Transcript:

Hi, my name's Sam Bowden and I just want to congratulate you on joining the veterinary business manager program and good on you for taking a step. It's a leap of faith and in order to go on and help you create the life that you truly want. So let's jump straight into it and let's take a look at what we're going to cover today. First of all, I'm just going to run through how you can get the most out of this program and the things we're going to run through is how the program is structured and the sort of elements to it that we'll be walking in and out of, I'm going to talk about setting your expectations of what you should expect and sort of results you should expect and we're going to talk about something called the compound effect and how to use it in order to get the most out of the program.

The last thing in getting the most of the program is the support network that we've got in place. So you're not going to be left to your own devices. You've got a go to when you're stuck, when something doesn't make sense so that you don't feel like you're alone on this journey. Then we are going to get into the content part of this particular module, which is getting clarity on what you really want in life. And we're going to take a snapshot of where you are right now. And then talk about a concept about what you focus on expands. And we're going to talk about something called the Tao, which is the middle road we'll talk about. Out of that, you'll then start creating your desired future. What is it that you actually want to create long term, using your practices as a vehicle and out of that, you'll then identify what are the areas that you're going to need to focus on in your life, in your business, with your teams, etc.

So let's talk now about getting the most out of the program. And the first thing to look at is, you've made this investment, or someone's made this investment on your behalf. And what often happens, these people start a program. They start racing through the content and then kind of like a gym at new year's Eve after new year's Eve resolution, You start out strong then you begin to waiver. Look, I'm a bit busy. Something else has come up. And all of a sudden it just gets put on the back pedal as a result of that, the program ends up collecting dust. And what you actually do is you stop beating yourself up because you start not trusting yourself. And what I'm going to tell you is one of the greatest keys to success is confidence and confidence in yourself.

If you say you're going to do something, you do it. And I'd love for that to be one of the outcomes that you get out of this process, because it's the one thing that I've observed from watching a large number of very successful people. They all follow through. If they say they're going to do something, they do it. So what I'd like to suggest is that you book out an hour every week for going through the content and then another hour for working on the business. So it's just two hours a week. I'd like to suggest that you do this when you're fresh. Doing it at the end of the day, when you're really tired, the brain is sick of making decision and your brain actually goes into decision fatigue. And what'll happen is you go to end up sort of listening to the content and kind of, you know, slog your way through, without it really having much impact and not being that excited about it.

It was like watching my son last night, he's eight and he has homework at eight o'clock at night. And you know what? He was just out of yippee beans. And it wasn't a good time for him to be trying to think about what he had to write. So as humans we are very good planners and poor doers, so we're good at going, Hey, I'm going to do this, i'm gonna do this program. And not that good necessarily at following through and continue on a commitment. So what helps that is having a structure around you creating a structure that means you just have to follow the steps in the structure. So this program has a certain structure and if you just follow the steps in it, you'll get a predictable result, like going to a gym, you can sign up as a gym membership, but then the best thing you could do is go and book a personal trainer or book some gym sessions that you're obliged to go to. So it's almost creating a structure for yourself in order to boost your chance of success.

So if you haven't done that, what I'd suggest right now go and book those 12 slots in your diary right now. The second part of getting most of the program is this phrase, trust the process. And I like to think of these, when we work with people and help people in their businesses, it's kind of like a cake recipe. And if you're cooking a cake and you've got the self raising flour and you've got the eggs and you've got the milk and you know when to put them in.

You know, how long they cook it for etc.

It's fairly likely that you're going to a cake that looks much like the one on the front of the cookbook. However, if you don't trust the process, you don't trust the recipe and you think, I don't think I'll do this one. I think I'll add that in. I think I might put some Vegemite with my cake instead of using honey, you're not going to get the same result, That is not what you wanted. So in trusting the process, what I ask you to do is when we're going through content, we're asking you to do things, just trust the process and do them. There is a very specific reason why we do everything in this program,

This program is not just about you becoming a better business manager. It will absolutely do that, but we go way, way deeper than that. You know most programs are what I call superficial or quite narrow as in they're just in one area. And if you think like a cake in order to get a really good cake, you just can't have one ingredient in it. You need to get all the ingredients, right? You've got to mix it correctly. You've got to have the right temperature in the oven. You need all these things in order to be successful. This program, the programs we do is actually helping people create extraordinarily fulfilled life. And we're using your practice as the vehicle in which to learn strategies, learn confidence and test and measure. So please trust the process.

