PAEDS BIZ ... HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR PRIVATE PRACTICE NOVEMBER 2016
EMPLOYER OBLIGATIONS Your resposibilities as an employer
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WHAT DOES YOUR DESK SAY ABOUT YOU Could your desk and office benefit from a tidy up? p.10
SELF CARE FOR THE SILLY SEASON Practical tips for surviving this year’s silly season p.4
AN INTRODUCTION TO
CATHY LOVE Occupational Therapist Coach Speaker Author
For first time readers a quick intro, I am Cathy Love an Occupational Therapist, Coach, Author and Speaker. I am the founding director of Nacre Consulting and I work with parents and disability service providers to achieve brilliant outcomes for children with special needs. I provide a range of services: • Private practice coaching to business owners • Family Service Coaching to help parents manage their child’s team and services • Clinical supervision to individuals and teams • Service delivery consultation to disability service providers More to be read about all that over on my website www.nacre.com.au Each month I write up news, useful information and pearls of wisdom for those working with children and families in the disability sector. Given that it is a rapidly changing landscape and one that is increasingly privatised there is lots of news to be shared.
Welcome. Cambodia was magic. The people, places, warmth, history, food, generosity, reflection time and personal growth opportunities were all incredible. As part of an Aussie coaching group I visited businesses, presented workshops and provided coaching sessions to Cambodian women. I was also able to participate in ICF accredited Group Coaching training with a master coach. Wonderful. I learnt a fortune. My business ticked along in my absence. I like to run surveillance over calls and emails whilst I am away, do you? This trip proved a little harder than usual with no mobile phone Travel Pass package! Wi-Fi was my friend and through the use of Skype, Trello, FB messenger, I was able to hold a watching brief over all email, social media, VA and client activity. Yes, I am working towards the laptop lifestyle. But in the meantime… Introducing Paeds Biz Connect events to Adelaide, Geelong, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. Woo Hoo! We are keen to fill the room with self-employed health professionals who work with children and families. When do we ever all get to meet? Join us for nibbles, networking and niche management know how. I will be sharing practical information, guest speakers will be joining us and there will be some local show and tell time. Bring your business cards. We can’t wait. Paeds Biz November edition has tips for end of year self-care and business care, understanding your legal employer obligations, getting more organised for your book keeper and a little desk spring cleaning. We can also announce the 2017 Introduction to Coaching workshop we have planned. Insert excited happy dance. Our e-mag continues to reach private practitioners globally. Our content is niche to what you do. A group of regular contributors are coming on board and lots of cool stuff is covering my white board for 2017. Read, enjoy and please forward the Paeds Biz link on to colleagues. They will thank you.
Cathy Cathy Love Director of Nacre Consulting
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CONTENTS 02 Introduction Meet Cathy Love 04 COVER FEATURE: Self Care for the Silly Season Practical tips for surviving the end of the year 05 End of Year Care for your Business Manage and plan strategically 06 Private Practice Coaching 07 3 Key Employer Obligations Guest Writer - Anthony Lieu from LegalVision 09 Making Group Program Admin Easier Ideas to help you plan in advance 10 COVER FEATURE: What does your Desk Say About you Could your desk use a tidy up? 11 Coaching Services Events Calendar 12 Best Bookkeeping Practice Guest Writer - Helen Stenhouse from PBS 14 An Introduction to Coaching Meet Barbara Anderson - an ICF master coach 15 Paeds Biz Connect Events 16 The Wrap
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SELF-CARE FOR THE
SILLY SEASON
It’s fair to say it’s the start of the silly season. Your office, phone, diary, desk and head may all be feeling more frantic than usual, as demands escalate. Everything becomes more urgent both at home and at work. Here are some tips for surviving this year’s silly season.
Grab back time It is OK to not fill cancellations with waitlist clients, delegate tasks like crazy, group up staff supervision, shorten session notes slightly, pay for a little extra help and drive the long way home to quieten the post work mind.
Lunch on a Plate How can you stop, take a real break, sit and eat lunch off a plate. The catch is that this pause and food loaded plate needs to be away from your desk and preferably totally tech free. Just for 30 minutes. If you are on the road, we all know those days, can you plan a stop to eats calmly and safely? Perhaps at a café. Lunch breaks are the first things to go when you get super busy, what can you do to preserve yours?
