Today’s episode is the second in a two-part series about creating an E-Course. In last week’s episode, I talked about planning and researching your course, finding an audience, and the basic gear needed to begin. Today’s focus is on distributing your course, along with how to accept payments and set fees. I’ll also divulge some of the mistakes I’ve made and things I would do differently next time.

Today’s show is the first of a two-part series covering the steps in creating an E-Course. Specificallly, today’s section will cover creating and selling an E-Course. I have had experience in this since I created my Healthcasters E-Course, and I’ve definitely made many mistakes that I’m happy to share with you. Statistics show that the self-improvement industry is a $10-11 billion industry, so we know that there are a lot people who crave knowledge and want to learn. Join me for more!

Today’s guest is Jaree Freeman, who is a podcasting friend who has owned multiple businesses. We are discussing a topic today that is difficult to confront, and it’s one that hits close to home for me. The topic is “entrepreneur burnout.” This topic is especially applicable to clinicians because of our unique profession. Our abilities to think clearly and be present with our clients are important in every aspect of our work. If we struggle with burnout in our private practice or small business, then we cannot be effective on any level. Jaree is here to share what she has learned through her experiences as an entrepreneur.

 My guest today is Tanisha Sapp, who is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Georgia. Tanisha is here to address a highly-requested topic among those in private practice: how to expand your practice and add other clinicians. 

In this episode of Selling the Couch, Jane Carter talks with Melvin about money.  It's hard for clinicians to charge for their services many times, and Jane and Melvin talk about ways to overcome the stigma around money.

In this episode of Selling the Couch, Kat Love comes on the show to talk about your website.  Getting your practice online isn't the end of it - it's so much more than that!  Kat shares some very practical tips for enhancing your website and making it more user friendly and more SEO friendly.

Welcome! Today’s guest is Allison Puryear, LCSW and eating disorder therapist in Asheville, NC. One topic that has come up frequently among the STC Facebook community is the idea of transitioning from working for an employer to beginning your own private practice.  Allison is the perfect guest to share her experiences regarding this transition; she has done this twice, in two different states! Join the conversation with Allison!

Welcome!  Today’s guest is Dr. Cory Bank, who was the very first guest on Episode 1!  Cory focuses on consulting, online coaching, and teaching others.  He is an expert on creating multiple streams of income for professionals, and that’s the focus of our conversation today.  Join us!

Welcome to another episode!  My guest today is Jasmine Adams, who is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with her own private practice.  Jasmine is here to talk about how she made the decision to go into private practice, along with all the factors to consider before taking that step.  She is a success story with many great tips.  Join us!

Jasmine decided to enter the world of private practice because a colleague emailed her and offered her some office space.  This was the spark she needed to make the leap.  Listen as Jasmine details the following about her journey:

• The benefits of private practice are primarily freedom and flexibility.
• Entering private practice isn’t as difficult as you might think.  1-2 consistent monthly clients can keep the practice afloat.
• Every practitioner faces fears when going out into private practice.  Jasmine’s biggest fear was, “What if I don’t get any clients?”
• Jasmine focused on networking with colleagues to get tips about getting started.
• Criteria to consider in choosing an office space are colleagues/officemates, neighborhood, and distance from home.
• One of Jasmine’s benefits of the location she chose is that a college is nearby and has become a referral source for her.
• Jasmine talked to colleagues to set rates that were fair and competitive for her area.
• Practitioners often have to believe that their knowledge and experience are worth what they charge their clients.
• Jasmine formed a Mastermind Group of colleagues because she felt that she needed that extra peer support.  It’s been a huge success so far!
• In the Hot Couch Round, Jasmine talks about her daily self-care that brings her joy, online resources (like the STC podcast!) that help her, and how she advises anyone starting out to focus on creating a great website.  
• Her tip for other practitioners?  “Fake it til you make it!”

Thanks for checking out Jasmine’s story and for supporting the podcast.  Have a great week!

Links and Resources:

jasmineadamslcsw@gmail.com

www.jasmineadamslcsw.net

Call 213-324-6063 to reach Jasmine.

In this episode, Patricia Gonzalez shares how she knew she was destined for private practice while she was still in grad school.  She took massive action and was able to get the supervisor she needed for her internship, and now she is charting her path towards private practice.

Today's guest is Jared DeFife.  Jared has become the go to resource for creating a great Psychology Today profile.  He is here today to tell you how you can do it too!

In this episode of Selling the Couch, Melvin interviews Dr. Traci Lowenthal.  Track has 2 private practice locations, and she's here today to share her private practice journey, as well as the common mistakes almost all new private practitioners make.

In this episode, our guest Mercedes Samudio shares her best tips for using Periscope to promote your private practice.  Mercedes is a clinician who uses Periscope and has found that it has greatly benefitted her practice.  She gives you her best tips for making Periscope a valuable part of your social media efforts.  

