Bold moves, smart choices! Uncover the essentials of expanding a small business

MK Counseling and Wellness made some major moves towards the end of 2023. We went from a practice of one clinician to a practice of four clinicians. Making the decision to expand the practice was a significant undertaking that required strategic planning and careful consideration of various factors. In this article, I'll share with you some of the bold moves and underlying reasons for decisions we made to ensure that our expansion journey is successful.

Setting the Stage for Expansion

Early in my career, I remember thinking how amazing it would be to create a practice that meets the various needs of folks who are on their healing journey. I felt that such an ideal practice wold be one where clients could access multiple disciplines of healers whom all worked within a trauma informed, body centered, and collaborative framework in one centralized location.

Last year, when exploring the idea of growth, I came across the book “Company Of One” by Paul Jarvis. The book focuses on the benefits of small incremental growth for companies. The book it mentioned a study by Inc. Magazine which looked at 5,000 fast growing companies. Eight years later more than 2/3 of them had gone out of business, had massive layoffs, or had been sold below their market value. The conclusion from this study, and many others like it, was that success or failure of a company may be dependent on how quickly a business scales up.

Understanding the driving forces behind your decision to expand is crucial. A clear 'why' provides direction and helps to avoid the pitfalls of growing too quickly.

The Why Behind Our Bold Decision

I would like to share my insights into growing an practice, based on my own personal research through books, consultation with other practice owners, and experience. Crafting an expansion involves laying out the steps from start to finish. There are a number of factors one should consider while in the planning stages of growing from a solopreneur to an entrepreneur. These three principals below could serve as a guide in keeping one true to their vision.

Principal 1: How Much Money Is Enough Money?

Admittedly, my knee jerk response to this question is “as much as I could possibly make.” We all live in a reality where higher income can be synonymous with freedom, accessibility, opportunity, and wealth. Who wouldn’t want that? However, Ione has to step back and ask themself: at what cost?

One can easily get stressed, overworked, and feel pressured to bring in more revenue for the business. Once in that zone it is hard to remember the ‘why’ of your work. Yourself and the clients you serve are impacted.

Instead of pushing yourself to meet the industry standard of 10-15% growth per year, rather set a modest growth limit for the business. Set a cap on how much you want the practice to expand and accept the face that some will view my practice as “unsuccessful”.

For us, we have come to terms that our company is allowed to grow only so much each year in terms of new staff, client caseload, and revenue. Growing slowly affords us the opportunity to take our time to assess the process and have room to pivot if needed.

Principal 2: Make The Money. Don't Let The Money Make You

Capitalism is real and burnout sucks. Yet so many of us find ourselves burnt to a crisp. I value slower starts to my mornings, time to move my body daily, and connecting with my community.

I believe it is important to move away from the trap of working harder, working more, giving more in order to achieve success. It becomes more important for me to center my values and build a business that supports my values. Therefore, I’d rather implement processes, metrics, and policies that support my most cherished values to to allow myself more freedom, the ability to connect with others in my community, and create space for myself.

Trust that by doing this, your business will attract like-minded clients and professionals who are excited to work with a business that not only talks the talk, but walks the walk.

Principal 3. Embrace The Power Of Your Authenticity

You are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You. -Dr. Suess.

There is true gold in being you. There are many things that you can do as a solopreneur, entrepreneur, and small business owner that larger businesses may not be able to do as quickly, or at all.

Infuse your personality in the type of business that you are creating to find your joy in the work. My personality might not be for everyone, might not even get me to the dream practice. However, It may provide me with insight into gaps in the industry that others are unaware of, connections that are underutilized, or client populations that are underserved. And at the very least, it will make the work more sustainable and joyful, and the trials more bearable.

Embarking on growing my business is an exhilarating experience. The excitement sets the tone for the journey ahead, motivating me and my team to give our best. It is also filled with many pivots, opportunities for growth, and fumbles. Being uniquely you has made the harder days feel less alarming.

Reflections On Our Expansion Journey

With a solid foundation and lessons learned, I am excited about the future.

To fellow entrepreneurs embarking on expansion, this journey is filled with challenges and triumphs. Embrace the unknown, learn from experiences, and let the wonder of creating something your own guide your path to success.

In my journey, bold moves , smart choices, and thoughtful considerations have paved the way towards what I define as success. Cheers to your bold venture into new horizons!

Meet The Team!

Melissa Kwafo, LCSW (Practice Owner, Therapist) , Melissa is a queer affirming Sensorimotor psychotherapists that centers bipoc and other marginalized individuals voices. She works with young adults and adults around issues related to trauma, anxiety, relational conflict, BPD, racial identity, and body image.

Rebecca Johnson, LCPC. Rebecca is a queer, person centered therapist. She works with adolescents, young adults, parents, and couples around issues related to life transitions, anxiety, grief, parenting support, family planning, relational conflict, and trauma. Joined the practice is 2023.

Afsha Merchant, LPC. Afsha is a multilingual therapist. She is fluent in Spanish, Hindi, and Urdu. Afsha works with adults around issues of anxiety/stress, trauma, life transitions, and relational conflict. Afsha uses TF-CBT and body centered practices such as meditation and mindful movement. Joined the practice in 2023.

Shelliah Williams, LPC. works with adults experiencing stress/anxiety, those who identify as neurodivergent, and those who are a part of the LGBTQIA+ community. The support she provides to clients is largely focused on ADHD, eating disorder support, sex/intimacy related issues, and body insecurities. Shelliah uses DBT, CBT, and sex positivity frameworks. Joined the practice in 2024.

Faith Kwafo, Faith is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and a Minor in Public Relations at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Faith oversees the financial operations and social media content for MK Counseling and Wellness. She has been with the practice since 2021