Movement breaks Think about what we suggest for our seated and dysregulated clients: movement breaks, heavy work, meditation pauses. The same may be true for ourselves. We need to stand, stretch, walk the block, juggle. Yes I had a juggling phase. Move it or lose it.
Hydrate The water bottle goes everywhere and gets refilled several times during the day. I have a thing for cold coconut water, when will it end? Hydration is not negotiable. Sleep Try and squeeze in some extra zzzz’s, a couple of early nights can do wonders for energy and optimism. Who is going to fess up to a Saturday afternoon nap? My hand is raised.
Be your own boss For some reason we expect to finish the year in a screaming heap, just like every other year, but it doesn’t have to be like this. Work hard to shift your mindset from one of stress to one of self-care and success. Plan ahead how you will look after yourself with daily tasks, weekly rituals and don’t forget a massage. Which 3 self-care strategies will you do? How will this year’s December be for you? Who can help you stick to this?
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END OF YEAR CARE FOR
YOUR BUSINESS
From a business perspective the end of the year is when all the good stuff happens. More referrals, cancellations, staff changes, family events, bills, invoices, partnerships… and more. Mapping these factors will help you manage them more strategically rather than reactively. Plan ahead and prepare to be flexible Check in with teachers regarding all upcoming programs and events, shuffle as required. Provide families with a list of all their session dates and times for the term, remind them of your cancellation policy. Hmm, check your cancellation policy, muscle up and start to enforce it. Time is precious and no more so than towards the end of the year. Check in with your wait list Many practices forget to stay in touch with their wait list and are surprised when they have all gone elsewhere. Call, email, add them to your monthly newsletter. Let them know you haven’t forgotten about them. Perhaps get them in for a short, paid triage and suggestion session. Tame the phone General enquiries, more new referrals, colleagues for coffee catch ups and stakeholders chasing reports. Ensure your voicemail states your days and hours. Hand your phone to admin for a few hours of uninterrupted time. Let calls run to message, allocate a block of time and deal with them all in one batch.
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Staff changes Sometimes you have an inkling, sometimes you are taken by surprise. What can you ask, to better understand your staff member’s intentions? Continue to check in with previous applicants, maintain relationships. Speak with everybody who contacts you via your ‘join the team’ tab on your website. Ensure the revised job description and new advert are good to go. Chase unpaid accounts assertively This is mission critical. Ideally you should have only a little outstanding. Please chase what you do have owing assertively. Whatever it takes. We all know about the summer cash flow droughts. As you do it write down the steps and build a Debt collection policy and procedure as you work through. Assertively manage your business through the end of the school years Proactively manage events, waitlisted clients, phone calls, potential staff changes and all monies owing. You’re on it. How can you engage your waitlist? How could you release your poor payers? What can you do this year to surprise and delight your team?
PRIVATE PRACTICE COACHING
How could a private practice coach help you? Need a hand with policies and procedures? Where is your business plan up to? Not sure where to start with marketing? Keen for some people management ideas? Cathy Love is a specialist business coach who helps paediatric private practitioners run powerful and profitable businesses. As a private practice pioneer in the 1990’s, Cathy started, sustained and sold a successful seven figure business. She understands the lurking fear of failure, the stress of being an under-skilled manager and never having enough time to do anything well. She gets the loneliness, the worry and the frustration of being chronically over worked and under recognised. Through her coaching programs, her clients gain skills and confidence to develop business plans, policies and procedure manuals, manage and lead people, develop innovate products, understand profit, market their services and install strong processes. They get their management mojo kicked into gear. Do you want to be left feeling energised and significantly more confident in your ability to assertively manage your business?
