness. Effective communication of pricing and value conveys the benefits of counseling services and fosters strong relationships with clients. By prioritizing these aspects, therapists can create a positive and impactful counseling experience for their clients.
Once you have established your counseling business, it’s essential to focus on strategies to grow and expand your practice. In this section, we will explore three key areas for business growth: building a strong professional network, leveraging online marketing strategies, and networking and community engagement.
Networking with other healthcare professionals and building relationships with referral sources can be a valuable strategy for growing your counseling business and increasing client referrals ( Redd Strategy ). By connecting with professionals such as physicians, psychiatrists, social workers, and other therapists, you can establish a network of trusted professionals who can refer clients to your practice.
To build a strong professional network, consider attending industry conferences, seminars, and workshops where you can connect with colleagues and potential referral sources. Joining professional organizations and participating in local networking events can also provide opportunities to meet professionals in related fields.
In today’s digital age, leveraging online marketing strategies is crucial for reaching a larger audience and attracting new clients to your counseling business. Utilizing search engine optimization (SEO) techniques can help improve your website’s visibility in search engine results, making it easier for potential clients to find you ( Redd Strategy ). Implementing a well-designed website that provides valuable content and showcases your expertise can also help establish your online presence and build credibility.
Social media platforms offer an excellent opportunity to engage with your target audience and share valuable information. By creating educational content, posting relevant articles, and engaging in conversations with your followers, you can establish yourself as a trusted resource in the field of counseling. Consider utilizing platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter to connect with potential clients and share valuable insights.
In addition to building professional networks, networking within your local community can be a powerful strategy for growing your counseling business. Connecting with community organizations, schools, and local businesses can open doors to potential partnerships and referral sources. Consider offering educational workshops or seminars on mental health topics to demonstrate your expertise and establish yourself as a valuable resource in the community.
Engaging in community events and volunteering opportunities can also help raise awareness about your counseling services. By actively participating in local initiatives, you can build relationships with community members and foster trust in your services.
Remember to always maintain a professional and ethical approach when networking and engaging with the community. By building strong connections and establishing yourself as an expert in your field, you can position your counseling business for long-term growth and success.
As your counseling business grows, it’s important to continually evaluate and adjust your strategies to align with the changing needs of your target audience. By focusing on building a strong professional network, leveraging online marketing strategies, and engaging with your local community, you can create a solid foundation for the future growth and success of your counseling business.
In order to build a successful counseling business, it is essential to implement effective customer acquisition and retention strategies. These strategies not only help attract new clients but also foster long-term relationships, loyalty, and advocacy. Here are some key strategies to consider:
To effectively acquire and retain customers, it is important to identify your ideal customer profile. This involves understanding the demographics, psychographics, and specific needs of your target audience. By defining your ideal customer, you can tailor your marketing efforts and services to better meet their unique requirements. This targeted approach helps attract the right clients who are more likely to benefit from your counseling services.
A mix of online and offline marketing channels can significantly enhance the acquisition of new counseling clients. Leveraging online platforms such as search engine optimization (SEO), social media, content marketing, and targeted advertising can maximize reach and engagement with potential customers ( LinkedIn – Customer Acquisition and Retention Strategies ). It is important to have a professional website that showcases your services, expertise, and contact information. Offline strategies like attending industry events, partnering with local healthcare professionals, and distributing informative brochures can also help establish your presence in the community.
Implementing customer referral programs can be an effective way to acquire new clients and promote customer loyalty. By incentivizing existing clients to refer your counseling services to their network, you can tap into their trust and extend your reach to potential customers ( LinkedIn – Customer Acquisition and Retention Strategies ). Consider offering discounts, rewards, or other incentives to clients who refer new customers. This not only encourages referrals but also strengthens relationships with your existing clients.
Personalization plays a critical role in customer acquisition and retention. Leveraging data and analytics to personalize customer experiences, including messaging, recommendations, and offers, can enhance customer engagement and conversion rates ( LinkedIn – Customer Acquisition and Retention Strategies ). Tailor your communications to address individual client needs and concerns, and regularly follow up to ensure their satisfaction. Building strong relationships with clients through exceptional service, personalized support, and proactive communication can cultivate loyalty and advocacy for your counseling business.
By implementing these customer acquisition and retention strategies, you can attract new clients while fostering long-term relationships with existing clients. Remember, building a successful counseling business requires a commitment to understanding and meeting the unique needs of your target audience.
To successfully establish a counseling business and stand out in a competitive market, it is crucial to focus on brand positioning. Brand positioning involves differentiating your practice from competitors, creating a unique selling proposition (USP), developing a strong visual identity, and implementing effective content marketing strategies.
When it comes to brand positioning, it’s important to identify what sets your counseling practice apart from others. Consider your specialization, unique approach, or specific expertise that distinguishes you from competitors. Highlighting this differentiation can help attract clients who resonate with your unique offerings. By clearly communicating what makes your practice special, you establish a distinct position in the market.
Crafting a compelling Unique Selling Proposition (USP) is vital for brand positioning. Your USP should clearly and concisely communicate the value and benefits your counseling services provide to clients. It should answer the question, “Why should clients choose your practice over others?” Understanding your target audience’s pain points and addressing them through your USP can help differentiate your practice and attract the right clients.
Visual elements play a significant role in brand positioning. Revamping your practice’s visual identity, such as logos and website designs, can help establish a strong brand identity and resonate with your target audience. Consider updating colors, design elements, and overall aesthetics to better reflect your brand values and appeal to your audience. A professional and visually appealing website can make a positive first impression and position your business as a top choice in the industry.
Implementing content marketing strategies can further differentiate your counseling business. By creating valuable and informative content, such as newsletters and articles, you can engage with your target audience and showcase your expertise. Highlight unique approaches, benefits, and insights through your content to set your practice apart from competitors. Selecting imagery that aligns with your brand values also strengthens your brand positioning.
By focusing on brand positioning, differentiating your practice, creating a compelling USP, developing a strong visual identity, and implementing effective content marketing strategies, you can establish a unique and impactful presence in the counseling industry. This positioning will help attract clients who resonate with your brand, ultimately leading to the success and growth of your counseling business.
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Starting and managing a counseling practice can be a challenging journey, but with the right tools, you can set yourself up for success. That's where ClickUp's Business Plan Template for Counselors comes in handy!
Our business plan template is specifically designed for counseling professionals like therapists or private practice owners. With this template, you can:
Don't let the complexities of starting a counseling practice overwhelm you. Get started with ClickUp's Business Plan Template for Counselors and take your counseling career to new heights!
Creating a business plan as a counselor can provide numerous benefits for your practice, including:
As a counseling professional, creating and managing a business plan is crucial for the success of your practice. With ClickUp's Business Plan Template for Counselors, you'll have all the tools you need to streamline the process and stay organized. Here are the main elements of this template:
With ClickUp's Business Plan Template for Counselors, you can focus on your counseling practice while staying organized and on track with your business goals.
If you're a counselor looking to create a business plan, our Business Plan Template for Counselors can help guide you through the process. Just follow these five steps:
Start by clearly defining the counseling services you plan to offer. This could include individual therapy, group therapy, couples counseling, or specialized counseling for specific populations or issues. Be sure to outline your unique approach and any certifications or specializations you have.
Use the Docs feature in ClickUp to create a detailed description of your counseling services.
Next, identify your target market. Consider the specific demographics, needs, and challenges of the clients you aim to serve. This will help you tailor your marketing efforts and ensure your services are aligned with your target audience.
Use custom fields in ClickUp to track key information about your target market, such as age range, location, and specific challenges they may be facing.
A solid marketing strategy is essential to attract clients and grow your counseling business. Identify the channels and tactics you will use to reach your target market, such as online advertising, social media, networking events, or partnerships with other professionals or organizations.
Use the Calendar view in ClickUp to plan and schedule your marketing activities, ensuring you stay consistent and organized.
Determine your financial goals and projections for your counseling business. This includes estimating your revenue, expenses, and profit margins. Consider factors such as session rates, estimated number of clients, and any additional revenue streams you plan to incorporate, such as workshops or online courses.
Use the Goals feature in ClickUp to set and track your financial goals, ensuring you stay on track and make adjustments as needed.
Outline the day-to-day operations of your counseling business. This includes scheduling, client intake processes, record-keeping, and any administrative tasks. Consider how you will manage client appointments, handle billing and payments, and maintain confidentiality and data security.
Use the Tasks feature in ClickUp to create a checklist of operational tasks and assign responsibilities to yourself or your team members.
By following these five steps and utilizing the Business Plan Template for Counselors in ClickUp, you'll be well on your way to creating a comprehensive and effective business plan for your counseling practice. Good luck!
Counseling professionals can use the Business Plan Template for Counselors in ClickUp to effectively plan and manage their counseling practice.
To get started, hit “Add Template” to sign up for ClickUp and add the template to your Workspace. Make sure you designate which Space or location in your Workspace you’d like this template applied.
Next, invite relevant members or guests to your Workspace to start collaborating.
Now you can take advantage of the full potential of this template to create a comprehensive business plan:
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If you’ve already finished school and are licensed in your state, this checklist can help you open a thriving private practice. If you’re new to the world of therapy and looking for help becoming a therapist, review this guide instead.
Working for yourself might seem like a dream come true, especially if you already love being a therapist. But private practice requires a hefty dose of business acumen and adds myriad new responsibilities to your daily life. So talk to other therapists in private practice to get a better understanding of what they like and what they don’t. Some important considerations include:
Every state and municipality has its own regulations governing businesses. Plan to consult with a business lawyer so you can follow the laws in your area. Some important considerations include:
If you seek a loan to start your business, you’ll likely have to provide a detailed business plan . Even if you’re funding everything out of pocket, a business plan can help you succeed as early as possible. This should be an evolving document that changes as you learn and do more.
Some things to include in your plan include:
To run a successful business, you must have a safe and inviting space to see clients. That doesn’t mean you have to invest in a fancy office. Some therapists cordon off a room in their home to use as a home office. Others share office space with another therapist. No matter what you choose, you’ll need to ensure you’ve budgeted for all of the following:
An office administrator can save you time, and possibly money, by answering the phone, managing paperwork, tracking down payments, and performing other key duties. If you pay an administrator half of what you make hourly, for example, the time the administrator frees up is time you can spend earning money on paying clients rather than dealing with administrative hassles.
Of course, hiring help also presents some additional expenses: salaries, benefits, payroll taxes, and more. Spend some time weighing the costs and benefits of employees such as a receptionist, office manager, or even a second therapist.
Joining insurance provider panels can help you find more clients since you’ll be listed as part of the insurer’s provider network. Joining a provider panel allows you to receive payments directly from insurers. This makes therapy more accessible and affordable and may expand the network of clients to whom you can provide therapy. Start by applying to the largest providers in your area. You can usually find an application and information about joining the provider panel on the insurer’s web page.
Networking is free marketing. Other therapists can offer tips for running a business, refer clients to you, and serve as a sounding board when you need advice. But networking is about more than just letting someone know you’re opening an office. Networking should be a reciprocal relationship built on mutual trust, not name-dropping. So get to know other therapists. Invest in their work and businesses. Find ways to partner on projects together. Gaining the respect of your colleagues takes time, but it is well worth the effort.
There are dozens of ways to market your business and not all require a significant financial investment. You’ll need a quality website, since many clients find a therapist by searching online. Others search for specific problems or questions, then choose their therapist when they find a therapist who offers a quality, compassionate answer. So a website full of useful information and inviting language is a potent marketing tool.
Some other affordable strategies for marketing your business include:
Providing quality care remains the single most important thing you can do to market yourself, so don’t spend too much time focusing on marketing gimmicks. Establishing a niche can help you do the best possible work, since clients who know you’re experienced at treating a particular issue may recommend you to friends and family.
Other strategies for marketing your business include:
Clear policies help you better manage your practice while ensuring clients know what to expect. Some considerations include:
It’s important to memorialize these policies in clearly worded forms. But don’t assume that clients will read through these forms. During your first session, discuss your policies with clients. This fosters a sense of mutual trust and ensures clients understand what they can and can’t expect when they choose you as their therapist.
Building forms might seem like a pain, but over time, they can streamline the process of running your practice. Some forms to consider include:
Ultimately, the most important marketing strategy is to do good work for clients whom you are qualified to treat. When you make a meaningful difference in someone’s life, they are more likely to recommend you to a friend. Supporting a person as they change their life for the better can be immensely fulfilling, making it easier to juggle the many roles you must fill in private practice.
GoodTherapy offers many resources, including a directory to help you market your business, continuing education seminars to help you sharpen your skills and become a better manager, and a wide range of articles about best practices in the field of mental health. Become a member today so you can begin growing your business.
References:
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Free Counseling Private Practice Business Plan Template
13 Min Read
If you ever wish to make a difference by providing counseling services, then starting a private practice could be your ideal path.
There are many people across the country struggling with mental health issues, relationship problems, major life changes, and more. Yet access to quality mental health services can be limited. You could fill that need by offering compassionate counseling support.
Starting a counseling private practice does require proper licensure, education, training, and experience, but you don’t need to break the bank. Just an appropriate office space, your counseling expertise, and a passion for making a difference in people’s lives.
So if you’re a licensed counselor looking to be your own boss, this guide is your map to private practice success. We’ll show you everything, from launching your business to making it thrive. You’ll learn the ins and outs of launching your business legally and ethically.
Let’s get started and first learn about the things you should know before starting a private practice.
Before jumping straight into opening your private therapy practice, take time to reflect on the big picture of this career move. Here are some key considerations:
First and foremost, you need to ensure you meet all the certification and licensure requirements in your state to legally operate. This typically means having at least a master’s degree in counseling or clinical social work.
While licensure allows private practice, most therapists find it extremely valuable to first gain 3-5 years of experience working in agencies, hospitals, or group practices. The clinical hours and mentorship better prepare you.
You may be an excellent counselor, but running a private practice means wearing many other hats too – marketing, billing, scheduling, accounting, HR if you have staff, etc. Brushing up on entrepreneurial skills is wise.
It can easily take 12-18 months to build up enough of a steady client base for your income to feel stable. Having a financial runway of savings or supplemental income during that ramp-up phase is crucial.
Private therapy practice is incredibly demanding, especially when just starting out. Be honest about your ability to maintain self-care, relationships, and general life responsibilities with such a workload.
If you take the time to diligently prepare yourself in each of those areas, you’ll be setting your counseling private practice up for long-term success. Going in half-ready tends to lead to burnout before you can really get started.
Now let us get to the point.
One of the most critical early decisions for your private practice is defining your counseling niche. This specialty area will not only shape your professional identity, but also streamline your marketing efforts and attract the types of clients best suited for your talents.
Perhaps you want to focus on a particular demographic like teens, new mothers, or any other community. Or maybe you’ll zone in on specific mental health issues that ignite your passion – grief counseling, addiction recovery, couples therapy, etc.
The key is zeroing in on that intersection of YOUR interests and experience, mixed with an underserved market demand.
As business owner and therapist Meaghan Rice says, “Choosing a niche is everything.” Clients gravitate toward specialists who deeply understand their specific needs and lived experiences.
So ask yourself: “Who do I most want to help, and what clientele aligns with my background?” That guiding question will illuminate the path for intentionally cultivating your expertise in a focused area over time.
While picking a niche may feel limiting initially, the opposite is true. Becoming a recognized expert within that specialty niche allows you to attract more of your potential clients through targeted marketing. It shapes your entire practice environment and burnishes your reputation.
Determine the niche that energizes you most, then lean in fully. That intentional focus and client alignment sets you up for the greatest clinical impact – and business success.
Before starting, you absolutely must develop a private counseling business plan to guide your new endeavor. This living document will serve as your operational roadmap and help secure any needed financing.
Start by articulating a crystal clear vision for your practice’s overarching goals and specialties. Follow that with a mission statement that encapsulates why you’re launching this business and who you aim to serve.
From there, dive deep into mapping out all the tactical details:
As a business owner, be meticulous in thinking through every minor component. Outline worst-case scenarios and contingency plans. The most successful private practices are born from astoundingly thorough preparation and planning. You can get help from a business planning app that guides you through the entire process.
Crafting this master plan takes hard work, but it will enforce clarity while stress-testing your viability before opening the doors.
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Officially registering your private therapy practice is a major milestone – you’re establishing the legal bedrock to support your professional vision long-term. It’s about far more than just hanging a shingle. Here’s how to lay that sturdy foundation:
Selecting the right business entity is a cornerstone decision. For many private practitioners, the Limited Liability Company (LLC) offers an ideal balance of personal asset protection and attractive tax benefits akin to a sole proprietorship.
However, LLC isn’t always permitted for licensed psychologists based on state regulations. In those cases, a Professional Limited Liability Company (PLLC) designed specifically for licensed professionals could be your optimal route, functioning similarly but complying with applicable rules.
The S corporation (S corp) is another option worth considering, shielding personal assets while allowing you to file business profits/losses separately.
After you’ve decided on your structure, it’s time to do the remaining legal paperwork. Register your official business name and obtain all required local/federal tax ID numbers – the core building blocks of your legal identity.
Then ensure you’ve satisfied every relevant state licensing requirement for your field based on a careful review of regulations in your area.
Don’t go it alone – enlist an experienced business lawyer to provide invaluable guidance on entity selection and confirm you’ve checked every compliance box from day one.
Registering your practice is more than just paperwork; it’s an important investment in credibility and sustainability. By making informed structural decisions, handling paperwork diligently, and leveraging legal expertise, you’re establishing an unshakable foundation to build lasting success.
Separating your business and personal finances by opening a dedicated bank account for your counseling practice is absolutely essential. This proper accounting step protects your personal assets and simplifies bookkeeping.
When first opening the account, you’ll need to provide your business registration documents and IRS Employer Identification Number (EIN). Shop around for a bank that offers small business-friendly checking and savings accounts.
You’ll also want to apply for a business credit card to keep all practice expenses completely separate from personal charges. Many business cards offer lucrative cash back or rewards programs tailored for entrepreneurial spending.
Just be diligent about paying those balances in full monthly to avoid running up interest fees or debt. Using credit cards as a financing mechanism is extremely risky if not disciplined.
With dedicated business banking and credit accounts, you’ll experience far fewer financial headaches and liabilities. Establishing this proper money management foundation sets you up for an organized, stress-free operation from day one.
One of the most vital steps in launching your private therapy practice is making sure you have all the proper licenses and permits squared away. It is vital to address every legal requirement and follow every regulatory detail from the start.
First up, you’ll need to get an Employee Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS. Think of it as a social security number for your business. You’ll use it for tax purposes, opening a business bank account, hiring employees or contractors, and more.
Next, you must obtain a National Provider Identifier (NPI) which is required for working within the healthcare system and submitting information electronically.
If you’ve been employed in healthcare before, you likely already have an NPI, but if not, you’ll have to apply through the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System.
Finally, ensure you understand and follow all licensing requirements for your state and locality when operating a counseling business. This includes staying compliant with HIPAA laws to protect client privacy and keeping up with any mandated continuing education.
Handling all these boxes may seem tedious, but it lays the groundwork for a legitimate, above-board practice.
Creating an optimal counseling environment demands careful planning around client comfort, privacy, and professionalism – whether you opt for a physical office or virtual space.
Location is critical. Seek an accessible spot with ample parking that signals convenience. The office itself should have soundproofed spaces for sessions and a warm, inviting waiting area or reception. Don’t skimp on secure record storage either.
Identify a dedicated, quiet room with optimized lighting, professional backdrops, and acoustics for glitch-free video conferencing. Invest in high-quality webcams and microphones. Virtual waiting room software can also enhance the experience.
Most importantly for any telehealth component, only use HIPAA-compliant platforms and communication tools to protect client privacy and records. Cybersecurity is non-negotiable.
While virtual spaces are often more cost-effective initially, intentional design and amenities are still paramount. Your office environment shapes crucial first impressions and the overall client experience.
Whether physical or virtual, thoughtful planning around location, technology, and therapeutic ambiance paves the way for your practice’s success. Prioritize these factors from the start.
Obtaining proper insurance is vital when starting a private practice. As a counselor, you need insurance to protect your business and clients if problems arise. Two essential policies are professional liability insurance and general liability insurance.
Also called malpractice insurance, covers insurance claims of negligence or malpractice during counseling sessions. It pays for legal fees and damages should a client sue you.
General liability insurance covers injuries or accidents that happen on your property like a client slipping and falling. It pays for clients’ medical bills and other costs.
