Ep 10 - The Roadmap to Growing a Successful Healthcare Business

 

Just give me the map!

As much as starting and growing a healthcare business is an exciting journey, filled with endless possibilities…

Where you get to help others and build something meaningful... 

Without a clear plan, you might find yourself feeling overwhelmed, stuck, or even lost.

If that sounds like you, don’t panic!

 

In this blog, I’ll share a detailed roadmap to help you build your thriving healthcare business. 

Whether you’re just starting out or have been in business a while (and perhaps things aren’t progressing as you’d hoped) this step-by-step guide will help you lay the foundation for success and grow your business sustainably.

Yes please! Let’s go…

 

Why You Need a Roadmap

Imagine you’re planning a road trip to a beautiful but remote destination. 

You’ve heard about this amazing place from friends, and you’re excited to see it for yourself. Ooh!

But the journey involves winding roads, unexpected detours, and hidden gems.

 

Would you set off without a map?

 

Probably not!

 

A map will give you clear guidance on the best routes, points of interest, and potholes to avoid. 

It helps you stay on track and enjoy the journey (without unnecessary stress!)

Running a healthcare business is much the same. 

Without a roadmap, you might find yourself spinning plates, no clue what to focus on, and wasting time on the wrong tasks. (Gah!)

 

But with a clear plan, you can focus on the RIGHT things (at the right time!) making your journey smoother and more rewarding.

This roadmap is your map. 

I designed it to help you prioritise effectively, avoid common pitfalls, and reach your business goals with clarity and confidence.

(You’re welcome!)

Let’s dive into the five key milestones on your journey.

 

Milestone 1: Defining Your Vision and Setting the Foundation

Your successful business starts with a clear vision. 

This vision is your guiding light – the reason you’re in business and the impact you want to make. 

Your vision helps you stay focused when distractions or challenges threaten to throw you off, and it gives you a framework when you’re making decisions.

 

Defining Your Vision

I love this part! I think you will too. 

 

Start by asking yourself these questions:

• Why are you in business? What’s your ultimate mission or purpose?
• Who do you want to help? Who are your ideal clients, and what problems do they face?
• How will you help them? What outcomes, transformations, or goals can you help them achieve?
• What do you want to be known for? What unique expertise or approach sets you apart?

 

Your vision isn’t just about your business; it’s also about your life. 

Think about how you want your business to fit into your life. 

• Do you dream of flexibility to spend more time with family? 
• Are you aiming for financial freedom? 

Your vision should align with both your personal and professional goals.

 

Laying the Foundation

Now it’s time for some action!

 

Once your vision is clear, it’s time to set up the practical aspects of your business:

• Choose a name that reflects your brand and mission
• Register your domain and set up a website platform
• Establish your legal entity (e.g. sole trader, limited company) and get any necessary licenses
• Set up a business bank account for managing your finances
• Get insurance to protect your business and clients

 

Why This Step Matters:

Your vision is the foundation of everything you do. 

Don’t skip this part, as without it, you risk being pulled in too many directions or losing sight of what truly matters to you.

Revisit your vision regularly to make sure your business stays aligned with your goals and values.

 

Milestone 2: Building Your Brand and Honing Your Niche

This sometimes surprises people…

Your brand is not just about your logo or colours. 

It’s about the emotions and associations people have when they think of you.

It’s how your audience perceives your business. 

So let’s get that right!

 

Defining Your Brand

Think about your brand as your business’s personality. 

 

Ask yourself:

•  What values do I want my brand to reflect?
• How do I want my clients to feel when they interact with my business?

• What makes my business unique?

 Your visual identity (logo, colours, fonts) should align with these values, but your tone of voice, messaging, and overall presence are just as important.

 

Finding Your Niche

Your niche is the specific group of people you serve and the unique problem you solve. 

It’s more than your area of expertise – it’s the intersection of your skills, your passion, and your audience’s needs.

 

For example:

• General: Paediatric dietitian
• Niche: Helping extreme fussy eaters aged 18 months–9 years expand their diets, particularly those with sensory or psychological barriers

 

Practical Steps:

1. Define your Ideal Client Avatar (ICA): Combine the demographics (their age, location, income) with the psychographics (their values, fears, goals)
2. Conduct a SWOT Analysis: Identify your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats to position your business effectively

 

Why This Step Matters:

Let’s make sure you stand out in a crowded market! 

A clear niche makes it easier to attract your ideal clients and differentiate yourself. 