BOOK A FREE 30 MINUTE CHAT TODAY PAEDS BIZ 06
GUEST WRITER - ANTHONY LIEU
3 KEY EMPLOYER OBLIGATIONS All employers have legal obligations they must fulfil for their employees, including the provision of a number of entitlements and benefits. Entitlements may vary depending on the nature of the employment relationship (for example, a casual worker compared to a full-time employee). This article explores three legal obligations for employers: leave, superannuation and employment contracts. Leave Entitlements Employers have a legal responsibility to provide annual leave for all employees, excluding casual workers. Full-time and part-time workers can claim up to four weeks of annual leave (based on their ordinary hours of work) and shift workers may be entitled to up to five weeks per working year. Annual leave accumulates gradually during the year, from the first day of employment, even during probation periods. Annual leave also accumulates when an employee takes long service, community service or paid leave. However, unpaid sick leave, unpaid annual leave and unpaid parental leave (inclusive of the government’s paid parental leave scheme) do not count towards leave. Superannuation Entitlements If an employee earns more than $450 (before tax) per month, their employer is obliged to pay the minimum amount of superannuation (known as the super guarantee). This super is calculated at a rate of 9.5% of an employee’s ordinary time earnings and is paid at least quarterly. In some circumstances, an employer may be exempted from paying super. This can be where an employee is: • under 18 years of age and works for less than 30 hours a week;
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• a non-resident employee who carries out work for a business abroad; or • working in Australia and are covered by a bilateral super agreement. Employment Contracts Employment contracts are legally binding and set out the terms and conditions of the employment relationship. Employers must issue employment contracts to all employees when they join. Each employment contract will differ, so it is important to have an employment lawyer review the contract. An employment contract must meet the minimum standards under the National Employment Standards (NES) or any awards or enterprise agreements that apply. Employment contracts will include clauses such as: • Whether the contract is fixed-term or maximum term; • Whether an employee is full-term or part-time; • The employee’s wages; and • The employee’s working hours It is also common for employers to include accompanying documents with an employment agreement, such as staff handbooks and company policies. Key Takeaways Leave, superannuation entitlements and employment contracts form a crucial part of the suite of legal obligations for employers. Each employment relationship is unique and as such, employers must be aware of their obligations under the law for all their employees. If you have any questions about employment contracts, entitlements or contracts, get in touch with LegalVision. Author Bio Anthony is a lawyer and the Head of Marketing at LegalVision. He has a keen interest in startup law, IT law and scaling fast-growing businesses. He has a strong understanding in how start-ups operate at all stages and navigating the myriad of legal issues surrounding online businesses.
This e-mag is hosted by a platform called Issuu. I only discovered that this was a thing last year and have since enjoyed a variety of reads. The writing, editing, page design and magazine layout are all done in separate programs outside Issuu. When it is all finalised it gets dropped into Issuu, we then share the link with you via Mailchimp. I would love you to follow me on Issuu. Here’s how you do it. Clicking ‘Follow Publisher’ below the publication you are reading OR
By clicking the green “Follow” button on our profile page. Once that is done, you’ll see all new uploads and stack additions from Cathy Love in your Feed.
As a parent of a child with special needs there is always a lot going on. Parents may feel overwhelmed by child development experts, therapy, appointments and complex systems. This leaves parents tired, overwhelmed and feeling guilty that they should be able to do it all for their child. Becoming Chief is a book written for parents and service providers. It is written to help parents find their way, gather their support tribe, set goals and manage their child’s team and program. All the tough topics are covered, wonderful real life stories told and mountains of parent wisdom shared. It is easy to read, practical and energising. Becoming Chief is written by Cathy Love, Occupational Therapist, Coach, Speaker and Author. She writes to her passion of helping parents feel strong, informed and organised so that they can powerfully advocate for their child. Cathy is available to speak or Skype at your next event. Her book has been reviewed by Source Kids Magazine, Amaze, USA’s Autism Parenting Magazine and other publications. Buy your copy today click here For your e-book purchase click here FREE POSTAGE AUSTRALIA WIDE
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MAKING GROUP PROGRAM ADMIN
EASIER
Finalising, promoting and filling summer groups programs should be happening months in advance. Yes you knew this, but why is it still such a scramble? The following ideas may make it easier for you. First up, is your group unique? What do you have to offer that is fresh and different and will stand out in the market. Could you offer, clubs, day camps, evenings. Could you partner with cubs, swim, music or dance schools? Could you offer services in shops, libraries, playgrounds, play spaces? Get creative and community minded. Use technology to the max. The good news is, that several of the practice management software systems now have group booking capability which eases up the admin and billing. Would you consider an online booking and payment system such as Eventbrite, Try booking.com or similar? Better still, add a plug in such as Woo Commerce to your website to enable events to be purchased via PayPal. Time saver. Coping with changes. Biggest issues with group programs are the cancellations and swapping around. Request full pre-payment or at least a deposit. Outline the cancellation payment. Provide the days, times, locations and ‘what to bring’ in writing. Repeatedly as required. SMS is also helpful.