For full protection, also consider cyber liability insurance and business owners’ insurance. Cyber policies cover data breaches and privacy violations. Business owners’ policies bundle general liability, property damage coverage, loss of income coverage, and more.
Work with experienced insurance agents to find the right policies for your private therapy practice. Make sure you understand what each covers, along with their coverage limits and deductibles.
Prioritizing comprehensive insurance gives peace of mind when seeing clients, knowing you have financial protection. It also shows clients you take your practice seriously by having appropriate business safeguards in place.
Getting your finances squared away should be job one when starting a private counseling practice. Whether you’re setting up shop downtown or in a suburban office park, the money side of things needs to be airtight from day one.
The first step is securing startup funds. How much will you need?
That depends on overhead costs like rent, utilities, insurance, marketing, and any hired help. Your funding options include personal savings, loans from friends/family, small business loans, investors, or certain grants. Just be careful not to overextend yourself financially right out of the gate.
Next, put together a detailed budget projecting your income and expenses for at least the first year. Having a financial roadmap lets you set competitive rates for counseling services while still covering your costs. It also highlights areas where you may need to rein in spending.
You’ll also need to decide if you want to accept insurance, private pay only, or a combination. Many therapists start out private pay to avoid insurance hassles, then add insurance panels as their practice grows. Make sure this decision aligns with your target clientele and financial goals.
The good news is that starting a private therapy practice has relatively low financial barriers to entry compared to some other businesses, especially with the rise of online therapy.
Typical startup costs include LLC filing fees around $100, free EIN and NPI numbers, $40-60 /month for practice management software, $20-40/month for website hosting, $200-1000+/month for office rent, and an optional $400-1500 one-time fee for a website template.
Carefully forecasting and planning for costs lays the groundwork for your practice’s financial health and sustainability long-term. With smart money management from day one, you’re setting yourself up for success in this exciting new venture.
Getting the word out about your new private practice is crucial. You’ll want to craft a marketing message that clicks with the clients you hope to serve and find effective ways to spread that message. Here are some key strategies to market your counseling business:
Branding helps your practice stand out from the crowd. This includes visuals like your logo and color scheme, but also the overall vibe and personality you present.
Consistency is key across all your marketing channels to build client familiarity and trust over time. Consider hiring pros of using online tools to develop branding elements.
These days, a strong online presence is non-negotiable. Your website acts as a virtual front door to your practice, providing info about services, credentials, and more. Make sure it reflects your brand identity and offers helpful resources like blogs or online scheduling.
Social media is also a must for connecting with prospective clients where they’re already hanging out online. Research which platforms your target clients use most, then focus your efforts there with engaging, shareable content.
Online marketing is powerful, but don’t overlook tried-and-true in-person networking too. Attend events, conferences, and meetups related to counseling to build connections and potential referral sources. Getting involved with local community groups is another way to expand your reach.
Put these marketing techniques into practice, and you’ll be well on your way to attracting a steady stream of clients excited about the unique services you offer. Stay flexible, keep refining your approach, and watch your private practice thrive!
Launching your own private counseling practice provides meaningful independence and financial upside for mental health professionals. However, achieving success requires a private counseling business plan , passion, and hard work.
Follow the steps in this guide to create a practice you enjoy while providing meaningful care to your community. The journey will stretch you, inspire you, and allow you to reach your greatest potential as a counselor.
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Do i need a business license for a private practice in california.
Absolutely – launching a private practice in California requires obtaining the proper business licenses and permits. While specifics vary across cities and counties, you’ll generally need a business license, fictitious business name filing, plus any additional local permits mandated for businesses in your area. Thoroughly research the precise licensing steps and requirements for your city or county.
Starting a private practice definitely presents its fair share of challenges. Building a client base from scratch, managing finances effectively, marketing your services, and staying on top of administrative duties all come with steep learning curves initially.
However, with a genuine passion for the work and diligent preparation, starting a thriving private practice is an eminently achievable goal. To make things easier, you can get help from a business planning app that guides you through the entire process.
Most therapists opt to register their private practice as either a sole proprietorship or a limited liability company (LLC). Sole proprietors file business taxes under their personal tax ID, while an LLC allows you to file separately and offers legal protection by shielding personal assets – though with somewhat more administrative paperwork involved.
Upfront costs can vary significantly based on location, office size, insurance needs, and other expenses. Most experts estimate initial startup costs of around $10,000 to $15,000 or higher for licensing, office space, furnishings, liability insurance, marketing, legal/accounting support, and capital to sustain operations until building a client base. Ensure a substantial financial runway for the first year.
About the Author
Upmetrics Team
Upmetrics is the #1 business planning software that helps entrepreneurs and business owners create investment-ready business plans using AI. We regularly share business planning insights on our blog. Check out the Upmetrics blog for such interesting reads. Read more
A counseling center can consist of one counselor in private practice or multiple counselors involved in the same practice. It assists the members of the community by offering mental health services to those who want to lead better lives. Typically, all counselors will share similar educational backgrounds, as well as philosophies regarding the best course of treatment. Therapy may be given to people of all ages, including young children for a variety of behavioral problems. Clients may include those who seek out the services themselves, or those who are mandated to receive therapy by the court system.
Learn how to start your own Counseling Center and whether it is the right fit for you.
Ready to form your LLC? Check out the Top LLC Formation Services .
We have put together this simple guide to starting your counseling center. These steps will ensure that your new business is well planned out, registered properly and legally compliant.
Exploring your options? Check out other small business ideas .
A clear plan is essential for success as an entrepreneur. It will help you map out the specifics of your business and discover some unknowns. A few important topics to consider are:
Luckily we have done a lot of this research for you.
Choosing the right name is important and challenging. If you don’t already have a name in mind, visit our How to Name a Business guide or get help brainstorming a name with our Counseling Center Name Generator
If you operate a sole proprietorship , you might want to operate under a business name other than your own name. Visit our DBA guide to learn more.
When registering a business name , we recommend researching your business name by checking:
It's very important to secure your domain name before someone else does.
Business name generator, what are the costs involved in opening a counseling center.
Generally, therapists need only a waiting room and an office with a couch or comfortable chair to begin their work. Should you get an office, you will need a Certificate of Occupancy that states you’ve complied with all zoning and building standards. Costs for this will be dependent on the neighborhood you choose for the business. Counseling centers with just one or two people in the practice can sometimes be run out of a home, which can save you a considerable amount of overhead. In this case, you’ll need to visit your local authorities to ensure that your home meets the safety regulations of the area.
Owners should budget in the following expenses:
There are few people who won’t benefit from seeing a counselor. The unbiased advice and opinions can be priceless to people who can’t see past their next move in life. Persons who are wrestling with depression, anxiety, anger issues, or other emotional or interpersonal problems can all get relief from regular counseling. However, there is still a stigma when it comes to counseling services in certain areas of the country. The target market is composed of those who are open to the idea of getting outside help for self-improvement, parents who hope to stem behavioral issues when kids are young, or those who were mandated by the courts to receive counseling.
Counselors make money by charging for their time. All entrepreneurs need to set their fees based on the therapist’s experience, as well as the overhead costs of the business.
Therapists can charge anywhere from $20 to $120 or more for a one-hour session. The amount is generally based on experience, education level, and the demand for services. Beware of charging too low for services. Offering a sliding scale for those with low incomes typically devalues the work done, and can sometimes give people an excuse to skip their sessions.
Because therapists primarily pay for the therapist's time rather than fancy offices or equipment, profit can be considerable. Charging $60 an hour with a $10 overhead can lead to a $300 day of pure profit.
Expanding your services to include online sessions can be a smart move for any counseling center. Should you choose to do so, you’ll need to ensure that your computer software follows HIPAA rules. Consider giving sessions to current patients before branching out to strangers over the virtual space.
Want a more guided approach? Access TRUiC's free Small Business Startup Guide - a step-by-step course for turning your business idea into reality. Get started today!
The most common business structure types are the sole proprietorship , partnership , limited liability company (LLC) , and corporation .
Establishing a legal business entity such as an LLC or corporation protects you from being held personally liable if your counseling center is sued.
Form Your LLC
Read our Guide to Form Your Own LLC
Have a Professional Service Form your LLC for You
Two such reliable services:
You can form an LLC yourself and pay only the minimal state LLC costs or hire one of the Best LLC Services for a small, additional fee.
Recommended: You will need to elect a registered agent for your LLC. LLC formation packages usually include a free year of registered agent services . You can choose to hire a registered agent or act as your own.
You will need to register for a variety of state and federal taxes before you can open for business.
In order to register for taxes you will need to apply for an EIN. It's really easy and free!
You can acquire your EIN through the IRS website . If you would like to learn more about EINs, read our article, What is an EIN?
There are specific state taxes that might apply to your business. Learn more about state sales tax and franchise taxes in our state sales tax guides.
Using dedicated business banking and credit accounts is essential for personal asset protection.
When your personal and business accounts are mixed, your personal assets (your home, car, and other valuables) are at risk in the event your business is sued. In business law, this is referred to as piercing your corporate veil .
Besides being a requirement when applying for business loans, opening a business bank account:
Recommended: Read our Best Banks for Small Business review to find the best national bank or credit union.
Getting a business credit card helps you:
Recommended: Apply for an easy approval business credit card from BILL and build your business credit quickly.
Recording your various expenses and sources of income is critical to understanding the financial performance of your business. Keeping accurate and detailed accounts also greatly simplifies your annual tax filing.
Make LLC accounting easy with our LLC Expenses Cheat Sheet.
Failure to acquire necessary permits and licenses can result in hefty fines, or even cause your business to be shut down.
Certain state permits and licenses may be needed to operate a counseling center business. Learn more about licensing requirements in your state by visiting SBA’s reference to state licenses and permits .
In addition, to be able to practice as a counselor, you need to obtain a relevant academic degree from an accredited university or college.
Most businesses are required to collect sales tax on the goods or services they provide. To learn more about how sales tax will affect your business, read our article, Sales Tax for Small Businesses .
A counseling center business is generally run out of an office building. Businesses operating out of a physical location typically require a Certificate of Occupancy (CO). A CO confirms that all building codes, zoning laws and government regulations have been met.
Just as with licenses and permits, your business needs insurance in order to operate safely and lawfully. Business Insurance protects your company’s financial wellbeing in the event of a covered loss.
There are several types of insurance policies created for different types of businesses with different risks. If you’re unsure of the types of risks that your business may face, begin with General Liability Insurance . This is the most common coverage that small businesses need, so it’s a great place to start for your business.
Another notable insurance policy that many businesses need is Workers’ Compensation Insurance . If your business will have employees, it’s a good chance that your state will require you to carry Workers' Compensation Coverage.
FInd out what types of insurance your Counseling Center needs and how much it will cost you by reading our guide Business Insurance for Counseling Center.
Your brand is what your company stands for, as well as how your business is perceived by the public. A strong brand will help your business stand out from competitors.
If you aren't feeling confident about designing your small business logo, then check out our Design Guides for Beginners , we'll give you helpful tips and advice for creating the best unique logo for your business.
Recommended : Get a logo using Truic's free logo Generator no email or sign up required, or use a Premium Logo Maker .
If you already have a logo, you can also add it to a QR code with our Free QR Code Generator . Choose from 13 QR code types to create a code for your business cards and publications, or to help spread awareness for your new website.
Professionals will tell you that you’re going to get the most business from referrals rather than expensive advertising. However, you’ll still need a way to drum up clients at the very beginning. Focus on creating a professional website or passing out flyers that clearly detail how your practice runs and who you service.
Ideally, you don’t want your clients to need your services forever, but they will likely need to see someone for multiple weeks (or even years.) The best way to generate word of mouth is to establish a rapport and relationship with the client, and to promote progress whenever and wherever possible. The more tangible results a person sees from their therapy (e.g., healthier lifestyle, a job promotion, etc), the more they will continue to want to see a therapist.
After defining your brand and creating your logo the next step is to create a website for your business .
While creating a website is an essential step, some may fear that it’s out of their reach because they don’t have any website-building experience. While this may have been a reasonable fear back in 2015, web technology has seen huge advancements in the past few years that makes the lives of small business owners much simpler.
Here are the main reasons why you shouldn’t delay building your website:
Recommended : Get started today using our recommended website builder or check out our review of the Best Website Builders .
Other popular website builders are: WordPress , WIX , Weebly , Squarespace , and Shopify .
Getting a phone set up for your business is one of the best ways to help keep your personal life and business life separate and private. That’s not the only benefit; it also helps you make your business more automated, gives your business legitimacy, and makes it easier for potential customers to find and contact you.
There are many services available to entrepreneurs who want to set up a business phone system. We’ve reviewed the top companies and rated them based on price, features, and ease of use. Check out our review of the Best Business Phone Systems 2023 to find the best phone service for your small business.
Recommended Business Phone Service: Phone.com
Phone.com is our top choice for small business phone numbers because of all the features it offers for small businesses and it's fair pricing.
This business is good for those who enjoy helping others discover their best selves. Navigating relationships, jobs, and life decisions can be overwhelming, but therapists can make the path that much clearer for those they serve. The best possible people for this job are those who find order in their own lives by helping others find order in theirs.
Take our Entrepreneurship Quiz to find out!
Entrepreneurship Quiz
A typical day for an owner will involve the following:
Those who wish to start this business should have a professional background. All employees will need to have at least a Master’s degree before they can become licensed counselors, and they'll need their Doctorate degree to be considered a licensed psychologist.
Theoretically, an entrepreneur can start the business merely by finding the space and then hiring licensed professionals to do the actual counseling. In that case, a person would need to have the capital, people skills, and drive behind them to attract the clients necessary to attract quality business partners and employees.
While counselors may be more popular in certain neighborhoods, there is still a lot of growth potential for counseling centers regardless of where you live. In addition to traditional offices and private one-on-one therapy, there are a number of other ways that clients can get mental health services. Between group therapy, online counseling, and regular private sessions, counseling centers have a variety of ways to reach their target market.
For fun informative videos about starting a business visit the TRUiC YouTube Channel or subscribe to view later.
Find a business mentor.
One of the greatest resources an entrepreneur can have is quality mentorship. As you start planning your business, connect with a free business resource near you to get the help you need.
Having a support network in place to turn to during tough times is a major factor of success for new business owners.
Want to learn more about starting a business from entrepreneurs themselves? Visit Startup Savant’s startup founder series to gain entrepreneurial insights, lessons, and advice from founders themselves.
There are many resources out there specifically for women entrepreneurs. We’ve gathered necessary and useful information to help you succeed both professionally and personally:
If you’re a woman looking for some guidance in entrepreneurship, check out this great new series Women in Business created by the women of our partner Startup Savant.
Professionals will tell you to consider who you want your patients to be before you get started. You may want to focus solely on those with chemical dependency issues, or those who are dealing with the loss of a loved one. Narrowing down your practice also helps you to create a brand, which can make it easier for the public to remember your demographic. If you’re planning to partner with the courts, you need to know that all of your therapists are comfortable with counseling criminal offenders. You may also want to consider joining professional networks and organizations. These not only keep you informed of new trends in the world of counseling, but can also help you network and expand your business.
A counseling center may consist of anywhere from one to 10 or more counselors. For brand new practices, a counselor may want to start on their own out of their home. If there’s a large need for counselors in any given area, then it may make sense to hire a team right away. When you’re hiring, look for professionals who have similar philosophies to your own. Practices that run with a religious slant may not be compatible with a secular counselor. Having a consistent overall mission and brand for your organization will help to attract regular clients.
Industry opportunities.
Opening a counseling private practice can be very profitable. With proper planning, execution and hard work, you can enjoy great success. Below you will learn the keys to launching a successful counseling private practice.
Importantly, a critical step in starting a counseling private practice is to complete your business plan. To help you out, you should download Growthink’s Ultimate Business Plan Template here .
Download our Ultimate Business Plan Template here
The first step to opening a counseling private practice is to choose your business’ name.
This is a very important choice since your company name is your brand and will last for the lifetime of your business. Ideally you choose a name that is meaningful and memorable. Here are some tips for choosing a name for your counseling private practice:
The next step is to determine the type of counseling private practice you will launch. The four main types of counseling private practices are:
One of the most important steps in opening a counseling private practice is to develop your counseling private practice business plan . The process of creating your plan ensures that you fully understand your market and your business strategy. The plan also provides you with a roadmap to follow and if needed, to present to funding sources to raise capital for your business.
Your business plan should include the following sections:
4. choose the legal structure for your counseling private practice.
Next you need to choose a legal structure for your counseling private practice and register it and your business name with the Secretary of State in each state where you operate your business.
Below are the five most common legal structures:
A sole proprietorship is a business entity in which the owner of the counseling private practice and the business are the same legal person. The owner of a sole proprietorship is responsible for all debts and obligations of the business. There are no formalities required to establish a sole proprietorship, and it is easy to set up and operate. The main advantage of a sole proprietorship is that it is simple and inexpensive to establish. The main disadvantage is that the owner is liable for all debts and obligations of the business.
A partnership is a legal structure that is popular among small businesses. It is an agreement between two or more people who want to open a counseling private practice together. The partners share in the profits and losses of the business.
The advantages of a partnership are that it is easy to set up, and the partners share in the profits and losses of the business. The disadvantages of a partnership are that the partners are jointly liable for the debts of the business, and disagreements between partners can be difficult to resolve.
A limited liability company, or LLC, is a type of business entity that provides limited liability to its owners. This means that the owners of an LLC are not personally responsible for the debts and liabilities of the business. The advantages of an LLC for a counseling private practice include flexibility in management, pass-through taxation (avoids double taxation as explained below), and limited personal liability. The disadvantages of an LLC include lack of availability in some states and self-employment taxes.
A C Corporation is a business entity that is separate from its owners. It has its own tax ID and can have shareholders. The main advantage of a C Corporation for a counseling private practice is that it offers limited liability to its owners. This means that the owners are not personally responsible for the debts and liabilities of the business. The disadvantage is that C Corporations are subject to double taxation. This means that the corporation pays taxes on its profits, and the shareholders also pay taxes on their dividends.
An S Corporation is a type of corporation that provides its owners with limited liability protection and allows them to pass their business income through to their personal income tax returns, thus avoiding double taxation. There are several limitations on S Corporations including the number of shareholders they can have among others.
Once you register your counseling private practice, your state will send you your official “Articles of Incorporation.” You will need this among other documentation when establishing your banking account (see below). We recommend that you consult an attorney in determining which legal structure is best suited for your company.
In developing your counseling private practice plan , you might have determined that you need to raise funding to launch your business.
If so, the main sources of funding for a counseling private practice to consider are personal savings, family and friends, credit card financing, bank loans, crowdfunding and angel investors. Angel investors are individuals who provide capital to early-stage businesses. Angel investors typically will invest in a counseling private practice that they believe has high potential for growth.
Having the right space can be important for your counseling private practice, particularly if you’d like to meet clients there. When looking for a location, there are several factors to consider, including how much space is needed, how accessible the space is to clients and how much it will cost.
To find the right space, consider:
Next, you need to register your business with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) which will result in the IRS issuing you an Employer Identification Number (EIN).
Most banks will require you to have an EIN in order to open up an account. In addition, in order to hire employees, you will need an EIN since that is how the IRS tracks your payroll tax payments.
Note that if you are a sole proprietor without employees, you generally do not need to get an EIN. Rather, you would use your social security number (instead of your EIN) as your taxpayer identification number.
It is important to establish a bank account in your counseling private practice’s name. This process is fairly simple and involves the following steps:
You should get a business credit card for your counseling private practice to help you separate personal and business expenses.
You can either apply for a business credit card through your bank or apply for one through a credit card company.
When you’re applying for a business credit card, you’ll need to provide some information about your business. This includes the name of your business, the address of your business, and the type of business you’re running. You’ll also need to provide some information about yourself, including your name, Social Security number, and date of birth.
Once you’ve been approved for a business credit card, you’ll be able to use it to make purchases for your business. You can also use it to build your credit history which could be very important in securing loans and getting credit lines for your business in the future.
The business licenses and permits you need for your counseling private practice will vary depending on the state you operate in. However, there are some general licenses and permits that are typically required for most businesses, including:
Business License : A business license is a permit that is required to operate a business within a certain jurisdiction. In order to get a business license, you typically need to submit an application and pay a fee.
Tax Identification Number (EIN or TIN) : An EIN (or TIN) is a number that the IRS issues to businesses for the purpose of tracking their payroll tax payments. Most banks will require you to have an EIN in order to open up an account.
Sales Tax Permit: A sales tax permit is a permit that allows businesses to collect sales tax from their customers. In order to get a sales tax permit, you typically need to submit an application and pay a fee.
