Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Dan Zomerlei, Co-Owner of Alliance Counseling Group, located in Zeeland, MI, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

My business is Alliance Counseling Group. We are a group of highly trained therapists and counselors dedicated to improving our clients' mental, emotional, and relational health. Our mission is "To be Hope. For Change. For Good" by being compassionate hosts, using evidence-based practices, and being persistent care collaborators working tirelessly for our client's wellbeing.

Tell us about yourself

I started private practice ten years ago (2012) near the end of my graduate school program. My private practice was filling up, and I found myself turning away clients. This forced me to think about how I could do more for my community beyond what I could do alone in my private practice. This curiosity led to many conversations with a trusted colleague as we dreamed about what a private group practice could provide for the mental health needs of our community. It was out of this desire to serve our community better - the Alliance Counseling Group was born. As an individual practitioner, I had an active caseload of about 30-35 clients. Currently, the Alliance Counseling group has 1,254 active clients across our four office locations! We are continually motivated to serve our community well and be an integral resource for mental, emotional, and relational health.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment as a business owner is simple: hiring a team of therapists who are GOOD people and highly skilled at their clinical practice. The clinical team we have is our greatest accomplishment. I admire each of the therapists as people and their work! From top to bottom, our organization has amazing people that create the character and reputation of Alliance being a trusted place for great mental healthcare.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

One of the hardest things about being a business owner is learning to become adequate in your many roles. I am a Janitor, CEO, HR Consultant, Clinical Director, Team Manager, Accountant, VP of Marketing, etc., on any given day, etc. And I only went to school for one of these things (clinical). The variety of jobs and skills I am required to use and grow daily as a business owner is one of the most rewarding AND challenging things about this work.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

Top three tips for starting, running, and growing a business:

  1. Find a good team! Going at it alone is possible, but having a trusted partner/team with you can make it more fun and sustainable. You can bounce ideas off each other and encourage one another on days one of you has lost sight of the vision or is not feeling as motivated; you can divide the tasks and use the complementary skill sets to achieve more together!
  2. Running a business is very different than starting a business. I am more naturally motivated and skilled in starting a business. I've learned that I still have much to learn about running a business! The day-to-day tasks of managing staff, creating procedures, communicating often and clearly, and creating and sustaining a distinct culture all require a different mindset and skill set than the start-up phase. However...if you do a good job at #1 above (finding a good team), this can help you navigate this stage well, even if it is not your top skill set!
  3. While the goal of a successful business is to create profit, if you focus on the profit, you'll miss the point of it all. It is most important to focus relentlessly on your business's mission. This is the point of your work! What mission are you dedicating your life to? If you keep your missional focus and do a good job of following through on it, the profit will come. All business owners start with a mission or purpose: to create something that fills an important need in the world. The more you can remember what needs your business is fulfilling and find meaning and passion in this, the more rewarding and sustaining your business will be. And the more others will be inspired to join your team to work toward this shared mission!

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.alliancecounselinggroup.com/
Facebook: https://bit.ly/3IckKPH
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drzomerlei/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/drzomerlei
LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3OJoPxd

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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