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Professional Flyers. The majority of flyers look pretty amateurish, truth be told. Treat yourself to the services of a professional graphic designer. So worth it. Never upload a jpeg of the flyer onto social media. It looks sloppy and you can’t read it. Better still, set up an event or a landing page on your website. Not complex, ask your website guru. In summary, be bold, check in with what parents want and what’s not available. Do something new and treat yourself to a professional flyer and better still a website event landing page. Use technology to ease up the booking processes and don’t be shy to request prepayment. Assist families with great written guidelines and reminders. You can do it.
“If you keep doing the same thing, you keep getting the same results” – Albert Einstein What are your new ideas? What will be different this year How can you use online bookings?
WHAT DOES YOUR DESK SAY
ABOUT YOU
Feeling a little defeated by the papers, books, bits and bobs on your desk? Could your desk and office benefit from a tidy up? Spring is here along with the notion of a little seasonal clearing and cleaning. Could your work space feel more inviting and supportive for getting things done? Stand at your office door and take a glance. Have you got a great office chair? Does it fit you and your desk really well? Plants, storage, natural lights… what rating would you give yourself out of five. Mine is currently about a 3.5. For years I have had an upstand across the back of my desk. (A piece of timber the length of the desk resting on three Ikea wooden magazine boxes – looks way better than it sounds) This lifts the height of my second computer screen and gives me sliding box space under the shelf for essential arms reach things, like lollies and lip gloss for Skype. I have an awesome office chair, super comfy and adjustable. In terms of layout I have tried to be as ergonomic as I can. Take a look at your desk, is there more space or stuff on it? It doesn’t take long for books, papers, journals, files, toys, test materials to gather on your shelves, desk corners and the floor. The move to paperless isn’t easy and much of what we do as clinicians and managers still requires paper. I have committed to less-paper and am working towards paper free incrementally. Drastic declutter. One of my coaching clients swept her entire desk top clutter into a big blue Ikea bag. After some spray and wipe she only put back the items and documents she needed. Turns out about 90% stayed in the bag and was shredded, scanned, filed, discarded. Her productivity soared and team compliments on the new look flowed.
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Do you have great storage… and if we open the doors and drawers will you only see critical documents? Which documents can be scanned and stored electronically, referenced in a master spread sheet and found on line in the future. What would happen if you threw an hour at all stored papers and culled. Support systems. Photos on the desk have never been a thing for me. I always have a couple of plants, shells, stones and flowers when I remember. Natural light is hugely important for me. I also have an hour glass of 30 minutes that I use when I open up social media. Usually only two piles of papers named ‘now’ and ‘next’. The now pile must be done today, followed by the next pile. A clean and clear desktop are the only way I get anything done. Touch it once. This is a productivity tip based on the principle that you touch a document or task and you do it. None of this half done approach. Touch It Once works brilliantly with email, letters, filing and it’s a great habit to get into. What difference would a 60-minute tidy up make to you? When can this be scheduled? What! No desk? I don’t know how you do it.
COACHING
SERVICES
EVENTS
CALENDAR
TEAM TALK TELECONFERENCE Cathy provides clinical coaching to paediatric occupational therapists, health and educational professionals. Cathy is an occupational therapist who has worked with children with special needs for thirty years. She has invested heavily in her clinical skill set and readily shares what she knows. Cathy is also a professionally trained coach: this ethos inspires all aspects of her work. Do you need a specialist business coach who can help you run a powerful and profitable private practice?