Nearly all states, counties and/or cities also require:
Depending on the type of counseling private practice you launch, you will have to obtain the necessary state, county and/or city licenses.
Business insurance is essential for protecting your counseling private practice from potential risks and liabilities. Some of the most common types of business insurance include:
Commercial Property Insurance : This insurance protects your business property from damages, such as fire, theft, and vandalism.
General Liability Insurance : This insurance protects your business from third-party claims, such as injuries or property damage.
Professional Liability Insurance : This insurance protects your business from claims that arise from professional services you provide.
Business Owner’s Policy : A business owner’s policy is a package policy that combines general liability and property insurance into one policy. This can be a helpful option for small businesses who want to simplify their insurance needs.
Find an insurance agent, tell them about your business and its needs, and they will recommend policies that fit those needs.
When starting a counseling private practice, there are a few key pieces of equipment that you will need. This includes:
You can lease or buy the equipment you need for your counseling private practice. If you have the funds, buying the equipment will save you money in the long run. However, if you don’t have enough funds to purchase the equipment outright, leasing can often be a good option.
Marketing materials will be required to attract and retain customers to your counseling private practice.
The key marketing materials you will need are as follows:
The software you need to run your counseling private practice depends on the type of practice you plan to have. However, some of the most common types of software used in counseling private practices include:
Computer-based billing software : This software allows you to track payments, generate invoices and manage your billing.
Client management software : This software helps you keep track of client information, appointments, treatment plans and more.
E-mail marketing software : This software helps you cultivate customer relationships by sending targeted e-mails about your services.
Research the software that best suits your needs, purchase it, and set it up.
You are now ready to open your counseling private practice. If you followed the steps above, you should be in a great position to build a successful business. Below are answers to frequently asked questions that might further help you.
Don’t you wish there was a faster, easier way to finish your Counseling Private Practice business plan?
With Growthink’s Ultimate Business Plan Template you can finish your plan in just 8 hours or less!
Is it hard to open a counseling private practice.
Counseling private practice can be a very rewarding career path.
By following the steps outlined in this article, you can give yourself the best chance of success.
If you have no experience in the field of counseling, you may want to consider first working as a counselor's assistant or intern. This will give you the opportunity to learn about the counseling process and how to work with clients.
You may also want to consider taking some courses in counseling theory and techniques. This will help you develop the skills you need to run a successful counseling private practice.
Finally, make sure you are well-organized and have a good business plan in place. This will help you manage your counseling private practice effectively and efficiently.
Couples counseling private practices tend to be the most profitable, as couples counseling typically involves two people, so it can lead to higher fees than individual counseling. Other types of counseling private practices that are often profitable include substance abuse and addiction counseling, family therapy, mental health counseling, and career and executive coaching.
Opening a counseling private practice can be a relatively affordable endeavor. The average start up costs for a counseling private practice vary. These costs include the cost of office space, marketing materials and services, and software. Of course, these costs may vary depending on how large your practice is and how much equipment you need to purchase.
The ongoing expenses for a counseling private practice can vary depending on the size and scope of your business. These expenses often include rent or mortgage payments for the office space; internet and phone bills; costs for equipment maintenance and repairs; marketing materials; insurance premiums; website hosting fees; professional association membership fees; and taxes.
A counseling private practice can make money in a number of ways. The most common methods include charging clients by the hour, charging for sessions in advance, and offering package deals. Counselors can also charge for phone consultations, provide consulting services, or offer workshops and training seminars.
Yes, owning a counseling private practice can be very profitable. However, the profitability of a counseling private practice will vary depending on the specific industry and services offered.
Some of the key things you can do to make your counseling private practice more profitable include:
One of the main reasons that counseling private practices fail is a lack of planning. This can include not having a detailed business plan, not doing research on the industry, and not targeting the right customers.
Another reason is a lack of marketing and sales skills. This can include not creating a sales process and not have a clear and strong value proposition.
The last main reason is a lack of financial management skills. This can include not having a realistic budget, not tracking expenses, and not investing in the business.
The counseling private practice market is made up of a variety of different players, including small businesses, large enterprises, and even individuals.
Some of the key players in the market include:
However, there are many other players in your specific target market, and it is important to research the market to identify the key players that may have the most direct influence on the success of your business.
Counseling private practice fees can vary depending on the type of counseling private practice services being offered, as well as the size and scope of the project.
However, some common counseling private practice fees include:
The best way to determine the right fee for your counseling private practice services is to research the rates of similar businesses in your industry, and to also consider the value that you will be providing to the client.
If I’m in private practice, do I need a business plan?
…YES!
Just like any business, it’s important that you create a business plan for private practice before you spend a dime .
Sound daunting? Don’t worry, I’ve started private practice in three different cities and have fine-tuned my process over the years. And I’m going to share it with you!
Is a business plan really necessary? Can’t you just rent an office, stick a couch in it, and be on your way with your counseling practice?
Well, you can try that, but you will likely find yourself sitting in an empty office waiting for clients to show up while your money drains from your bank account.
Think of a business plan as a treatment plan for your business. If your clinical training experience was at all like mine, then treatment planning has been drilled into your head.
Why do we create treatment plans for our clients? They act as a guide to help us serve our clients based on their specific needs. They give us a compass to guide the therapy process, though we can always modify the treatment plan to adapt to a client’s changing needs.
A business plan serves the same purpose. We need to do a bit of an assessment of ourselves and where we are situated to create a set of steps and goals for where we are headed. It sets us up for success as we use our business plan as a guiding compass.
Here are five tools to help you get started in creating a business plan for private practice in psychology.
Before you start anything else in your business plan, it’s important to know what other local therapists are out there in private practice and what they’re up to. Explore the Psychology Today Find a Therapist Directory , do some Google searches, and see who’s around as well as what they specialize in.
Market research helps you know what kind of supply there is for the product you’re selling in your business. This information informs the rest of the steps for creating a business plan.
You might be thinking: um, Marie, my product is psychotherapy, duh!
It is true that your product is your counseling services, but there is so much nuance to what psychotherapy looks like in practice.
It’s important to look at your market research from step one and see how you fare amongst local therapists. Are you the only therapist in a 10-mile radius? Then maybe your product is more broad.
If you live in an area like me where you’re one of hundreds of therapists just within your zip code, you want to think about what your niche is and maybe even double- or triple- niching so that you are the only therapist delivering this specific product in your area.
Take some time to write down what your product is more specifically. Here are some sample questions to help you get the ball rolling:
If you’d like to learn more about finding your niche, you might find it helpful to watch my video about Finding Your Niche in Private Practice .
I know this sounds completely counterintuitive. Naturally, we don’t want to go to our “competition” for advice.
Let me get this idea in your head: other therapists in your niche are not your competition, they are your friends, colleagues, consultation resources, and referral sources.
The reality is other therapists in your area of specialty are likely to be one of your primary referral sources!
There are nuanced differences amongst those of us who have similar areas of specialty. Maybe you specialize in GAD in young adults. Then therapists who specialize in GAD in teens and older adults might be indispensable resources to you. You can make referrals to each other when a potential client doesn’t quite fit within your niche, and you can consult with each other when you feel stuck.
These are the people you will be leaning on once you begin private practice, so it’s worth seeking them out before you even start.
Some easy ways to find these therapists is through market research from step one, as well as through social media and networking events in your area. Lately tons of therapists have been flocking to Instagram with professional accounts, making it easy to find local therapists in your area. Give it a try! If you need some help, you might like to watch my video about How to Network with People in Private Practice .
Therapists love giving advice and helping people! So when you chat or meet up with colleagues, be sure to ask them for their best tips and advice in private practice. What worked for them? What investments totally flopped? Ask around from a few people because private practice is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor, so you might want to pick and choose what fits best for you.
This is a double-whammy tip because not only does connecting with local therapists help you with future marketing but you also don’t have to reinvent the wheel as you develop your business plan.
Time and money are such precious resources, and you need both to get things started with private practice. Ask yourself how much of each of these you’re able and willing to give.
Make a plan together with your loved ones so you have the same expectations for how this will unfold. Ask questions like:
Determine the answers to these questions in advance and know what you’re willing to expend towards your goal. You may also want to invite trusted friends to share their concerns with you, as our friends have a way of knowing what we need to ask better than we do sometimes!
Before you start it’s important to keep the worst case scenario in mind: what if private practice doesn’t succeed?
Ack! We don’t want to think about that!
I remember when I first decided to go from part-time to full-time private practice, I didn’t have an exit plan. Full-time private practice was THE plan. My husband ended up being the voice of reason. He asked me, “When will you quit if this doesn’t start turning a profit?”
My response? “Uhhhh…I don’t know.”
So we sat down and made a plan for how long I would give this a go before bailing. We created a five month plan, complete with expense spreadsheets so we knew how much money we were willing to sink into private practice if I wasn’t profitable.
It’s not fun to think about failure, but planning for the worst is actually a reassuring measure. You can feel more confident getting started knowing you have a way out if it doesn’t work. Ask yourself questions like:
Think about these things in advance and talk them over with your loved ones. It will save you time and heartache down the road if you need it.
Creating a business plan for private practice can seem overwhelming, but I hope you find these tips make the process a bit smoother for you!
Are you wondering if private practice is right for you? Check out my post: Starting a Private Practice in Counseling: Is it Right for You?
I know the process of starting a private practice can seem daunting and overwhelming, even amidst the excitement that might be there. If that is you, be sure to sign up for the email list to get free information about how to start and grow your private practice. I share tools that I’ve learned the hard way about starting private practice so that hopefully it doesn’t have to be so hard for you.
Until next time, from one therapist to another: I wish you well!
Next Step: What’s the Best Website Builder for Therapists?
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February 26, 2022 at 2:39 pm
I resonate with the point regarding exit plan or “what to do if this endeavour isn’t turning out as expected.” I am currently working full time at an agency, and have just recently decided to start my private practise on the side, though low key, I also want my time and effort to bear some fruit. This article is a great reminder of my motive and what I need to keep in mind.
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Resources, tips and advice for success private practice.
When starting or building a counseling private practice you not only have to wear a “therapist hat” but also have to wear a “business hat”. Because in reality, a private therapy practice is a business! Even if it is a non-profit organization, you have to know something about business models and have some basic business knowledge to make it successful.
In this article, I want to outline some basic “business models” for running a private therapy practice (not business plans; I hope to cover that later). First of all, what is a business model and how does it differ from a business plan? One definition of a business model is simply the design or plan for making money. It is how you identify where the money comes from and how it flows in the private practice. It also defines who runs the business and provides the services. A business plan differs in that it is more specific. It lays out specific financial goals and how you will reach them.
Business model = treatment approach/model, business plan = treatment plan.
Let’s look at some examples business models for private practice as a therapist. What I will focus on is how the money “flows” or comes from in these examples which ultimately determines your salary as therapist.
(download your free copy of this infographic), sole proprietor model.
This is essentially the simplest model and what most people tend to think of when they go into private practice as a counselor. In this model you are responsible for generating your own referrals, record keeping and paying yourself from your own business account. Clients contact you and simply pay you directly for your time. You are also responsible for paying your overhead or the cost of doing business (rent, electric, phone, advertising, and other office expenses, etc.). Your net profit (take home pay) is the money you have left after paying the bills. As mentioned already, it is the simplest way to do business.
Another, sub-category of this model would be if you decided to take third-party or insurance payments. This adds another layer of overhead in that you would have to make insurance claims or hire someone to do this for you. There are several pros and cons of accepting third-party payments. Pros would be that it does tend to increase the number of referrals you get. It also can be more convenient for clients who want to use their health insurance benefits. The cons are that you will have to settle for what the insurance companies say they will pay you (lower rates) and that extra layer of overhead I mentioned.
In this business model you essentially operate as a sole proprietor but with the benefit of sharing overhead costs with a partner or other therapist. Each person involved in the private practice operates independently. You would still be responsible for generating your own referrals, record keeping and paying yourself. The difference though is being able to split or share the cost of running an office with someone else that is a therapist.
Many times people that partner like this will also take the step of forming an LLC or other legal partnership, like a corporation, to protect themselves legally and have a way to handle the accounting and tax implications. It does require that you form a legal entity which can be done easily with a service like Swyft Filings * or other attorney services. Also check with an accountant about possible tax implications in forming an LLC or other business entity. It is an extra step and expense. But do seek the advice of a professionals on this (attorney, CPA, etc.).
*In the spirit of full disclosure, this is an affiliate link which simply means we receive a commission at no extra cost to you if you use this link to purchase. Thanks in advance for using the link!
With this type of business model there are two sides of the equation to consider. One side of this would be the private practice owner that is “hiring” a contract counselor to provide therapy services for the practice. The other side of this would be from the perspective of the therapist that was being contracted. Usually with this model the fee contract counselor receives is either on a per case flat rate or as a “split fee”. With a “split fee” the private practice owner would give the contract counselor a percentage of the total fee collected for the practice. Typical fee splits are 60/40 or 70/30. For example, with a 60/40 split, the therapist that provides the session keeps 60% of the total fee collected and the practice keeps 40%. A flat rate is just a set per session fee the practice would pay the therapist for seeing that client at their practice regardless of what is collected from the client.
In this business model, the private practice is still operating as a sole proprietor or business entity, but is essentially “free lancing” or offering to provide their services as a therapist to other established practices. It may or may not be a group practice. This is often referred to as “PRN” or “as needed” work or. It might be that an established practice has a waiting list and they need to get clients in to see a counselor before the clients decide to go somewhere else. The practice would contract with a therapist to see those clients for set fee or split fee. Another example would be if a private practice therapist were to go on vacation and needed another therapist to be on-call or see clients for them while they were gone.
With the contract counseling models of private practice, the therapists you have “hired” are not employees and they will need to bill you for their services to keep the IRS happy. At the end of the year you will need to complete a 1099 form with the IRS showing what you paid them during the year. If a person is working as contract therapist, they are responsible for paying their own withholding and income taxes. If you are working as contract therapist it might be to your advantage to pay quarterly, prepaid taxes. Again, consult professionals on this!
Group practice business models can vary quite a bit. Typically, they use one of the previous mentioned shared practice or contract counseling models or a combination of them with the counselors working within the group.
In this sub-model of group practice, each person that is part of the group is considered in private practice on their own, but are simply using the “brand” of the group to promote their own individual practice. It might be that the group practice does all of the advertising and referral generation as part of what they provide in return for the fee split. Any number of fee arrangements could be made as part of this type of business arrangement. Usually with a group practice like this, there is one or two “owners’ of the practice and it is usually set up as a legal entity. Essentially, all of the members of the group are contracted by the practice to provide services. Some or all of the group members might own a part of the practice.
The other thing a group practice might do is simply employ therapists for a set salary or hourly rate. Unless it is a large practice, hiring therapists as employees has some disadvantages. Number one is that, as an employer, you have to provide benefits such as disability insurance and health care for those people employed by the practice. All of this adds to the overhead expense and somewhat to your liability. You also have to abide by the employment laws of your state and pay for workman’s compensation insurance. You have to track and pay withholding taxes for employees. Needless to say, as the owner of this type of private practice you will be managing employees and be responsible for much more paperwork. This, of course, affects your bottom line. Of course for therapists working for a private practice that has employed them you are technically not in their own private practice. They are an employee of that private practice.
There is not one counseling private practice business model that is necessarily better than another. It all depends on your individual needs and financial goals. For most therapists in private practice, they start as a sole proprietor and build from there. And there are some that simply start as a contract counselor for an already established practice. Regardless of how you start or grow your private practice as a counselor, educate yourself and just do it!
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Executive summary executive summary is a brief introduction to your business plan. it describes your business, the problem that it solves, your target market, and financial highlights.">.
Amesbury Psychological Center (the Center) is a multidisciplinary behavioral health care practice that offers mental health and substance abuse services to the communities of the Merrimack Valley. Our focus is to provide cost-effective, quality treatment. Our mission is to create, promote, and maintain a positive customer relationship with our clients, Anna Jaques Hospital (AJH), payors, associates and staff, and our community.
The market for behavioral health services is healthy, as will be shown by the growth the existing Center has experienced during the past two and a half years. Massachusetts has recently passed a mental health parity bill that will become effective in month one. The bill requires insurance companies to develop benefits for biologically based behavioral health disorders similar to those provided for health disorders. This should help sustain the anticipated projected growth. Currently, the Outpatient Psychiatric Center is referring approximately four phone calls a day to other providers.
The key to success for this turnkey project includes:
The business plan provides a map for sustaining growth, improving revenue collections, and increasing our bottom line to produce a profit.
Goal 1: To continuously develop, strengthen, and improve services offered by the Center.
Goal 2: To strengthen the Center’s commitment to excellence.
To promote the well-being of the individuals and families in the Merrimack Valley community by providing accessible, quality mental health and substance abuse/addiction care for children, adolescents, adults, and their families, utilizing a service system that emphasizes trust, respect, confidentiality, and compassion. We are committed to quality mental health care that is provided in a collaborative effort with consumers’ overall health strategies and an array of medical services. We are further committed to the philosophy that we exist for the customer/client.
The Amesbury Psychological Center is a for-profit behavioral health company located in Amesbury, Massachusetts. It was founded by the privatization of an existing mental health center that was a part of the Anna Jaques Hospital psychiatry program. The transfer of clients to the Center from the Outpatient Mental Health and Addiction Center was an effort to provide for uninterrupted, continued quality services to its present consumers, and expand its network of providers to ensure further growth. The transition to a privatized center enables the residents of the Merrimack Valley area to have continued access to a quality, accessible mental health center.
Although the Center is a new company, it is taking over the operation of an existing full-service mental health center. Prior to the privatization of the Outpatient Mental Health and Addictions Center, the Center was part of Anna Jaques Hospital’s Psychiatric Services Program. This program offered an array of behavioral health services which included both inpatient and outpatient services. Currently, there are approximately 565 active cases. There are another 233 inactive cases that use the Center’s services on an as-needed basis. The Center is located at the Amesbury Health Center, a facility owned by Anna Jaques Hospital. The Amesbury Health Center, formerly a city-owned community hospital, is a four-story brick building. It has been modified to accommodate a child inpatient unit and medical office spaces, including the mental health center.
The outpatient center began as a psychopharmacology center at Anna Jaques Hospital. During 1995, the psychopharmacology center moved to the Amesbury Health Center. At that time, the center expanded to include an Addictions Program.
In 1998, the Center further expanded to offer psychotherapy services. The psychotherapy component consisted of individual, couple, family therapies, and specialized groups. The composition of staff was multidisciplinary and included independently licensed/certified mental health centerians and certified addiction treatment specialists. During this time, the Center was licensed by the Department of Public Health to offer specialized addiction services that included a Second Offenders Program, an Addiction Counseling program, and an Intensive Outpatient Program. The licensing enables the Center to collaborate with other state and community agencies working with substance abuse/addiction populations, resulting in further growth for this program.
Since 1996 the number of visits/procedures has continued to grow to its present day tallies. The total number of visits for 1996 was 1,471, in 1997 it was 1,869, in 1998 it was 3,399, and in 1999 it was 6,158. The projected number of units of service for 2000 is 5,700. Although units of service have increased by 45% over the past two years, the net revenue has decreased per unit of service. As volume has increased, expenses per unit of service has fallen from $88 in 1996 to $52 in 1999. Since 1998, operating expenses have been under control and reasonably proportionate to units of service provided.
The Center is a privately-owned sub-chapter S corporation formed to privatize, manage, and offer mental health and substance abuse services to the community of the Merrimack Valley. It is solely owned by its principal operator, John Nestor, Ph.D., M.P.A. It has been chartered and the name has been reserved with the Secretary of State’s office.