And what we're wanting to change is the old way of running a practice. A lot of the time it is work hard, figure it out as you go and you end up kind of struggling. And we'd like to think that owning a practice can actually be really good fun. It could be like when you first started out and you were young, kind of like these pups here, and it was exciting and it was enjoyable and it was fulfilling. And that's really what you want as an outcome. To set your intention of when you start working with the accelerate business Academy. That's what we see is nirvana. That's the new order of practices that are profitable, very profitable. They have a highly engaged team. They've got great clients and then really good systems running businesses so that they're not chaotic, but they're kind of like a rolls Royce. So please trust the process.

The formula that

We're going to be working through is a formula developed over years and years of working with a lot of vet practice managers and owners. And I've been in a lot of programs myself actually. And after spending hundreds and hundreds and thousands of dollars on myself in programs and mentors and seminars, etc. There's something I always observed is that there was only ever 15-20% of people who would keep coming to these events who are getting continuously increasing results.

And I used to ask myself why. And what I realized is that success or results is a result of a formula. And this formula is what we're going to use throughout this process. What I call the results formula. So it's clarity of knowing what you want, plus the knowledge of knowing. I know how to do it I know the strategy to use, plus the confidence that you will actually use that knowledge. Now it's one thing to know something. It's another thing to actually use it and have the confidence to step forward and use it. Plus then discipline, which is having a plan with accountability. If you do those four things, you get execution. If you get execution, you will get results.

So really the results are highly, highly predictable based on you following the process. And I know myself, the thing that I observed in when I was in the other mastermind programs and other programs that I have been part of, the bit that was really missing was having a plan and having accountability. So really when people are left to their own devices, you can have the best information in the world, the best program in the world, but unless they have a plan and have someone to help them sort of follow through on that plan, results are unlikely to occur. And you may have had bought other programs and tried other things. And just not got a result. Well, it's because you might identify one of these four wasn't in there.

The areas we're going to work on in your practice is these four areas. It's what we call success circles here at the Accelerate Business Academy. And it's working on your mindset to develop the right team. So to find the right team, get them aligned and everybody on board the bus and then all growing, because if they growing your businesses growing, and by the way, if you're not growing, your team won't be growing. What happens in your external world is a result of what's going on your internal world, which is what you're thinking and feeling. So work on your mindset to help you find and grow the right team to drive better systems. So we work in your system and if you've got really good efficient systems, it will deliver a client experience. That's at a much higher level. So if you've got a higher level client experience that'll allow you to find, serve, and keep really good quality clients, and particularly in these industries, you know, word of mouth is by far the biggest marketing source.

There is so really the one metric we should be looking at is how do our clients score us?

If we come back to cooking a cake, if we just worked on your team and leadership and things like that, that's great, but if you've got a really fired up team, if they're running poor systems, the experience the clients get mightn't be that great. Once again, if you've got really great systems, but you don't have the mindset to find the right team to drive it, then it's all going to be about you. So you lose leverage. So it like a cake you need to address all four of these elements, the mindset, your team, your system development, and your clients. If you do those things, your going to get progression in your business.

I want to introduce you to the compound effect. And you might well have heard of this before, but essentially it says this. When you first start doing something, so let's say you start going to the gym and you want to start getting stronger and fitter. You're going for a while. And you really don't notice much. You haven't lost any real weight. You're not that much stronger. You just feel a bit tighter. And it's kind of like, Aw, I don't seem to be getting anywhere well that's because what happens is it takes a longer period of applying tension or pressure in order to get a result. And just about every business that I've worked with over the last 10 years, my observation has been this; most businesses start getting results after about, later on in their process.

So six to 12 months, if we're working with them on a longer term basis, is where you'll start seeing them getting sustainably and predictably much bigger results. And this is just the compound effect at work. And I guess what I'm encouraging you to do is if you just keep doing the basics, just keep doing the homework that would give you, and you keep doing your weekly tasks over the course of this program, you got to find that you'll start seeing results, but please don't expect to see your results straightaway, because this is just not how the compound effect works. And I'm just really trying to set your expectation. One, so you don't beat up on us and say, this program doesn't work because I can tell you the elements in this program, we've used for many, many, many, many practices, small animal practice, mixed dental practice, specialty practices, You name it, practices in Australia practices outside of Australia.

