Hints for starting a business for naturopaths

Useful information for starting a business for naturopaths

06/27/2013

In Germany there are about 35,000 alternative practitioners working in around 1,300 medical practices. However, over 60 percent of newly opened practices must close again within the first few years. To avoid this, it is worthwhile to deal with success factors, but also with frequent foundational mistakes, before setting up a business. So you can ensure the sustainable success of your own practice. The learning platform Lecturio has developed a free guide, in which non-medical practitioners can compactly read all the important information on the practical opening on 14 pages.

In the first point, the relevant steps are clarified until the opening date. Which practice rooms are ideal, what do I have to consider in insurance, what does the tax office want to know from me? All these questions are answered in a quick and concise way and help as a checklist through the jungle of preparations.

Then you are already in the middle of creating the perfect business plan. Even if you do not need a business plan from a financial point of view, ie when submitting your application to the bank when applying for a loan, it is nevertheless suitable for planning reasons. The business plan forces you to deal with perhaps unpopular topics such as financial plan and risk analysis.

The business plan should be as clear and simple as possible and focus on the most important content. The basis of the plan is the business idea. Naturally, this is already defined by non-medical practitioners, but one should nevertheless be aware of the particularities of his idea. On the one hand, this is of course important to distinguish yourself from the competition, on the other hand specializations also offer themselves from a marketing perspective.

Another component of the guide is the seven most frequent founding mistakes. They are the cause of failure for a large number of start-ups and should therefore be avoided from the outset. A big problem is always the lack of commercial knowledge. A certain understanding of numbers as well as knowledge of basic business contents and connections are an important prerequisite for the profitability and the success of a practice.

In addition to high costs and too little start-up capital, missing marketing measures are a significant mistake. Often the power of advertising is underestimated and the number of patients remains at the same level. Through some little tricks and tricks, such as Advertisements in the regional leaflet, you can easily remedy this situation and win more customers.

The guide is completed by an expert interview with alternative practitioner Markus Rachl. He leads a successful practice in Cologne-Lindenthal and gives helpful insights into his way there. He advises to gain practical experience prior to setting up a business, preferably through internships with experienced health practitioners and, if necessary, participation in another practice. In addition, you should not be discouraged if the initial phase is not yet satisfactory. According to Rachl, it takes an average of about two to three years to get to work well. So it is especially in the initial phase, to secure a second pillar financially or to work in a group practice. If you want more practical tips on the topic, you can download the free guide here and thus make the way to own practice successfully. (Pm)

Image: Cornelia Menichelli