MENTORSHIP
This is where the rubber meets the road…for practitioners determined to succeed.
About Mentorship
Have you ever just wished for an experienced mentor to ask questions and a groovy group of like-minded people who understand exactly what you are going through as a practitioner-business owner?
Well, here you go!
The Mentorship came to be after we heard the same type of question over and over again in private coaching and consulting –
- I wish I could just ask you about this patient’s labs when they come back…
- What should I do for this patient’s intake? And what about next week?
- You helped so much on my marketing plan, can I ask you questions when we launch?
- A real quick question – (followed by 4 pages of patient history) – what should I do?
- Can I get some of your forms? How do you use them? Can you tell me more?
- Why do you think my patient is having this weird response to PharmaGABA?
- I’m teaching a webinar, can you review my outline?
- Which EMR should I use? Which supplement company? Which website host?
The bottomline is practitioners wanted MORE. The wanted to be able to ask questions consistently and get support in all areas of practice building.
This kind of support in private consulting would be upwards of $10-15k per MONTH and it’s really hard to find one person to answer that range of questions.
That’s when FMA created a unique program for just a few special practitioners. The group is kept small so I get to know you personally and you get to know others in the mentorship. Besides the special classes, bonus content, amazing resources – you get to ask me questions live every week!
She is a natural teacher and explains things clearly. She is literally a walking encyclopedia but has the expertise of her clinical experience with patients, as well as her own personal health journey.
You Asked. We Listened.
Clinical Consults live with Dr. Z weekly on all topics - Clinical + Business!
The Academy Certification & full program is included! Practical, Actionable.
Exclusive resources including how to calculate your pricing “done-for-you”!
Experience with all things Functional Medicine including practice building
Frankly, my dear,
I do give a damn
6-Figure Practitioner Clarity Session
We should talk. Really. Just give me a call.
That thing that’s swirling around your brain and telling you that you can’t have your own FM practice – I’ve got a solution.
That feeling of being overwhelmed and not knowing where to start or how it will even work – I’ve got a plan.
That doubt that you might not be capable or good enough or ready or “how dare I think of doing this” – I’ve got a cheatsheet.
I’d love to talk to you. Click “Schedule Now” and try to grab the soonest spot you can find.
The 8 Phases of Practice Building
Phase 1 – The Dreaming
From that first spark of “hmmm…maybe I could have my own Functional Medicine practice?” to thoughts of quitting a job, fantasizing about a cute little clinic or working from home or moving to a beach resort…This is the phase of dreaming and ideas.
Be open to what comes, don’t limit yourself and be very focused on what will serve YOU best!
In The Mentorship and in The Masterclass: PRACTICE SETUP we cover exactly how to do this and key questions that must be answered (it’s a long list!).
For now, I would say at the minimum answer:
1. How many days/hours do you want to work?
2. What are your income goals?
3. What’s the format you want to work in?
4. What does your dream practice look like?
This is the FUN part!!!
(But…I do stop a lot of practitioners from going down the wrong path when they fantasize of a certain practice to build but don’t realize that it won’t give them the kind of life they want – and it is so much better to find out at this phase instead of a course correction later! I also often have to help practitioners realize what they can do in this phase as some don’t dream big enough!).
Phase 2 – The Planning
This is so important and in my biased & experience opinion – I think mentorship is essential at this point (tip: find someone that really knows business AND functional medicine).Some practitioners find this boring (they’ve never done a business plan before) and many do the following:
- spend money they don’t have to
- waste time, delay earning
- get discouraged and never truly launch
Here’s what I recommend in this phase – first of all, use my 11 Pillars to begin your planning which is a soft, gentle way to begin your business & practice planning that has been tested and used for over 14 years with thousands of practitioners!
Here’s some of what you want to answer:
- Who do you want to work with?
- What do you want to do?
- How will you deliver it?
- At what price?
- All marketing and legal setup
- Initial goals for income and patient/practice growth
- How to track
- Calendaring (so important!!!)
Phase 3 – The Soft Launch
This is all about “go time” and getting into action and beginning to earn!
Now, I’ll be honest with you, without proper guidance – everyone does this phase wrong!
