Many nurse practitioners ask me how to become successful as fast as possible. Well, if I knew that answer I would be a billionaire. But what I can help you with is providing you a SIMPLE recipe that will set you up for nurse practitioner entrepreneur success. Are you ready? Alright, here it is:

1. Provide VALUE to your customers. If you can provide FREE value, even better!
2. Be an EXPERT at what you do. If you are a jack of all trades, then you are at expert at nothing… Seriously…
3. Spend A LOT of money on marketing. Some of you still don’t believe me, but marketing is the number one function of your business and should be its biggest expense.
4. And ultimately, you need some luck…

I am sure many of you are thinking “that is it?”

YES IT IS.

In today’s market, everyone can get instant gratification from a click of a button. If they don’t like one business, then they just look at another with another click of a button. They want convenience and value at the same time. So, how do you separate yourself from all the competition and market saturation? You do this by providing FREE VALUE to your potential patient. If you do not, then they might just go somewhere else that does. How do you provide FREE VALUE? You do so by having valuable content on your website such as videos and articles that actually provide information that can be immediately implemented into their life OR you provide them free services to get them in the door to your practice. I offer free initial 15-minute phone consultations at my men’s health practice. Guess what? It works… You can also use Groupon to throw out some free consultations, free B12 injections, or a 50% off coupon for their first IV infusion… Be creative!

You need to be an expert at what you do. I know men’s health like the back of my hand. I also know how to start a business like the flip of a switch. I am an expert in just a few fields… Ask me to fix a water heater and you will get a flooded garage. Ask me to start a men’s health practice, and I will have it up and running in a month. You need to focus your energies on what you love and what you are naturally GOOD at. Don’t be everything for everyone… Be an expert for just a handful of folks. That is the power of a niche side practice that has a focused target market. I am dead serious about that. My transgender HRT telemedicine practice that I sold marketed to individuals interested in drag queen and finance/investing… Guess what? It worked!

You might be the BEST nurse practitioner in the country at medical assisted weight loss, but if no one knows who you are, then it doesn’t even matter. You MUST market your practice/business. You as the business owner MUST understand the foundations and principles of marketing to succeed. Yes, you can outsource this, but it gets expensive and ultimately no one cares about your business more than you. In addition, you need to accept the fact that you need to spend money on marketing during the initial startup phase of your business. Yes, word of mouth is great and happens, but not at first. Accept this and budget for marketing! Marketing = Customers.

And to be blatantly honest, you need to have some luck on your side. Everyone who has built an extremely successful business will tell you that luck was on their side. Yes, you get what you put into your business, we are not arguing the fact that you need to work hard and love your business like a child, but you still need to have some luck on your side. If you are unlucky, then you need to be patient with your business. It will get busier if you give it some time to flourish, so do not worry. Some nurse practitioner businesses take off in 1 month (LUCKY) while others take a year. Remember that!

This is it my nurse practitioner sisters and brothers. This is a simple recipe for success. Read this short article over and over again until you understand and internalize the concepts! Oh, and also throw a few chocolate chips into the mix, it never hurts…