Service-based small businesses experience a similar challenge at some point in their journey. They onboard more clients than they can reasonably handle out of fear of not having enough income to survive.
Eventually, the pressure of finding more hours in the day to meet all their clients’ needs leads to burnout.
That’s where Elena Herrera of West Coast Psychology Specialists found herself at the end of 2023. A licensed psychologist, she worked in agencies and as a supervisor for psychologists in training before transitioning into private practice.
She operated her private practice part-time at first, continuing to serve in her other positions. In January 2023, she decided to go all-in on her independent therapy services. Thirteen months in, she began to feel the pressure of being a service-based small business owner.
“I love the work that I do,” she said. “I work with couples, men in tech careers – especially engineers – but it’s stressful relying on my appointments for income. Whenever people cancel, that’s income that I’m losing. For peace of mind, I knew I needed a backup plan.”
Establishing a Small Business Plan B
Elena didn’t want to completely abandon her desire to help people. It’s why she became a psychologist. Instead, she began exploring options that would allow her to use her psychology degree to continue to make a difference.
What she landed on was consulting opportunities that required her expertise.
One of her passions as a therapist was helping men in technology careers. “The way engineers cope and reach out for help is different,” she said. “One of the biggest stumbling blocks for these men is they feel like they must use logic to solve problems and therapy can feel vague and unclear at first.”
When she was regularly counseling men in this industry, she discovered a lot of their anxiety stemmed from the way they were treated in the workplace. Drawing on that experience gave her an idea for her new business direction.
While she could offer stress-management workshops for men in tech, she decided her time was better spent addressing the root of the problem. “Where the work needs to be done is with leadership,” Elena said. “I think smaller tech companies would be more receptive to this.”
Leading the way to a healthier workforce
Elena doesn’t envision a one-size-fits-all solution to the problem. She must ask a few questions – some of which might be uncomfortable to explore – before she can work her magic.
The first step is to uncover what’s going on with the leadership team, which requires a leadership assessment. “Are they on the same page?” she asked. “How do they communicate their expectations with their employees? Once I know the issues, then I can intervene and customize a plan that fits the situation to solve the real problems.”
She doesn’t believe in taking an “I know more than you do” approach because that doesn’t help people feel comfortable enough to open up and trust her throughout the entire process.
Now that she has a new service model in place, Elena said she’s excited about the possibilities. “It’s a way of doing something new using my brain differently,” she said. “The expectation that I have is that I’m going to make some good connections and use my style – which is approachable and connective – to come in and help people.”
Navigating the bumps in the road
Figuring out a new direction doesn’t mean the journey is without bumps in the road. For Elena, one of the biggest challenges she faces is cutting through the noise to stand out among her competition.
There is a lot of competition in the mental health therapy space with therapists who have made a similar transition. They’ve left their clinical roles completely to write articles and do consulting work. She’s discovered the key to getting noticed sometimes comes down to who you know in the industry.
“It’s inspiring and frustrating at the same time,” she said. “Inspiring because they’re women who have all taken these bold steps. Frustrating because they aren’t necessarily any more skilled than I am, but they’ve met the right person or have the right connections. I’ve learned that’s really the key. I feel like that’s a roadblock because if you don’t have that, you’re just hustling and hustling.”
Marketing strategies to support the shift
Elena said she has learned to take a deep breath and continue putting herself out there. To overcome some of the obstacles standing in the way of her new business growth, she’s spending a lot of time networking with others in the industry.
“As a naturally introverted person, I’m doing things that make me feel very uncomfortable,” she said. “I’m posting a lot on Alignable and LinkedIn, which I never did before. I’m networking with a lot of people and planting seeds. I don’t see it as a waste of time. I’m making valuable connections.”
Besides virtual networking, Elena said she plans to host a paid event for other therapists who are early in their careers. She’ll offer them advice about how to build their practices and give practical tips for growth strategies that work.
She also welcomes any interviews or speaking engagements where she can discuss her new business direction to generate new leads. “I’ve already been on two podcasts for people who have a passion for working with men,” she said.
Small business owners who want to share their expertise as part of their marketing strategies can find opportunities on HARO.
Additionally, she’s working on revising her website to align with her new business direction.
Getting active on social media is another way to generate awareness and connect with your ideal customer. Small business owners struggling to find their footing with social media content creation can schedule a 1:1 content marketing training session with a member of The Write Reflection team. Ongoing content creation support also is available in the soon-to-launch Mainstreet Marketing membership community. Get on the waiting list to reserve your spot.
No matter which marketing approach you take, Elena said she’s a big fan of relying on other professional women to help her grow. “It’s OK to reach out to other successful women to get ideas,” she said. “It’s in our nature to be helpful and nurturing. Leaning into what’s natural for us, we can still do that, even in business.”