BOOK A FREE 30 MINUTE CHAT TODAY Team Talk has been one of the most valuable additions to my CPD in terms of shifting knowledge into practice that I have done in a long time. Thank you. - Occupational Therapist, NSW I wanted to let you know that this has been a valuable resource for myself and my team as we use the Team Talk topic to frame our team discussions and it has been a terrific prompt to re-frame our practice across a number of issues. - Occupational Therapist, Sydney NSW
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Cathy Love (OT), Megan Ingram (SLP) and special expert guests will present and discuss topics central to contemporary multi-disciplinary service delivery to children with special needs. The series is perfect for occupational therapists, speech pathologists, special educators and psychologists. 8 November 2016 Educational Assessments (WPPSI, WISC + others) and Relevance for OT and SLP BOOK NOW 6 December 2016 Evaluation and Management of Attention. OT and SLP Perspectives BOOK NOW Team Talk has been one of the most valuable additions to my CPD in terms of shifting knowledge into practice that I have done in a long time. Thank you. - Occupational Therapist, NSW I wanted to let you know that this has been a valuable resource for myself and my team as we use the Team Talk topic to frame our team discussions and it has been a terrific prompt to re-frame our practice across a number of issues. - Occupational Therapist, Sydney NSW
GUEST WRITER - HELEN STENHOUSE
BOOKKEEPING BEST PRACTICE Most SME owners are great operators in their own right and are highly skilled in their chosen profession. The challenge is that most SME owners aren’t proficient, nor do they have any desire to be, in bookkeeping best practice. And why should they? Yet record keeping compliance is imposed upon businesses by various government bodies and if left unchecked has the potential to derail the most successful of them.
The information displayed on each source document varies depending on the type, but regardless they need to clearly display: · If a payment has been made · Amount paid · Account used · Date of payment · Business or personal
Here’s why. Bookkeeping best practice begins before your accounts team or bookkeeper even get their hands on your precious receipts, tax invoices and other equally important source documents.
As you can see some of this information is already included, for example an EFT receipt from a petrol station will show that: a payment has been made, the amount paid, the account used, and the date of payment. Therefore, there’s no benefit in replicating this information, however for extra brownie points you can underline or highlight these key areas.
Thirty seconds of your time saves thirty minutes of theirs, we call this the 30:30 rule. This generalisation is applied on an individual basis to every single source document and should hopefully highlight the impact you, as a business owner, can have overall in relation to your bookkeeping fees. Let’s assume the 30:30 rule is 100% accurate and apply it to the following scenario: On the way to your practice you happen to stop off and pick up amenities, office stationary and petrol. That’s three separate transactions and three chances to save thirty minutes each. You’re probably wondering what could possibly take thirty seconds and result in such a time saving outcome.
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But what if along with purchasing petrol, you also purchased a beanie and a scarf because, well, you live in Melbourne. Unless you specify whether the beanie and scarf were personal or business related expenses, how would anyone else know? A real world example we had come through our office recently was an EFT receipt from a bottle shop. The client is a highly specialised oral surgeon and with no information other than what was on the receipt we had no idea why that receipt was sent through. In other words, there was no clear indication whether it was a business or personal expense. After checking with the client we found they were hosting an event for other surgeons to be held at their clinic and were providing the drinks for the evening.
If the receipt had “networking event”, “marketing event”, or something equally descriptive it would have been processed within a matter of seconds. Instead, an email needed to be composed, proof read and sent, then we were left to await the answer. Having to constantly switch gears, and start and stop tasks, leads to inefficiencies. Whether they’re your own employees, an external bookkeeping company or you’re managing it yourself. Eventually you’ll end up paying for the additional time one way or another. Following these basic steps will lead to faster and more accurate reporting, an easier time during processing and an overall cost saving on your bookkeeping fees. So remember the 30:30 rule and always record the: • date payment was made • account used for payment • amount paid I hope by just reading this article you’ve had thoughts on how you can implement this within your own business.
Is your current process working? Do you need to implement a new system for handling receipts? How can you make the process seamless?
Author Bio Helen Stenhouse is the Founder and Director of Professional BAS Agent Services (formerly Professional Bookkeeping Service). Established in 1983, her business is a trusted provider to small and medium business owners.
