Professional Composure and Compassion Fatigue

Human Resources

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Some years ago, I first wrote about the newly-named disorder “compassion fatigue”. My good friend, Dr. John Wilson, told me that it happened regularly amongst health care practitioners who developed close relationships with and compassion for their
clients while working to the point of exhaustion. We have all heard about interns and the burn-out that occurs in the emergency wards of hospitals and in many medical services.

Practitioners are often motivated by the urgency involved and the skill required to deal with the severe medical conditions of their patients. The adrenaline-like high that can result is manageable and even welcomed when we are young. Sadly, as the years pass, the compassion required becomes a burden and the stress and angst that results can be debilitating. What was once a “high” is now a “low”. What often is understated in this scenario is that compassion fatigue impacts on the practitioner and staff relationship as well. The process of building a successful practice or business requires hard work and long hours not only for the professional but for his/her staff as well. When a practice or business fails, both practitioner/owner and his/her staff are impacted. Lives are disrupted. The pressure to succeed is intensified and sometimes a high price is paid by all.

In my case, my father warned me to keep a “balance” and not become too involved with clients and their personal situations. He went on to advise me to do likewise with staff and maintain a professional composure and distance that allowed me to stay on task and help clients exit (in the long term) from their chosen profession with dignity and profitably and satisfy my staff needs at the same time.

Recently, I spent an evening with my dad and vented about a serious matter that is tormenting one of my clients—and me by direct association. I became emotional. He listened carefully, as he does at age 89, and then with a soft voice told me, “It’s your
job son, it’s not your problem.” My client needs help and asked for advice. Her career is in jeopardy, her dreams and
goals are being shattered in a failed business/practice partnership that is also ruining her marriage. The story is long and complicated and will not be told here but, once again I find I am not fully qualified to help. This, for me, is both frustrating and
fatiguing.

What became evident by the end of my conversation with my father, is that I had to stay focused, offer the best advice I could to achieve the end goal of a successful exit for my client and maintain a professional composure that made the service we offer as a brokerage viable and worthy of success.

TIMOTHY BROWN

is Chief Executive Office of ROI Corporation Canada’s national professional practice and brokerage firm.

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Protect Yourself from Spam and Scammers

Finance|Wealth, Resources

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Spammers and scammers are attacking everybody. Typically, I receive up to 10 scam/spam emails a day, and fortunately, my office uses a defense system that captures about 99% of them. But recently, one slipped through my inbox.

A spammer had perfectly mimicked my email identity and my email signature. Emails came to my office staff using my exact email address. There were a few clues that made us realize later that it was a scam; however, at the time, I was away and the scammers told my staff that I demanded a payment of tens of thousands of dollars be made to one of our regular suppliers.

The spammer had duplicated an invoice that one of our suppliers had sent to us by email several months earlier. The invoice appeared authentic to my staff members. They proceeded to process the cheque. The next day, I returned from my out-of-town trip and was asked, “Tim, why was it so urgent that we had to pay that supplier bill yesterday?” I responded, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

The staff member showed me the emails that had been sent demanding a payment be made the same day. I looked at the emails, which appeared legitimate, but noticed a couple of words that I don’t use. One was “muchly,” as in, “muchly appreciated.” I have never used that word. It is grammatically incorrect. That was one of the indicators that the emails were part of a scam.Fortunately, we were able to stop the cheque from being deposited, and then we made
additional precautions and updated our internal security measures to prevent any such similar scams from happening again.

This was very close to being a major financial setback. Three of my staff members actually approved this cheque being deposited. Shortly after, I received another scammer email from one of my clients that appeared legitimate. His actual signature, his actual cell phone number, his actual website and some of the awards he has won were all contained in the email. The message said that he was away and wanted to get a Google gift card for his nephew and asked if I could help out by buying the gift card and emailing it somewhere for him to access.

Obviously, it was a scam and I laughed and called my client to tell him that he had been scammed. He laughed as well and said “I have to thank the scammers because I’m getting calls from people I haven’t heard from in a long time. I’m reconnecting with old friends and buddies and this is a great thing.”

Ironically, in this case, the scammers and spammers unwittingly generated a little bit of humour. It’s easy to laugh off when people can easily recognize these as scams perpetrated by amateurs and hacks using blind and rotating fraudulent email accounts to extract money illegally. But sadly, some scams are effective and they often prey on senior citizens. I have advised my father and other senior members of our family to be careful about telephone scams by people pretending to be nieces and nephews on holiday pleading for money from an older family member.