Your well-defined brand makes sure that when potential clients think of your niche, you immediately spring to mind!

 

Milestone 3: Market Research and Competitor Analysis

 

Understanding Your Ideal Client

Please don’t overlook this bit!

Market research helps you deeply understand your audience’s needs, desires, and pain points. 

When you have these insights, they’re golden – because you can then tailor your services and messaging to exactly what your audience wants and needs.

 

How to Conduct Market Research:

1. Interviews: Speak directly with potential clients to get to grips with their challenges and goals
2. Surveys: Use tools like Google Forms or Typeform to gather insights from a larger audience
3. Social Listening: Keep your eyes on forums, social media groups, and online communities to see what people are talking about.

 

Analysing Your Competitors

Get curious about what others in your field are doing, including those outside your immediate profession. 

Find those gaps in the market and opportunities to differentiate yourself.

 

What to Look For:

• Their services and pricing
• Their marketing strategies (e.g. social media, email campaigns)
• Gaps in their offerings or common customer complaints

 

Why This Step Matters:

I know it’s tempting to avoid these parts!

But good market research helps you to be sure you’re meeting real needs.

Competitor analysis helps you position yourself uniquely and effectively.

Together, they will save you time and money, in the long run.

 

Milestone 4: Designing Your Offer and Marketing Strategy

 

Creating Your Offer

Now things are getting exciting.

Your offer is the structured pathway that takes your clients from their current problem (Point A) to their desired outcome (Point B). 

At last!

 

Steps to Create Your Offer:

1. Define the results or transformation your clients will achieve 
2. Break the journey into manageable steps or phases (your framework)
3. Decide how you’ll deliver your offer (e.g. consultations, courses, memberships)

 

Planning Your Marketing Strategy

Now that your offer is clear, it’s time to attract and nurture your potential clients.

Let’s make sure people know all about your brilliant offer and how you can help.

 

Key Components of Your Marketing Strategy:

• Visibility: Use one channel to build awareness, like Instagram, blogging, or networking
• Lead Generation: Offer a high-value freebie to grow your email list
• Content Marketing: Create consistent, valuable content (blogs, podcasts, videos) to educate and engage your audience

 

Why This Step Matters:

Your offer is the heart of your business!

Your marketing strategy ensures the perfect people see it (and want it).

 

Milestone 5: Your Sales Strategy and Forward Plan

 

Selling Your Offer

There are different ways to do this, so let’s take a look.

 

How you present your offer depends on its price and complexity.

• Low-Cost Offers (<£50): Use email campaigns or social media promos
• Mid-to-High Ticket Offers: Host webinars, masterclasses, or discovery calls to engage with potential clients and answer their questions

 

Planning Ahead

Successful businesses don’t wing it – they plan! 

I encourage you to create a sales calendar for the next 6–12 months, outlining what you’ll sell and when. 

This will help you align your marketing efforts (with no time or content wasted!) and ensure you’re consistently bringing in money.

 

Why This Step Matters:

A sales strategy turns your marketing efforts into real, tangible results. (Woo hoo!)

And planning ahead keeps you focused, and makes sure your business is glowing, growing and financially sustainable.

 

Action Steps

I would love you to put this roadmap into action! So I’ve made it easy for you.

 

Here’s what you need to do:

 

1. Download The Master Plan

 I’ve created a detailed PDF that outlines these steps and more. 

It’s called The Master Plan, and you can download it here.
 

2. Audit Your Business

Use this roadmap to assess where you are in your journey. 

Are there any gaps in your foundation, branding, research, or strategy?
 

 

3. Plan Your Next Steps

Choose one milestone to focus on this quarter and create a detailed action plan to move forward.

Final Thoughts

Building a successful healthcare business takes time, strategy, and persistence. 

But you can do this! 

With a clear roadmap, you can focus on what truly matters to you and make steady progress toward your goals.

Whether you’re just starting out or looking to scale, following these five milestones will set you up for success and help you create a business that serves your clients, supports your lifestyle, and fulfils your mission.

 

What’s Next?

In the next episode, we’ll dive into How to Hit Your 6-Figure or £100,000 Year Without Working All of the Time. 

For some its the ultimate goal, if you’re ready to scale your business sustainably, you won’t want to miss it!

See you then…

 

 

Grab The Master Plan!

Ready to build the business you’ve always dreamed of?