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ONE DAY WORKSHOP
AN INTRODUCTION TO
COACHING
My coach training was the most powerful personal and professional development I ever invested in. WOW. It reframed so much of what I was doing, added definition to my OT skills and extended my thinking for what I could do in the future. The fully accredited Coach Training Program for allied health professionals was a 60-hour program. It started with an intense and remarkable 40-hour week with a small groups of clinicians. This was followed with 20 hours of teleconferencing and private study and reflection. From the first few hours I was coaching, receiving supervision and reflecting on my practice. I quickly learnt how it fitted in with my OT and management practice and personal style. It was an instant match and coaching has since become my most powerful tool. By the end of the week I understood and could demonstrate the 11 Core Competencies of Coaching, I understood coaching theories with an emphasis on the GROW model. I had witnesses master level coaching and been coached personally. I knew how to weave it into my business on all levels, with stakeholders, team members and clients. I am delighted to announce that Barbara Anderson who I trained with will be presenting a powerful one day Introduction to Coaching. So excited to share this incredible program with you. Learning Outcomes include: • An understanding of Coaching Theory • An understanding of the 11 Core Competencies of Coaching • Knowledge and application of the GROW model of coaching • Appreciation of how you can use a Coach Approach with your team and clients • Experience of being coached and coaching others Barbara is an ICF master coach and internationally sought after ICF accredited trainer. This one day Introduction to Coaching will contribute to any further Coach training you may do with Barbara and ICF. DETAILS Saturday 11th February 2017 9.00am - 4.00pm Oaks on Market - 60 Market St Melbourne Your investment is $350.00 including GST BOOK YOUR SPOT TODAY Barbara Anderson is a Master Certified Coach with the International Coach Federation, with an extensive background in Corporate, Business, Information Technology, Management, and Training and Development. Qualifications include the Certificate in NeuroLeadership; Graduate Certificate HRM & Coaching, from University of Sydney, a Bachelor of Business in Human Resources and Psychology, and the Certificate 1V Training and Assessment.
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YOU’RE INVITED TO...
PAEDS BIZ CONNECT Join us for networking and niche paed’s private practice management tips. Cathy Love will present the Five Success Factors for Paeds Biz Success: Planning People Products Processes Promotion Guest speakers about NDIA, Customer Service, Digital Marketing, Legal Obligations and more will present at various venues. Loads of practical paeds specific business ideas and lots of time to ask questions and mingle. Here’s why you should join us: • Well deserved end of year work get together • Catch up with colleagues • Network with new private practitioners • Pick up tips for better managing my business Leave feeling well connected and energised for running your business. We look forward to meeting you and helping you run a powerful and profitable private practice.
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The early evening party will be coming to: Adelaide
Monday 21st November 5.30 -8.00pm
Geelong
Wednesday 23rd November 5.30 -8.00pm
Sydney
Monday 28th November 5.30 -8.00pm
Brisbane
Wednesday 30th November 5.30 -8.00pm
Melbourne
Monday 5th December 5.30 -8.00pm TICKETS: $49 PER PERSON
Next month’s edition will include: 2017 Planning Process Business Visioning Annual Reflection End of Year Habits
Thanks to Emma my patient and persistent VA, she continues to make me look way better than I am. My team stretches across four states and three time zones, we continue to hone our craft, and have fun bringing together the words, images, layout and energy for you . The December edition will throw light on the 2017 planning process, business visioning, annual reflection and end of year habits. Don’t waste January 2017, planning is now due. We will also speak about recruitment, interviewing and debt management; all familiar end of year challenges for private practitioners. 2017 brings full scale roll out of the Paeds Biz Success program. Workshops, social events, webinars, downloadables, tools, tips, group and individual coaching and at last, the podcast. Stay tuned.
As many of you know I am the founding director of Nacre Consulting. A cool business with an unusual name. Nacre is the natural process of a little seed, held in an oyster shell whist it grows, layer by layer, into a brilliant unique pearl. This process takes time, special conditions and forces of nature. And so it is true for ourselves and for the children and families we serve. More about my clinical supervision, parent coaching, teaching and private practicing coaching services on my (soon to be facelifted) website: www.nacre.com.au
A reminder to practice positive self-care and team care during these final busy weeks. Lastly, do yourself a favour and book your ticket to your local Paedz Biz Connect event.
FOLLOW NACRE CONSULTING ON SOCIAL MEDIA
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If you are curious about my specialist private practice coaching services you are most welcome to get in touch, find out more and experience a 30 minute complimentary session: cathy@nacre.com.au