New Year’s Resolution: Stop Procrastinating NOW!

“Everybody should do at least two things each day that he hates to do, just for practice.“
William James

On my list of MUST DO’s every day is “Do something you have been putting off.”

Here’s what happens when you do this:

1.  You get rid of one of those internal “nags” and you put it behind you.

2.  You can reward yourself – eat a piece of dark chocolate, spend some time doing something fun.

3.  You feel like you’ve accomplished something.

My other daily “TO DO” requirements:

Every day I

1.  Do something mental – read, research, study something.  I usually try to read, but if I don’t have time, at least I spend some time on Wikipedia during lunch, checking out the random wiki fact.

2.  Do something physical – I try to walk at least 2 miles a day, usually 3, or use the elliptical at home for 30 minutes.  I listen to a book or watch tv, depending on what exercise I’m doing.  At least 5 days a week.

3.  Do something for myself – something I need to do in order to feel good.  A “small indulgence,” like the piece of chocolate or just taking a few extra minutes in the shower.

4.  Do something for someone else – call someone who is alone, or do something special for my husband or other family member.  Or send some money to a favorite charity, or just a “Random Act of Kindness.”

5.  Do something to further my dream.  I keep a day timer and list 3 things to do every day.  If I get them done, I get to add 3 new things for the next day.  If I don’t get them done, I keep moving them forward until they’re done.

6.  And, of course, the “do something you’ve been putting off” thing.

The best thing about this list is its balance – internal and external – mental and physical – doing things for self and for others, and getting rid of past things and moving on to fulfill my dream things.

Try it sometime!

Today, make your “putting off” thing buying Planning for Practice Success.  It will also move you forward toward your vision.  And if you are not completely satisfied with it, we will cheerfully refund your money.  Go here to buy:   http://dcpracticesuccess.com/p4ps_orderpage.html

Tacking (not “tacky”)

“The voyage of the best ship is a zigzag line of a hundred tacks.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson

From Wikipedia:

A tack or coming about is the maneuvre by which a sailing boat or yacht turns its bow through the wind so that the wind changes from one side to the other. This is contradictory to a jibe which is turning the stern of the boat through the wind.

In small boats with low booms, the skipper should generally announce, “Ready about” to prepare the crew for the tack and the swinging of the boom, which can otherwise cause serious injury to an unprepared crew member. Upon the acknowledgement of the crew, the skipper announces, “Coming about”. or alternatively “Helm’s a-lee”, “Hard a-lee”, or “Lee Ho” during the actual tacking.

Before tacking, it is in good practice to have a considerable amount of speed before doing so in order to complete the tack. If a vessel hasn’t enough speed to complete a tack, the wind may overpower the boat’s turn, thus forcing it back on its previous course, or the vessel may become in irons, not moving at all.

An auto tack is when a sailboat turns its bow through the wind by accident. This is usually occurs when a steady hand is not kept on the tiller or steering wheel. Auto tacks are more likely to occur when a sail boat is close hauled.

Tacking or beating to windward may also refer to the process of beating a course upwind, back and forth, without actually coming about.

Are you going full speed ahead?  Don’t forget to TACK, to keep on course.

See Planning for Practice Success for information to MAXIMIZE Startup Success Potential!

Subscribe to our newsletter “Practice Startup Success” here:  http://dcp4ps.com

Jean

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Are chiropractors subject to OSHA?

Someone asked me if chiropractic offices subject to OSHA.  If they have one employee, they are.  And many business owners forget that there are several parts to the OSHA regulations.   Briefly, you must comply with regulations:

1.  For fire safety and egress (getting people out of the building in a fire)
2.  Communicating to employees about hazardous substances in the office
3.  Keeping records on incidents
4.  Blood-borne pathogens (not as strictly as a medical office where blood is drawn, but you must still have a written plan
5.   You must offer employees the option of getting a Hep-B vaccine, especiallly if they are exposed.

See Planning for Practice Success for more information on this subject.

Associate to “Independent contractor” ???

Another new twist on an old story:  A soon-to-be grad came to me with a deal from a doctor which had her working for 6 months as an associate (employee) and then she would start working as an independent contractor (NOT an employee).  How is this possible?  I didn’t see anything in what she told me that would make the difference.  Remember that the IRS assumes employee status unless they have some evidence to the contrary.  Someone who is working as an employee doesn’t just magically become an independent contractor unless he or she is now in a separate business and paying rent.  Let me know if you have questions about this.

Or read Planning for Practice Success to find out more.

Who does your payroll?

If you are hiring your first employee, you may be confused about the many requirements for processing and paying employees. And you may have considered outsourcing your payroll – having someone else do it. The logical person is your CPA; he or she may have a bookkeeping person on staff who can help with this task. Another possibility, if you have just one employee, is to use your accounting software (like QuickBooks) do the work. A third possibility is to have an outside service do this work – Paychex or ADP are national companies that can do this, and QuickBooks also has a service.

Whatever you do, don’t hire that first employee without figuring out WHO will be collecting information, processing payroll, paying the payroll taxes and sending in reports. To paraphrase an old commercial “It’s not nice to fool with the IRS.”

For complete information on this subject, check out my e-book “Paying Your Employees” on the dcpracticesuccess.com website.

“Standard” non-compete terms?

Someone asked me if I could let him know the “standard” distance/time for non-compete clauses.  Unfortunately, there is no standard.  My attorney said two years is pretty much the limit for time of the restriction against competing (more than two years, in other words, is unreasonable restriction of trade), but mileage depends on the area.  In a city, 10-15 miles is probably the furthest limit, while 20-30 miles might not be unreasonable in a rural area.  Look carefully at what I call the “circle of practice” to get an idea of what area might be reasonable for someone to draw patients from.

For more information, see the new PLUS edition of Planning for Practice Success.

Registered Agent for LLC

Q: I’m setting up my LLC and am being asked for the name of the Registered Agent. Who is this?

A: The registered agent is the person who received legal correspondence and legal processes, like tax documents and requests for information from government entities. The registered agent is usually located at the LLC’s listed office, but you can have someone act as your registered agent, as long as you trust that person to forward you these important documents.

When you are starting out, you should be the registered agent, or get a trusted family member or your spouse to do this, so you are sure you are receiving documents.

 

Read more about forming an LLC in Planning for Practice Success

What to ask a banker

Q: What questions do I ask when meeting with a banker?

A: Here are some suggestions:

1. Have you worked with other chiropractors or other health care providers?
2. How many commercial loans do you do a month?

3. Do you work with SBA guarantees? How many SBA loans do you do a month?

4. Wil you require a co-signer?

5. What services do you provide to borrowers? Of these services, which are given ‘free’ – for example, free checking? Do you provide credit/debit card processing services?

6. How long does the funding process take? How soon do you disburse funds after the loan is “approved”?

I’m sure you can think of others, too. Let me know what other questions you think you should ask a banker.

Medicare Part B Administration jurisdictions

Ignore the blog below – the link doesn’t work.

This is the correct link:   http://www.cms.hhs.gov/apps/contacts/incardir.asp#1

You want the Part B administrator for your state.  This is the company that you need to register with and  who will pay you for providing care for Medicare patients.

You will need to register on an 855 form.  Use 855i if you are a sole proprietor or a single-member LLC.  Use 855b if you are a corporation (including PC) or a multi-member LLC.

Here are the forms:   http://www.cms.hhs.gov/cmsforms/downloads/cms855i.pdf

and http://www.cms.hhs.gov/CMSforms/downloads/cms855b.pdf