This step-by-step workbook will walk you through exactly what you need to focus on and when. You'll get my expert knowledge as a health business strategist.

This guide really is your master plan to business success! Grab your free copy, right here…https://www.sarahalmondbushell.com/master-plan

 

Connect with me here:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dietitiansinbusiness/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dietitiansinbusiness

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BeyondTheClinicPodcast

 

Episode transcription:

[00:00:00] Sarah Almond Bushell: Welcome back. In today's episode, we're talking all about what you need to do as a healthcare business owner to grow a successful business. The information that I've got for you here is foundational. It is the key to whether your business will succeed. So if you are brand new, you are in the right place because you'll know all the steps to take.

[00:00:22] Sarah Almond Bushell: Or maybe you might have been in business for a little while but growth feels a bit slow and it's likely that one of the key areas that I'm going to take you through today is either missing or possibly you just haven't gone deep enough in it. And it might surprise you to know that I revisit each of these five key steps quarterly in my business so that I can continue to grow and optimize it.

[00:00:48] Sarah Almond Bushell: Now, because this is so important, I've created a PDF for you that outlines all of this and actually goes into things in a bit more detail. It's called the master plan, and you can download this free of charge from the link in the show notes. Okay. With that said, and wherever you are in your business journey, this episode is a good one.

[00:01:10] Sarah Almond Bushell: So let's jump in. So imagine you're planning a trip to a beautiful remote destination. You've heard about this place from friends who've been there and you're really excited about the journey ahead. But this just isn't any old trip. It's traveling winding roads. There's going to be unexpected detours and there's going to be lots of hidden gems along the way.

[00:01:34] Sarah Almond Bushell: Now, you absolutely wouldn't set off on an adventure like this without a map, would you? Whether that's a map on your phone or a route you've planned out on paper, a map provides you with a clear path. It highlights the best route to take. It highlights the points of interest and the potential detours to avoid, but it ensures that you stay on track and actually reach your destination and also enjoy the journey without Any unnecessary stress or confusion. So why on earth do we start a business without a roadmap? Growing a successful healthcare business is very much like this road trip that I've just described. We are qualified healthcare professionals. We are absolute experts in our field, but we're often winging it when it comes to business. A map, I'd say, is a pretty essential guide.

[00:02:24] Sarah Almond Bushell: It outlines the steps that you need to take from laying the foundational groundwork to scaling your business. It helps you prioritize tasks. It helps you navigate challenges. It helps you seize opportunities when they arise and avoid those shiny objects and ensures that you don't miss any critical turns along the way.

[00:02:46] Sarah Almond Bushell: Without a roadmap, you might find yourself overwhelmed by the sheer volume of tasks and the complexities of running a business. It's really easy to get lost. It's really easy to take wrong turns or waste time on unimportant activities. But when you've got a roadmap to follow, you'll have a clear, sequential guide to follow.

[00:03:09] Sarah Almond Bushell: It helps you just focus on what matters most at each stage, making the journey smoother and a lot more enjoyable. So just as a well planned road trip leads to a rewarding destination, following a structured business roadmap will lead you to a thriving, successful healthcare business as well. So that's what I'm going to describe for you right now.

[00:03:35] Sarah Almond Bushell: The roadmap and the five key milestones so that you're clued up on the right route to take. So let's dive in. Key milestone number one is defining your vision and setting the foundation. So we're going to start right at the very beginning here. And even if you've got an already established business, I want you to take a moment and just revisit this.

[00:03:59] Sarah Almond Bushell: The first step you need to take is to get really clear on why you're in business in the first place. Who do you want to help? What is your ultimate business dream? How will you help your people? What outcomes or goals or results can you help people achieve? It's essential to have a clear vision and mission to guide your journey.

[00:04:22] Sarah Almond Bushell: So ask yourself, what are you really good at? So good at that your clients or your patients, or perhaps if you're an NHS employee, say to you, thank you so much. You've truly helped me with this. I think it's also important to think about what you want to be known for as well, because if your business is successful, your name is going to become well known.

[00:04:46] Sarah Almond Bushell: So why is this important? Those of us who go into business, we have a certain entrepreneurial side, and often we are distracted by shiny objects like new projects, offers of work, collaborations, even job opportunities come your way. And before you know it, we've been sidetracked. This is me, hands up, I do this.

[00:05:06] Sarah Almond Bushell: Having a mission in mind is like your guiding light. It's what you're going to run all new opportunities through to decide whether they complement your mission, actually help you achieve what you've set out to do, or actually whether they're just a distraction. The other time it's good to remember your mission is when business gets hard.

