Executive

Why Do We Need Metrics?

Why Do We Need Metrics?

Nearly every business owner or manager we speak with is aware that tracking their company metrics is important. Yet many are failing to do this consistently or failing to utilize them properly. As therapists, we have been educated and trained to track our patients’ progress by measuring strength, range of motion, endurance, and various other objective measures.  So why are we not making sure to do the same for our business? In our experience, there are a wide range of challenges that lead to this. Before we get into the challenges of utilizing metrics, let’s talk about why we should do it in the first place. Why Metrics? By definition, metrics are a standard for measuring or evaluating something. We…

APT Insights – February 2023

APT Insights – February 2023

Welcome back to APT Insights!  APT Insights is a monthly blog post where we share content that we have seen, heard, or read recently and think is worth passing along.   We hope you take some time to watch, listen, and read some of our recent finds! WATCH How to Start Changing an Unhealthy Work Environment Does ‘backbiting’ affect your workplace? Take time to watch this TEDx Talk by Glenn D. Rolfson as he explains how to turn your office around if you notice this happening with your employees. There’s no room for negativity and toxicity in 2023! LISTEN How to Create a Positive Work Environment “In a business setting, to create a positive experience for your customers, it starts with…

How to Evaluate your Business

How to Evaluate your Business

“When you stop growing you start dying.” American writer William S. Burroughs is credited with this quote, and we couldn’t agree more! The quickest way to fail or fall behind is to flip on the auto-pilot switch. When we start businesses, we create a business plan. We put down all of the things we hope to achieve and how we intend to achieve them. However, if all we do stick to that original plan, without continuously re-evaluating the progress and making necessary adjustments, we have a much higher likelihood of falling short. You must continuously take a deeper look and evaluate your business, your employees, your obstacles and your opportunities to put yourself in a stronger position. SWOT Analysis In…

Weekly Metrics to Track

Weekly Metrics to Track

How is your year starting? This is such a vague yet also complex question and is very difficult for many of us to answer. Think about your clinical practice. If we only ever asked our patients, “How are you feeling?” without any follow up questions, we would not have enough details to base our plan of care off of. When looking at business management, we should be constantly assessing our areas of strengths and weaknesses in order to make informed decisions on what needs attention. You can think of it as your business plan of care; and, just as with our patients, its focus needs to shift daily at times. Keep it simple! Managing a business is challenging. Let’s make…

APT Insights – December 2021

APT Insights – December 2021

“Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.” – Hal Borland Welcome back to APT Insights, the last one of 2021! For the last few months, we have been sharing content that we have seen, heard, or read recently and deem worth passing along. We have some great year end tidbits to share this month! We hope you enjoy watching, listening, and reading some of our favorites finds, as shared here below. December is one of our busiest months. It probably is for you too, right? With the holidays to prepare for, end of year wrapping up, and new year readying… there is hardly enough…

APT Insights – November 2021

APT Insights – November 2021

“You’ve got to think about big things while you’re doing small things, so that all the small things go in the right direction.” – Alvin Toffler Welcome back to APT Insights!  Each month, we share some content that we have seen, heard, or read recently and deem worth sharing.  We have some interesting pieces to share this month!  We hope you enjoy watching, listening, and reading some of our suggestions below.  Further, we encourage you to incorporate some elements of them into your business and/or personal life. WATCH Strategy is top of mind this month for us here at APT, as we near the end of the current year.  It’s time for year end evaluations and next year planning.  This…

Strategic Planning for the New Year

Strategic Planning for the New Year

The end of the calendar year, which oftentimes also marks the end of the fiscal year for most clinics, is an opportune time to plan ahead for the following year.  As we near the end of 2021, plans for 2022 should come to mind, and a framework for a successful year should be the focus.   Conduct SWOT Analysis A SWOT analysis is a simple but helpful tool to establish a business strategy.  It works well for new and established businesses alike.   SWOT is an acronym that stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats.  Identifying internal and external elements in each of these categories helps you perform a deep dive into the different parts of the business and establish a plan…

APT Insights – October 2021

APT Insights – October 2021

“Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow.” – Anthony J. D’Angelo Welcome back to APT Insights! Each month, we at APT share some insightful content we have seen, heard, or read recently. We have some great content in store for you this time! We hope you will “schedule some time” (see READ section below for schedule building tips) to watch, listen, and read these resources and incorporate them in your life, personally and professionally. WATCH How to Motivate Others by Brendon Burchard Brendon Burchard is a NYT Bestselling author and motivational speaker that is always offering up great tangible and doable advice for the everyday person and those in leadership positions. This video…

APT Insights – September 2021

APT Insights – September 2021

Learning is a lifelong journey.  Whether you are a business owner or a physical therapist, a manager or entry level, spending time to take in new information is a practice you should engage in regularly. Each month, we at APT will share some things we have seen, heard, or read lately.  We encourage you to set aside some time to take in some of this teachable content and apply them to your everyday life. WATCH Just Do Right by Maya Angelo This quick little video clip of Dr. Maya Angelo offers some inspiration to always do the right thing.  Faced with a difficult business decision? Just do right.  Make the world a better place. LISTEN Finding & Telling Your Leadership…

What Does Success Mean To You?

What Does Success Mean To You?

Being successful in business can look different to everyone. Maybe success to you is based on improving business metrics. Perhaps success right now may simply be defined as the ability to pay another month’s worth of payroll.  As you look at numbers and close out the first quarter, ask yourself the following questions: What does it mean to be a successful business leader?  Merriam-Webster defines success as a “favorable or desired outcome.” In following this definition, we must then know what outcomes we are targeting in order to know if we have been successful. Business metrics are a main point of focus for all of us when it comes to structuring the business plan. Gross income, number of patient visits,…