Recollecting myself after the year that no one will ever forget, I was ready to go full steam ahead again, only this time a little more mindfully, determined not to find myself in the burnout camp again. New clients came and the clients from last year checked in and continued their health journeys. Excellent, so far so good. Now to find a new premises, but what would I look for? Another clinic room in an established practice, or could I do better?
When driving home from Mount Gambier just before
Christmas, I began having thoughts, ideas and visions. The thought of setting
myself up again in a new location, not very appealing at all. Finding the right
location, the right space and let’s not forget the cost of rent. I had my
existing clients to consider, and also needed to ensure I attracted new
cliental.
One very important aspect of running any business, is ensuring you
are across your accounting, your balance sheet and your profit & loss.
Knowing your overheads, and how much you needed to make in order to cover your
costs, and make enough to draw a wage, imperative to the longevity and success
of any business. Well, unfortunately, this was a major problem for me. At the
start of the business, I had decided to use an accounting package called
Quickbooks, to help me manage and report the financial health of the business,
while my Clinic software took care of the day to day invoicing of services and
goods. Data would flow from one system, seamlessly into the other, with the
goal of being able to view accounting statistics and tax obligations at any given time. Instead,
what I had was a jumbled mess, and I had no clue how to drive the software or
understand what on earth was happening. My accountant first tried teaching me
how to use the system, but soon he stopped taking my calls or answering my ever
increasing emails, so I changed accountants.
Excitedly I showed my new accountant how my system was
setup, and she began giving me the training I had been seeking, but soon, it
seemed things were still not right. Again I asked questions and couldn’t
understand why my accounting system had such different figures from my practice
software. Months went by and when I could, I spent hours and hours trying to
figure out what was happening. My accountant also tried her best to figure
things out, but also came out blank. I spent hundreds of dollars on the problem
and still the figures between the two systems were out by thousands of dollars.
In the end, my accountant told me to take the matter up with Quickbooks
helpdesk support. I felt like I had been fobbed off and I couldn’t have been
angrier, but I made the call. By this stage, my nerves were absolutely shot and
I was on a knifes edge. Without these systems working together, I had no hope
of planning my business any further, and I was ready to throw it all away, the
stress and frustration just too much to bare.
I knew the Quickbooks support was off-shore, so this put
me even more on edge, but I needn’t have worried, as within ten minutes, the
problem had been fixed. One very simple and small setting was all it took to
allow me to fix the problems that had been plaguing me for months. One by one,
I fixed and reconciled the two systems, taking the entire day, but so satisfied
to finally see the two systems match, and a Profit & Loss Report that
actually truly reflected how my business had been performing. Now I could make
plans, restructure my pricing and present myself as an established practitioner
with automated processes and workflows.
One evening as I scrolled through social media, a post
caught my eye. It was a property for sale and a real estate friend of mine was
the agent. Hmmmm, this building looked familiar and it certainly was. It was
the corner shop where I used to live, before I moved in with my best friend and
later husband, Mark. I felt compelled to look at it, and I wondered what a
property like this would sell for. It was half residential and half commercial.
Looking at the floor plan, it seemed to have lots of potential and it would be
open for inspection at 5.30pm the next day. “Wouldn’t hurt to have a look”, I thought, and besides, I could say
“Hi” to my friend.
As I walked through the property, I noticed the high
volume of peak hour, bumper to bumper traffic flowing past and thought this
could be a good investment. The rooms and flooring
were solid and in good condition, but there were also many aspects that needed
attention. One could say, “A diamond in the rough”, very rough, but not
impossible. Being someone who has done a lot of renovation over my lifetime, I
am not frightened at the prospect of picking up a paintbrush or negotiating
with a tradie. I left the property ponding and wondering, “Could I make this work?”
Now that my accounts were in order, I could see clearly
the impact that rent had on my bottom line. Thousands of dollars spent on just
having a room to practice out of. Of course, this was money well spent, especially as I was establishing myself in a
new industry and having referrals from other practitioners, priceless. But it
felt uncomfortable to complete another year of paying someone else’s mortgage.
