Episode #686: When You Need A Full Practice ASAP

In today’s Ask Allison, we’re breaking down the smartest way to grow a part-time practice without burning out. You’ll learn the four steps that matter most: calculate your income target, choose a niche that speaks to client pain, build a website that makes clients feel instantly understood, and network where your ideal clients already turn for support.

 

By the end, you’ll know exactly how to focus your time and energy so you can grow with clarity, protect your bandwidth, and set yourself up to leave your 9–5 with confidence.

 

Sponsored by TherapyNotes®: Use promo code Abundant for 2 months free

 

Links You’ll Love:

• Grab our FREE tools to grow your practice—weekly worksheets, the Tasky Checklist, and more: www.abundancepracticebuilding.com/links
• Need help with your niche? Snag our $27 Know Your Niche course and unleash your therapist superpower: www.abundancepracticebuilding.com/niche 
• Ready to fill your practice faster? Join the Abundance Party today and get 75% off your first month with promo code PODCAST: www.abundancepracticebuilding.com/abundanceparty
• Have a question for me about practice building? Submit it via our Ask Allison form, and I'll add it to the queue: https://www.abundancepracticebuilding.com/ask_allison
• Prefer video? This episode is also available to stream on our YouTube channel!

Episode Transcript

(00:08):
(Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai. Go Unlimited to remove this message.) Welcome to Ask Allison.
Y'all ask the questions about having a
fun and thriving practice and I answer them.
We have a worksheet for you today so
you can bring this answer into your life.
You can access that at abundancepracticebuilding.com slash
links, where you'll also be able to ask
any questions you have for Ask Allison.
If you want more support, we've got some
free trainings in there too.

(00:29):
If you can't get enough Ask Allison, check
out our YouTube channel for our entire Ask
Allison library.
Welcome back to Ask Allison.
Here's today's question.
I've started a part-time private practice while
still working full-time.
I'm exhausted.
What are the top three things I need
to know to build quickly and quit my
job?
I bet you're exhausted.

(00:49):
This is a really trying phase.
So before I answer your question, I would
like to thank TherapyNotes for sponsoring Ask Allison.
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know their features by heart, but what really
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(01:11):
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Everyone at TherapyNotes believes in the product and
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(01:33):
customer experience.
With over 100,000 therapists already on board,
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code ABUNDANT at TherapyNotes.com.
Okay.
First up, I want to say to the
person who asked you this and who asked
this and anybody else who's in this situation,

(01:54):
you are not alone and you're not doing
anything wrong by being tired.
Building a practice while still working full-time
is no joke.
It is a big commitment, but it's also
one of the smartest ways to build because
you're setting yourself up for freedom with a
financial safety net under you.
So this season can feel really heavy.
You're working two jobs, essentially.
You're dreaming big while also just trying to

(02:15):
stay upright.
So today I want to simplify some things
for you.
I want to make sure every minute you
spend on your practice is actually moving the
needle.
No spinning wheels, no wasted energy, just really
clear direction.
But before we get into the top three
strategies to grow your practice, we have to
do something that's going to help you to
find what fast even means.
So step zero, I want you to do

(02:37):
the math and know your target.
And this is what most people skip.
It's not flashy like a new logo or
cool Instagram post, but it's really essential.
So before you market, before you network, before
you spend another hour writing website copy, I
want you to figure out how many clients
you need to quit your job.
Don't just guess.
Don't just assume.
I want you to know.

(02:57):
And this number is almost always lower than
people think it is.
A lot of therapists assume they need a
full caseload to replace their job income.
But what's a full caseload?
Is that 25 clients?
Is that 30?
Is that 35?
Hope to God not.
And what if I told you that you
might only need 12 clients to replace your
income, sometimes even fewer?

(03:18):
So here's what we're looking at.
What's your current take-home pay from your
agency or your full-time job?
What's your target take-home from private practice?
What's your overhead going to be?
So your EHR, your therapy notes, your liability
insurance, if you've got an office, office rent,
those kinds of expenses.
How much are you charging per hour?

(03:39):
And are you working as a private pay
therapist or working with insurance, which is going
to tell you what you're charging per hour,
essentially.
Once you know these numbers, you can kind
of, like, do the math, which this is
not hard math.
I know that we're not really known as
therapists to be mathematicians.
But you can calculate how many sessions you
need per week to hit your income goal.

(04:00):
I've got a free worksheet that walks you
through all of this.
It's super simple, step-by-step.
I'll tell you how to get it at
the end of the interview.
That's going to just let you know, like,
first, you want to know how many sessions
to meet your financial goal.
But also, what do you need just to
get out of your agency job?
And once you know that number, everything becomes
easier.
You can work backwards from there and create
a focused plan.
You'll stop worrying that you're not doing enough

(04:23):
and start actually doing the things that matter
because you're more clear on where you're headed.
So step one.
That was step zero.
Step one, choose a niche based on your
client's pay, not your credentials, not their demographic.
The very first strategy that actually builds momentum
is always niching.
And that is not your modality.

(04:43):
I'm going to probably say that 12 times.
It's not your modality.
It's not EMDR. It's not IFS.
It's also not millennial moms or women in
transition.
Your niche is about the very specific pain
that brings your ideal client therapy.
It's the problem they know they have.
The thing that they're lying awake at night
thinking about in their words.
So let me give you an example.

