How Starting a Business is Like the Rip Ride Rockit™.
Have you ever been to Universal Studios in Orlando? There’s a roller coaster there called the Rip Ride Rockit™. It’s huge, clearly visible from everywhere and seems to have an endless line. When you step into that line, you know there’s a small chance that you may have to climb down a ladder to free yourself. Nevertheless, you’ll likely wait in line for an hour and a half to have turn. The last 10 minutes, the line moves more quickly. Every minute that passes, you realize it’s going to be harder to extract yourself and maintain your dignity. For the last 5 minutes, you a brainstorm plausible excuses to back out. You furtively glance at every rider getting on and off as mental “before and after” to see if they are tougher/ more resilient/different than you. Suddenly you have a choice: you can chicken out after an 1.5 hours of your life spent in very close contact with 200 other sweaty adults. ..Or you can gulp and decide to add yourself to the list of “survivors.”
But it’s in the next minute after you fasten that harness, that your sense of panic truly rises. Click-click-Click as the giant chair goes up the vertical incline. Each click you think - “HOLY CRAP! Should I scream and then climb down that scary ladder?!?”
But with each click, you ascend 11 feet, and before you know it you are breaching the 17 story apex of the first hill. For most folks, the rest is fun (but some pass out, barf or soil themselves). Even if you are the person that barfs or passes out along the way, you did it! The anticipation and the ascent that make the first part that much more formidable.
You made the big decision - to take the seat and buckle. The hard part is over. Most of the other riders are also considering the risk/benefit ratio of descending the freaky ladder xx feet tall at the same time. Although they may be a few ounces lighter, most riders are smiling at the end.
Expert Tip: pick a thumping song. It makes you feel like a badass for the action-pic.
Obviously Not a Blogger…
Wow. So much has happened in the last 6 months. I was certain I’d blog the whole journey. The first bit was TEDIOUS and then the “busy-ness” took over. If you are still following, thanks for your support! I would love to promise more frequent posts but fortunately the busy-ness is growing quickly! To catch you up with bullet points:
Decided on business name: Mountain States Precision Healthcare PLLC with Mountain States Diabetes, Mountain States Primary Care and Mountain States Weight Loss as DBAs.
Created website
Hired a website fixer-upper on Fiverr
Opened clinic on March 1, subletting office space within Origins Health
Rapid growth made me find my own space. Prices were high & my space needs seemed small. I didn’t want to have to hike my rates to pay too much for a space. Also preferred an option closer to home - there’s a puppy involved and my shoes tend to be attractive to said puppy if he’s ignored.
Started outreach clinic in Hamilton - now 2nd and 4th Friday of every month!
Moved to new location in North Reserve Business Park May 1. Spent 1-2 weeks renovating & have been seeing folks consistently there.
Renovations are an understatement. Several new walls, new lights, new sink/counter, signs, painting and repainting, furniture. This part took a LOT of work and was facilitated by my brilliant new business collaborator, Karen Brown PharmD. New floors were installed last week!
Had the good fortune to hire Luz Roant Madera RN! I don’t have time to list the positive descriptors for this rock-star team-member.
New website redesign and addition of Marketing Beaver team management. Check it out at Mountain States Diabetes.
Now on to the next phase…growth!
COVID-19 VACCINE Details for Missoula County Residents
The COVID vaccine is a hot commodity and there’s lots of confusion about who qualifies and where to get the vaccine. Every state/county has different procedures. This post refers only to Missoula County residents.
All of the details about the phases and who qualifies can be found at the link below. Fortunately everyone with type 1 and type 2 diabetes are now eligible for the vaccine here. Be forewarned that the following registration process is how it works today, February 12. It could change at any time. Getting registered is similar to buying tickets for a popular concert or play - timing is critical.
1. Know in advance, you must bee on the website at 4 PM to schedule. Don't wait until 4:10.
2. If the link doesn't pop up, refresh at 4:00 PM.
3. After you Click on the link below, Scroll down to the yellow row that highlight PUBLIC CLINICs
4. Row just below that says Missoula City-County Health Department. On the right there will be a link that allows you to book that appears at 4 PM sharp.
the link:
Simple but significant…
Make it simple, but significant.— Don Draper.