Start-up | |
Requirements | |
Start-up Expenses | |
Legal | $2,000 |
Stationery etc. | $400 |
Insurance | $500 |
Rent | $900 |
Redecorating and signage | $2,500 |
Staff Training | $2,000 |
Other | $700 |
Total Start-up Expenses | $9,000 |
Start-up Assets | |
Cash Required | $101,000 |
Other Current Assets | $5,000 |
Long-term Assets | $0 |
Total Assets | $106,000 |
Total Requirements | $115,000 |
Start-up Funding | |
Start-up Expenses to Fund | $9,000 |
Start-up Assets to Fund | $106,000 |
Total Funding Required | $115,000 |
Assets | |
Non-cash Assets from Start-up | $5,000 |
Cash Requirements from Start-up | $101,000 |
Additional Cash Raised | $0 |
Cash Balance on Starting Date | $101,000 |
Total Assets | $106,000 |
Liabilities and Capital | |
Liabilities | |
Current Borrowing | $0 |
Long-term Liabilities | $50,000 |
Accounts Payable (Outstanding Bills) | $0 |
Other Current Liabilities (interest-free) | $0 |
Total Liabilities | $50,000 |
Capital | |
Planned Investment | |
Direct Owner Investment | $65,000 |
Investor 2 | $0 |
Other | $0 |
Additional Investment Requirement | $0 |
Total Planned Investment | $65,000 |
Loss at Start-up (Start-up Expenses) | ($9,000) |
Total Capital | $56,000 |
Total Capital and Liabilities | $106,000 |
Total Funding | $115,000 |
The Center is located in Amesbury, Massachusetts, and has been in the same location since 1996. The location is excellent because the Center is easily accessible by automobile or public transportation, and has ample parking. The psychological center has its own entrance on the south side of the building, ensuring moderate privacy and confidentiality. The Center has been recently refurbished by the hospital and there is space available for growth. Leasing arrangements are yet to be negotiated, though $10-$12 dollars a square foot is the customary rate as quoted by local realtors. The Center will ask the hospital to subsidize rent for the first two years of operation, representing their support to ensure the success of this project.
The Center occupies approximately 2,200 square feet. It has nine clinical offices and group rooms. There is a larger reception area that is separated by a divider, allowing for a child and adult reception area. Included in the square footage is a small staff kitchen, a staff bathroom, and a business/intake office. The offices are handicapped accessible. There is a public unisex, handicapped-accessible bathroom within close proximity to the Center, and one within the building.
Leasing arrangements are in process. Based upon a financial analysis and financial projections, the hospital will need to subsidize rent for the first two years if the project is to succeed. It is our goal to obtain a three-year lease from the Anna Jaques Hospital with an option to renew a second three-year lease. The present location is not critical to the success of the business. After three years we will review our rental options, the need for additional space, and other available facilities in the geographical area prior to renewing the contract.
The Center provides an array of quality mental health and substance abuse/addiction services to individuals, couples, and families. The service population includes people of all age ranges. Specifically, services include psychopharmacology, psychotherapy, substance abuse programs, and contracted mental health services. A multidisciplinary staff provides quality treatment of mood disorders, anxiety disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorders, behavioral disorders, post traumatic stress disorders, stress management, substance abuse disorders, and gambling addiction disorders.
There are four components of the Center that interact closely with each other, and also with the consumer’s primary care physician, when appropriate. The philosophy of treatment recognizes the totality of the individual in his or her life situation. This includes the interconnection of multiple dimensions from biomedical to spiritual, as well as external relationships of the individual to the family and larger social groups.
The Center provides quality, accessible service. The key to differentiation is to promote and evidence the mission of the Center to our customers in a meaningful and understandable manner. It is clear that we will not be able to compete doing “business as usual.” Our approach will be customer directed. Our customers will be able to discern our intangible, as well as our tangible, benefits. Our dedicated focus on all our customers will place us ahead of our competitors. When compared with its competitors, the Center stands out in several respects:
At the time of this writing, our logo, brochure, business cards, and advertising are in the process of being developed. Our focus will be on selling the Center’s perceived qualities and intangibles.
The key of fulfillment will be provided by the philosophy and principals of the business. The core values are customer focus, quality treatment, and professional expertise, as is evidenced by associates and staff performance, compassion, trust, and hard work.
Market analysis summary how to do a market analysis for your business plan.">.
In this age of health care reform and increased use of contracts with health maintenance organizations (HMOs), preferred provider organizations (PPOs), and other groups, the demand for behavior health care providers continues to decline. This phenomenon, being driven by behavioral health “carve outs,” has created a competitive clinical market, resulting in customer service being a critical factor. From this particular perspective, the customer identified as payor is: self-payor, medicare, medicaid, and managed care companies. They clearly drive the large percentage of referrals within the industry.
The Center has identified several behavioral health payors who have a strong foothold in the Merrimack Valley area. They include: Tufts HMO and Tufts Affiliated Health Programs, Harvard/Pilgrim Health Care, Medicare, Medicaid/MBHP, Magellan/MBC, Magellan Lucent, United Behavioral Health, Behavior Health Network, managed care company (MCC)/Cigna, US Health Care, and Health Care Value Management (indemnity products). Consumers participating in these programs are drawn from the communities of the Merrimack Valley and Southern New Hampshire area. Within this service area it is estimated that HMOs provide insurance for approximately 51% of the population.
It should be noted that there is an abundant supply of behavioral health providers/institutions within the Merrimack Valley and Southern New Hampshire. They include: psychiatric hospitals, residential facilities, outpatient group practices that vary from public to private organizations, and solo practitioners. Customer service, then becomes an even more critical factor. To obtain and maintain a foothold in the behavioral health market will necessitate the provision of optimal, accessible, quality customer service.
The Center has four primary customers, each with their own specific needs. These include:
1. | |
Physicians | Professionalism |
Hospitals | Consultation |
Schools | Correspondence |
Agencies | Accessibility |
2. | |
Individuals | Accessibility |
Couples | Respect |
Families | Compassion |
Groups | Empathy |
3. | |
MCO’s | Clear communication |
Self-pay | Cost-effective care |
Agencies | Easy access for clients |
PPOs | Shared treatment philosophy |
Indemnity Program | Responsiveness and cooperation |
4. | |
Billing/Collectable | Cooperative working relationship |
Legal | Timely payment facility owner |
Human Resource | Respect |
Insurance |
If the Center is going to survive and grow, we must market our services aggressively. As previously noted, our referral base is primarily driven by managed care companies, medicare and medicaid, indemnity products and self-payors. Within the Merrimack Valley geographical area, HMOs have approximately 51% of the covered lives. Focusing on and identifying the needs of these five referral sources is critical for our growth.
Trends which began with health care reengineering and the introduction of managed health care will continue during the next decade. There will continue to be change within this industry, but change will be less dramatic than the health care revolution of the 1980s and 1990s. Managed care companies will continue to influence fee structures and restructure the provider network.
With the advent of mental health parity in Massachusetts, utilization rates and reimbursement rates should improve. Under the mental health parity law, insurance companies are not allowed to cap mental health services for biologically based mental health disorders. Co-payments cannot escalate during the course of treatment for these disorders.
Managed care organizations (MCOs) are beginning to review provider compensation packages with the intent of increasing compensation rates. Rates have been flat for the past ten years.
As noted in a previous section, the growth rate for the Center during the past three years has been significant. There is no identified reason indicating that this will change. We are currently referring out four to five phone calls per day. Within the geographical area, it takes approximately six to eight weeks to get an appointment with a psychiatrist. For psychotherapy, it takes approximately seven to eight days to get an appointment. With the use of additional staff and creative scheduling, some of these challenges can positively impact the bottom line.
Dr. Marc Shay, an adult psychiatrist, has recently become an associate of the Center. He has committed to 12 hours per week, resulting in an increase of services by 48 units per week. His schedule is filled for the next three weeks as of July 10, 2000. He will begin work on July 17, 2000. We are also in the process of negotiating with a clinical nurse specialist to work 12 hours per week. Her specialty is with children and adolescents. Her starting date is estimated to be early September 2000.
Previously, we have identified the significant aspects of services offered by the Center. Of these services, children and adolescent services are in greatest demand by all referral sources. This gives strength to the four segments of our delivery service system which address these needs. Additionally, there is significant population growth in the Merrimack Valley and southern New Hampshire areas, and this growth is projected to continue over the next decade.
The behavioral health care industry consists of inpatient programs, residential and partial programs, outpatient group practices, and outpatient solo practices. For the purposes of this business plan, we will focus on multidisciplinary group practices, both public and private. Within the geographical area designated as the service area for this business plan, the industry participants include: North Essex Mental Health Center, Arbour/HRI Counseling Services, Harris Street Associates, and Harborside Psychological Center.
To identify the principal behavioral health competitors within the Merrimack Valley, it is important to have an understanding of the behavioral health industry as it has been transformed by the influence of health care restructuring. There are primarily four types of behavioral health facilities: (1) psychiatric hospitals, (2) residential facilities, (3) outpatient group practices, and (4) solo practices. The primary competitors of the Center fall within the third category, outpatient group practices. These practices can be further categorized as public, not-for-profit facilities, and for-profit private practice facilities that include homogeneous group practices and multidisciplinary group practices.
Not-for-Profit Facility
1. North Essex Mental Health Center
North Essex Mental Health Center, Inc., Newburyport, Massachusetts with a satellite office in Haverhill, Massachusetts. Three years ago, this facility was bought by a subsidiary of Northeast Health Systems of Beverly, Massachusetts. This facility is a community mental health center whose primary consumer is the medicaid population. The center has been providing behavioral health services in the Merrimack Valley area for over 20 years. This center has grown significantly in the last 10 years, culminating in the opening of an Amesbury office. North Essex Mental Health Center is the dominant provider in the Northeast area of Massachusetts. They are the emergency services provider for MBHP and have contracted with the AJH to provide emergency services to their emergency room. Their payor mix is composed of medicare, medicaid, self pay, and some MCOs.
a. Strengths:
b. Weaknesses:
d. Strategies To Thwart Competition:
2. Arbour/HRI Counseling
HRI/Arbour Psychological Center is a moderate-size, for-profit mental health center. It is a full-service multidisciplinary center, offering mental health services to children, adolescents, and adults. It was recently procured by Arbour Mental Health Systems. This center has recently invested money to refurbish a facility that houses their geropsychiatry program. Their payor mix is spread among Medicare, Medicaid, self pay, and MCOs
c. Potential Impact of Strengths:
d. Strategies to Thwart Competition:
3. Harris Street Associates
Harris Street Associates is a multidisciplinary group practice providing mental health services to the Newburyport and Haverhill communities. It was established over fifteen years ago by several local psychiatrists and psychologists. Their payor mix has been primarily with MCOs, with some indemnity programs. It has had a rocky financial history, culminating in being bought by H.E.S. For the past three years, H.E.S. has attempted to turn around the financial status of the agency without success. It was recently announced that the center is closing on October 30, 2000.
4. Harborside Psychological Center
Harborside Psychological Center is located in Newburyport, Massachusetts. It is a multidisciplinary mental health group practice. Until recently, their service focus has been psychotherapy with children, adolescents and adults. Currently, this center has added pharmacology to their list of services. Their payor mix is composed of MCOs and employee assistance programs (EAPs).
The market segmentation can best be understood from an analysis of the clinical services being offered by the Center. Presently, three services are offered: psychotherapy, pharmacology, and substance abuse/addiction treatment. When the Center commences its operations, a fourth service will be implemented: behavioral health contracts. Contracts are different from the previous three segments in that the services are provided offsite at another facility.
All services are offered to all age groups, with a modality of treatments that include individual, couple, families, and group. Some customers will use only one service at a time, while others will use a mix of the various services simultaneously.
Market Analysis | |||||||
Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | |||
Potential Customers | Growth | CAGR | |||||
Psychotherapy | 6% | 5,784 | 6,793 | 7,374 | 7,846 | 8,348 | 9.61% |
Psychopharmacology | 0% | 3,911 | 5,184 | 6,282 | 6,282 | 6,282 | 12.58% |
IOP | 0% | 898 | 898 | 988 | 988 | 988 | 2.42% |
B H Contracts | 5% | 0 | 0 | 2,000 | 2,000 | 2,000 | 0.00% |
Other | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00% |
Total | 13.56% | 10,593 | 12,875 | 16,644 | 17,116 | 17,618 | 13.56% |
The Center will focus its market activities on two market areas: the communities of Merrimack Valley, and Southern Hew Hampshire. Services will include psychotherapy, psychopharmacology, and substance abuse/addiction services.
The target customers are the consumers of mental health services (i.e. individuals, couples, families, and groups). The composition breakdown is approximately 50% adults and 50% children, adolescents, and families. The second target customer are the payors. They are an integral piece of this turn key project. The payors are basically the gatekeepers for referrals and authorizations.
The Center’s sales strategy will target potential purchasers and referral sources of our services, from:
Wherever possible, our niche marketing approach will be linked to our sales strategies.
The following chart and table depict the Center’s forecasted sales. During the first year, we expect a yearly growth rate of approximately 100% from the previous fiscal year. Since existing associates will remain with the Center, and several associates from a closed center will join us and bring at least sixty percent of their current caseload with them, the forecast is reasonable. The Center is in the process of negotiating with Harbor Schools to provide mental health services, resulting in 3,300 additional units of service. The sales forecast is also based on the assumptions that we meet projected staffing patterns, managed care contracts are transitioned to the Center without difficulty, and a Medicaid provider number is obtained without complications.
Operationally, the Center is prepared to handle growth. Support staff is in place, as are other necessary environmental resources. The immediate problem would be to transfer patients from one center to another. Through a planned transition program being driven by the therapists, it should occur without too much difficulty or confusion.
The chart and table depict a modest 18% growth rate for the second year, and a 23% growth rate for the third year. The second year growth rate will be the result of adding additional therapy hours. The third year growth will be a result of adding therapy contracts. We are in the process of negotiating with Harbor Schools to provide on sight therapy services.
Sales Forecast | |||
Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | |
Unit Sales | |||
Psychotherapy | 5,784 | 6,792 | 7,374 |
Psychopharmacology/MD | 2,520 | 3,264 | 3,950 |
Psychopharmacology/CNS | 1,391 | 1,920 | 2,332 |
Addictions/3 hr IOP | 310 | 310 | 450 |
Addictions/1hr IOP | 588 | 588 | 538 |
Contracts | 0 | 0 | 2,000 |
Other | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Total Unit Sales | 10,593 | 12,874 | 16,644 |
Unit Prices | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 |
Psychotherapy | $59.52 | $59.52 | $59.52 |
Psychopharmacology/MD | $40.92 | $40.92 | $40.92 |
Psychopharmacology/CNS | $32.55 | $32.55 | $32.55 |
Addictions/3 hr IOP | $77.19 | $77.19 | $77.19 |
Addictions/1hr IOP | $22.32 | $22.32 | $22.32 |
Contracts | $0.00 | $0.00 | $59.52 |
Other | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Sales | |||
Psychotherapy | $344,264 | $404,260 | $438,900 |
Psychopharmacology/MD | $103,118 | $133,563 | $161,634 |
Psychopharmacology/CNS | $45,277 | $62,496 | $75,907 |
Addictions/3 hr IOP | $23,929 | $23,929 | $34,736 |
Addictions/1hr IOP | $13,124 | $13,124 | $12,008 |
Contracts | $0 | $0 | $119,040 |
Other | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Total Sales | $529,712 | $637,372 | $842,225 |
Direct Unit Costs | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 |
Psychotherapy | $35.71 | $35.71 | $35.71 |
Psychopharmacology/MD | $28.64 | $28.64 | $28.64 |
Psychopharmacology/CNS | $19.53 | $19.53 | $19.53 |
Addictions/3 hr IOP | $13.12 | $27.02 | $27.02 |
Addictions/1hr IOP | $4.91 | $6.47 | $6.47 |
Contracts | $0.00 | $0.00 | $35.71 |
Other | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Direct Cost of Sales | |||
Psychotherapy | $206,558 | $242,542 | $263,326 |
Psychopharmacology/MD | $72,183 | $93,481 | $113,128 |
Psychopharmacology/CNS | $27,166 | $37,498 | $45,544 |
Addictions/3 hr IOP | $4,068 | $8,376 | $12,159 |
Addictions/1hr IOP | $2,887 | $3,804 | $3,481 |
Contracts | $0 | $0 | $71,420 |
Other | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Subtotal Direct Cost of Sales | $312,863 | $385,701 | $509,057 |
If the Center is going to compete effectively, it will need to clearly define its value-added benefits. Our goal is to meet and exceed the needs of our customers: consumers, staff and associates, payors, consultants, and other referral sources. Previously, we discussed the needs of our customer. These needs will drive the value-added philosophy and marketing strategy.
Our competitive edge is our associates and staff affiliations. Our associates and staff spread the company proposition, “our mission is to meet/exceed customer’s expectations.” Our affiliations with the Anna Jaques Hospital and other medical group practices allows us to interface easily with a strong referral base. Hard work, integrity, accessibility, experience, quality service, and customer satisfaction are the factors influencing our competitive edge. When the customers call the Center, they will get a real person, not a voice mail message.
Target marketing of our services is critical to growth. Strategies will include:
Marketing tools will include: direct mail, print and audio advertising, public speaking, and relationship building with identified managed care corporations and persons.
Multiple strategies will be used to promote the Center. Throughout the promotional strategy, our focus will be on selling the Center. The types of promotions will include:
It is our goal to enhance our image and reputation by being responsive, accessible, and by providing quality treatment. By building relationships, we will cultivate our image with case managers and network managers of identified managed care organizations.
Pricing for the services provided by the Center is market driven. Our fee structure is based upon a survey of existing MCOs and other payors. In order to operate profitably under these prices, it is imperative that the Center monitor and control costs. Behavioral health industry watchers believe that there is at least a 15% range of variation in what certain managed care companies will pay different providers for a given service. Our goal is to obtain the highest price within the competitive range by convincing the payor that we have a service to offer which exceeds that of our competitor. A possible example of this is creative bundling.
Strategic alliances are critical to the goals of the Center, and include selling more services and strengthening our relationship with all our customers. If we are to meet our strategic goals, we must have a strong, continued alliance with Anna Jaques Hospital. Concurrently, we must strengthen and develop our relationship with our referral networks, especially medical groups within the Anna Jaques System and the surrounding community.
The Center’s organizational structure is based upon a shared services model. The founding president/director of the Center has an accumulated twenty years of administrative, management, and clinical experience in the human service and behavioral health industry. The management philosophy is based upon open-book management, shared responsibility, and mutual respect.
The founding president/director will manage the company. Since the company is organized as a shared service model, relationships will be a key variable in setting the direction of the Center. There will be an advisory board composed of four leaders in the field of behavioral health, managed care, organizational dynamics, and a consumer.
An advisory management group, consisting of the Center’s staff, will meet on a regular basis to review the Center’s financial structure, identify customer relations issues, and develop future goals for growth, marketing, and sales. This group will be assigned the task of developing a plan to implement and integrate a Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) component and culture into a private practice Shared Service Model (SSM). A customer relations committee will be formed to brainstorm, formulate ideas, plan and implement activities to enhance levels of satisfaction among all customers. The organizational chart follows:
Amesbury Psychological Center |
| |
| Organizational Chart |
|
ADVISORY BOARD | CENTER DIRECTOR | CONSULTANTS |
SUPPORT STAFF | ASSOCIATES | MEDICAL DIRECTOR |
| MEDICAL STAFF |
|
| THERAPISTS |
|
| ADDICTION STAFF |
|
| CONTRACTS STAFF |
The proposed personnel team includes the individuals listed below. It will involve one to three consultants, a five member advisory board composed of professionals, and a consumer and CQI team composed of associates and staff. Dr. John Nestor will be the president and director. He has an extensive employment history in program start-up, budgeting, and program development. The advisory board includes:
**Names have been removed for confidentiality
At present, we are in the process of identifying a financial services company and consultants for several other areas.
The personnel plan reflects the needs of a shared service model for a multidisciplinary behavioral health center. It should be noted that benefits are provided to those personnel designated as salaried or hourly employees who work more than 30 hours per week. Associates will be paid a predetermined percentage of their collectible fees. Employees will be paid every two weeks. Associates will be able to draw the first paycheck and reconcile the second paycheck each month.
Human resources, legal, fiscal billing, and marketing/sales will be out sourced. We are in the process of identifying a human resource company and a billing/collection company. The billing company will be paid a percent of fees collected with a goal of collecting at least 93% of that billed. Thought will be given to other risk variables to be included in the contract. The costs for the Human Resource services are not determined as of this writing.
The president/director’s compensation will be a combined package that includes 75% administrative salary and 25% from clinical work.
Personnel Plan | |||
Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | |
Center Director (.75 FTE) | $41,244 | $42,481 | $43,755 |
Client Accounts Coord. (.75 FTE) | $23,244 | $23,941 | $24,659 |
Secretary/Recep (1 FTE) | $24,000 | $24,720 | $25,462 |
Receptionist (.50 FTE) | $11,256 | $11,594 | $12,302 |
Total People | 4 | 4 | 4 |
Total Payroll | $99,744 | $102,736 | $106,178 |
The financial plan for this turn key project is presented in detail in the following sections. There are three important factors in the financial plan:
There are several assumptions related to this turn key project.
