By Libby Rothschild, CEO of Dietitian Boss; follow on LinkedIn.
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If you’re anything like me, you probably were told that you had to do clinical work for at least two years to be considered worthy enough to take on any clients as a private practice dietitian.
The “two years of clinical experience” is a myth, and here at my company, Dietitian Boss, we help you start and grow your private practice without needing any clinical experience (or while you are working a full-time job).
Many dietitians feel they need more clinical experience, and it’s largely because the curriculum and dietetics haven’t been updated in nearly a century. There are so many avenues and angles that you can pursue as a dietitian outside of the traditional 9-to-5 clinical job.
So I just want to let you know that if you’re working a 9-to-5 job, that’s the best opportunity for you to build your side business or private practice. The tricky thing is that you don’t have to know what it looks like.
Take the first step and start.
There are many different ways that you can run your business, but you don’t have to know what that looks like from the beginning. Many of our clients start with coaching and switch to passive income products. Dietitians have many options for how to make money, and the good news is that creating digital products prevents burnout.
When I started as a private practice consultant, I was working a 9-to-5 clinical job. I taught, spoke and led programs to make extra money before I created and sold my first digital course. My first online course replaced my clinical salary in six months, and I knew I had to go all-in with my digital business. My experience shows that starting small can help you get more clear and build with time. You can offer a digital course and/or create content online to build your brand when you are getting started.
Mind your finances.
Many dietitians overlook their balance sheet. Most of us didn’t go to business school, but you don’t need a master’s in finance to identify key metrics such as total sales, profit margins and net profit. When you are starting out, keeping a business account separate from a personal one is a great step, as is keeping track of business expenses on an excel sheet until you outsource bookkeeping. Many dietitians feel they can wait to start looking at their finances. I disagree. Grasping your numbers now can help you set better goals for your business and to complement your lifestyle. Recently, one of our clients asked how she’s tracking against expectations for her business progression path. I answered her with this article. I developed a diagnostic tool for our clients to assess their stage of business based on my proprietary system.
Keep a goal in mind.
One of the best ways to keep focused when working a clinical job and building your practice on the side includes setting a goal. Setting goals and working towards them is much harder in practice. I suggest you create a schedule and work on your business for at least an hour a week. If you have more time, great. But you must create space in your schedule to focus on growing your business. The first step includes creating a goal. Examples include: making your first sale, creating a clear online offer, launching your practice and creating recurring revenue. Keep in mind that you can change your goal, and with time your vision of what you want might evolve. But if you do change your mind, it might take longer to adapt the processes in place to meet your goals such as profitability or decreased hours worked per week.
In summary, you don’t need two years of clinical experience to start. You can use the education you have to get started now, even while working a full-time or per diem position. Starting a business on the side is a great way to explore the world of entrepreneurship and set yourself up for the learning and growth needed to build a sustainable and impactful private practice.