[00:05:26] Sarah Almond Bushell: Sometimes it does. We have to make decisions that sometimes don't feel great, or worse, we might get a complaint, or someone says something nasty to us online. When you hold your mission close, it can actually help you get through these really tough times because it will remind you why you chose to go into business and help this certain client group.

[00:05:50] Sarah Almond Bushell: in the first place. It also serves as a marker to help you know when to let things go. I used to do a lot of baby nutrition and weaning work and actually, if truth be told, I fell out of love with it. When I would think about that mission, I no longer felt that warmth or buzz of excitement that I used to get and actually, you know what, that was a great indication to me just to let it go and move on.

[00:06:18] Sarah Almond Bushell: Now, if you're brand new to business, once you've defined your vision and your mission, it's time to lay the groundwork. Like choosing your business name, purchasing your domain, decide on your website platform. You'll also need to determine your business's legal entity, set up a bank account, get all the necessary insurances, all of those sort of business admin necessities.

[00:06:43] Sarah Almond Bushell: Okay, moving on to key milestone number two. So this is about building your brand and honing your niche. So now that your foundation is set, you can start to think about branding. So your brand is the identity of your business. And if you don't decide how you want your clients and customers to perceive your brand, They will do it for you.

[00:07:04] Sarah Almond Bushell: So it's worth spending some time on this really important aspect. So most people think that their brand is just their design, their logo, their colors, their fonts, their visuals. And yes, these do play a really important role. But there's a, and there's a whole psychology linking to colors and how they influence people's purchasing decisions.

[00:07:25] Sarah Almond Bushell: But your brand goes so much deeper than this. The word I used earlier is identity, so it needs to truly represent who you are and what you do. Part of what defines your brand is your niche. Now, your niche is not your speciality. I'm a paediatric dietitian, but that is not my niche. My niche is helping extreme fussy eaters, aged 18 months to 9 years, eat a wider range of food, and especially those with sensory needs and psychological reasons for not eating.

[00:07:57] Sarah Almond Bushell: That is my niche. Spend some time making sure you know exactly who you help, what problem you solve for them. You can create an ideal customer avatar and then go do your market research so you know exactly the ins and outs of who they are, or their demographics, but also their whys, or their psychographics. So psychographics are things like their inner traits, like opinions, beliefs, values, their worries. Their desires, their goals, what they're interested in and what lifestyle choices they make.

[00:08:30] Sarah Almond Bushell: And when you put their demographics and psychographics together, you're going to get a much better understanding about your potential client, which will help you tailor your messaging and your offers to meet their specific needs.

[00:08:44] Sarah Almond Bushell: You can also conduct a SWOT analysis. So this is strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to help you give a strategic overview of the environment that your business will operate in. Key milestone number three is market research and competitor analysis. So once you've got your niche defined and your brand decided and your SWOT analysis completed, it's time to dive into market research.

[00:09:12] Sarah Almond Bushell: Your work on your ideal client's demographics and psychographics is important, but is often gleaned from what we know, from social media and what's available to us online. But when you get this information directly from the horse's mouth, or your client's, It really up levels your game. So you need to truly understand what your ideal client's needs are and wants are.

[00:09:37] Sarah Almond Bushell: In fact, this is vital. Now I'm not going to go into a whole lot of detail here because there's an entire episode on market research that you can listen to get step by step how tos. That's episode number four and I'll link directly to it in the show notes. Our market research isn't just about our potential clients.

[00:09:57] Sarah Almond Bushell: We also need to look at our competitors as well. See what other people in your field are doing well and where there might be gaps that you can fill. Now, I want you to look outside of your profession here. So for example, I'm a dietician, but there's plenty of other people who are nowhere near as qualified to the same level as me selling fussy eating services.

[00:10:19] Sarah Almond Bushell: So visit your competitors websites, follow them on social media, Analyze their content. If they've got courses and programs, is there any evidence of their funnels? Do they have ads running? Lots of people have stuff for sale on their website, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they're actually making any money from it.

[00:10:41] Sarah Almond Bushell: This research will really help you differentiate yourself and also help you find unique opportunities in the market. Okay, moving on to key milestone number four. This is designing your offer and your marketing strategy. By now, You'll have a pretty good idea of who you are, what you do, who you serve, and what they want.

