Anthony Centore

Starting a new practice is exciting. It’s a creative process. You’re inventing something new! You determine what it’s going to look like and feel like. How it’s going to be different from other practices. You choose what services your practice will and won’t offer. You write down a core mission and company values. You decide on a name, and a logo, and furniture style, and wall color, and so much more. And then, after not too long, you realize that your creation is complete. Now, instead of inventing it, you need to run it. And this, for many entrepreneurs, is where the fun stops.

Yelp, Facebook, Google, and Angie’s List are just a few places where customers and clients speak their minds; leaving reviews—both positive and negative—that can raise or crush the reputation of a business.

When I considered devoting this month’s blog to the topic of marketing a counseling practice, my first thought was that I’ve covered this topic before (last time in 2016) and what could really have changed between now and then? As I reviewed some of my old writings, I realized much has changed. So very much. This month, I present to you a few of the more significant changes

Recently, I met with a friend who was having trouble with his boss and was considering quitting his job to start a company of his own. After a long day of talking, we came to a firm decision: starting a business isn’t for him. Not because he’s unable, but because he would hate it.

Maybe it’s New Year’s Resolutions. Maybe it’s “Blue Monday” (January 23rd) the day by which we’ve all broken our resolutions. Maybe it’s a post-holiday emotional hangover. Maybe it’s just that the days are depressingly short, and dark, and very cold. Maybe it’s a combination of all these things that makes it so that, for many counseling practices, the first 3 months of the new year are the busiest!