Security measures can be implemented by you, the company host of your website domain or your email provider. We can set higher security measures with our email, but of most concern is a junior staff member who might be duped and unable to recognize a sophisticated scam for what it is. This is especially true of a scam directive that has been (supposedly) dictated by the employer (read: boss) or other high ranking senior officials in the company. We need more scam (and spam) education, and we should all practice safe email!

TIMOTHY BROWN

is Chief Executive Office of ROI Corporation Canada’s national professional practice and brokerage firm.

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Habits of an Influential Optometrist

Human Resources

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What influential people say almost always holds weight and all of their opinions are valued by the people around them.

But guess what? You too can expand your circle of influence if you make some important changes in the way you view the world and yourself.

1. Think for Yourself

It’s not a good sign if you’re easily swayed by public opinion or the latest trends. Believing everything you hear and forming opinions based on other people’s judgments will get you nowhere.

You need to start thinking for yourself. Do your research and study facts before coming to a conclusion. Be willing to change your mind if there’s evidence supporting it. Start tuning out what other people think and only gain influence from what you know.

2. Disruptive the Norm

So many problems result from our lack of empathy and unwillingness to change our ways. You need to be curious about the world and long-running traditions. You shouldn’t be afraid to question the status quo and challenge conventional ways of thinking.

Becoming graciously disruptive means you’re doing it for the right reasons.

3. Innovate

Explore new ideas and try to think outside the box whenever you can. Spark conversations about causes that deserve more attention. When you truly care about the world, this should come naturally to you.

Inspire people around you to think differently and be more open-minded.

4. Network

Make connections everywhere you go. Don’t hesitate to learn about other people’s background and culture. Look out for people in your social circle and add value to their lives. Be forthcoming with advice where necessary to make lasting connections.

5. Welcome Disagreement

When people disagree with your ideas, you need to humble yourself and really listen to what they’re saying. You shouldn’t respond defensively because you don’t know everything and you could’ve easily missed something. It should be more important for you to challenge your own ideas than to always be right.

The other person may have a point and if they do, you should be more than willing to change your opinion.

6. Think outside the box

Deliberately seek newer ideas and technologies instead of waiting for them to come to you. Stay updated with the latest innovations and become an early adopter. Spread the word about what’s coming in the future and always stay in the know.

7. Respond

When someone in your team or circle of influence makes a mistake, you need to take a step back and assess the situation instead of reacting immediately. Value your relationships and respond appropriately to any mishap. The last thing you want to do is cause a scene. If you overreact, people will start keeping their distance from you and trusting you less.

Learning how to be a person of influence may take a while, but with small steps every day, you can change the world and earn a place in everyone’s hearts.

MARIA SAMPALIS

is the founder of Corporate Optometry, a peer-to-peer web resource for ODs interested to learn more about opportunities in corporate optometry. Canadian ODs and optometry students can visit www.corporateoptometry.com to learn more.

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Insight with Glen Chiasson

Insights

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Dr. Glen Chiasson is a 1995 graduate of the University of Waterloo School of Optometry. He owns and manages two practices in Toronto.

In 2009, he co-hosted a podcast produced for colleagues in eye care, the “International Optometry Podcast”. He is a moderator of the Canadian Optometry Group, an email forum for Canadian optometrists. He is the host of “Eyes Wide Open”, a new podcast aimed at presenting new technologies and services for optometrists.

Dr. Chiasson enjoys tennis, hockey, and reading. He lives in Toronto with his wife and two sons.

 

Glen Chiasson

 

Why did you choose your field?

I needed glasses when I was in grade school and I thought my optometrist was a pretty cool guy with a pretty fun job. After 20+ years, helping people see and feel better still feels good.

Where do you see your practice / eye care in ten years?

  • More medical optometry with more and more of the ‘routine eye care’ (aka ‘vision tests’ / refractions) being done online, on your smartphone, etc.

What changes to eye care do you see coming down the pipe?

  • I think we will see a lot more artificial intelligence in medicine, with both good and bad outcomes. I think there will also be more personalized medicine (individualized medications based on your genetics, 3D-printed frames customized to your face and head, etc)

What is currently the most exciting thing in your field to help patients?

  • I continue to be fascinated and impressed with all the instruments we can use to see inside a patient’s eye. I imagine they will only continue to get better and better.

What is something you plan on implementing in your practice this year?

  • More aggressive screening for, and managing, dry eye and meibomian gland dysfunction.

What is something you have done in your practice to set you apart?