The following table summarizes the general financial assumptions.
General Assumptions | |||
Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | |
Plan Month | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Current Interest Rate | 9.75% | 9.75% | 9.75% |
Long-term Interest Rate | 9.75% | 9.75% | 9.75% |
Tax Rate | 2.50% | 0.00% | 2.50% |
Other | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The following benchmark chart indicates our key financial indicators for the first three years of operation. We see significant growth during fiscal year 2001, as compared to the previous fiscal year. Units of service are projected to increase by approximately 75%. The growth during fiscal year 2001 is reasonable in that the existing pharmacology will continue with the pharmacology and three pharmacology/therapists will transfer to the pharmacology with their clients from a center that is closing in the community. A recent medical graduate psychiatrist will join our Center as of July 2000. We will recruit one to two pharmacology nurse specialists during the fiscal year 2001. The Center will double in size during its first fiscal year, as compared to its previous level of operation. During the second fiscal year the growth rate will be approximately 18%. During the third year of operation it will grow at a rate of 23%. This growth will be a result of securing contracts with local human service agencies. Although the rate of expected receipts remains the same during the next two years, it is expected to improve during the third year with new contracts, and experience and familiarity with the new billing system. A financial goal is to be debt-free by the end of the fourth year of operation.
Similiarly, collection days remains the same during the next three years. However, efforts will be made to improve this variable with the use of electronic billing.
As sales of services increase, operating costs will rise as well. Every effort will be made to contain these costs proportionately. There are no actual or projected significant increases evident. The variable costs will increase during the third year as we need to hire new staff for the projected contracts. The hiring will not be concluded until the contracts are signed so as to avoid any unnecessary spending.
The following chart and table summarize the Center’s Break-even Analysis. These figures and assumptions are fairly well represented since they are based upon actual historical data. Cost control and production improvement will ensure profitability.
Break-even Analysis | |
Monthly Units Break-even | 752 |
Monthly Revenue Break-even | $37,618 |
Assumptions: | |
Average Per-Unit Revenue | $50.01 |
Average Per-Unit Variable Cost | $29.53 |
Estimated Monthly Fixed Cost | $15,400 |
The following table shows the projected profit and loss statement. Projected sales increased from approximately $530,000 the first year of operation to more than $637,000 the second year and more than $842,000 the third year. The third year growth is a result of additional units of service gained through a contract with a local residential program.
Pro Forma Profit and Loss | |||
Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | |
Sales | $529,712 | $637,372 | $842,225 |
Direct Cost of Sales | $312,863 | $385,701 | $509,057 |
Other | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Total Cost of Sales | $312,863 | $385,701 | $509,057 |
Gross Margin | $216,850 | $251,670 | $333,167 |
Gross Margin % | 40.94% | 39.49% | 39.56% |
Expenses | |||
Payroll | $99,744 | $102,736 | $106,178 |
Marketing/Promotion | $7,700 | $10,500 | $11,100 |
Depreciation | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Leased Equipment | $3,000 | $3,000 | $3,500 |
Billing Fees (6% of billed plus 1.5% copays) | $22,951 | $31,869 | $42,111 |
Insurance | $3,500 | $3,600 | $3,600 |
Rent | $10,992 | $11,000 | $26,400 |
Human Resource/HR Logic | $6,000 | $6,000 | $6,000 |
Med Dir.,Multidisc.,RNCS Sup. | $10,000 | $12,000 | $12,000 |
Telephone | $6,000 | $6,500 | $7,000 |
Postage | $1,050 | $1,300 | $1,400 |
Office Supplies | $3,860 | $4,110 | $4,200 |
Payroll Taxes | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Contract/Consultants | $10,000 | $10,000 | $10,000 |
Total Operating Expenses | $184,797 | $202,615 | $233,489 |
Profit Before Interest and Taxes | $32,053 | $49,055 | $99,678 |
EBITDA | $32,053 | $49,055 | $99,678 |
Interest Expense | $4,400 | $3,436 | $2,260 |
Taxes Incurred | $1,103 | $0 | $2,435 |
Net Profit | $26,550 | $45,619 | $94,983 |
Net Profit/Sales | 5.01% | 7.16% | 11.28% |
The following chart and table summarize the Center’s cash flow. The projections are a combination of short-term borrowing and Center receipts. Cash flow is obviously critical to the Center’s success. The monthly cash flow, as shown in the table, generally improves from month to month. The chart and table reveal a positive cash flow as operations move beyond the seventh month and steadily continues thereafter.
Pro Forma Cash Flow | |||
Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | |
Cash Received | |||
Cash from Operations | |||
Cash Sales | $52,971 | $63,737 | $84,222 |
Cash from Receivables | $356,266 | $557,202 | $724,642 |
Subtotal Cash from Operations | $409,237 | $620,940 | $808,864 |
Additional Cash Received | |||
Sales Tax, VAT, HST/GST Received | $0 | $0 | $0 |
New Current Borrowing | $0 | $0 | $0 |
New Other Liabilities (interest-free) | $0 | $0 | $0 |
New Long-term Liabilities | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Sales of Other Current Assets | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Sales of Long-term Assets | $0 | $0 | $0 |
New Investment Received | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Subtotal Cash Received | $409,237 | $620,940 | $808,864 |
Expenditures | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 |
Expenditures from Operations | |||
Cash Spending | $99,744 | $102,736 | $106,178 |
Bill Payments | $369,968 | $482,273 | $628,567 |
Subtotal Spent on Operations | $469,712 | $585,010 | $734,744 |
Additional Cash Spent | |||
Sales Tax, VAT, HST/GST Paid Out | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Principal Repayment of Current Borrowing | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Other Liabilities Principal Repayment | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Long-term Liabilities Principal Repayment | $9,000 | $11,515 | $12,620 |
Purchase Other Current Assets | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Purchase Long-term Assets | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Dividends | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Subtotal Cash Spent | $478,712 | $596,525 | $747,364 |
Net Cash Flow | ($69,475) | $24,415 | $61,500 |
Cash Balance | $31,525 | $55,940 | $117,439 |
The following table shows the projected balance sheet. The monthly estimates are included in the appendix.
Pro Forma Balance Sheet | |||
Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | |
Assets | |||
Current Assets | |||
Cash | $31,525 | $55,940 | $117,439 |
Accounts Receivable | $120,475 | $136,908 | $170,268 |
Other Current Assets | $5,000 | $5,000 | $5,000 |
Total Current Assets | $157,000 | $197,847 | $292,708 |
Long-term Assets | |||
Long-term Assets | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Accumulated Depreciation | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Total Long-term Assets | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Total Assets | $157,000 | $197,847 | $292,708 |
Liabilities and Capital | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 |
Current Liabilities | |||
Accounts Payable | $33,450 | $40,193 | $52,690 |
Current Borrowing | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Other Current Liabilities | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Subtotal Current Liabilities | $33,450 | $40,193 | $52,690 |
Long-term Liabilities | $41,000 | $29,485 | $16,865 |
Total Liabilities | $74,450 | $69,678 | $69,555 |
Paid-in Capital | $65,000 | $65,000 | $65,000 |
Retained Earnings | ($9,000) | $17,550 | $63,169 |
Earnings | $26,550 | $45,619 | $94,983 |
Total Capital | $82,550 | $128,169 | $223,153 |
Total Liabilities and Capital | $157,000 | $197,847 | $292,708 |
Net Worth | $82,550 | $128,169 | $223,153 |
The following table shows the projected business ratios as determined by the Standard Industry Classification (SIC) Index code 8063 for the mental health center industry.
Ratio Analysis | ||||
Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Industry Profile | |
Sales Growth | 0.00% | 20.32% | 32.14% | 2.30% |
Percent of Total Assets | ||||
Accounts Receivable | 76.74% | 69.20% | 58.17% | 25.20% |
Other Current Assets | 3.18% | 2.53% | 1.71% | 33.00% |
Total Current Assets | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 60.00% |
Long-term Assets | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 40.00% |
Total Assets | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
Current Liabilities | 21.31% | 20.32% | 18.00% | 23.10% |
Long-term Liabilities | 26.11% | 14.90% | 5.76% | 19.60% |
Total Liabilities | 47.42% | 35.22% | 23.76% | 42.70% |
Net Worth | 52.58% | 64.78% | 76.24% | 57.30% |
Percent of Sales | ||||
Sales | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
Gross Margin | 40.94% | 39.49% | 39.56% | 0.00% |
Selling, General & Administrative Expenses | 39.65% | 36.14% | 32.27% | 73.80% |
Advertising Expenses | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.40% |
Profit Before Interest and Taxes | 6.05% | 7.70% | 11.84% | 8.90% |
Main Ratios | ||||
Current | 4.69 | 4.92 | 5.56 | 2.45 |
Quick | 4.69 | 4.92 | 5.56 | 1.95 |
Total Debt to Total Assets | 47.42% | 35.22% | 23.76% | 42.70% |
Pre-tax Return on Net Worth | 33.50% | 35.59% | 43.66% | 8.10% |
Pre-tax Return on Assets | 17.61% | 23.06% | 33.28% | 14.20% |
Additional Ratios | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | |
Net Profit Margin | 5.01% | 7.16% | 11.28% | n.a |
Return on Equity | 32.16% | 35.59% | 42.56% | n.a |
Activity Ratios | ||||
Accounts Receivable Turnover | 3.96 | 4.19 | 4.45 | n.a |
Collection Days | 83 | 82 | 74 | n.a |
Accounts Payable Turnover | 12.06 | 12.17 | 12.17 | n.a |
Payment Days | 27 | 27 | 26 | n.a |
Total Asset Turnover | 3.37 | 3.22 | 2.88 | n.a |
Debt Ratios | ||||
Debt to Net Worth | 0.90 | 0.54 | 0.31 | n.a |
Current Liab. to Liab. | 0.45 | 0.58 | 0.76 | n.a |
Liquidity Ratios | ||||
Net Working Capital | $123,550 | $157,654 | $240,018 | n.a |
Interest Coverage | 7.29 | 14.28 | 44.11 | n.a |
Additional Ratios | ||||
Assets to Sales | 0.30 | 0.31 | 0.35 | n.a |
Current Debt/Total Assets | 21% | 20% | 18% | n.a |
Acid Test | 1.09 | 1.52 | 2.32 | n.a |
Sales/Net Worth | 6.42 | 4.97 | 3.77 | n.a |
Dividend Payout | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | n.a |
Sales Forecast | |||||||||||||
Month 1 | Month 2 | Month 3 | Month 4 | Month 5 | Month 6 | Month 7 | Month 8 | Month 9 | Month 10 | Month 11 | Month 12 | ||
Unit Sales | |||||||||||||
Psychotherapy | 0% | 482 | 482 | 482 | 482 | 482 | 482 | 482 | 482 | 482 | 482 | 482 | 482 |
Psychopharmacology/MD | 0% | 210 | 210 | 210 | 210 | 210 | 210 | 210 | 210 | 210 | 210 | 210 | 210 |
Psychopharmacology/CNS | 0% | 86 | 86 | 86 | 86 | 86 | 86 | 146 | 146 | 146 | 146 | 146 | 146 |
Addictions/3 hr IOP | 0% | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 |
Addictions/1hr IOP | 0% | 49 | 49 | 49 | 49 | 49 | 49 | 49 | 49 | 49 | 49 | 49 | 49 |
Contracts | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Other | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Total Unit Sales | 853 | 853 | 853 | 853 | 853 | 853 | 913 | 913 | 913 | 913 | 913 | 913 | |
Unit Prices | Month 1 | Month 2 | Month 3 | Month 4 | Month 5 | Month 6 | Month 7 | Month 8 | Month 9 | Month 10 | Month 11 | Month 12 | |
Psychotherapy | $64.00 | $59.52 | $59.52 | $59.52 | $59.52 | $59.52 | $59.52 | $59.52 | $59.52 | $59.52 | $59.52 | $59.52 | $59.52 |
Psychopharmacology/MD | $44.00 | $40.92 | $40.92 | $40.92 | $40.92 | $40.92 | $40.92 | $40.92 | $40.92 | $40.92 | $40.92 | $40.92 | $40.92 |
Psychopharmacology/CNS | $35.00 | $32.55 | $32.55 | $32.55 | $32.55 | $32.55 | $32.55 | $32.55 | $32.55 | $32.55 | $32.55 | $32.55 | $32.55 |
Addictions/3 hr IOP | $83.00 | $77.19 | $77.19 | $77.19 | $77.19 | $77.19 | $77.19 | $77.19 | $77.19 | $77.19 | $77.19 | $77.19 | $77.19 |
Addictions/1hr IOP | $24.00 | $22.32 | $22.32 | $22.32 | $22.32 | $22.32 | $22.32 | $22.32 | $22.32 | $22.32 | $22.32 | $22.32 | $22.32 |
Contracts | $64.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Other | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | |
Sales | |||||||||||||
Psychotherapy | $28,689 | $28,689 | $28,689 | $28,689 | $28,689 | $28,689 | $28,689 | $28,689 | $28,689 | $28,689 | $28,689 | $28,689 | |
Psychopharmacology/MD | $8,593 | $8,593 | $8,593 | $8,593 | $8,593 | $8,593 | $8,593 | $8,593 | $8,593 | $8,593 | $8,593 | $8,593 | |
Psychopharmacology/CNS | $2,794 | $2,794 | $2,794 | $2,794 | $2,794 | $2,794 | $4,752 | $4,752 | $4,752 | $4,752 | $4,752 | $4,752 | |
Addictions/3 hr IOP | $1,994 | $1,994 | $1,994 | $1,994 | $1,994 | $1,994 | $1,994 | $1,994 | $1,994 | $1,994 | $1,994 | $1,994 | |
Addictions/1hr IOP | $1,094 | $1,094 | $1,094 | $1,094 | $1,094 | $1,094 | $1,094 | $1,094 | $1,094 | $1,094 | $1,094 | $1,094 | |
Contracts | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |
Other | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |
Total Sales | $43,163 | $43,163 | $43,163 | $43,163 | $43,163 | $43,163 | $45,122 | $45,122 | $45,122 | $45,122 | $45,122 | $45,122 | |
Direct Unit Costs | Month 1 | Month 2 | Month 3 | Month 4 | Month 5 | Month 6 | Month 7 | Month 8 | Month 9 | Month 10 | Month 11 | Month 12 | |
Psychotherapy | 60.00% | $35.71 | $35.71 | $35.71 | $35.71 | $35.71 | $35.71 | $35.71 | $35.71 | $35.71 | $35.71 | $35.71 | $35.71 |
Psychopharmacology/MD | 70.00% | $28.64 | $28.64 | $28.64 | $28.64 | $28.64 | $28.64 | $28.64 | $28.64 | $28.64 | $28.64 | $28.64 | $28.64 |
Psychopharmacology/CNS | 60.00% | $19.53 | $19.53 | $19.53 | $19.53 | $19.53 | $19.53 | $19.53 | $19.53 | $19.53 | $19.53 | $19.53 | $19.53 |
Addictions/3 hr IOP | 17.00% | $13.12 | $13.12 | $13.12 | $13.12 | $13.12 | $13.12 | $13.12 | $13.12 | $13.12 | $13.12 | $13.12 | $13.12 |
Addictions/1hr IOP | 22.00% | $4.91 | $4.91 | $4.91 | $4.91 | $4.91 | $4.91 | $4.91 | $4.91 | $4.91 | $4.91 | $4.91 | $4.91 |
Contracts | 60.00% | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Other | 0.00% | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Direct Cost of Sales | |||||||||||||
Psychotherapy | $17,213 | $17,213 | $17,213 | $17,213 | $17,213 | $17,213 | $17,213 | $17,213 | $17,213 | $17,213 | $17,213 | $17,213 | |
Psychopharmacology/MD | $6,015 | $6,015 | $6,015 | $6,015 | $6,015 | $6,015 | $6,015 | $6,015 | $6,015 | $6,015 | $6,015 | $6,015 | |
Psychopharmacology/CNS | $1,676 | $1,676 | $1,676 | $1,676 | $1,676 | $1,676 | $2,851 | $2,851 | $2,851 | $2,851 | $2,851 | $2,851 | |
Addictions/3 hr IOP | $339 | $339 | $339 | $339 | $339 | $339 | $339 | $339 | $339 | $339 | $339 | $339 | |
Addictions/1hr IOP | $241 | $241 | $241 | $241 | $241 | $241 | $241 | $241 | $241 | $241 | $241 | $241 | |
Contracts | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |
Other | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |
Subtotal Direct Cost of Sales | $25,484 | $25,484 | $25,484 | $25,484 | $25,484 | $25,484 | $26,659 | $26,659 | $26,659 | $26,659 | $26,659 | $26,659 |
General Assumptions | |||||||||||||
Month 1 | Month 2 | Month 3 | Month 4 | Month 5 | Month 6 | Month 7 | Month 8 | Month 9 | Month 10 | Month 11 | Month 12 | ||
Plan Month | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | |
Current Interest Rate | 9.75% | 9.75% | 9.75% | 9.75% | 9.75% | 9.75% | 9.75% | 9.75% | 9.75% | 9.75% | 9.75% | 9.75% | |
Long-term Interest Rate | 9.75% | 9.75% | 9.75% | 9.75% | 9.75% | 9.75% | 9.75% | 9.75% | 9.75% | 9.75% | 9.75% | 9.75% | |
Tax Rate | 30.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | |
Other | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Pro Forma Profit and Loss | |||||||||||||
Month 1 | Month 2 | Month 3 | Month 4 | Month 5 | Month 6 | Month 7 | Month 8 | Month 9 | Month 10 | Month 11 | Month 12 | ||
Sales | $43,163 | $43,163 | $43,163 | $43,163 | $43,163 | $43,163 | $45,122 | $45,122 | $45,122 | $45,122 | $45,122 | $45,122 | |
Direct Cost of Sales | $25,484 | $25,484 | $25,484 | $25,484 | $25,484 | $25,484 | $26,659 | $26,659 | $26,659 | $26,659 | $26,659 | $26,659 | |
Other | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |
Total Cost of Sales | $25,484 | $25,484 | $25,484 | $25,484 | $25,484 | $25,484 | $26,659 | $26,659 | $26,659 | $26,659 | $26,659 | $26,659 | |
Gross Margin | $17,679 | $17,679 | $17,679 | $17,679 | $17,679 | $17,679 | $18,462 | $18,462 | $18,462 | $18,462 | $18,462 | $18,462 | |
Gross Margin % | 40.96% | 40.96% | 40.96% | 40.96% | 40.96% | 40.96% | 40.92% | 40.92% | 40.92% | 40.92% | 40.92% | 40.92% | |
Expenses | |||||||||||||
Payroll | $8,312 | $8,312 | $8,312 | $8,312 | $8,312 | $8,312 | $8,312 | $8,312 | $8,312 | $8,312 | $8,312 | $8,312 | |
Marketing/Promotion | $675 | $675 | $675 | $675 | $675 | $625 | $625 | $625 | $625 | $625 | $625 | $575 | |
Depreciation | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |
Leased Equipment | $250 | $250 | $250 | $250 | $250 | $250 | $250 | $250 | $250 | $250 | $250 | $250 | |
Billing Fees (6% of billed plus 1.5% copays) | $53 | $665 | $1,685 | $2,093 | $2,096 | $2,104 | $2,131 | $2,174 | $2,217 | $2,385 | $2,628 | $2,720 | |
Insurance | $300 | $300 | $300 | $300 | $300 | $300 | $300 | $300 | $300 | $300 | $300 | $200 | |
Rent | $916 | $916 | $916 | $916 | $916 | $916 | $916 | $916 | $916 | $916 | $916 | $916 | |
Human Resource/HR Logic | $500 | $500 | $500 | $500 | $500 | $500 | $500 | $500 | $500 | $500 | $500 | $500 | |
Med Dir.,Multidisc.,RNCS Sup. | $833 | $833 | $833 | $833 | $833 | $833 | $833 | $833 | $833 | $833 | $833 | $833 | |
Telephone | $500 | $500 | $500 | $500 | $500 | $500 | $500 | $500 | $500 | $500 | $500 | $500 | |
Postage | $100 | $100 | $100 | $100 | $100 | $100 | $100 | $100 | $100 | $50 | $50 | $50 | |
Office Supplies | $330 | $330 | $330 | $330 | $330 | $330 | $330 | $330 | $330 | $330 | $330 | $230 | |
Payroll Taxes | 15% | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Contract/Consultants | $833 | $833 | $833 | $833 | $833 | $833 | $833 | $833 | $833 | $833 | $833 | $837 | |
Total Operating Expenses | $13,602 | $14,214 | $15,234 | $15,642 | $15,645 | $15,603 | $15,630 | $15,673 | $15,716 | $15,834 | $16,077 | $15,923 | |
Profit Before Interest and Taxes | $4,077 | $3,465 | $2,445 | $2,037 | $2,034 | $2,076 | $2,832 | $2,789 | $2,746 | $2,628 | $2,385 | $2,539 | |
EBITDA | $4,077 | $3,465 | $2,445 | $2,037 | $2,034 | $2,076 | $2,832 | $2,789 | $2,746 | $2,628 | $2,385 | $2,539 | |
Interest Expense | $400 | $394 | $388 | $382 | $376 | $370 | $364 | $358 | $351 | $345 | $339 | $333 | |
Taxes Incurred | $1,103 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |
Net Profit | $2,574 | $3,071 | $2,057 | $1,655 | $1,658 | $1,706 | $2,469 | $2,432 | $2,395 | $2,283 | $2,046 | $2,206 | |
Net Profit/Sales | 5.96% | 7.11% | 4.77% | 3.83% | 3.84% | 3.95% | 5.47% | 5.39% | 5.31% | 5.06% | 4.53% | 4.89% |
Pro Forma Cash Flow | |||||||||||||
Month 1 | Month 2 | Month 3 | Month 4 | Month 5 | Month 6 | Month 7 | Month 8 | Month 9 | Month 10 | Month 11 | Month 12 | ||
Cash Received | |||||||||||||
Cash from Operations | |||||||||||||
Cash Sales | $4,316 | $4,316 | $4,316 | $4,316 | $4,316 | $4,316 | $4,512 | $4,512 | $4,512 | $4,512 | $4,512 | $4,512 | |
Cash from Receivables | $0 | $0 | $1,295 | $38,847 | $38,847 | $38,847 | $38,847 | $38,847 | $38,906 | $40,610 | $40,610 | $40,610 | |
Subtotal Cash from Operations | $4,316 | $4,316 | $5,611 | $43,163 | $43,163 | $43,163 | $43,359 | $43,359 | $43,418 | $45,122 | $45,122 | $45,122 | |
Additional Cash Received | |||||||||||||
Sales Tax, VAT, HST/GST Received | 0.00% | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
New Current Borrowing | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |
New Other Liabilities (interest-free) | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |
New Long-term Liabilities | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |
Sales of Other Current Assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |
Sales of Long-term Assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |
New Investment Received | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |
Subtotal Cash Received | $4,316 | $4,316 | $5,611 | $43,163 | $43,163 | $43,163 | $43,359 | $43,359 | $43,418 | $45,122 | $45,122 | $45,122 | |
Expenditures | Month 1 | Month 2 | Month 3 | Month 4 | Month 5 | Month 6 | Month 7 | Month 8 | Month 9 | Month 10 | Month 11 | Month 12 | |
Expenditures from Operations | |||||||||||||
Cash Spending | $8,312 | $8,312 | $8,312 | $8,312 | $8,312 | $8,312 | $8,312 | $8,312 | $8,312 | $8,312 | $8,312 | $8,312 | |
Bill Payments | $1,076 | $32,261 | $31,815 | $32,808 | $33,196 | $33,192 | $33,185 | $34,343 | $34,379 | $34,419 | $34,535 | $34,759 | |