If I bought a property of my own, I could manage it my way, rent to
practitioners that I hand picked, and that complemented my business and my
clients. A practice that included different styles of addressing mental health, as well as skeletal adjustment practitioners and acupuncture.
Then having the ability to offer community support groups, information sessions
and events based on “living your best life”. “What could possibly go wrong?”
I viewed the property three more times, each time with
different people who I knew would give me honest advice. At the same time, I
attempted to gain finance. More and more encouragement from the people I showed
through, and more and more doors slamming in my face when it came to getting
finance. The value of the property as an investment was unanimous, the amount
of renovation extensive but not impossible, and the option of a bank loan a
solid “No”. It was Wednesday afternoon
and as I picked Sebastian up from basketball practice, the last mortgage broker
called me with another solid but sympathetic “No”. Arriving home, I sat on the
steps, unable to walk into the house. I needed to think. I needed to call
someone. I needed to talk it through. The auction was Saturday morning, what
could I do in just a couple of days?
Then a voice in my head said, “Ring your Solicitor”. By this stage it was nearly six o’clock and I
only had his work number, but I rang it anyway. To my surprise, he answered. We
chatted and I explained my situation. He listened and asked questions, while he
too thought about ways he could help me. We talked for what seemed like an hour
and he promised me, he would get back to me before the close of the business
week. He had two days, what could he possibly do in that time? Why did I even
ring him? But I had become obsessed about the property and I couldn’t stop
thinking about it, planning the renovations and discussing it with tradies and
fellow practitioners who had expressed interest in joining me.
It was four o’clock in the afternoon, the day before
auction day, and the phone rang. It was my solicitor and he had good news for
me. He had found a private investor who was willing to take a chance on me and
lend me the money I had originally asked of the bank. Of course it was at
double the interest, and it was an interest only loan, but when I did the
calculations, I could still make it work. I was shocked and speechless,
especially when he added that he would attend the auction with me to support me
and keep me from being too excited! I laughed and thanked him wholeheartedly for his support.
That night, I felt invincible. Mark and I always had a
saying when we worked together in the IT industry, “The impossible we can do, Miracles however, just take a little longer!”
Well, it seemed like he was waving his magic Angel dust once more, providing me
the resources I needed, when I needed them. “Deep breath sister, you got this”, I told myself.
Surprisingly, I slept solidly through the night as I
dreamed and visualised the perfect practice, where practitioners greeted each
other and worked together for the good of the cliental and the community. A
place of warmth, healing, love and information sharing. It was the most
wonderful vision, and I was ready to commit myself to it 100%.
My first task of the day was to take Sebastian into the
city, so he could sit for a series of three tests, aimed at identifying left-brain
thinkers and innovators at the Botanic High School. We arrived later than
planned, but sure enough, the closest park to the school had been reserved for
us. “Thank you my Angels”, I
whispered, as I smiled and hugged my boy tight. Some final words of
encouragement and away he went, yellow envelope in hand, into the big beautiful
building surrounded by ancient old trees, my heart bursting with pride, no
matter what the outcome.
I was speechless, shocked beyond words. But this was MY
property. I had all the signs from the Angels and the Universe. I had white
feathers fall in my line of sight every time I attended the property; I had
finance when I was told I could not have a loan; I had tradies lined up and
practitioners ready to move in. This just couldn’t be happening. But it was,
and it DID happen. The property was gone, sold from underneath me.
It wasn’t until the next day that the weight of my loss
really hit hard. I started the day looking for other properties or clinic rooms
to rent, buy, beg or borrow and just came up blank every time. I was frustrated
and in total disbelief. I did some much-needed gardening, but after only a few
hours, I started to feel weak and ill. I came inside, showered and went to bed.
A wave of grief hit me, as my body ached all over. I sobbed hard and long over
my loss and every loss I had ever endured. I had nothing left to give this
world, I had put it all into this property.
So now I am back to square one, only much much wiser. I
have support. I have contacts. I have regained my strength and my pity party is
over. My Big Girl Pants are back on, and it’s time to ask the Universe and my
Angels again for what comes next. I certainly don’t have the answer at this
stage, but I do know, that staying in a place of grief, regret and anger at
myself for freezing at the final moment, is not going to benefit me going
forward. So…let’s go forward…
