It’s everyone’s dream to operate a stress-free business but is it actually possible when dealing with the everyday challenges of the NDIS? It seems it’s not impossible.
In this episode, I talk to Trudy De Silva, a Speech and Language Pathologist. She is also Director of De Silva Kids Clinic, a multidisciplinary private practice offering speech pathology, occupational therapy, psychology and music therapy for children with disabilities.
The Melbourne-based practice runs clinic sessions on-site as well as outreach services at schools, kindergartens and homes.
Trudy has built her clinic from the ground up and has grown it significantly over the past 10 years, so she knows what she’s doing. She graduated with a Bachelor of Speech Pathology from La Trobe University and has been working in the paediatrics sector ever since.
Delivering family-centred therapy and an allied health team is her number one priority and she’s got some some sneaky tips up her sleeve when it comes to developing a strong team, being at the mercy of the NDIS, and dealing with cash flow and debt collection.
Topics covered in this episode:
- A brief history of De Silva Kids Clinic
- Being a Clinician vs managing a business
- Top tips for leading a great team – your relationships are key
- Boosting Therapist’s performances through regular scheduled meetings
- De Silva Kids Clinic: delivering a family-centered approach
- How to navigate NDIS
- Trudy’s thoughts on NDIS tiered pricing
- Navigating your team through NDIS changes
- The differences in management and clients post-NDIS
- Debt collection tips – uninterrupted admin time is key
- Cutting rental costs for better cash flow – one way is to buy a property
- Have the confidence to solve your biggest problems
- Ways to recruit: ads, Facebook, LinkedIn and word-of-mouth
- Hybrid business models – the stability and flexibility of hiring both contractors and employees
- How to be a paperless business
- Managing client data
- Optimise your practice performance using your CRM data
- The importance of Admin staff – the only thing they don’t do is the therapy
- A look at Trudy’s typical week juggling motherhood and being a small-business owner
- Navigating the transition from Clinician to Manager – make room for business work and don’t wait until you’re forced to drop your client work
- The future of the business – a second premises in the pipeline
- What percentage of the business is clinic-based services vs outreach services?
- Furthering community involvement through family workshops
- Helping families understand and navigate NDIS
- The importance of a homely Clinic
- Highlights of De Silva Kids Clinic
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