Subtotal Spent on Operations | $9,388 | $40,573 | $40,127 | $41,120 | $41,508 | $41,504 | $41,497 | $42,655 | $42,691 | $42,731 | $42,847 | $43,071 | |
Additional Cash Spent | |||||||||||||
Sales Tax, VAT, HST/GST Paid Out | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |
Principal Repayment of Current Borrowing | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |
Other Liabilities Principal Repayment | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |
Long-term Liabilities Principal Repayment | $750 | $750 | $750 | $750 | $750 | $750 | $750 | $750 | $750 | $750 | $750 | $750 | |
Purchase Other Current Assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |
Purchase Long-term Assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |
Dividends | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |
Subtotal Cash Spent | $10,138 | $41,323 | $40,877 | $41,870 | $42,258 | $42,254 | $42,247 | $43,405 | $43,441 | $43,481 | $43,597 | $43,821 | |
Net Cash Flow | ($5,822) | ($37,007) | ($35,265) | $1,293 | $905 | $910 | $1,112 | ($45) | ($23) | $1,641 | $1,525 | $1,301 | |
Cash Balance | $95,178 | $58,172 | $22,906 | $24,200 | $25,105 | $26,014 | $27,126 | $27,081 | $27,058 | $28,699 | $30,224 | $31,525 |
Pro Forma Balance Sheet | |||||||||||||
Month 1 | Month 2 | Month 3 | Month 4 | Month 5 | Month 6 | Month 7 | Month 8 | Month 9 | Month 10 | Month 11 | Month 12 | ||
Assets | Starting Balances | ||||||||||||
Current Assets | |||||||||||||
Cash | $101,000 | $95,178 | $58,172 | $22,906 | $24,200 | $25,105 | $26,014 | $27,126 | $27,081 | $27,058 | $28,699 | $30,224 | $31,525 |
Accounts Receivable | $0 | $38,847 | $77,694 | $115,246 | $115,246 | $115,246 | $115,246 | $117,009 | $118,772 | $120,475 | $120,475 | $120,475 | $120,475 |
Other Current Assets | $5,000 | $5,000 | $5,000 | $5,000 | $5,000 | $5,000 | $5,000 | $5,000 | $5,000 | $5,000 | $5,000 | $5,000 | $5,000 |
Total Current Assets | $106,000 | $139,026 | $140,866 | $143,153 | $144,446 | $145,351 | $146,261 | $149,135 | $150,853 | $152,533 | $154,174 | $155,699 | $157,000 |
Long-term Assets | |||||||||||||
Long-term Assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Accumulated Depreciation | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Total Long-term Assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Total Assets | $106,000 | $139,026 | $140,866 | $143,153 | $144,446 | $145,351 | $146,261 | $149,135 | $150,853 | $152,533 | $154,174 | $155,699 | $157,000 |
Liabilities and Capital | Month 1 | Month 2 | Month 3 | Month 4 | Month 5 | Month 6 | Month 7 | Month 8 | Month 9 | Month 10 | Month 11 | Month 12 | |
Current Liabilities | |||||||||||||
Accounts Payable | $0 | $31,202 | $30,721 | $31,701 | $32,090 | $32,087 | $32,041 | $33,197 | $33,232 | $33,268 | $33,376 | $33,605 | $33,450 |
Current Borrowing | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Other Current Liabilities | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Subtotal Current Liabilities | $0 | $31,202 | $30,721 | $31,701 | $32,090 | $32,087 | $32,041 | $33,197 | $33,232 | $33,268 | $33,376 | $33,605 | $33,450 |
Long-term Liabilities | $50,000 | $49,250 | $48,500 | $47,750 | $47,000 | $46,250 | $45,500 | $44,750 | $44,000 | $43,250 | $42,500 | $41,750 | $41,000 |
Total Liabilities | $50,000 | $80,452 | $79,221 | $79,451 | $79,090 | $78,337 | $77,541 | $77,947 | $77,232 | $76,518 | $75,876 | $75,355 | $74,450 |
Paid-in Capital | $65,000 | $65,000 | $65,000 | $65,000 | $65,000 | $65,000 | $65,000 | $65,000 | $65,000 | $65,000 | $65,000 | $65,000 | $65,000 |
Retained Earnings | ($9,000) | ($9,000) | ($9,000) | ($9,000) | ($9,000) | ($9,000) | ($9,000) | ($9,000) | ($9,000) | ($9,000) | ($9,000) | ($9,000) | ($9,000) |
Earnings | $0 | $2,574 | $5,644 | $7,701 | $9,356 | $11,014 | $12,720 | $15,189 | $17,620 | $20,015 | $22,298 | $24,344 | $26,550 |
Total Capital | $56,000 | $58,574 | $61,644 | $63,701 | $65,356 | $67,014 | $68,720 | $71,189 | $73,620 | $76,015 | $78,298 | $80,344 | $82,550 |
Total Liabilities and Capital | $106,000 | $139,026 | $140,866 | $143,153 | $144,446 | $145,351 | $146,261 | $149,135 | $150,853 | $152,533 | $154,174 | $155,699 | $157,000 |
Net Worth | $56,000 | $58,574 | $61,644 | $63,701 | $65,356 | $67,014 | $68,720 | $71,189 | $73,620 | $76,015 | $78,298 | $80,344 | $82,550 |
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Becoming the Mental Gym Trainer: A Journey to Open a Sanctuary of Enlightenment and Healing
Related business ideas, discover your perfect domain, counseling center mini business plan, expected percent margins:, earnings expectations:, actions to hit those numbers:, operations:, management of counselors:, marketing and client acquisition:, quality of service:, cost control:, not what you had in mind here are more ideas, grab your business website name, step 1: determine if starting a counseling center is the right business endeavor, breakdown of startup expenses, breakdown of ongoing expenses, examples of ways to make money, step 2: naming the business, registering the business, creating a logo, designing a website, step 3: obtain necessary licenses and permits, apply for licenses and permits, obtain professional licenses, maintain licenses and permits, step 4: develop a business plan, outline goals and objectives, estimate startup costs, step 5: secure financing, consider small business loans, explore grants, step 6: find a suitable location, research local regulations, consider the space, look for amenities, step 7: hire employees, step 8: market the business, step 9: monitor business performance, explore more categories, take the next steps.
Last week, Howard Baumgarten of Smart Practice Central joined me to share his expertise with the CounselingWise community. In the webinar, he talked about the importance of having a private practice business plan for counseling, as well as what goes into creating one.
One of the things I took away from his presentation was to be successful, you need to be prepared, and you need to have a plan.
As the owner of a small business myself, I know that having a solid plan in place has been a vital aspect of CounselingWise’s growth and success. I’ve found that having a plan is what drives a business forward to achieve its goals . Without a plan, as Howard mentions, you are less successful.
During the webinar, Howard talked about the 11 different parts (or “modules”) of a business plan . Each part is equally important and pieces together an organized view of any business. Today, I am going to highlight five parts of Howard’s business plan. To learn about the other six (equally as important) parts, be sure to check out the webinar replay here .
Before we dive into the different parts of a successful business plan, I want to lead you with something to think about. During the webinar, Howard advised, “ Think about your business plan as a matter of survival in your professional life . It’s an opportunity for you to really organize yourself and appraise what is going on in your business.”
1. the four c’s of your vision.
If you are familiar with the SWOT technique (a planning method use to evaluate your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats), then the 4 C’s will be something you relate to .
Because he didn’t want to focus on a person’s weaknesses or threats, Howard viewed this planning method through a different colored lens.
The 4 C’s stand for:
This piece of the counseling business plan is key to evaluating your practice from a personal and professional level.
Take out a pen and paper and jot down all of the above as they apply to you. Get a piece of paper and breaking it into four columns. In each column, write down your professional and personal capabilities, challenges, chances and concerns. One thing to keep in mind—it’s okay to have the same thing in multiple categories.
By having your capabilities, challenges, chances, and concerns outlined on paper, you can better plan for the future of your practice and your personal life .
It forces you to take what’s kind of hazy and abstract in your head and makes it a tangible reality. That way then you know where you stand and how to move forward with your vision for your practice.
The next part of the private practice counseling business plan I want to highlight is your mission statement. In Howard’s presentation, he said to ask yourself…
“What is my purpose? What was I born to do? What do I really want to do? How do I want to affect the populations I am working with? What am I empowered to do?”
By answering the above questions, and really digging down into the meat of the reason you get up every morning , you will develop a wholehearted mission statement for your practice.
But what does developing a mission statement look like in practice?
For his therapy practice, Howard’s mission statement is, “ Build something new in order to change something old in order to grow .”
One thing to keep in mind when writing your own mission statement…
Make sure you are writing the statement in lay terms , and not professional/clinical terms. Try to stay away from words like “depression,” “anxiety,” etc. You are writing this not only for yourself, but also for your clients.
This is the who , what , when , where and why of your services as a private practitioner.
This part of the private practice business plan is key to giving you the clarity you need in terms of the services you provide , and the services you may want to offer in the future.
This part of the plan is powerful. It helps move you in terms of defining yourself and who you are. You will also draw from this part as your quick “this is what I do.”
As you are completing this part of your business plan, keep in mind that you will probably have three or four different sub-sections under each of these .
Answer each question for each service you offer or want to offer. Eventually, this will all be useful information that you’ll want to include on your website.
If you’re thinking ahead and want to use this exercise to generate content for your website, check out how to write informative specialty pages .
To grow professionally, it’s important to take care of yourself so you can grow personally.
In order to have a healthy work-life balance, you will want to focus on 4 main areas :
Think of things that are important to you on a personal level and write them down. Personal growth is a key piece of your business plan.
Because if you don’t grow yourself, how can you expect to grow your private practice? It all works in concert, together.
The Administration part of the private practice business plan can be hard, especially if you are used to being a one-person show.
And if you think you can run the show without any professional support throughout your entire career, you will be spread very thin .
As part of your counseling business plan, you need to create an administration plan to ensure you have the support you need to build a successful practice—and keep your sanity.
Think about the people who you currently have supporting your practice professionally. Then think about the people you may want to include in your group of practice professional support.
Naturally, some people may not be ready for this, so think about this part of your private practice counseling business plan when you are ready.
You know you’re ready when you say to yourself, “I am getting really sick and tired of doing this admin task, and I am now in a place where I can afford to hire someone to do it for me.”
By getting support, you free up emotional space so you can pursue things that drive your interests and passions . This is a vital piece to your professional growth.
Administrative support includes but is not limited to…
Each part of the counseling business plan that I discussed today is vital to a successful practice. Your business plan, however, really isn’t complete without the remaining six. To learn about all 11 parts, and to learn more from Howard about a successful business plan, watch the webinar replay here .
You can also download the Business Plan Template here .
One last tip : Don’t just write your plan and forget about it. Howard recommends going back every six or so months to revisit the plan and stick to your goals.
You can also watch my interview with Howard Baumgarten, founder of Smart Practice Central, below.
Enjoy the replay!
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In light of Google’s recent leak—which has been interesting to say the least—we’ve learned a lot, particularly how Private Practices can take advantage of what’s been revealed to refine their sites and improve their rankings. Happy for us, 90% of the leak confirmed what we already do. (Previously we had to base our strategy on experiment
On May 15, 2024, Google integrated AI into their search results for everybody. What this means is, if you head to Google and search for something like “anxiety,” you may now see an AI overview at the top of the results, which for me just defines the term. We’ve known this integration was coming for
Google Business Profile (GBP) verification can be an extremely frustrating process, and it’s likely to become more frustrating, especially since Google is increasingly relying on video verification. And not just for Private Practices. No matter the industry, Google is a pain. Even businesses that have been around for years are being forced to reverify their
Introjected values – carl jung’s theories on ego and self.
In Episode 235 of the Counselling Tutor Podcast, your hosts Rory Lees-Oakes and Ken Kelly are back with this week’s three topics:
This episode of counselling tutor podcast is sponsored by, webhealer.net.
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We start today with Rory and Ken discussing introjected values, and how these may present themselves in the therapy room.
The key points of this discussion include:
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Learn counselling techniques by seeing counselling skills used in real sessions by qualified therapists . Real sessions – real-life presentations – real skills.
In a discussion that will be continued in next week’s podcast, Rory and Ken list a few things that you might want to think about when making a business plan for your counselling service.
The main aspects of this discussion include:
Counsellor cpd library.
In this week’s ‘Practice Matters’, Rory speaks with Dr. Jessica Bockler about the theories of Carl Gustav Jung including the collective unconscious and archetypes.
NCS are really excited to have launched their Children and Young People Therapist Register for counsellors working with the younger age group.
Introjected Values
Advanced Certificate in Counselling Supervision
Basic Counselling Skills: A Student Guide
Counsellor CPD
Counselling Study Resource
Counselling Theory in Practice: A Student Guide
Counselling Tutor Shop
Facebook group
Online and Telephone Counselling: A Practitioner’s Guide
Online and Telephone Counselling Course
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Private counseling practice business plan sample.
Counselling practice is a business which belongs to the psychologists, social workers, and marriage counsellor’s industry. The business basically consists of mental health practitioners who particularly focus in diagnosing and treating emotional and behavioural disorders, mental disorders, etc.
If you are very interested in starting up a counselling practice business, and are at the point of writing a business plan for your business, then you must keep reading this article.
In this article, you will find a counselling business plan sample which you would find beneficial towards helping you write a simple business plan for your counselling business.
Need to write a plan for your venture? Download a FREE Business Plan PDF Sample to develop a template for your own startup.
Here is a sample business plan for starting a mental health business.
BUSINESS NAME: The Real Deal Private Counsellors, LLP
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Real Deal Private Counsellors, LLP is a duly registered and licensed counselling practice business which will do everything under the laws of the United States to operate in Las Vegas, United States. We will be very interested in providing our customers with a number of our amazing products and services which will include clinical psychology, marriage and family therapy, mental health social work, online counselling services, etc.
The Real Deal Private Counsellors, LLP will be owned and managed by Peter Baker, who will also be the CEO of the business. So far, Peter Bakers has been able to raise half of the startup budget which amounts to $100,000. The other half will be obtained as soft loan from the owner’s bank to complete a total of $200,000.
OUR PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
The Real Deal Private Counsellors, LLP will be offering psychology and counselling services within the scope of the industry to clients in the United States. The following are our product and service offerings which we will be providing our clients:
VISION STATEMENT
Our vision is to establish a private counselling practice business which will become very competitive in the industry, and be renowned as the leader in the industry not just in Las Vegas, but in all of the United States.
MISSION STATEMENT
Our mission is to be a private counselling practice business which will particularly provide professional, quality, and affordable services to clients from all walks of life. We are very concerned with building a counselling business which will become the number one choice for clients in all of the United States before our 10th year anniversary.
BUSINESS STRUCTURE
Our plan for The Real Deal Private Counsellors, LLP is to start it small and grow it big into the counselling practice business that we envisage, before we hit our 10th year anniversary. We well know how important building a strong business structure is to every business. This is why we will take out time to select only employees that meet our standard selection criteria of experience, commitment, hard work, honesty, amongst other things. The following are the positions we will employee qualified candidates to fill in our business structure.
MARKET ANALYSIS
Market Trend
One of the trends in the industry is that the industry has seen a steady growth in the last five years in the United States. Regardless of the economic status of the United States, the industry is one whose services are always needed at all times.
Target Market
The following groups are what we have considered to make up our target market in the industry:
SALES AND MARKETING STRATEGY
We know for a fact that there is stiff competition in the industry in the United States; hence, we will leave no stone unturned in our quest to promoting our business and setting it in its rightful position in the industry. We have been able to consult experts and we have come up with several sales and marketing strategies which we will do well to implement:
FINANCIAL PLAN Source of Startup Budget
Starting up our counselling practice business in Las Vegas would require a total of $200,000. This startup budget would be sourced from the owner, and from his bank. The owner, Peter Baker has been able to raise $100,000 while the other $100,000 will be sourced as soft loan from the owner’s bank.
SALES FORECAST
First Fiscal Year $200,000 Second Fiscal Year $400,000 Third Fiscal Year $800,000
Above is a sales projection for our counselling practice business which will be located in Las Vegas, United States.
This sales projection is only a calculated reflection of what we aim to achieve in our first three years of doing business after startup. This projection has not taken into consideration any negative future impact in the industry.
CONCLUSION This article contains a counselling practice business plan sample which bears the name, ‘The Real Deal Private Counsellors, LLP’. This business will be located in Las Vegas, United States, and it will be focused on offering a number of counselling services to its customers all over the United States. The business will be owned by Peter Baker, who will also be the Chairman Executive Officer of the business.
BUSINESS PLAN JUNIPER COUNSELING CENTER (JCC)
1600 West Main Street Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106
The Juniper Counseling Center (JCC) is a mental and health counseling/education center focusing on teen mothers, troubled children/youth, and senior citizens with mental/health issues. The business plan was developed for the purpose of a start-up business loan in the amount of $20,935.
Company summary, market analysis summary, strategy & implementation summary, management summary, financial plan.
The Juniper Counseling Center (JCC) is a mental and health counseling/education center focusing on teen mothers, troubled children/youth, and senior citizens with mental/health issues. JCC is located at 1600 West Main Street in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The business plan was developed for the purpose of a start-up business loan in the amount of $20,935. The total amount needed to open JCC is $26,935. The owner's investment is $6,000.