[00:11:03] Sarah Almond Bushell: So the next step is designing your offer. You need to be able to take people from where they are now with their problem or their pain to where they want to be or their desire or their goals. So point A to point B. And your offer is the framework that takes them there. From point A, pain, problem, to point B, desire, goals achieved.

[00:11:28] Sarah Almond Bushell: This framework is usually a series of steps. The things you know they need to understand, or change, or adapt into their everyday lives. And it should be fairly easy to understand, and of course it needs to deliver tangible results, the things that they want to achieve. So once you have your offer mapped out, it's then time to plan your marketing strategy.

[00:11:52] Sarah Almond Bushell: So you might have noticed that we're in step number four of five before I've even mentioned marketing, and there is a reason for this. Most people start their businesses by creating a website, Or starting a social media channel. But you can see that you don't actually know what to put on your website or post on your social media until you've done all of those steps before.

[00:12:13] Sarah Almond Bushell: And what actually happens is you end up talking about yourself and your wonderful qualifications and your expertise and no one pays any attention. And that's because marketing is about them and not about you. So marketing, we need to start with a strategy for visibility so that your business gets found by new people.

[00:12:35] Sarah Almond Bushell: So some examples might be SEO, social media, guest speaking, networking, or PR. But I want you to focus on just one channel initially and master it. And then of course, when it's working well for you and perhaps you're making money, you can employ a team member and expand into a second one. For lead generation, email marketing is incredibly effective, and it's actually my favorite way of attracting and nurturing leads or potential clients with your valuable regular newsletters.

[00:13:07] Sarah Almond Bushell: I also strongly recommend having a content strategy as part of your marketing mix, whether that be a weekly blog or your video show or a podcast, because this acts as visibility. And lead generation, if you embed opt in forms. And it's also fabulous nurture content as well. And it means that you'll always have something really valuable and interesting to share with your email subscribers.

[00:13:32] Sarah Almond Bushell: And then finally, we're moving on to key milestone number five. This is your sales strategy and your forward plan. This is all about presenting your offer to the audience that you've grown through your visibility efforts and the leads that you've collected and nurtured on your email list. Now, how you present your offer matters.

[00:13:55] Sarah Almond Bushell: If you have a lovely, warm, nurtured audience who engage with you often, who email you back and leave you comments on your social posts and your offer is less than 50, you might find that an email and social media campaign is enough. But if your offer is more expensive, which for most of us it will be, you might need something higher touch.

[00:14:18] Sarah Almond Bushell: So often people just need to hear your voice and see your face to get a feel for what it's like to actually work with you. So a masterclass or a three day bootcamp or challenge can be good for this, or for very high ticket services, you might need a discovery call. But whatever you choose To sell your offer and how to do it, I want you to map out when you plan to sell for at least six, maybe 12 months ahead, because businesses that are successful have a plan.

[00:14:50] Sarah Almond Bushell: They know what they're going to be selling three, six, 12 months from now. So make sure that's you as well. And of course, when you know what you're selling. You'll know what your marketing needs to look like. You'll know which topics your audience needs to see so that it all fits together like a well oiled machine.

[00:15:10] Sarah Almond Bushell: Okay, so there you have it, the roadmap for growing a successful healthcare business. I gave you five key milestones, defining your vision and setting the foundation. Building your brand and honing your niche. Market research and competitor analysis. Designing your offer and marketing strategy. And then your sales strategy and forward plan.

[00:15:35] Sarah Almond Bushell: Now, it is fair to say that there are more key decisions and more smaller steps along the way, which is why I created the freebie called the master plan, because this level of detail is exactly what you get. It's a 22 step roadmap with Absolutely every step that you need to take, design that so you'll know exactly what you need to focus on and when, so that you can build the business that you've always dreamed of.

[00:16:01] Sarah Almond Bushell: And if you've been in business a while, but it's not growing in the way that you want it to, I want you to take a look at this and see what crucial steps you might have missed along the way that are actually holding you back and hindering your progress. And you'll also get some insight into some of the advanced strategies for when you're scaling your business to its next level.

[00:16:21] Sarah Almond Bushell: The link is sarahalmondbushell.com/master hyphen plan, and it's also linked below for you in the show notes. So that's all I've got for you today, but join me next time when I will be explaining how to hit your six figure or a hundred K a year without having to work all the time. Sounds exciting, doesn't it?

[00:16:42] Sarah Almond Bushell: Bye for now.