  • As a practitioner, you need to be yourself. We like to have a fun, relaxed atmosphere in the office and I think patients like this too.

What metrics do you track in order to gauge your success?

  • Monthly gross, monthly net, and production per doctor day at work. Family time and “time to just relax and do nothing” at home.

What business books would you recommend other ECPs read?

  • The E-Myth Optometrist (part of the E-myth series). Anything by Jeffrey Gitomer for sales insight.

What advice would you give a new grad today?

  • If you can, develop a specialty. Especially in a big city, you need to stand out from the crowd.

How do you hire new staff? What is the process and who does the hiring in your office?

  • We post ‘want ads’ in the usual places or we get referrals from current staff. My office manager does most of the screening process. The staff typically have more interaction among themselves than with me so I want the current team to feel comfortable with the new hire.

 

General Interest / Personal Questions

If you could take one album, one book, and one luxury item to a desert island, what would they be?

  • REM, “Life’s Rich Pageant”, “1984” by George Orwell, and a genie to provide unlimited wishes.

What is your favorite TV show / Netflix series?

  • Currently, I am waiting for the next season of “Peaky Blinders” and “Ozark” on Netflix.
  • All time TV Show = the first 10 seasons of “The Simpsons”.

What’s your Favorite food?

  • Hard to beat a steak dinner.

Favorite past-time/hobby?

  • Cooking. I find it very relaxing, and then there’s food at the end!

What’s your favorite 80’s jam? (or decade you graduated high school in)

  • In high school, I was into bands like REM and The Smiths, which aren’t really known for their “jams”. That being said, and assuming “jam” refers to something danceable, I remember “Let Your Backbone Slide” by Maestro Fresh Wes being really popular when I started university. “U Can’t Touch This” by MC Hammer was also a big hit around then too.

What would you do if you won 10 million dollars? What would you do with your practice?

  • I would book a trip around the world. I would likely still practice part-time but I would hire a manager to deal with all the day-to-day management.

Describe your perfect day.

  • Make a coffee and drink it in the backyard. Make a big breakfast for my family. Play some tennis. Come home and jump in the pool to cool off and then chill out poolside. Quick nap in a hammock in the mid-afternoon then some more swimming. BBQ dinner with some wine. Read for a bit or watch a little TV then off to bed.
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Location, Location, Location

Buying-Selling A Practice, Finance|Wealth, Office Design & Renovation, Practice, Real Estate, Resources

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We are often approached by ODs who are looking for help to open a new practice. One of the first questions asked – either by the client or by us! – is where? When you are investing a quarter of a million dollars, and often more in construction, it is crucial to get this right. The right location can be the difference between making a profit in the first year or not until the third year, or even later.

Our first recommendation is to think outside the box. While it may be tempting to gravitate to the larger cities because of the denser population, remember that these areas are also the most competitive. They have lots of choice and can choose an experience or service provider that caters best to their particular needs. Strong differentiation in terms of both product offerings and service becomes key for success. Conversely, a smaller, more remote location will allow a more general practice strategy. However, in today’s digital world, it is still critical to create an experience that patients will want to support whether you are in an urban or rural setting.

After determining what will set your new clinic apart, and whether you are going to set up in a larger or smaller community, the next step is to find the physical location that will support your strategy. Commissioning a Geo-marketing Report is the best way to accomplish this. They are produced by non-stakeholders. This tool will compile and analyse the best available data for a given geographical area of interest. Some data taken into account includes competitor information and population demographics for that area, such as age, income level, ethnicity and education level. This data is then matched with your clinic strategy. Ultimately, this will provide you with a consensus report that can pinpoint the ideal location for your new business.

Lastly, your business strategy will also dictate what part of a building you should set up your business in. If you are setting up a primary care practice that will be dependent on optical sales for 50-60% of your revenue, it is imperative that you have street access, visibility and plenty of parking.

Remember to think like a consumer as you make these decisions. The days are gone where patients want to buy glasses from a small selection from an office buried at the back of a medical building. Consumers are gravitating to a different experience, as evidenced by the wildly popular new optical stores popping up all over Canada. A new business owner must rise to the challenge and spend time finding the ideal location for their new practice.

 

CHRISTINA FERRARI

is the co-founder and managing partner of Simple Innovative Management Ideas (SIMI) Inc. and expert Practice Management contributor for Optik magazine. She can be reached at info@simiinc.com

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Episode 4: Myopia Management and the MiSight Soft Contact Lens

Eyes Wide Open, Podcasts

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Host Dr. Glen Chiasson speaks with Dr. Fiona Soong, Optometrist at Eyes on Sheppard Optometric Clinic in Toronto and consulting principal scientist in ocular research at Cliantha Research about myopia management and the CooperVision MiSight lens.