The typical mistakes are that they focus too much on the clinical and science part (which albeit important!) they make it complicated or do a really crappy job of explaining it in a way that patients understand – and then this means they don’t have patients nor income!
Other mistakes include not understanding what it takes to build and run a practice, focusing on trying to fill a group or making an online program but they don’t have the volume for it, not understanding pricing and more….
If you’re starting your functional medicine practice or trying to build it, your #1 job is to quickly fill your one-on-one services and get to six figures as soon as possible.
There are many reasons for this and you can do it easier than you think if you have the drive, determination, good guidance and stakes in the game…
You want to get to that 6 figures quickly because otherwise you don’t have enough patients, flow or income to learn if your idea works, how your care impacts patients, what is it about the practice that you like and what do you want to change, which systems need improvement…and more!
I could teach all day about this… And I have before – many times! A key part of the soft launch is marketing… Getting the new patients in the door.
Phase 4 – The Strategy
Whew, congratulations! You’ve made it past the soft launch, you’re in practice and now you’re wondering “What the heck have I done!” Lol!
It’s all good, welcome to not just being the doctor or a functional medicine practitioner – you are now a business owner!
Now it is time to start cleaning up your systems. Your marketing. Your care plans.
Now you start to get clear and take your business plan to a new level. You’re applying refinement. You’re now starting to have the experience of what you love or don’t love about your practice.
It’s no longer a dream or something you imagine, you are living it. So now you know it in a NEW way.
And now you’re ready to not only work on what is currently happening, but to also strategize for that bigger vision.
This is where you begin or continue to map out the ultimate destination.
You can dream of becoming known in the functional medicine community, paying for your kids college, developing a multidisciplinary clinic, a strategic plan for when to retire and how, doing research in the field, speaking widely regarding a condition you’re an expert in, buying that second home…
But first, you must master Phase 5. There is no moving forward without it!
Phase 5 – The Proficiency
This is all about mastery and clockwork.
The first part is documenting all tasks in the clinic, having all the appropriate manuals in place, and highly efficient systems.
A beautiful backend of the office is what then allows you much freedom and joy in the patient visits.
So perfect your system until it runs like clockwork.
At this point you will be predictably earning multiple 6 figures year after year or even low 7 figures in some cases.
Your level of efficiency and competence will lead to mastery and for some that means boredom.
You have to be careful here because this is where a lot of practitioners get “in the weeds”.
It is easy to be distracted, veer off course, start fun projects, or overcommit.
Mentorship is essential at this point and I say this as someone who has hit this level repeatedly, in multiple practices and sometimes kept everything on track, but I have also had the experience of “getting in the weeds”.
A fun saying my coach told me was, “You can’t read the label from inside the bottle.”
So whether you work with FMA or someone else, make sure you have experienced outside eyes on your practice.
Some practitioners stay at this level for the rest of their practice and they are happy, living a great quality life.
Phase 6 – The Plateau
This is the phase in your practice where you can no longer increase or grow without making a substantial change.
There are many ways to do this and one clear example is duplicating yourself because you run out of time (there is only so many hours in a day).
This is decision time – stay at this level and live a simple happy life.
OR, decide to grow because you have a bigger vision and you are determined to make it happen.
It is absolutely essential to be mentored at this point. No matter who you work with make sure they know how to do this and they have done it before.
Because what comes next is THE EXPANSION, which although exciting, is more challenging than starting the practice in the first place!
Phase 7 – The Expansion
The moment you have been waiting for.. THE EXPANSION.
If you are on Phase 7, then you must have the vision for MORE….
This phase is where you hold more of a leadership roll, your income rises to a new bracket, there is more admin work, and a hierarchy of employees is created.
If it is done well, The Expansion can be quite exciting. This is the point where you are scaling the practice, duplicating yourself, and building a team.
If it is not done well, The Expansion can be excruciating. You could have lots of false starts and stops , expensive mistakes and costly corrections.
Either way, there is a lot of work involved. Even more work than to start the practice!
Mentorship is needed at this point because you need careful planning with legal issues and taxes.