I was excited to finally decide on a clinic name. I am fairly certain I know which EHR to use. I’ve figured out efax, have my domain established and am getting started on a website. However, I’ve been working to create a good logo for my clinic with little to no success.
I spent 3 days dreaming up different ideas for a logo incorporating the universal symbol for diabetes and something to do with mountains. I spent the better part of an afternoon trying to create a free survey to get feedback (without success). I relied on family and friends and wow - were their opinions diverse? No matter how many designs I showed them, votes would be evenly split. However, I was not thrilled by any of them. I reached out to a marketing firm for help and was quoted $60-120,000 for branding including a logo. What?!
Enter Fiverr. This is a one-stop shop for every sort of designer you can imagine. From graphic design and marketing to fashion design and architecture, there are experts in every field featured on Fiverr. The individual designer’s prices are listed for the service and you contract for a “gig.” Naturally there are professional firms on Fiverr that have top dollar prices for their gigs. However, there are hundreds of independent contractors from around the world offering similar services at much lower prices I set my price filter at $0-$5 for logo design and voila! Dozens of people met this criteria. I paid for gigs with 3 different designers and waited. Within a week I had 9 different original logos at my disposal! By paying $5/designer rather than $20/1 design, I was able to enlist the help fo several different designers and have a diverse selection to choose from.
My new logo was created by Sarah in Pakistan. I think she did a great job, don’t you?
Paralysis by Analysis
Despite my first post, I assumed I had everything pretty much figured out by day 2. I just needed to get a name, an LLC and an EHR and everything would fit together.
—— WRONG —-
https://youtu.be/WrjwaqZfjIY
Not only is there a LOT MORE to creating a business, selecting the name can make or break it. Therein beginneth the overthinking phase. Be it brainstorming clinic names, creating 15 different logos, or researching website builders, I have not been easy to live/be friends with the last few weeks. I carefully read the relevant chapters in books like The 1-Page Marketing Plan and Crushing It , both emphasizing the importance of the name being explicit, leaving little room for interpretation. As much as I love a catchy or clever name, most people won’t know what type of services a Steezy MD provides. What’s more, I was lucky to receive YOUR feedback - helping me to hone in on one or two themes. I remain committed to the concept of precision medicine , but the term itself is vague and encompasses a variety of components of healthcare. How would someone differentiate my clinic from a lab, supplement company or geneticist?
I needed to find a professional, succinct and specific name that did not mortify the hipsters in the basement (see Blog Day 1). After overthinking for at least a 2 weeks, assimilating the feedback from the survey and expertise from books, the name of the clinic selected is. . . Mountain States Diabetes. Yes, I will continue to provide the same level of care to everyone without diabetes as well. I have plans to add another business name to the mix in the near future.
Finally, in response to the vehement feedback from the in-house hipsters, this post is intended to sever any future association between the word “steezy” & this blog.
Day One - the Steezy MD?
Day one. deciding on a name.
Welcome to my first post of the first blog for Hayley Miller MD!!! I plan to highlight progress on my business & latest topics in medicine peppered with anecdotes. I’m linking a lot of words for the benefit of young and old.
This is day one of my blog but far from day one of this journey. There is a LOT to cover when starting a business! The first dilemma - what to call my clinic? I’ve gone through a plethora of names. But what is clever to my Gen X brain is “cringy” to the ever-cool teenagers in my basement (sorry boys, I can’t “keep it steezy” 24/7). After much deliberation, I’ve narrowed it down to Mountain States Precision Medicine or Bespoke Medical Clinic. I want a name that describes my approach to healthcare: personalized, comprehensive, deliberate, transparent, and compassionate. Also the name needs to be relevant to multiple states/locations. Sorry guys, even though there is sky in Idaho, Big Sky is a Montana term! Not many words encompass these qualities. So next step was to think of something regional. Mountain West sounded too much like a phone company. I love the idea of mountains but Mountain Medicine conjures the image of the Bear Man in True Grit. Hence the term Mountain States. I also love the idea of Bespoke Health Care - customized to fit each individual.
What do you think? If you have a minute, take my survey to help me make the right choice!