November and December 2007
The two months ran together. I am starting to think I am Scrooge. As far as business, I can’t stand the holidays. There is too much distraction. It’s an unhealthy time of year for the body, mind, and business. Everyone is off-schedule and off-focus. Management takes on a whole different feel at this time of year. I feel like I am trying to herd wild animals through a small gate.
We had a good finish to the year, with revenues up almost 20% from last year – yet we were not full in our schedule. It just shows how much growth we have available. The staff worked well through the holiday period, if distracted. They have to work so much harder with patients, communicating the necessity of care. This is the first time in my career that I spend lots of time pondering the meaning of health care from the patient’s point of view. When the patient is not in lots of pain, the whole shebang becomes elective – just another activity. We have to have a way to communicate the importance of this type of health care in their values; in short, to make them want to make it part of their life’s activity. I don’t know how to do that, other than talk one-on-one with them. I think we will have to work more in 2008 on what message we give the patient, to help them value themselves enough to invest in themselves. We do great work on helping people get out of crises, but that is just the tip of the iceburg. I wonder if, in a country where no one saves money, it is likely that people will invest in their health. It seems like we are up against some short-sighted philosophies.
The new business development is not really under way yet. We have had some small activities that have been productive, but they are spotty. Our new employee – now here for three months – is not handling the department the way I expected. It is the first time I have had someone in that position, and I am quickly learning what it takes to make it successful. For this employee, I find that I have to supervise too much, and that other staff members have to get involved to a degree that is distracting. It is a small company, so I understand the need for cooperation, but in this case, I wonder if she is qualified for the position. The jury is out, but it doesn’t look good.
The good news is that, in the middle of December, we got a commitment for an investor for 100K (in exchange for 2.5% of UHI). We are supposed to get the money by mid-January. I feel good about it, even though it isn’t enough money for exactly what I’d love to do in 2008. (I will continue to look, but in the meantime, I will work at getting a business loan or higher line of credit. I may have to change banks, and that is a bit daunting.) The investor says that after 6 months when our new business development has kicked in, there is more where that money came from – another 100K, and maybe 200K. For now, I am focused on this first installment. When I look at the business plan, I can’t believe how little the 100K covers! I’ve been reworking the plan to choose the best actions for new business development.
We had a good finish to the year, with revenues up almost 20% from last year – yet we were not full in our schedule. It just shows how much growth we have available. The staff worked well through the holiday period, if distracted. They have to work so much harder with patients, communicating the necessity of care. This is the first time in my career that I spend lots of time pondering the meaning of health care from the patient’s point of view. When the patient is not in lots of pain, the whole shebang becomes elective – just another activity. We have to have a way to communicate the importance of this type of health care in their values; in short, to make them want to make it part of their life’s activity. I don’t know how to do that, other than talk one-on-one with them. I think we will have to work more in 2008 on what message we give the patient, to help them value themselves enough to invest in themselves. We do great work on helping people get out of crises, but that is just the tip of the iceburg. I wonder if, in a country where no one saves money, it is likely that people will invest in their health. It seems like we are up against some short-sighted philosophies.
The new business development is not really under way yet. We have had some small activities that have been productive, but they are spotty. Our new employee – now here for three months – is not handling the department the way I expected. It is the first time I have had someone in that position, and I am quickly learning what it takes to make it successful. For this employee, I find that I have to supervise too much, and that other staff members have to get involved to a degree that is distracting. It is a small company, so I understand the need for cooperation, but in this case, I wonder if she is qualified for the position. The jury is out, but it doesn’t look good.
The good news is that, in the middle of December, we got a commitment for an investor for 100K (in exchange for 2.5% of UHI). We are supposed to get the money by mid-January. I feel good about it, even though it isn’t enough money for exactly what I’d love to do in 2008. (I will continue to look, but in the meantime, I will work at getting a business loan or higher line of credit. I may have to change banks, and that is a bit daunting.) The investor says that after 6 months when our new business development has kicked in, there is more where that money came from – another 100K, and maybe 200K. For now, I am focused on this first installment. When I look at the business plan, I can’t believe how little the 100K covers! I’ve been reworking the plan to choose the best actions for new business development.
posted by Dr. Amelia Case at Monday, March 03, 2008
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