My Time with Young Entrepreneurs in Care…

PIC - YOUNG BUSINESS PEOPLE STANDING

I guess once you past 50 not everyone wants to call you young anymore.  I am ok with that, after all you are as young as you feel, right?  (and lol if it works for you).  The beauty of my age is what I can contribute to confident younger entrepreneurs in care who may be just starting out in home care, adult day care, assisted living and other care delivery business enterprises.

My goal is not just to impart regulatory knowledge or marketing tips for helping a care oriented business to garner the attention it needs to thrive.  I also try to impart relationship building techniques that can serve the business and the individual well.  A few of these follow…

PIC - OVER CONFIDENT BUSINESSMAN

Lesson I is always “avoid a spirit of over-confidence“.  While self-assurance is needed, there is nothing wrong with accepting that just as quickly as yo think you have succeeded you can crash and burn.  Just as quickly as you attract that high dollar resident, client or patient, they could be gone in an instant.  Does this mean we operate a business wallowing in fear, paranoia and expectations of financial doom?  Of course not!

What it does mean is that we invest in the best strategies and approaches that demonstrate appreciation to those we serve.  We also develop a special appreciation for those who have helped us to accomplish what we have thus far.  Sometimes, I have observed situations wherein the younger very quickly become dismissive of those who have helped the building blocks to remain in place and once that starts to spread through the community, opportunities to develop even more meaningful relationships could lessen quickly.

PIC - ISOLATED SHUT OUT THE WORLD

Lesson II:  Do not isolate.  In some environments it can be easy be an island onto oneself.  This is especially true in what we label somewhat “closed networks” wherein everyone is fighting for the same referral and we become nervous about so many loyalties.  We could internally decide to simply cover over the window of our world and shut-out everyone.  This is laughable on some levels, tragic on others.

Our focus needs to be on being our best.  This means we:

  1. Follow systems that keep us organized and stress free
  2. Humbly seek advice
  3. Accept failures
  4. Embrace ways to improve
  5. Acknowledge the value of others.  After all, everyone, everywhere has competitors.

Lesson IIIInvest in Knowledge Sharing.  Someone likely helped you.  Be generous in the development of others. Of course, some information may be proprietary to the ownership of the business so discretion may be warranted.  However, when it comes to daily operations, there is a need for you to want your people as polished as you are – or maybe even more polished.  Educating them is the way to accomplish that and this requires an unselfish, broad mindset.

Everyone has to start somewhere.  The trick is making sure we employ the kind of ingredients that pushes that start to even greater success.

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