New Graduate Inspiration - 5 Things I learnt in business

I know the feelings that follow the huge relief of graduation... fatigue, fear, doubt, nervousness, confusion, passionate excitement and everything in between.

In my New Graduate trainings, I always go around the room and get everyone to tell me one defining emotion they are feeling - and it's always such a relief to everyone else in the room that someone else feels the same way. It's totally normal to feel every emotion under the sun as you fumble your way through figuring out a new routine and discovering where your passion and potential lies.

There's so many options to consider after graduation.

Do you want to go into clinical practise?
Do you want to work at a health food store because clinic wasn't for you?
Do you want to join a travelling gypsy band and never return?

There's no right or wrong answer, and it's an essential part of the journey to go through all of the emotions of figuring it out. No one can tell you the exact direction to take... but I certainly have some experiences I can share that taught me what I didn't want.

If you are wanting to get into clinical practise, you really only have two options to consider:

being an independent contractor, and contracting to a clinic
starting your own business and seeding your own opportunities

Here's what I learnt from doing both of these things.

1. If you are driven, motivated, passionate, have a big vision, and don't respond well to authoritative figures that might have conflicting visions to yours... working in someone else's business is eventually going to get really old.

2. Doing 110% of the work to get 50 or 60% of the pay will also eventually get really old.

If you are entering into an independent contracting agreement, make sure it's very clear what your responsibilities are when it comes to marketing. When I was contracting to a multi-modality clinic, after close to a year, I was sat down and told that I had to start tracking all my leads and conversions and all the efforts I was going to in marketing. At the start, I thought, cool, there's a plan and I just have to execute the plan. Turned out that I actually had to make the plan as well. After that conversation, I realised that the effort I would be going to, and the extra hours I was expected to put in to build up the database of the business, was not going to actually give me any benefit at the end of the day - because the business I was representing was not mine. Because of Lesson #1, this was a tipping point for me to leave.

3. Working in someone else's business means you have time to get confident in your skills as a prac.

You don't have any overheads to worry about, you don't have to create a business plan or worry about commercial leases and marketing. You pay a percentage to the clinic to cover these costs. If you're still getting comfortable in the clinic (which everyone is up until about the five year mark!), it's a blessing not to have the extra stress of how to pay the rent or how to get a loan to start your business... on top of the worry of, holy sh*t, how do I treat this person?

4. Starting a business is not for the feint-hearted.

If you're not sure if this is for you, don't do it. Starting a business that will provide you true freedom, success and impact is much like having a child. The first year might completely destroy you, and it's really only unconditional love for the purpose that you have that will get you through! If you don't have that purpose... it won't be enjoyable. Sometimes it takes a little while to develop that purpose, and if you don't have the drive or vision now to start a business, it's something that might come after working in someone else's business for a while and seeing where your strengths are, and how you would prefer to run things in your own time and space. Don't start a business just because other people are doing it. Start a business because it is the driving purpose in your life.

5. Being a Naturopath and a business owner are two completely separate things.

Both require time and energy, constant growth and professional and personal development, continued research and dedication. If you aren't used to being a Naturopath yet, focus on getting more confident and comfortable in that arena first. Then look at starting a business when you have more time to devote to developing the business of your dreams.

Something that I have only really integrated in the last 6 months is the fact that... this life, this journey of business, of health, of success is just that - a journey.

It is not a race. There is no obvious path to take. Sometimes you have to figure it out on your own, and you will learn the most amazing things about your self in that process.

The most important thing to work on, no matter what you decide to do with your career, is self belief.

Take some of the pressure off of having to know everything immediately. It's impossible. You will never stop learning. You will never stop striving for more. It is all part of the human experience.

Develop a vision, a goal for your future. Work towards it every day, and treat each challenge, each success and celebration, as an integral part of getting to that end goal. Know that the end goal will change as you get closer to it. Enjoy the journey knowing the end of it will never come.

At the end of the day, you have the potential and knowledge to change and transform so many people's lives... look within and listen to how you will best serve that purpose.