In this episode of Selling the Couch, we have special guest Ernesto Segismundo on the show to share his best practices for using video to promote your practice.  Ernesto uses video through a variety of channels for his practice and he is here to show us how to get started.

In this episode of Selling the Couch, Melvin Varghese share 5 tips for building great mastermind groups.  Melvin credits his mastermind with much of his business success and shares 5 ways to form a mastermind that will take your business to the next level.

Welcome!  My guest today is Neil Patel, who teaches people how to optimize their SEO (search engine optimization).  You may not know his name, but you’ve probably used his products.  He is the creator of Hello Bar, which is an opt-in bar at the top of websites.  He also developed “Crazy Egg,” which is heat-tracking software to let you know where visitors are traveling on your website and where they are clicking.  Neil is the go-to person regarding SEO for large companies like Amazon and Viacom, and he has been recognized by President Obama and the UN as one of the top entrepreneurs in the world.  Neil is here to share information about websites and general blog posts regarding SEO.  Join us!

SEO is basically the art and science of ranking on Google or other search engines.  There are definite characteristics of websites with high SEO:

• A good product, service, and content
• Links to other websites and resources
• Social shares

Neil advises the following to optimize SEO:

• Sign up for Google search consul.
• Submit to Google maps to let them know where you are.
• Submit to local directories.
• Consider using GetListed.org to increase your local traffic.

For private practitioners, Neil recommends keeping your code clean, including links to other sites, and blogging to keep your content current and helpful.

Neil shares the following general tips for optimizing SEO:

• The key to blog posts is consistent content.
• Using tools for key words will increase traffic.
• Key word estimators, like Google Traffic Estimator, will give you information about what people are searching for.

Neil points out common mistakes that people often make:

• Failing to update websites with regular blog posts
• Failing to make their website compatible with mobile devices
• Failing to link their blog posts to each other when they concern related topics

Neil discusses the link between social shares and SEO rankings, the reason for vacillating rankings, and the easiest way to get started on your website.  Join us for this valuable information and more!

Links and Resources:

www.quicksprout.com  

www.neilpatel.com

Neil has information and free guides available on his websites.

Welcome!  Today’s session is all about In-Person Networking.  Think of networking as an opportunity to build relationships.  My guest is Natalie Moore, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist intern who has developed some great skills in building face-to-face relationships.  She has great tips to share with us, so join us!

Natalie shares the following about networking:

• What therapists are best at is connecting with people.
• Face-to-face encounters can set you apart from the rest of the pack.
• One way to put yourself in networking situations is to utilize www.meetup.com to meet new people in your preferred field.
• Natalie also uses email lists from local organizations to track their upcoming events.
• Natalie recommends having an “elevator pitch” that you can deliver in “bullet point” style that sounds natural.
• It’s important to know who your target market is.
• Natalie says that everyone is a potential referral source, so you should meet as many people as possible and follow up with the most promising ones.
• Natalie says that other therapists are usually the best referral source for her.

Natalie has great tips on building networking relationships, so join us for more!

Links and Resources:

www.awakentheself.com  (Natalie’s website)

In this episode of Selling The Couch, writing expert Glenn Liebowitz joins us to talk about blogging for your private practice.  Not only does Glenn have tons of experience blogging, he is also a top ranked LinkedIn blogger.  You won't want to miss the ways to extend your reach through building a blog on LinkedIn.

In this episode, Sharon Martin reveals how to blog for your private practice.  There are ways to do it so that you grow your business, increase your visibiity and become an authority.  Sharon shows us how!

In this episode, Dr. Rebecca Jorgensen shares how she transitioned from clinician to trainer.  Now, she successfully uses the skills she has learned to train others in her expertise.  Rebecca conducts training in a variety of modalities and she is here to share with us how we can do it too!

In this episode of Selling the Couch, we have our first repeat guest - Ker Nola.  Keri is back today to discuss ways to grow your practice through retreats, workshops and groups.  She shares a lot of great ideas about this new revenue stream for your practice.

In this episode of Selling the Couch, Tony Woodall shares his expertise in goald setting.  As host of the Goal Getting podcast, Tony coached others through the steps needed to not just set goals, but to achieve them.  

In this episode, we have special guest Shelly Davidescu on to share with us the impact of proper food and drink on our ability to practice.  Using proper nutrition and hydration techniques, you can actually improve your clinical abilities.  Shelly explains how.

Welcome to today’s show!  My guest today is . . . ME!  Yes, it’s a solo podcast episode about one of my favorite topics, which is podcasting.  I’m talking about USING PODCASTING TO BUILD YOUR BUSINESS.  I’ve learned a lot on my own podcasting journey of several hundred hours over the last few months, and I hope some of my tips will help anyone else looking to start their podcast. 

This episode features the dynamic duo of Miranda Palmer and Kelly Higdon.  They share practical tips and strategies on how to build your private pay practice in any community. We cover the top questions practitioners have when considering this option for your practice.  Join the 3 of us for this important discussion!