And we get the same results, no matter where you go. As long as people just follow the steps and talking about the compound effect. Another really good way to look at it is at the top. You look at this graph, this is what we call a compounding interest graph. And if you put in initial deposit, let's say less than money. I don't know how I came at that figure 36,409. But anyway, that's your starting point. You put it in to some investment vehicle. And what you say is here's what I'm going to do. Every week. I'll put in $200. If you did that continuously for 40 years, and you got an interest rate that was paid, an annual interest rate of 10%, and you got interest paid each month, that would pay you. After 40 years, you can see that your total investment is now worth nearly seven and a half million dollars.

And that's the compound effect at work. Take a look though, how much deposits that have already been put it, including your initial deposit and your regular deposits, we're only looking at about 450,000, the interest is nearly $7 million. This is the compound effect. By the way, this is a concept I would strongly urge you to teach to your children, if you have them, That they Understand that you can just Google compound interest calculator and let them play around the figures themselves. Because it's one of the things we want to show people is they often go why didn't I start this when I was 20? Because by the age of 60, you would be a multimillionaire by following a very, very simple strategy. So the take home, how to get most out of the program, trust the process and follow the steps, just keep doing.

And if you're getting stuck, there's only four things that matter. We have a saying, here is that success is inevitable. If you know what you want. So that's a clarity, you've got a plan to get it. And you follow your plan. And really, to be really honest with you, success is actually a pretty boring process because it's not the exciting stuff every day. Success comes from keeping just consistent focus on the simple stuff, just doing the basics really well. If you think about a football team, they practice the same moves a pass and a kick again and again and again and again until it's second nature to them. So there's only four things in this process that really, what is the simple stuff. If you have consistent focus in these four areas, developing and growing your mindset, creating a client experience that you don't rate a 10 out of 10, they rate a 10 out of 10. Number three is that you don't have a hemorrhage within your system of mischarges. Most businesses have between 10 and 15% per year of missed opportunity in their business. That's coming in the door and it's walking out the door and leaving 15% untouched. And the fourth area is it's the team creating an empowering workplace. So if you just chose to work on those four things, that's all you need to do. You are going to see significant progression in your business.

So the journey, if we think about it, and maybe you can relate to where you're at in one of these steps right now is the first one is some practice owners and the managers are in what we call pain central. And this is just, they've got a practice, it's hard work. Everything's hard work, struggling, there's just no money to pay bills, team may not be aligned, might be fighting. You might have it. Mightn't be able to find good team members might just be yourself. Basically at this point, that's not fun. You want out. Level from that is what we call the struggle, bunn y. So starting to make a bit of money, it might be making five, six, 7% net profit. Andbut everything's still a struggle. So you're just paying the bills. You're working hard and you know, you can sort of see the brightness of the future.

You believe in the business. You think it can make it, but its like your having to fight all the time. And this is what the struggle bunny scenario feels like. Then if you keep going on the journey, you sort of start overcoming the struggle. So a lot of that's got to do with the financial struggle. You start making some money. So your between 10 to 16% net profit after you pay your wage to yourself. And this point called the whack-a-mole, this is you running. So this is all about you working really fast and really hard. And you are basically doing everything. You're probably the main generator of income for the practice. You're trying to lead the team. Any problems, the team come to you to solve the problems.

If you have ever been to a games arcade, and there's that whack-a-mole and there's, this little head that pops up and you've got a sort of a rubber mallet, and you've got to try and hit the head before it drops down. There's all these different heads popping up and you're trying to hit them down as they pop up. That's kind of what it feels like. It feels like, you're working hard. Your making some okay money, but you feel like you're constantly putting out fires. And if this is you, this is where you get tired. This is where burnout starts occurring, then, you know, forward. And if you going to evolve through the journey, the next step is what we call a conductor. This is where you started going ok.

