Disclaimer: this is not the sexiest topic for a blog post. It might be one of those blog posts that you WISH you hadn’t read. But I promise, by the time you get to the bottom, you’ll quietly think…. “thank goodness somebody has written about this today.”

So I’m sorry.

But also, you’re welcome.

You see, I’ve been ignoring a part of my business for quite some time now. It’s not the sexy-fun stuff like marketing and sales (yes, I am the weirdo who likes marketing and sales), and no, it’s not the money-mindset stuff. Nor is it the stuff about building your team, or getting help with admin and support… or even about professional development and self-care.

Nope – the part of my business that has been neglected – and quietly sulking in the corner on the verge of a full-blown breakdown – is…. my legals and insurances. 

Yes, fabulous health professional. We need to have THAT talk.

My business has grown with me over the last 8 years – but my legal and insurance stuff? It has DEFINITELY not come along for the ride, which can make any business owner feel very, very vulnerable if they think about it for longer than 3 seconds.

As a person, I’m well insured. My health is very well insured and I’ve got that covered. But lately I’ve reached a point in my business where I can’t ignore the danger I’m putting myself in by not making sure I’m ready for the real risk that one day, somehow, something might go BOOM and shake my business to it’s core. And me. And my family. 

Aaaaaand…. cue the crippling anxiety….. worry…. and fear. At strange hours of the night. And let’s be honest – most of my waking moments, too. 

(I’m nothing if not consistent.)

This means I’ve had to grapple with the inconvenient truth that if I can’t afford the fallout of something going wrong (although I wish I had an extra $20 mil rolling around in my bank account), then I had better find a way to cover the cost of insuring and protecting myself just in case.

Call me crazy, but I don’t want to get sued. Or subpoenaed. And I don’t want my team to get sued or subpoenaed. I’m pretty sure you don’t want that for yourself either, which means that you simply cannot keep operating without being appropriately protected under the law.

Maybe that means we need to suck it up, get appropriate advice and PAY for it, and to get the right insurances, and pay for that too. 

If you’re thinking about going down the cheap and fast avenue, let me tell you a cautionary tale: I work with injured and unwell clients every day who are feeling the effects of choosing an insurance policy that offered “cheap and fast” as a selling point. When you buy fast and cheap, you will realise very quickly how under protected you really are when you need to actually use that insurance you’ve purchased. You owe it to yourself and to your business to do due diligence here – no matter how uncomfortable and scary it might feel. 

(I’d argue it’s still nowhere near as scary as being dragged into court naked – which is a very real risk if you’re not covering your legal bases now, before something goes wrong). 

I’m reminding myself of this daily at the moment as I navigate the not-so-fun, definitely unsexy process of working with a broker to update my insurances and legal coverage. 

It might not be sexy, but it sure does help me sleep at night.

So how about you? 

What part of your business is sulking in the corner right now? Neglected, ignored and ready to throw a temper tantrum so you’ll finally sit up and pay attention? 

Is it your marketing? Sales? Clients and referral flow? 

Is it your admin? Money management? Terrified of looking at your account each day because it might confirm that you’ve officially run out of money?

Maybe you’re so overwhelmed that your notes are out of date, wondering if today is the day that you’re going to get subpoenaed for the client whose notes you’re 3 months behind on writing?

Is it your professional development or self care?

All of these things are an unavoidable cost of running a successful business without going broke or insane. 

Whether you like it or not, ignoring it won’t make it go away. Just give it some attention; that’s all it’s asking for.

So what part of your business is sulking in the corner right now?

And what is one thing you can do today or this week to take the first step towards making it feel a little less cranky… and a little more loved?

Share with us in the comments below. 

Here’s to your success, 

 

 

Bonus resources from some really cool people I know: 

Dr. Maelisa Hall has an incredibly helpful, no-fluff range of resources for clinicians who need to get their documentation in-check.

Nicol Stolar-Peterson offers a range of coaching and trainings to help you prepare for your day in court as a clinician – should it ever come.

Also, me (even though I know how uncool it is to call yourself cool….) – if offline networking and relationship building is something you struggle with, you’ll want to learn more about My 5 Favourite people – it’s exactly how I built my own successful practice. We re-open for enrolment in March 2017.

Photo credit: waferbaby via Visual hunt / CC BY-NC-SA