(05:05):
Let's say you're super passionate about working with
trauma.
You use EMDR. Love it.
Amazing.
But the person you want to serve might
not be thinking about trauma.
She might just know she's exhausted.
She's anxious.
She's overwhelmed.
Maybe she's snapping at her kids and she
feels really horrible about it.
Maybe she's having panic attacks at work.
Maybe she feels disconnected in her relationships.
That's what she knows.

(05:26):
That's what she's Googling.
That's what she's trying to get help for.
So if your website says EMDR for trauma
recovery, she might scroll right past it.
But if your website says therapy for high
achieving women struggling with anxiety, burnout, and overwhelm,
ding, ding, ding.
She's going to pause.
She sees herself there.
And here's the thing.
If she's like most clients, she doesn't care
what the letters are behind your name.

(05:48):
She cares if you understand what she's feeling
and if you can help.
So when you're choosing your niche, don't start
with your resume.
Start with your ideal client.
Think about what problem are they aware of?
How do they word it?
How does it show up in their life?
And what do they wish they could feel
instead?
So speak to their pain and show them
that you see them.

(06:09):
Step two is build a website that speaks
directly to that niche.
Once you've got your niche clarified, the next
step is making sure that your website reflects
it.
Now this is not time to list every
issue you've ever treated.
I know that's tempting, especially when you're starting
out.
You feel like you should be open to
everyone.
You want to look super competent.
When we try to speak to everyone, we
end up connecting to no one.

(06:30):
When we try to look competent by putting
a million things, we look like we don't
really know how to focus on one thing.
And here's what happens when you're specific.
Imagine a mom, I've been this mom, dealing
with postpartum anxiety looking for a therapist.
She's already nervous about making the call.
She lands on one therapist site and it
lists anxiety, depression, trauma, life transitions, infertility, postpartum,

(06:50):
grief, couples therapy, ADHD, and so on.
It's not wrong, but it doesn't feel focused.
She doesn't know if this therapist actually gets
her situation any more than she gets anything
else on that list.
And then she finds another site that says,
I help new moms who feel anxious, overwhelmed,
and disconnected from themselves.
You're not broken.
You're carrying more than one person should have
to.

(07:11):
That's the moment she exhales.
That's when she knows this is the therapist
for me.
Your website doesn't need to do everything.
It just needs to make your ideal client
feel understood.
And again, remember the math from earlier.
You're not trying to appeal to thousands of
people.
You're trying to attack a couple dozen who
are the right fit at most.
You don't need volume.

(07:31):
You need resonance.
So step three, network where your clients are
already going.
Let's talk about networking.
I know some of you might have just
cringed a little when I said networking, but
stay with me.
If networking feels gross or salesy, it's only
because you're imagining it the wrong way.
Real networking is about building relationships with real
people who are already trusted by your ideal

(07:53):
clients.
So here's the question to ask.
Who does my client talk to before they
find a therapist?
For some, it's a primary care provider.
For others, it might be a doula, a
school counselor, a yoga teacher, a priest, or
a mom in their parenting group.
So think about these things from your ideal
client's perspective.
This one person in your imagination.

(08:14):
Make a list of who they go to
first.
These are the people I want you to
build connections with.
Reach out and introduce yourself.
Let them know who you help.
Let them know that you're accepting clients.
Offer your support and expertise when it's helpful.
And don't forget about other therapists, especially those
who are in your niche and are full.
We love referring to people we trust, and

(08:35):
having someone who has availability is, honestly speaking,
such a gift as a full therapist.
You don't have to go to networking events.
You don't have to cold DM a bunch
of people on LinkedIn.
Start with one relationship at a time.
Follow up.
Be generous.
Be human.
This is a real relationship you're forming, not
some transactional one-off.
Over time, these connections create a steady stream

(08:57):
of referrals without having to market constantly.
So here's the path.
First, get clear on your numbers.
Know what your actual target is to be
able to quit your job.
Two, choose a niche that reflects your client's
lived experience, not your training.
It's what they're worried about right now.
Three, create a website that speaks directly to

(09:19):
that niche.
Make them feel seen.
And four, network strategically with the people your
clients already trust.
When you focus your energy on the right
things, growth doesn't have to take forever.
You can absolutely build a part-time practice
into a sustainable full-time income and finally
give notice at the job that's draining you
that you want out of.

(09:40):
You are not behind.
You are building something real, and you're doing
it smart.
If you want help figuring out how many
clients you actually need to quit your job,
DM me the word sheets.
I'll send you the free worksheet that walks
you through the math, and I'll also send
you a link to every other worksheet that
we've shared in this series.
If you need help on the next step,
which is choosing a niche, DM the word

(10:00):
niche, and I'll send you the link to
my $27 Know Your Niche course.
Thanks for being here.
I will see you later.
If you're ready for a much easier practice,
Therapy Notes is the way to go.
Go to therapynotes.com and use the promo
code ABUNDANT for two months free.

(10:21):
I hope that helped.
If you have questions for Ask Alison or
you want to get your hands on the
worksheet for this episode, go to abundancepracticebuilding.com
slash links.
If you're listening, you probably need some support
building your practice.
If you're a super newbie, grab our free
checklist using the link in the show notes.
I'd love for you to follow, rate, and

(10:42):
review, but I really want you to share
this episode with a therapist friend.
Let's help all our colleagues build what they
want.