 

About the Guest

Dr. Fiona Soong is an Optometrist at the Eyes on Sheppard Clinic in Toronto. She is also a consulting principal scientist of ocular research at Cliantha Research and the lead and co-author of numerous scientific papers. Dr. Soong has served on the board of the Ontario Association of Optometrists and in 1997 received the Canadian Association of Optometrists Award of Merit.

Dr. Soong is certified to fit orthokeratology, and multifocal/bifocal lenses as a means to reduce the progression of myopia (nearsightedness) and prescribe atropine treatments. She is experienced in fitting soft contact lenses for specialty conditions including myopia control, high astigmatism and keratoconus.

 

Episode Notes

It is known that rapid progression of myopia in children is associated with higher risk of adult ocular complications including myopic macular degeneration, myopic retinopathy including retinal detachment, and glaucoma risk. Countries with higher incidence of severe myopia are reporting a high number of new cases of adult blindness.

According to Dr. Soong, Optometrists “need to adopt early intervention strategies in a multi-platform way,” including orthokeratology, atropine therapy and multifocal contacts. ODs should advocate on the child’s behalf to prescribe the strategy best for them and educate parents so they can make informed decisions about their child’s health.

Introduced in 2018, the MiSight One-Day Lens is the only soft contact lens approved by Health Canada for myopia management. The lens, which CooperVision claims is as easy to fit as a standard soft contact lens, uses Active Control Technology with two treatment and two correction zones.

A six-year, four-country study showed children fitted with MiSight dailies had 59% slower myopia progression compared to the control group fitted with single vision lenses, with a 52% correlated reduction in axial length growth.

Resources

 

Dr. Glen Chiasson

Dr. Glen Chiasson

Dr. Glen Chiasson is a 1995 graduate of the University of Waterloo School of Optometry. He owns and manages two practices in Toronto. In 2009, he co-hosted a podcast produced for colleagues in eye care, the “International Optometry Podcast”. He is a moderator of the Canadian Optometry Group, an email forum for Canadian optometrists. As  a host of  “Eyes Wide Open”, Glenn  looks forward to exploring new new technologies and services for eye care professionals.

Dr. Chiasson enjoys tennis, hockey, and reading. He lives in Toronto with his wife and two sons.

Dr. Chiasson splits EWO podcast hosting duties with Roxanne Arnal.

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December Retail Opportunities

Advertising & Promotion, Marketing, Merchandising, Resources

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Following on the heels of a busy Black Friday shopping season, December is also a busy retail month. As an independent optometric office, there are a number of ways to meet the needs of the consumers during this season of giving.

Many offices offer a BOGO on lenses for patients throughout the year. What about offering a Buy One Gift One for the month of December? This could be particularly effective for sunglasses. Keep the rules fairly simple. For this promotion, the office can allow a customer to purchase one pair for themselves and one for another person.

The goal with any BOGO is two-fold; you want to move as much inventory as you can as this allows you to get better discounts from your suppliers. You also want happy customers! If consumers are able to get all their needs met at your location, there will be no need to shop elsewhere.

Keep in mind too that many people simply haven’t thought of buying something from their optometrist as a gift for someone else before. There are lots of possibilities! Gift certificates are the most versatile. Recipients can use it for anything from contact lenses to new glasses.  Make one up and display it at check out so that patients know that this is a possibility. Also consider offering the gift certificates at a discount. Everyone loves it when their gift giving money can be stretched a little further! And you are guaranteed a sale in the new year.

Think about the check out at any retail location you visit this month and consider implementing some of their ideas. For instance, most offices carry drops, vitamins, contact lens solution, cleaning clothes and cleaning spray. These all make great stocking stuffers or Secret Santa gifts! Put a few together in a clear gift bag with a pretty Christmas bow on a counter. Patients will thank you for the ideas!

In fact, it is also a great time of year to thank patients for their loyalty and business. Consider offering a small gift with purchase throughout this month. For example, our orthodontist gives away $5.00 Indigo gift cards at every visit.

Of course, December marks the end of their benefits period for many consumers. It is helpful to remind patients to use their benefits before they reset in January. If you have a large television in your office, this is the perfect place to inform patients of all your December promotions, including a Use it or Lose it reminder.