Our projected sales for 2002 is over $290,000 and our first year projected net profits are well over $40,000.
Juniper's keys to success include: marketing, service quality, growth potential, implementing an effective cash flow plan, achieving efficiency, running our counseling center professionally, and maintaining a serious business discipline in everything we do.
Mental and health counseling and educational training services, as shown in our plan, have an excellent profitability level and growth rate. Our competitive edge along with new counseling techniques put JCC in the forefront of counseling and educational services. We are living in an age where new techniques for mental and health counseling are in great demand. Our center will differ from the traditional counseling services because of our added personal touch.
Our objectives are to:
JCC's mission is to empower disadvantaged and disenfranchised individuals, families, and youths to take control of their destiny and function productively by providing them with the necessary skills to realize their dreams, through counseling, education, social skills training, motivation, and participating in the treatment of abnormal behaviors to become successful.
JCC's cash flow plan is to:
Our vision is to move Washtenaw County's disenfranchised population to a condition of empowerment and self-determination, by enabling them to employ innovative strategies to produce desirable actions that lead to healthy results. JCC is dedicated to the community it serves. Through seminars, therapeutic groups, individual, couples, and family counseling, the center strives to raise public awareness to the needs of at-risk residents within our community. Services are designed to strengthen and increase self-esteem, self-respect, and respect for others in society, promote health, and to address issues relating to improving the quality of their lives.
The founder and owner is Rolanda K. Walker, R.N., MSW, Ph.D. It is a privately owned corporation.
JCC will be located at 1600 West Main Street, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
The process of the JCC business operations is as follows:
Our total start-up costs are $26,935, which is mostly for furniture, equipment, working capital, and expenses associated with opening our first office. Direct owner investment will be $6,000. JCC will seek a commercial loan for the remaining $20,935 needed to start up the business. The assumptions are shown in the following table.
2-Surge Protectors | $60 |
4-Computers | $4,000 |
Copy Machine | $600 |
Laser Printer | $2,000 |
Adding Machine | $30 |
Electric Typewriter | $120 |
Fax Machine | $300 |
12-Clip Boards | $12 |
4-Waste Baskets | $12 |
File Folders | $75 |
4-Desk Organizers | $200 |
4-Floor Mates | $184 |
Hole Punchers | $12 |
Paper | $60 |
4-Wall Clock | $80 |
Pens/Pencils/Markers/Paper Clips/Tacks | $60 |
3-Large Bulletin Boards | $90 |
2-Paper Shredder | $50 |
2-Paper Stand | $30 |
4-File Cabinets | $240 |
1-Supply Cabinet | $200 |
Wall Pictures | $350 |
1-Oval Table | $400 |
12-Chairs | $312 |
4-Desk Lamps | $60 |
1-Standing Lamp | $30 |
2-TV/VCR | $500 |
Entrance Rug | $90 |
Computer Disks | $16 |
Envelopes | $50 |
Labels | $25 |
File Guides | $60 |
Organizer Compartment | $30 |
Laminator | $200 |
Paper/Plastic Cutter | $60 |
Electric Stapler | $70 |
Tape | $8 |
3-Desk Calendars | $18 |
Pencil Sharpeners | $35 |
3-Office Chairs | $130 |
1-Executive Chair | $500 |
3-Desks | $900 |
3-Love Seats | $600 |
3-Guest Chairs | $390 |
3-Book Shelves | $300 |
Childrens' Table & Chairs | $100 |
Childrens' Games | $150 |
Teaching Aids | $200 |
Childrens' Toys | $150 |
Carpeting | $2,000 |
Group Room Furniture | $752 |
Therapist Software Programs | $930 |
Kitchen Furniture | $450 |
3-Staplers | $24 |
Tablets/Rolodex | $30 |
Legal | $1,500 |
Stationery, etc. | $300 |
Brochures | $300 |
Professional Development | $500 |
Other | $0 |
Cash Requirements | $6,000 |
Start-up inventory | $0 |
Other Short-term Assets | $0 |
Long-term Assets | $0 |
Left to finance: | $0 |
Investor 1 | $0 |
Investor 2 | $0 |
Owner's Equity | $6,000 |
Unpaid Expenses | $0 |
Short-term Loans | $20,935 |
Interest-free Short-term Loans | $0 |
Subtotal Short-term Liabilities | $20,935 |
Long-term Liabilities | $0 |
Services offered include education, training, and counseling to empower and implement a change in a person's behavior and thinking.
JCC will also provide the following services to individuals, families, couples, and youth:
JCC will be focusing on providing education and counseling services to teen mothers, out-of-control children/youth, individuals with mental health disorders, and senior citizens with mental and health issues.
The U.S Census Bureau County Population report of 1998 states that there are approximately 436,084 people living in Washtenaw County. Any of these individuals is a possible client for JCC.
JCC knows we cannot survive just waiting for the customer to come to us. Instead, we must get better at focusing on the specific market segments whose needs match our offering. Focusing on targeted segments is the key to our future. Therefore, we will focus our marketing message and our service offerings. We will develop our message, communicate it to our referral partners, and make good on it.
Nearly one million teen girls get pregnant each year. More than four out of 10 young women get pregnant at least once before they turn 20. Each year the federal government alone spends about $40 billion to help families that began with a teenage birth.
In Michigan, 11,350 15 to 17-year-olds gave birth, and 18,490 18 to 19-year-olds gave birth. Michigan ranks 24 (Rank of 1=largest decrease) for teen pregnancy rate with 87 pregnancies per 1,000 girls. Teen pregnancies were down in all age groups ranging from girls aged 14 and younger to girls aged 15 to 19-year-olds. Twenty-two percent of births in Michigan are to teens who have already had a birth.
Hispanic/Latina girls were the highest in birth rates among different racial/ethnic groups with African Americans being the second highest and White (non-Hispanic) being the third highest. From 1991-1998 African American girls has had the highest decrease in births with a 35% decrease. White (non-Hispanic) came in second with a 22% decrease and Hispanic/Latina with a 3% decrease in births. Asian/Pacific Islanders had an increase of 7% in teen births. JCC will continue this fight against teen pregnancy through our educational and counseling programs for teens.
On January 17, 2001 David Satcher, M.D., Surgeon General of the United States of America unveiled a compelling report on youth violence to the frontline caregivers of our nation. The report was commissioned after the now infamous 1999 Columbine event that focused America's attention on children's behavior and their sometimes inability to cope with stress. In the report, Dr. Satcher invites families, school personnel, and public health communities to take a proactive role in the prevention of youth violence. "This is no time to let down our guard on youth violence," said Dr. Satcher.
Dr. Satcher's public health perspective identifies behavioral, environmental, and biological factors associated with youth violence. The report goes on to encourage our nation to take steps in educating individuals, communities, and primary care physicians to protect themselves from these risks. Dr. Satcher's public health approach offers a practical, goal-oriented, and community-based strategy for promoting and maintaining health. "The most urgent need now is a national resolve to confront the problem of youth violence systematically using researchbased approaches and to correct damaging myths and stereotypes that interfere with the risk at hand," said Satcher.
According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) the needs and voice of child and adolescent psychiatry have been buried under the sweeping forces of federal mandates and national medical organizations' consensus on the oversupply of specialists. They have failed to recognize the continuing critical shortage of child and adolescent psychiatrists. There is a danger of becoming marginalized when the profession cannot provide needed services and contribute to society. The serious undersupply of practitioners has resulted in children receiving inadequate care from mental health professionals who lack the necessary training.
Report of the Surgeon General's Conference on Children's Mental Health: A National Action Agenda released the following information on January 3, 2001. From this information a report was developed and is the culmination of nearly a year of significant activities that were launched with the March 22, 2000, White House Meeting on Children's Mental Health. The report emphasizes the magnitude of the problem facing us in the United States. One in 10 children and adolescents suffers from a mental illness severe enough to cause some level of impairment. The report also emphasizes that it is estimated that fewer than 1 in 5 of these children receive needed treatment in any given year.
As stated in the foreword to the report, "The burden of suffering experienced by children with mental health needs and their families has created a health crisis in this country. Growing numbers of children are suffering needlessly because their emotional, behavioral, and developmental needs are not being met…… It is time that we as a Nation took seriously the taskof preventing mental health problems and treating mental illnesses in youth."
Older Americans are living longer and living better than ever before. But many of those age 65 and older face disability, chronic health conditions, or economic stress according to a new federal indicators report that describes the status of the nation's older population.
The number and proportion of older people in the U.S. population has grown and generally will continue to grow at a very rapid pace. Aging in the twenty-first century will be characterized by a steep rise in the population age 85 and older and increased racial and ethnic diversity.
Older Americans are living longer and feeling better. An overwhelming majority rate their health as good or excellent. Men and women report comparable levels of well-being. Disability rates are declining as well. But large numbers of older people find their health threatened by memory impairments, depression, chronic conditions, and disability, especially at very advanced ages, which can substantially diminish quality of life.
Overall teen pregnancies have decreased but they are still too high. The overall U.S. teenage pregnancy rate declined 17 percent between 1990 and 1996 (the most recent year available), from 117 pregnancies per 1,000 women aged 15-19 to 97 per 1,000. The national teen birth rate declined 3 percent between 1998 and 1999, reaching a rate of 49.6 births per 1,000 women ages 15-19—the lowest rate ever recorded. Since 1991, the teen birth rate has declined 20 percent. Nearly one million teen girls get pregnant each year. More than four out of 10 young women get pregnant at least once before they turn 20. Each year the federal government alone spends about $40 billion to help families that began with a teenage birth. Yet, much work is needed to be done in order to keep teen pregnancy down, such as more educational and counseling programs.
About 20 percent of U.S. children and adolescents (15 million), ages 9 to 17, have diagnosable psychiatric disorders (MECA, 1996, the Surgeon General, 1999). "There is a dearth of child psychiatrists…… Furthermore, many barriers remain that prevent children, teenagers, and theirparents from seeking help from the small number of specially trained professionals…… Thisplaces a burden on pediatricians, family physicians, and other gatekeepers to identify children for referral and treatment decisions." (Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General, 1999). The population of children and adolescents under age 18 is projected to grow by more than 40 percent in the next 50 years from the current 70 million to more than 100 million by 2050 (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1999).
The number of older people in the U.S. has increased tenfold since 1900. Today, an estimated 35 million people, 13 percent of the population, are age 65 and older. By 2030, 20 percent of Americans, about 70 million, will have passed their sixty-fifth birthday. The population age 85 and above is currently the fastest growing segment of the older population; its growth is particularly important for anticipating health care and assistance needs, because these individuals tend to be in poorer health and require more services than people below age 85.
The global population is aging at a rate unprecedented in history. In the U.S., the population age 65 and older is expected to double by 2030. The Forum developed the report "Older Americans 2000: Key Indicators of Well-Being" to regularly track trends as society and individuals look for ways to address the aging boom. Today's report, which brings together information from more than a dozen national data sources for the first time, will serve as a baseline for future updates.
Americans age 65 and older are an important and growing segment of our population. While many federal agencies provide data on this diverse population, it is sometimes difficult to understand how this group is faring. For the first time, the federal statistical system has come together to provide a unified picture of the overall health and well-being of older Americans. —Katherine K. Wallman, Chief Statistician, U.S. Office of Management and Budget
As a Registered Nurse and Health Psychologist, Rolanda K. Walker is equipped with advanced training and information about the interaction of psychological and medical conditions (or psychomedical disorders). This includes information about psychological difficulties that can be caused by medical conditions, as well as psychological factors which can complicate or delay recovery from medical conditions. This is the kind of expertise that will stimulate further thought about the assessment and treatment of patients with psychomedical disorders. This is the expertise that will give Juniper Counseling Center a cutting edge over their competition.
JCC will focus on servicing Washtenaw County and the surrounding areas. The three population segments will be individuals, families, and couples. The target customer is usually a person or persons with some type of behavioral dysfunction.
We start with a critical competitive edge: there is no competitor we know of that can claim anywhere near as much specific expertise on the problems and opportunities of psychological treatment as JCC. Our positioning on this point is very hard to match, so we must maintain our focus in our strategy, marketing and business development, and fulfillment. We should be aware that the tendency to dilute this expertise with more generalized counseling work could weaken the importance of our competitive edge.
Also, our potential competitor does not make home visits. Our staff is prepared to take our services to our clients. Older citizens many times are unable to leave their home for reasons such as lack of transportation, limited mobility, fear of driving, and issues of personal safety, to name a few. We will provide a holistic approach to total wellness by including intensive medical education pertaining to all medical diagnosis and treatments.
Prices will vary according to a person's insurance coverage and their ability to pay. Generally the cost of service averages about $75.00 per one-hour session. There will be one group session with 10 clients at $30 per client for the length of 52 weeks.
Sales in our business is client service. It is repeat business. One doesn't sell a session, one develops a treatment plan that works for the client.
We expect to see at least 15 clients per day. Dr. Walker will consult with 5 clients at an average of $75 per session, and each of her therapists will consult with 5 clients at an average of $75 per session. There will be at least one ongoing group session per week, averaging 10 clients at $30 per client, running for 52 weeks.
We expect to make enough money to expand the programs that Dr. Walker will implement in order to reach all disenfranchised individuals in the surrounding area.
We expect sales to increase as our staff and referral base increase. The following table gives a run-down on forecasted sales.
Therapist/Counseling Sessions | $292,500 | $292,500 | $292,500 |
Medical/Mental Health Group Sessions | $15,600 | $15,600 | $15,600 |
Therapist/Counseling Sessions | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Medical/Mental Health Group Sessions | $0 | $0 | $0 |
JCC's staff has an accumulated 75 years plus in the Health Care industry related to experience. All are well versed in the evolution of the Health Care industry and share a vision for the successful positioning of Juniper Counseling Center within the Health Care Industry.
Our professional staff come to you with many years of experience, compassion, sensitivity to cultural values which affect the treatment outcome, and a strong desire to make life the best that it can be for all of its citizens.
Our management team consists of founder Rolanda K. Walker (RN, MSW, ACSW, Ph.D.), who has worked in the Health Care arena for over 20 years as a Registered Nurse/Health Educator and Social Worker for the last 5 years. Dr. Walker is a graduate from Wayne State University as a Health Educator and is also graduate from University of Detroit Mercy's MSW program. She is currently finishing up her Ph.D in Health Psychology from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.
Our professional support team will consist of of three registered nurses who will provide health education through medical seminars, groups, and individual counseling.
The following table summarizes our personnel expenditures for the first three years. We believe this plan is a compromise between fairness and expedience and meets the commitment of our mission statement. A professional staff of three RNs, 3-4 Therapists, Office Manager, Billing Clerk, Payroll Manager, Accountant, and Cleaning Crew will be assembled. These individuals will provide health education through seminars, groups, and individual counseling.
All the therapists will be paid 50-50. This means that for all counseling services provided, the therapist will be paid one-half of the amount the insurance company pays. For example, if a insurance company pays $75.00 per session, the therapist will be paid $37.50 per session.
3 Therapists | $146,252 | $146,252 | $146,252 |
3 Nurses | $5,200 | $5,200 | $5,200 |
Office Manager | $21,840 | $21,840 | $21,840 |
Billing Clerk | $3,744 | $3,744 | $3,744 |
Payroll Manager | $4,160 | $4,160 | $4,160 |
Accountant | $2,500 | $2,500 | $2,500 |
Cleaning Person | $1,952 | $1,952 | $1,952 |
Other | $0 | $0 | $0 |
The financial plan is for rapid, but controlled growth. Initial capitalization is pegged at 150K with cash streaming in from referrals over a period of six months. We plan to increase our clientele and cashflow through networking.
Short-term Interest Rate % | 10.00% | 10.00% | 10.00% |
Long-term Interest Rate % | 10.00% | 10.00% | 10.00% |
Payment Days Estimator | 30 | 30 | 30 |
Collection Days Estimator | 14 | 14 | 14 |
Inventory Turnover Estimator | 6.00 | 6.00 | 6.00 |
Tax Rate % | 25.00% | 25.00% | 25.00% |
Expenses in Cash % | 10.00% | 10.00% | 10.00% |
Sales on Credit % | 75.00% | 75.00% | 75.00% |
Personnel Burden % | 15.00% | 15.00% | 15.00% |
The following table summarizes our break-even analysis. With approximate fixed cost of $2000 per month at the outset (a bare minimum), we need to bill $4000 to cover our costs. We really don't expect to reach break-even until a few months into the business operation.
Monthly Units Break-even | 53 |
Monthly Sales Break-even | $4,000 |
Average Per-Unit Revenue | $75.00 |
Average Per-Unit Variable Cost | $37.50 |
Estimated Monthly Fixed Cost | $2,000 |
Our projected profit and loss is shown in the following table, with a net sales of more than $40,000 the first year to more than $60,000 through the third, and profits almost negligible for the start-up phase of this business.
Detailed monthly projections are included in the appendices.
Sales | $308,100 | $308,100 | $308,100 |
Direct Cost of Sales | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Production Payroll | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Other | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Gross Margin | $308,100 | $308,100 | $308,100 |
Gross Margin % | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
Sales and Marketing Payroll | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Advertising/Promotion | $900 | $450 | $450 |
Miscellaneous | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Sales and Marketing % | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
General and Administrative Payroll | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Payroll Expense | $185,648 | $185,648 | $185,648 |
Payroll Burden | $27,847 | $27,847 | $27,847 |
Depreciation | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Utilities | $1,500 | $1,500 | $1,500 |
Insurance | $600 | $600 | $600 |
Rent | $12,000 | $12,000 | $12,000 |
General and Administrative % | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
Other Payroll | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Telephone | $1,380 | $1,380 | $1,380 |
Other % | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
Profit Before Interest and Taxes | $78,226 | $78,675 | $78,675 |
Interest Expense Short-term | $2,094 | $2,094 | $2,094 |
Interest Expense Long-term | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Taxes Incurred | $19,033 | $19,145 | $19,145 |
Extraordinary Items | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Net Profit | $57,099 | $57,436 | $57,436 |
Net Profit/Sales | 18.53% | 18.64% | 18.64% |
Cash flow projections are the most critical indicator of our business's success. Attainment of the targeted population participation will ensure the accumulation of required cash to execute the running of the organization. The annual cash flow figures are included here and the more important detailed monthly numbers are included in the appendices.
Net Profit | $57,099 | $57,436 | $57,436 |
Depreciation | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Change in Accounts Payable | $2,618 | $50 | ($4) |
Current Borrowing (repayment) | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Increase (decrease) Other Liabilities | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Long-term Borrowing (repayment) | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Capital Input | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Change in Accounts Receivable | $8,295 | $0 | $0 |
Change in Inventory | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Change in Other Short-term Assets | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Capital Expenditure | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Dividends | $0 | $0 | $0 |
The balance sheet in the following chart shows managed but sufficient growth of net worth and a sufficiently healthy financial position. The monthly estimates are included in the appendices.