I need to not be the main one, the main one on the tools I need to actually start leveraging. And the leverage you get by developing systems in the practice that the team are using. You've increased the level of your team. So they're becoming more independent, they don't come to you for every challenge. They've been empowered to think about things themselves and how they're going to do it themselves and come up with solutions. They don't just come to you with, 'Hey, how do you fix this?' They come to you with a solution and you're like the conductor of an orchestra. And you're up the front there. And the orchestra is making beautiful music and the team there is the orchestra and they're the ones running. And you're probably running at 20, 25% net profit here. And you start to get some more flow.

As in, it's not all about you, You can grab your breath here and life starts becoming a bit more fun. And at this point in time, what happens is this business is going great, as long as you, keep waving the batons and keep the team going. When you stop, the business starts to slow down. So it is still quite dependent upon you. And at this point you might be going, things are going well, but I'd love to get a bit more leverage. It's not so much to be about the team need me to be there to keep everything going. Even though you might not be the main money generator in the business. And Nirvana where you really wanted to get to is what we call CEO and see how it means this; you're owning the business or running the business.

And it's the team that has taken on the accountability for the day to day running of it. So they're responsible for the financials of it. They're responsible for the systems development and running. They're going to be responsible even for recruiting and things like that. So CEO is where you get a lot more leverage. And at this point in time, you're really involved more with the high end strategy you might choose to still be on the tools and do some of the vetting that you really enjoy. But you've really moved up to study, get leverage over your businesses. And at this point you might actually be starting to branch out and you might end up with multiple sites because you've understood leverage. So to get to CEO it's all about training people and trusting people to run really good systems. So then that's freeing you up really to work on the hiring strategy.

So hopefully you identified that you're in one of these positions here, or you're working in a business in one of these. And all I want you to think about, is this; just evolving to the next one. So, if you're in pain central and you want to keep going, you've got to go to the struggle, bunny. So it's still gonna be a struggle, but things are going to start becoming a little bit more financial. And from there, then you're going to get really busy. And then from there you got to move into, okay, it can't just be about me. Now I can afford to start bringing in some other people and stepping back. I can spend more time working with teams. But I don't want to be developing the systems. I want the team developing the systems and that allows you to move to CEO. So the name of the game is to move forward, like playing snakes and ladders.

Now the last part of getting the most out of the program is this. We provide a structure for you because if we just leave to your own devices and I've done it before, here's the stats. 20% of people actually get results. If you left them to their own devices, it's human nature. There's nothing wrong. It's just normal. In fact, I once heard something pretty funny. It was this guy was selling programs overseas and he thought he'd test and see how many people actually use the material. So he went one step further. And this was when they were selling DVDs.

So he actually put blank DVDs in. It looked like the right thing, but there was nothing on it. Did it on purpose and to a whole bunch of people just to see, what would happen .(Oh, by the way, I have some questions around the ethics of that). However the learn from it was, there was only 1 or 2% of people who actually rang him up and said, there's nothing on this, can I get another one? So what we know is that humans by nature need structure in order to stick to a process. So what you have is access to Fortnightly Q and A coaching calls and there are calls that you'll be able to have a question. You jump on, you type your question in, and we'll work through and answer them. This lady by the name of Lisa Scheppers, who has one of the most successful vet practices in Australia, she will be helping you through that, either herself or myself, we'll be working through to do these coaching calls.

These are group coaching calls. So you can actually listen to other people's challenges, which is often a lot more powerful than just being in a one on one call because it's a mastermind scenario. So you get access to those every two weeks. The next scenario is we have a platform set up for you to allow you to ask questions within the platform. And we'll be using this thing called workplace, which when you signed up, you will have received a link to that. Please click on that link and make sure you introduce yourself, say hi. And of course, what that will do is it allows you to pick up threads that other people have been talking about. It allows you to share your challenges in there, ask questions, and we'll be on and off about answering questions as well as other people within the program.

You're going to find that's the mastermind concept, you being able to share ideas with your colleagues that have practices just like you. The best thing you can do is say, Hey, has anyone dealt with this? How would you solve it? What worked for you? And I always say, I've never had a good idea. I just hear them. And I implement. So that's why we've set this up is to allow you to do that. And the third part is a email that you'll have an email that you can contact us on. So send us an email and we will ensure that you get a solution to whatever challenge you've got.