This is a month when many people are looking for ideas for gift giving. Help your patients by displaying some ideas and take the opportunity to give back as well.

KELLY HRYCUSKO

is the co-founder and managing partner of Simple Innovative Management Ideas (SIMI) Inc. and expert Practice Management contributor for Optik magazine. She can be reached at info@simiinc.com.

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Finding the Right Fit in Corporate Optometry

Career Options, NextGenOD

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Loving your job can make your professional life a whole lot easier. As aspiring optometrists, this should be at the top of your list of priorities.

It may be impossible to secure a job with the perfect paycheck, flexible timings and a work/life balance, but with some research and a can-do attitude, you too can find a job you love.

When you decided to look for a corporate optometry job, you must have realized that there were too many options out there and no way to know which suits you better. The internet can make you more confused with the influx of information on job openings and everyone telling you what to do and what not to do.

The answer lies with you. Be honest about what you need and what you can compromise on. Following are some tips and tricks that can help you land your dream job.

Know Yourself

You may think you want to work at some corporation, but your experience as an employee there could be the opposite. The grass is not always greener on the other side. Taking inspiration from other people’s lives and what works for them will only hold you back.

Self-awareness will take you a long way because knowing your strengths and weaknesses will allow you to make the right decision. If your workplace falls in line with your values, then you may end up having a great time there.

If you’re someone who loves going on vacations, then you should keep an eye out for places that offer great vacation plans. Some corporate opticals offer 4 weeks vacation at sign up.

Learn About the Organization

Before deciding on a place, make sure you know a little bit about the work culture and benefits they offer. Get in touch with alumni who are employed there and get a conversation going.

You can always ask to set up informational interviews to gauge more of an idea about what you’re getting yourself into. Ask on the Facebook group Corporate Optometry.

Stay Open-Minded but Don’t Settle

Keeping your options limited will only lead to misery. Finding a job is not easy. You need to set realistic expectations and take every rejection as a way to learn and improve.

Feeling like a failure after doing badly in one interview will not serve you well. Sometimes what you think you want isn’t necessarily what will make you happy.

Saying yes to the first job you’re offered is not going to help you either, unless it is all that you want. You may be settling for a lot less than you deserve. Depending on the province and the need for ODs many corporate opticals will pay above average salary and sign on bonuses.

Now that you know the basics, you can go looking for jobs that are fulfilling for you. Remember that haven’t failed until you stop trying.

Finding your dream job can take months, even years, but you need to realize that sometimes it takes a bad experience to help you find what you are looking for.

MARIA SAMPALIS

is the founder of Corporate Optometry, a peer-to-peer web resource for ODs interested to learn more about opportunities in corporate optometry. Canadian ODs and optometry students can visit www.corporateoptometry.com to learn more.

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Evaluating Perceptual-Cognitive Training Tools

Practice, Resources, Specialty Practice

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“I couldn’t beat people with my strength; I don’t have a hard shot; I’m not the quickest skater in the league. My eyes and my mind have to do the most work.”

— Wayne Gretzky

I’ve been immersed in the world of sport technology for the past couple of weeks and have had some really interesting conversations about how technology can help (or in some cases hinder) sport performance. One aspect that I’m always drawn to is the potential benefits of using technology to improve an athletes perceptual and cognitive skills.

While most training programs tend to focus on an athlete’s physical characteristics, there has always been at least a passing interest in the “mental” skills that underpin performance. I use quotations because I’m not talking about psychological skills like imagery, goal setting, etc. but referring to the skills that help athletes see the right information and make good decisions. For an example of what can happen when these skills go wrong, have a look at the video below!

In this week’s article, I’ll take a look at how perceptual and cognitive (PC) skills can influence performance and questions that coaches and teams should consider before adopting any type of training tool.

What are PC skills and why do we want to train them?

As I mention above, perceptual and cognitive skills can be thought of as mental skills. Except rather than training psychological skills they focus on how athletes perceive and use sensory information from the competition environment to support their performance. PC skills range from skills that are almost purely perceptual, such as basic visual skills or how athletes control their eyes while performing, to more complex perceptual-cognitive skills like anticipation and decision-making. Now, if we want to get really granular, we could argue that things like visual skills training aren’t perceptual-cognitive skills because they lack the cognitive component but in this article I’m going to refer to everything as PC skills to keep things simple!