Cash | $57,422 | $114,908 | $172,340 |
Accounts Receivable | $8,295 | $8,295 | $8,295 |
Inventory | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Other Short-term Assets | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Capital Assets | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Accumulated Depreciation | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Accounts Payable | $2,618 | $2,668 | $2,664 |
Short-term Notes | $20,935 | $20,935 | $20,935 |
Other Short-term Liabilities | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Long-term Liabilities | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Paid in Capital | $6,000 | $6,000 | $6,000 |
Retained Earnings | ($20,935) | $36,164 | $93,600 |
Earnings | $57,099 | $57,436 | $57,436 |
Therapist/Counseling Sessions | $22,500 | $28,125 | $22,500 | $22,500 | $22,500 | $22,500 |
Medical/Mental Health Group Sessions | $1,200 | $1,500 | $1,200 | $1,200 | $1,200 | $1,200 |
Therapist/Counseling Sessions | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Medical/Mental Health Group Sessions | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
3 Therapists | $11,250 | $14,063 | $11,250 | $11,250 | $11,250 | $11,250 |
3 Nurses | $400 | $500 | $400 | $400 | $400 | $400 |
Office Manager | $1,680 | $2,100 | $1,680 | $1,680 | $1,680 | $1,680 |
Billing Clerk | $288 | $360 | $288 | $288 | $288 | $288 |
Payroll Manager | $320 | $400 | $320 | $320 | $320 | $320 |
Accountant | $200 | $225 | $200 | $200 | $200 | $200 |
Cleaning Person | $150 | $188 | $150 | $150 | $150 | $150 |
Other | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Short-term Interest Rate % | 10.00% | 10.00% | 10.00% | 10.00% | 10.00% | 10.00% |
Long-term Interest Rate % | 10.00% | 10.00% | 10.00% | 10.00% | 10.00% | 10.00% |
Payment Days Estimator | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 |
Collection Days Estimator | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 |
Inventory Turnover Estimator | 6.00 | 6.00 | 6.00 | 6.00 | 6.00 | 6.00 |
Tax Rate % | 25.00% | 25.00% | 25.00% | 25.00% | 25.00% | 25.00% |
Expenses in Cash % | 10.00% | 10.00% | 10.00% | 10.00% | 10.00% | 10.00% |
Sales on Credit % | 75.00% | 75.00% | 75.00% | 75.00% | 75.00% | 75.00% |
Personnel Burden % | 15.00% | 15.00% | 15.00% | 15.00% | 15.00% | 15.00% |
$28,125 | $22,500 | $28,125 | $28,125 | $22,500 | $22,500 | $292,500 | $292,500 | $292,500 |
$1,500 | $1,200 | $1,500 | $1,500 | $1,200 | $1,200 | $15,600 | $15,600 | $15,600 |
$0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
$0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
$14,063 | $11,250 | $14,063 | $14,063 | $11,250 | $11,250 | $146,252 | $146,252 | $146,252 |
$500 | $400 | $500 | $500 | $400 | $400 | $5,200 | $5,200 | $5,200 |
$2,100 | $1,680 | $2,100 | $2,100 | $1,680 | $1,680 | $21,840 | $21,840 | $21,840 |
$360 | $288 | $360 | $360 | $288 | $288 | $3,744 | $3,744 | $3,744 |
$400 | $320 | $400 | $400 | $320 | $320 | $4,160 | $4,160 | $4,160 |
$225 | $200 | $225 | $225 | $200 | $200 | $2,500 | $2,500 | $2,500 |
$188 | $150 | $188 | $188 | $150 | $150 | $1,952 | $1,952 | $1,952 |
$0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
10.00% | 10.00% | 10.00% | 10.00% | 10.00% | 10.00% | 10.00% | 10.00% | 10.00% |
10.00% | 10.00% | 10.00% | 10.00% | 10.00% | 10.00% | 10.00% | 10.00% | 10.00% |
30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 |
14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 |
6.00 | 6.00 | 6.00 | 6.00 | 6.00 | 6.00 | 6.00 | 6.00 | 6.00 |
25.00% | 25.00% | 25.00% | 25.00% | 25.00% | 25.00% | 25.00% | 25.00% | 25.00% |
10.00% | 10.00% | 10.00% | 10.00% | 10.00% | 10.00% | 10.00% | 10.00% | 10.00% |
75.00% | 75.00% | 75.00% | 75.00% | 75.00% | 75.00% | 75.00% | 75.00% | 75.00% |
15.00% | 15.00% | 15.00% | 15.00% | 15.00% | 15.00% | 15.00% | 15.00% | 15.00% |
Sales | $23,700 | $29,625 | $23,700 | $23,700 | $23,700 | $23,700 |
Direct Cost of Sales | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Production Payroll | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Other | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Gross Margin | $23,700 | $29,625 | $23,700 | $23,700 | $23,700 | $23,700 |
Gross Margin % | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
Sales and Marketing Payroll | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Advertising/Promotion | $75 | $75 | $75 | $75 | $75 | $75 |
Miscellaneous | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Sales and Marketing % | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
General and Administrative Payroll | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Payroll Expense | $14,288 | $17,835 | $14,288 | $14,288 | $14,288 | $14,288 |
Payroll Burden | $2,143 | $2,675 | $2,143 | $2,143 | $2,143 | $2,143 |
Depreciation | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Utilities | $125 | $125 | $125 | $125 | $125 | $125 |
Insurance | $0 | $100 | $0 | $100 | $0 | $100 |
Rent | $1,000 | $1,000 | $1,000 | $1,000 | $1,000 | $1,000 |
General and Administrative % | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
Other Payroll | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Telephone | $115 | $115 | $115 | $115 | $115 | $115 |
Other % | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
Profit Before Interest and Taxes | $5,954 | $7,700 | $5,954 | $5,854 | $5,954 | $5,854 |
Interest Expense Short-term | $174 | $174 | $174 | $174 | $174 | $174 |
Interest Expense Long-term | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Taxes Incurred | $1,445 | $1,881 | $1,445 | $1,420 | $1,445 | $1,420 |
Extraordinary Items | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Net Profit | $4,335 | $5,644 | $4,335 | $4,260 | $4,335 | $4,260 |
Net Profit/Sales | 18.29% | 19.05% | 18.29% | 17.97% | 18.29% | 17.97% |
$29,625 | $23,700 | $29,625 | $29,625 | $23,700 | $23,700 | $308,100 | $308,100 | $308,100 |
$0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
$0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
$0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
$29,625 | $23,700 | $29,625 | $29,625 | $23,700 | $23,700 | $308,100 | $308,100 | $308,100 |
100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
$0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
$75 | $75 | $75 | $75 | $75 | $75 | $900 | $450 | $450 |
$0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
$0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
$17,836 | $14,288 | $17,836 | $17,836 | $14,288 | $14,288 | $185,648 | $185,648 | $185,648 |
$2,675 | $2,143 | $2,675 | $2,675 | $2,143 | $2,143 | $27,847 | $27,847 | $27,847 |
$0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
$125 | $125 | $125 | $125 | $125 | $125 | $1,500 | $1,500 | $1,500 |
$0 | $100 | $0 | $100 | $0 | $100 | $600 | $600 | $600 |
$1,000 | $1,000 | $1,000 | $1,000 | $1,000 | $1,000 | $12,000 | $12,000 | $12,000 |
0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
$0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
$115 | $115 | $115 | $115 | $115 | $115 | $1,380 | $1,380 | $1,380 |
0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
$7,799 | $5,854 | $7,799 | $7,699 | $5,954 | $5,854 | $78,226 | $78,675 | $78,675 |
$174 | $174 | $174 | $174 | $174 | $174 | $2,094 | $2,094 | $2,094 |
$0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
$1,906 | $1,420 | $1,906 | $1,881 | $1,445 | $1,420 | $19,033 | $19,145 | $19,145 |
$0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
$5,718 | $4,260 | $5,718 | $5,643 | $4,335 | $4,260 | $57,099 | $57,436 | $57,436 |
19.30% | 17.97% | 19.30% | 19.05% | 18.29% | 17.97% | 18.53% | 18.64% | 18.64% |
Net Profit | $4,335 | $5,644 | $4,335 | $4,260 | $4,335 | $4,260 |
Depreciation | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Change in Accounts Payable | $2,553 | $467 | ($467) | $65 | ($65) | $65 |
Current Borrowing (repayment) | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Increase (decrease) Other Liabilities | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Long-term Borrowing (repayment) | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Capital Input | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Change in Accounts Receivable | $8,181 | $2,045 | ($2,045) | $114 | $0 | $0 |
Change in Inventory | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Change in Other Short-term Assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Capital Expenditure | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Dividends | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Cash | $4,706 | $8,771 | $14,684 | $18,896 | $23,165 | $27,490 |
Accounts Receivable | $8,181 | $10,227 | $8,181 | $8,295 | $8,295 | $8,295 |
Inventory | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Other Short-term Assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Capital Assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Accumulated Depreciation | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Total Long-term Assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Accounts Payable | $2,553 | $3,020 | $2,553 | $2,618 | $2,553 | $2,618 |
Short-term Notes | $20,935 | $20,935 | $20,935 | $20,935 | $20,935 | $20,935 |
Other Short-term Liabilities | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Long-term Liabilities | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Paid in Capital | $6,000 | $6,000 | $6,000 | $6,000 | $6,000 | $6,000 |
Retained Earnings | ($20,935) | ($20,935) | ($20,935) | ($20,935) | ($20,935) | ($20,935) |
Earnings | $4,335 | $9,978 | $14,313 | $18,572 | $22,907 | $27,167 |
$5,718 | $4,260 | $5,718 | $5,643 | $4,335 | $4,260 | $57,099 | $57,436 | $57,436 |
$0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
$336 | ($336) | $336 | $65 | ($466) | $65 | $2,618 | $50 | ($4) |
$0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
$0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
$0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
$0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
$2,074 | ($2,074) | $2,074 | $0 | ($2,074) | $0 | $8,295 | $0 | $0 |
$0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
$0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
$0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
$0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
$31,470 | $37,467 | $41,448 | $47,156 | $53,098 | $57,422 | $57,422 | $114,908 | $172,340 |
$10,369 | $8,295 | $10,369 | $10,369 | $8,295 | $8,295 | $8,295 | $8,295 | $8,295 |
$0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
$0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
$0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
$0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
$0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
$2,954 | $2,618 | $2,954 | $3,019 | $2,553 | $2,618 | $2,618 | $2,668 | $2,664 |
$20,935 | $20,935 | $20,935 | $20,935 | $20,935 | $20,935 | $20,935 | $20,935 | $20,935 |
$0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
$0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
$6,000 | $6,000 | $6,000 | $6,000 | $6,000 | $6,000 | $6,000 | $6,000 | $6,000 |
($20,935) | ($20,935) | ($20,935) | ($20,935) | ($20,935) | ($20,935) | ($20,935) | $36,164 | $93,600 |
$32,885 | $37,144 | $42,862 | $48,505 | $52,840 | $57,099 | $57,099 | $57,436 | $57,436 |
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First Published: Jul 08 2024 | 10:45 AM IST
Minister of state has taken a reactive punt on the dublin city centre transport plan based on no data and favouring a few disgruntled business owners.
People enraged about 'pedestrianisation or cycling infrastructure need to calm down'. Photograph: Leah Farrell/RollingNews
The Dublin City Centre Transport Plan was meant to be a good thing — a future-focused, small piece of progress towards creating a capital city with less traffic and where walking, cycling and public transport are prioritised. This is so obvious that the idea of blocking, watering down, or delaying it could surely only come from the most regressive quarters. Enter Emer Higgins of Fine Gael .
Dublin City Council received 3,592 submissions as part of its public consultation process for this plan. The ambition of the plan was to reduce general traffic by 40 per cent. This is good for everyone. It makes for cleaner air, safer roads and streets, less hassle, and a small but hugely positive shift in the city’s overall direction.
There have been countless meetings and long hours put into it, along with the drawn-out processes that these sorts of things entail: a consultation report on the draft plan in 2023, a National Transport Authority (NTA) Transforming Dublin City Centre report, a 2023 draft transport plan, an equality impact assessment, and so on. Studies by the NTA showed that almost two out of three drivers in the city centre were driving through, not to, the city. None of these drivers are of any benefit to business in the city. How could they be? It’s not where they’re going to spend time when they turn on the engines of their cars.
[ Some free advice for Fine Gael on Dublin’s transport plan ]
But now there will be delays and stoppages, dilutions and diversions. Higgins, a junior minister with responsibilities for business, employment and retail, met a group of business interests who didn’t want the plan to go ahead and decided to pull the needle off the record. This has rightly been characterised by some as overreach.
The plan attempts to address the elephant in the room when it comes to traffic in Dublin city centre — the north and south quays — and prioritise them for public transport, including taxis. The idea that cars are being banned is a myth perpetuated by those attempting to make the normal and practical appear sensational. Disability groups should of course have their voices heard and the needs of people with disabilities need to be prioritised in any plan related to mobility across the city centre.
But signalling that a plan be changed at the 11th hour based on a vested business interest (who are doing themselves a disservice, by the way) who want to intervene in the form of a huff rather than a solution, is not leadership. These kinds of interventions amount to the construction of artificial conflicts between people who drive cars and everyone else. The kinds of people who are still up in arms about pedestrianisation or cycling infrastructure need to calm down and have a conversation with themselves about what kind of odd fears and anti-progress sentiments they’re fostering, where making the city more liveable and with safer roads appears to trigger hysteria and rage.
Higgins has made a reactive punt based solely on vibes from a few disgruntled business owners; not research, not data, not the public, not the countless people who have worked on this plan, nor the councillors who have acted relatively rationally with the little power they have to get something positive over the line for the city.
Not only does the outcome of this strengthen the case for a directly elected mayor who is accountable to Dubliners and the broader system of local government, but it is a depressing outcome at a time when we should be talking about the city’s future and making much more radical change than this relatively conservative plan. What will it take for Fine Gael to take the issues the city is facing seriously? How are we collectively meant to make things better when their politicians intervene on a whim?
[ The Irish Times view on Fine Gael and the Dublin Transport Plan: Populist posturing ]
Already this year, we had appalling populist nonsense from Regina Doherty in the form of her remarks on cycling infrastructure in Dublin. Now we have this guff from Higgins. The result is progressive plans being watered down. The best thing for Dublin city centre is for Fine Gael decision-makers in Government to abstain from any of the serious and mature decisions that need to be made so that the people who know what they’re talking about can get on with it.
Time and time again, they punt for short-term populism over the smart leadership necessary to make the city centre more liveable, more pleasant, safer for pedestrians, better for tourism, cyclists, families, children, and the elderly, a place where businesses thrive with increased footfall, where roads are not clogged with traffic, where there are safe public spaces for people in which to relax and where private car parks don’t take precedence over everyone else. A city centre devoid of their regressive interventions, where cynical populism and short-term thinking on these matters take a back seat, might be worth fighting for.
It’s as if we’re seeing kamala harris for the first time, let’s not make the ill-conceived dublin traffic plan the subject of a culture war, martyn turner, french election: a mighty roar rises from the square. the far right has been held at bay, but for how long, roderic o’gorman may be right choice for the greens in a country slow to give up meat or foreign holidays, ‘i won’t accept it’ dáil unifies around michael healy-rae after emotional appeal over online abuse, taoiseach promises to intervene to help irish woman detained in dubai for ‘attempted suicide’, irish hospital admissions due to hot weather projected to rise, ‘i’m dating a previously married man but i feel sad that i will always come second to his children’, an american on the irish sense of humour: ‘i’m very literal ... i thought everybody hated me’, oh, to be an employee of dublin port company, northerners look on the republic’s motorways with envy – but tolls are a bridge too far, latest stories, gardaí remove more migrant tents from camp in dublin city centre, connacht sign chiefs outhalf josh ioane on one-year deal, simon harris ‘happy’ for john mcgahon to seek fine gael nomination despite court fine for assault and battery, profits surge at hostelworld as bookings rise, third elephant at dublin zoo tests positive for deadly virus.
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Writing a counseling private practice business plan is a crucial step toward the success of your business. Here are the key steps to consider when writing a business plan: 1. Executive Summary. An executive summary is the first section planned to offer an overview of the entire business plan. However, it is written after the entire business ...
4. Private Practice Counselling Business Marketing Plan 5. Risks Analysis: Challenges When Setting Up A Counselling Private Practice 6. Financial Projections to Guide your Counselling Therapy Business 7. Executive summary: Your Counselling Business Plan in a Snapshot 8. Counselling Business Plan Checklist: 16-Question Guide to Writing your Plan ...
Turning Your Passion Into a Business: Creating a Counseling Private Practice Business Plan. As a therapist, you have already gained a wealth of experience and knowledge in helping people overcome their mental health challenges. Opening your private practice is the next logical step in your career progression. However, being your own boss means ...
Specifically, these funds will be used as follows: Clinic interior build out and design: $50,000. Office equipment, supplies, and materials: $20,000. Three months of overhead expenses (payroll, rent, utilities): $150,000. Marketing costs: $50,000. Working capital: $30,000. Easily complete your Counseling Private Practice business plan! Download ...
A Sample Counseling Private Practice Business Plan Template 1. Industry Overview. The Psychologists, Social Workers and Marriage Counselors industry of which professionals who are into counseling (private practice belongs to) is composed of mental health practitioners who diagnose and treat mental, emotional and behavioral disorders brought about by mental illness, substance abuse or physical ...
Counseling Practice Business Plan. Over the past 20+ years, we have helped over 500 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans to start and grow their counseling private practices. On this page, we will first give you some background information with regards to the importance of business planning.
Consider these possibilities: Commit to spending a certain number of hours each week on marketing strategies. Use those hours to network and meet with potential referral sources, plan new ...
If you want to start a counseling private practice or expand your current counseling practice, you need a business plan. The following Counseling Private Practice business plan template gives you the key elements to include in a winning business plan. It can be used for a mental health practice, therapy practice, marriage counseling or family ...
In conclusion, writing a business plan for a counseling business is essential for success. By following the nine steps outlined in this checklist, you can ensure that you have thoroughly researched the counseling industry, identified your target market, and developed a unique selling proposition. Conducting a feasibility study and determining ...
Developing a Counseling Business Plan. When starting a counseling business, it is essential to create a well-thought-out business plan that outlines the various aspects of your practice. This section will explore the considerations for pricing strategies, conducting market research, and creating a marketing plan to help you develop a ...
Custom Views: Access different views like Topics, Status, Timeline, Business Plan, and Getting Started Guide to easily navigate and work on specific aspects of your business plan. With ClickUp's Business Plan Template for Counselors, you can focus on your counseling practice while staying organized and on track with your business goals.
Some things to include in your plan include: How much money you need to make each year to keep practicing. How much you need to bring in each year to earn a decent living. Financial goals, such as ...
5. Obtain necessary licenses and permits. One of the most vital steps in launching your private therapy practice is making sure you have all the proper licenses and permits squared away. It is vital to address every legal requirement and follow every regulatory detail from the start.
Start a counseling center by following these 10 steps: Plan your Counseling Center. Form your Counseling Center into a Legal Entity. Register your Counseling Center for Taxes. Open a Business Bank Account & Credit Card. Set up Accounting for your Counseling Center.
Open for Business. 1. Choose the Name for Your Counseling Private Practice. The first step to opening a counseling private practice is to choose your business' name. This is a very important choice since your company name is your brand and will last for the lifetime of your business.
Here are five tools to help you get started in creating a business plan for private practice in psychology. 1. Do Market Research. Before you start anything else in your business plan, it's important to know what other local therapists are out there in private practice and what they're up to. Explore the Psychology Today Find a Therapist ...
One definition of a business model is simply the design or plan for making money. It is how you identify where the money comes from and how it flows in the private practice. It also defines who runs the business and provides the services. A business plan differs in that it is more specific. It lays out specific financial goals and how you will ...
Executive Summary. Amesbury Psychological Center (the Center) is a multidisciplinary behavioral health care practice that offers mental health and substance abuse services to the communities of the Merrimack Valley. Our focus is to provide cost-effective, quality treatment. Our mission is to create, promote, and maintain a positive customer ...
Step 2: Naming the Business. When deciding on a name for the counseling center, it is important to choose a name that will be memorable and easy to pronounce. It should also be a name that reflects the services that will be provided. Consider using words that evoke feelings of comfort, safety, and trust.
Try to stay away from words like "depression," "anxiety," etc. You are writing this not only for yourself, but also for your clients. 3. Your Services. This is the who, what, when, where and why of your services as a private practitioner. This part of the private practice business plan is key to giving you the clarity you need in terms ...
Introjected Values - Carl Jung's Theories on Ego and Self. In Episode 235 of the Counselling Tutor Podcast, your hosts Rory Lees-Oakes and Ken Kelly are back with this week's three topics: Firstly in 'Theory in Practice', we look at introjected values. Then in 'Practice Partner', Rory and Ken discuss making a counselling business ...
Starting up our counselling practice business in Las Vegas would require a total of $200,000. This startup budget would be sourced from the owner, and from his bank. The owner, Peter Baker has been able to raise $100,000 while the other $100,000 will be sourced as soft loan from the owner's bank. SALES FORECAST.
The Juniper Counseling Center (JCC) is a mental and health counseling/education center focusing on teen mothers, troubled children/youth, and senior citizens with mental/health issues. The business plan was developed for the purpose of a start-up business loan in the amount of $20,935.
However, the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) has not yet issued a detailed notification and schedule for NEET-UG Counselling 2024. The NTA, responsible for conducting the entrance exam for MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and other related courses, along with the Ministry of Education, has faced scrutiny in the media and protests from students and ...
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The Supreme Court is set to address a series of petitions concerning the NEET-UG 2024 medical entrance examination on Monday. Among the pleas are requests for a re-conduct of the exam, citing irregularities and malpractices in the test held on May 5. A panel headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud ...
Minister of State has taken a reactive punt on the Dublin city centre transport plan based on no data and favouring a few disgruntled business owners