Phase 8 – The Star
WOOHOO!
You have finally made it to the other side of The Expansion!!
You have the most flexibility once you make it to this stage. You can decide where you want to go and what direction to work towards.
Your practice will now be functioning and operating as a true business , where will that take you?!
You can either continue to leverage and scale, or you can sell! If selling, you need to create the ultimate exit plan.
Having a mentor who is experienced in scaling AND setting up to sell, is key to success.
You want a mentor who is knowledgeable about both routes, and can help you decide which is best for you!
Frequently Asked Questions
Who the heck is Dr. Z and why is she the one teaching?
Well, it all started when I was 8 years old and my sister was born… I jest, but that’s not too far off. I’ve been an over-responsible big sister and taught my entire life in multiple careers. You can get to know a bit about me in the pages of this website, the testimonials from practitioners & patients, the silly stories at the bottom of each page or by taking a free live Zoom class with me.
A few quick “sort-of-braggy” facts – I led the team that outsold Disney in their own park (it had never been done before!), I have a genius IQ and a history of a TBI (fun combination), I created the world’s first visual personality profiling system (which has since been copied many times!) that was published by McGraw-Hill, NY, I’m a 5th-generation female entrepreneur, I’ve won awards (lots, in many areas), I’ve been on the news (2x), I owned 8 houses by the time I was 31 years old, I’ve created multiple businesses that were all profitable and debt-free from year one, I designed a functional medicine lab analysis software program, I created nomenclature for a complex metabolic condition, I’ve published peer-reviewed literature, my spatial reasoning score was 100%.
Now, don’t get me wrong – I’ve got a long list of things I suck at or challenges I’ve faced along the way. A loooong list! And I cringe at throwing around facts about my “wins”, but I want you to know, you are in good hands.
I love to teach. I want you to win. I’m compulsively honest and endlessly creative.
Oh, I also make boring stuff fun. So, that’s why I teach.
How long do I have access to The Academy course material?
We’re excited for you to dive into this material because the sooner you do, the sooner you’ll be on your way to success and making money! Here’s the thing—we’ve learned that when people go at their own pace, they sometimes wait too long, and that’s not the path we want for you. We believe in your ability to start strong right now.
Here’s the good news: you’ll have lifetime access to the core material (as long as the program is running). Plus, while you’re in the program, you’ll have access to recorded classes, live sessions, and all the 1:1 support you need to thrive. Let’s get started—your success story is waiting to be written!
What’s the cost for the classes? Can I take just one? Do you have CME’s?
- Cost? It varies, but we’re committed to offering the best value possible.
- Take just one? Absolutely—you can pick and choose what works for you.
- CMEs? Yes for nurses, and more to come for other practitioners – as we’re always evolving to meet your needs.
We’re constantly working to improve and make our offerings as accessible and affordable as possible. For detailed information, check out The Academy page and the FAQ section. If you ever have a question that’s not answered, we’d love to hear from you—just email us at Team@TheDrZ.Com.
Why are you sometimes silly or (not) funny? Healthcare is serious business.
Yes, you are right – healthcare is serious business.
I’m really good at being serious, so focused and no-nonsense that I could “crack”. You know the type, they are a little intense and can tune out everything else as they laser focus on an issue.
You probably need to be a little hyper-focused (or obsessive) to become a master at any profession and it can be rewarding to rise to the top in your field.
But there’s more to life than excelling or winning or knowing or earning.
We have to have levity and love and lightheartedness – that’s the energy that can keep you grounded and bring fun to serious work.
We want that for our patients too, they need more laughter.
So while the jokes don’t always land, I strive to keep a balance between deadly serious and deadpan humor.
Don’t get me wrong though and feel free to ask anyone in the program – we cover the facts, the science, the financials, the legal, the conflict, the labs, the doubts and every other hard topic that you’ll face as a practitioner.
But you don’t get bonus points for not cracking a smile, so we grab the giggles where we can before sticking our heads back into the research article or the pricing grid or the HIPAA regulations or the EMR software…
Deep Thoughts
by Dr. Brandy Zachary, DC, IFMCP
Just Do It…And Buy A Boat
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