Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Cynthia Taylor, Co-Owner of Taylor Neuro Specialists, located in Lakewood, CO, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
We own and operate a mobile outpatient Speech Therapy clinic for adults with neurological injuries or conditions, such as stroke, TBI, head/neck cancer, Parkinson's disease, ALS, Huntington's disease, and various forms of dementia. We evaluate and treat language and speech impairments, cognitive and executive functioning impairments, voice and swallowing disorders.
Tell us about yourself
Taylor and I both worked in Level 1 trauma hospitals and comprehensive stroke centers and transitioned to home health and long-term rehab hospitals. We observed a substantial deficit in follow-up resources after individuals were discharged from home health or long-term rehab regarding access to outpatient therapy. A majority of outpatient clinics are office-based, only we decided to launch a unique clinic that offers a combination of in-office, telehealth, and mobile outpatient services for our patients who have difficulty with transportation, mobilization, and ability to get to us at our clinic. We have been fortunate in growing so quickly over the last 4 years, as the need has certainly been recognized by Physicians in the metro area for mobile services. We remain motivated to continue adapting to the needs of our patient base and identifying even more methods for access to those in remote areas. We also value a very strong rapport and relationship-building with our patients and their families, so we find ourselves motivated by the progress patients can make when they know they can rely on and trust us.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
When starting our clinic, we truly thought it would be a supplemental job to our existing full-time jobs. We did not expect to grow as rapidly or nearly as much as we have, and we have since hired two additional Speech-Language Pathologists and an Office Manager. We have built a wide networking base in the Denver metro area and coordinate care with some of the largest and most renowned Neurology clinics in the U.S. It has been humbling and so rewarding to be involved with such a tremendous multidisciplinary team!
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Balance - we have only now hired an Office Manager to take over all of our administrative duties and financial management of the business. Finding a balance between work-life and juggling administrative duties with patient care has been extremely difficult. It is more than full-time and can creep into your personal life so very easily. Also, the fact that our patient base is primarily an elderly population with Medicare insurance leaves us limited with financial income due to what payments we are allowed to receive from insurance. We have had to be quite creative in how we spend money on resources and overhead and how we can promote additional income outside of patient care. The responsibility of having our name attached to the business is a tremendous one, and we work diligently to ensure we are maintaining our highest clinical standards, supporting our employees, and taking time for our families.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Be prepared to initially sacrifice time and money to get the business up and running. Sometimes it takes unexpected money you invest upfront, though you must rely on that investment in order to reach your longer-term goals.
- Don't be afraid to reach out to others who have walked the journey already, to gain insight, advice, network, and learn. There is no reason to start from scratch when you can rely on resources to help guide you. There is so much involved with starting and running a business, and information online can be overwhelming. Talk to others, learn from others, and ask lots of questions.
- Don't be afraid to charge your skills/services appropriately. It is easy to want to start with lower fees just to get the business off the ground and be competitive. However, don't sell yourself short; your skills and services are valuable, so set your fees where they should be from the very start.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://taylorneuroslp.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/taylorneuroslp/
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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