Why are we interested in PC skills? You can probably think of any sport and name a player who isn’t the most physically gifted but has excelled because they possess the ability ‘see’ the game better than anyone else – guys like Wayne Gretzky and Lionel Messi come to mind. PC skills are the unseen skills that allow these players to dominate the game. Think about it, at the highest levels of sport, physical skills tend to be less of a limitation for athletes so we need to look at other areas to explain the incredible advantage some athletes have. And before anyone freaks out and says “well physical skills are important too”, absolutely. It’s the combination of a wide range of capabilities that contribute to expertise but, I’d argue, that aspects like PC skills are what sets the best of the best apart.

Key questions to ask yourself

The  Modified Perceptual Training Framework (MPTF) is a scientific approach to evaluating PC training tools and is designed to be fairly easy to use but, if that’s not your cup of tea, there are pretty straightforward questions you can ask yourself when considering adopting a training tool.

Does it look like the game? Remember concepts like specificity and representative learning design suggest that better transfer occurs when the information presented and actions required are closer to game-like. Is it targeting skills that are important for your sport? Again, think sport-specific here.

Is the tool training skills that would actually be used in competition. Beware of tools that target really generic skills – you’re more likely to be disappointed by the results.

Has the developer got any support to show that it works? Don’t take their word for it, look for anecdotes, case studies, or better yet experimental evidence. They’re trying to make money at the end of day and the best way to sell a product is to show that it works. It’s in both of your interests

DEREK PANCHUK

Derek Panchuk is the founder of Chiron Performance and a Skill Acquisition Specialist with over 15 years experience working with elite athletes. Derek completed his postgraduate studies with Prof Joan Vickers at the University of Calgary where he studied gaze behaviour and Quiet Eye of elite hockey goalies. From 2014-2018 he was the National Lead in Skill Acquisition at the Australian Institute of Sport.

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Traps to Avoid When Selling Your Practice

Buying-Selling A Practice, Practice, Resources

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Recently I have met with a number of vendors who tried selling their clinics privately. These were not good experiences for a multitude of reasons. The number one reason people do this is to not only save commission but more importantly to try and keep the sale quiet. There is a definite fear that going to the market will mean EVERYONE will discover that your practice is for sale.

Ultimately, owners want to sell to the right buyer, a person who will treat their staff and patients well. In general, most buyers also want a smooth transition. After all, they have purchased your practice and want to ensure it succeeds.

However, when you open your practice to one or a selected group of potential buyers, there are risks associated. Some potential buyers can be quite crafty particularly when they start poking around your office. Most will often conduct the first bit of research before you even know he/she is interested in buying your practice. He/she may pose as a new patient calling for an appointment, visit your website or even come into your office to get a feel for things. This may cause staff to wonder if the clinic is for sale.

Without an experienced broker, you expose yourself and your practice to various pitfalls of a private buyer.

  • Due diligence is a stressful time – to put it crudely, it is “the owner’s proctology exam”. Unfortunately, if you manage this process yourself, you will quickly find out what it feels like when a stranger pokes, prods, and looks inside every inch of your practice. You are asked to produce many documents and then, you need to answer questions as to your reasons for doing business the way you do.
  • Using an advisor who is not familiar with the industry can also negatively impact your sale and stigmatize your practice. There are many times where our appraisal is used in a private sale. Buyers then call us to clarify certain points because the person representing the owner is not providing correct answers. I am definitely not insinuating that the individual is intentionally misleading but the reality is if you do not know the market by default, you will lose a potentially good purchaser.
  • It is never good to have one person representing both the vendor and the buyer. Relationships are extremely important. However, when the party who is introducing you to the buyer will continue to have a relationship with that buyer post sale, it is natural that the advisor may push a little harder for the buyer’sinterests. This is exactly why we choose to represent vendors only. We believe you need someone in your corner fighting for you.

Selling a practice is not as straight forward as owners think. With the guidance of an experienced business broker, you will be challenged to take nothing for granted and look at the value of your clinic from a variety of angles, some of which may not be top of mind for you. To ensure you receive the best possible outcome, you must ensure that when you sell, the practice is positioned in the best possible light and that the terms, which are important to you, are negotiated properly. I always tell owners not to let what may be the biggest transaction of your life turn into something you think will be “obvious” to a new owner based on a quiet and private sale. You deserve to maximize your sale, exit ownership with dignity and to have no regrets.

Jackie Joachim, COO ROI Corp

JACKIE JOACHIM

Jackie has 30 years of experience in the industry as a former banker and now the Chief Operating Officer of ROI Corporation. Please contact her at Jackie.joachim@roicorp.com or 1-844-764-2020.

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