Two years ago, I started a private practice as a registered dietitian. What started as a collection of ideas in the Notes app on my phone is now a fully functioning private practice. The last two years as a business owner have taught me so much. In this post, I’m sharing 10 lessons I’ve learnt in my first two years building my dream private practice.
Thank you to everyone who’s been along with me on this adventure of becoming a business owner. Thank you to clients who have stuck with me over the years as I transitioned to my own practice, to my family who have shared their business expertise, love, and support, past bosses and preceptors who have taught me practical skills, and colleagues who have made working in private practice so collaborative and enjoyable. This success belongs to all of us!
How To Build A Dietitian Private Practice
You are confident as a clinician, you’ve identified your specialty in dietetics, and now you’re ready to become an entrepreneur. In this post, I’m sharing detailed lessons that helped me get started in private practice. If you’re looking for 1:1 professional mentoring with a dietitian who’s been right where you are, please fill out our contact form to apply.
10 Lessons from My First Two Years as a Business Owner
1. Branding & Logo Design
First and foremost in any business, it’s important to get very clear about your branding. Start by creating a mood board. Collect logos, designs, words, colors, fonts, artwork, and photos that emulate the message and feeling you aim to convey. Research color psychology for branding and design. Even colors can send a message. Be authentic and genuine as you create your mood board and think about how you want you convey yourself and your business. Be true to yourself.
Many dietitians and private practice owners choose to name their business after themselves using their full first and last names. Others choose to create a business name. There is no universally right or wrong way to go, and there can be advantages and disadvantages to either option. I ultimately chose to create a unique name for my business that reminds me of where I come from (I’m South African). If you need help deciding what to do, consider professional mentoring for individualized support from a dietitian who’s been right where you are.
Once you’ve created a mood board and have identified your business name, it’s time to create a logo. I decided that I wanted the image to be of a naartjie, or what we call a “tangerine” in South Africa, and my mom and dad had the brilliant idea of making the circles around the logo subtly look like a plate. I first created a digital rendering of my naartjie, but we soon decided the logo needed a human touch. We went to an art store together, consulted with an artist on paint types and color theory, and then I got to work painting pages of naartjies until we created the perfect one. I then used Adobe Illustrator to vectorize our final naartjie design and added it to the logo.
I love the story behind our logo and the love and care that went into creating something so special.
2. Building Your Business Website
Building a website continues to be both challenging and rewarding. Similar to branding, you have the option to hire out for a website designer or developer. This is something I chose to learn on my own. Learning how to use WordPress on my own has given me much more flexibility. When I need to change or add something to my site, I can do it myself. I like that I can make any adjustments to my webpage immediately.
There are important things to consider in building and designing the flow of a website. You’ll want to consider both SEO (we’ll talk about this next) and user experience/readability. If you get stuck, go back to your mood board and branding for direction.
3. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Once you have a basic website running, learning SEO should be your next step. This is something that is crucial to learn if you’re starting your own practice and website! Even if you’re planning to hire out a website developer, having some knowledge about SEO will still be highly beneficial.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is a practice of optimizing your website for search engines to find it and trust it. The more a website is optimized for search engines, the more likely it will appear and rank higher in someone’s search and be visible to your audience online. Start by researching this online to self-educate and consider working with a professional if you need more individualized guidance.
4. Contracting with Insurance for Your Dietitian Private Practice
Getting contracted with insurance was very important for me from the beginning. My initial motivation to get contracted with insurance was based on my belief in healthcare accessibility and equity. I want my services to be accessible to a wide group of people, not just those who can afford to pay out of pocket.
Over time I realized that accepting insurance was also a good business move for my private practice. I am not someone who wants to rely too heavily on social media marketing, so accepting insurance has allowed a large percentage of my clients to find me and work with me through insurance. It has increased my caseload immensely.
5. Your Dietitian Private Practice Office
Having a physical office space for my private practice has been one of my best decisions. Some practices choose to be fully virtual, but I love seeing clients in person and prefer to commute to a dedicated office for work.
I share a building with therapists and other healthcare professionals who I’ve made professional connections with. I often leave my door open between patient sessions and welcome other clinicians to come inside and chat. This makes private practice much less lonely!
If you want to see clients in person but can’t afford to rent your own office, there are options! Many therapists and dietitians rent out their office spaces to fellow clinicians certain days of the week. Alternatively, you can rent out your own office space for certain days of the week to supplement your monthly rent.
6. Volunteering
I strongly believe in volunteering throughout life no matter your professional status or title. We all have something unique to give back to our communities.
Recently, I volunteered at a local free health fair to serve unhoused and underserved community members. I partnered with the Saving Hearts Foundation of UCLA to bring free blood pressure tests and nutrition education for heart health. I loved connecting with so many patients both in Spanish and English. Access to health care is a human right and it was an absolute honor to be a part of this amazing event and community. Free services at this year’s health fair included mammograms, eye exams, free prescription glasses, skin exams, dental exams, on-site dental treatments, blood pressure tests, glucose tests, nutrition counseling, mental health education, exercise workshops, stroke prevention, vaccines, and more. It was so nice to connect with the amazing leaders of Saving Hearts and healthcare providers of other tents and mobile clinics. I already cannot wait for the next one!
You can also volunteer for local beach cleanups or trail cleanups to keep the environment clean. I love to join local beach cleanups with the Laguna Ocean Foundation.
7. Host a Gathering For Your Local Provider Network
In March of this year, I hosted a “thank you brunch” for some of the local providers who I work with. It was a lovely morning spent with local therapists and business owners. I so much enjoy being part of my local community. Thank you to Campesino Cafe at the Ecology Center for the delicious farm-fresh food and warm atmosphere that made the morning even more special.
8. Sponsorships & Giveaways With Local Organizations
Here’s yet another fun way to get involved with your community. Local organizations are often looking for sponsorships, talks, Q&A sessions, or even giveaways. It could be a great opportunity to work with local organizations made up of people who would benefit from your services. Bonus points if you put some goodie bags together for folks to take home!
9. Continuing Education
Investing in your education continues to remain important even (especially) when you’re running your own private practice. This can show up in many different ways. Maybe you attend a conference, register for monthly webinars, connect with local reps, participate in a consultation group, read a research paper, or have regular clinical supervision with a dietitian.
I’ve joined local eating disorder and ARFID consultation groups with fellow therapists, occupational therapists, speech language pathologists, and fellow dietitians. It’s a great opportunity to discuss cases, strategies, and share expertise.
It’s our responsibility to stay at the forefront of research in order to provide the best care. I really enjoyed attending the International Pediatric Feeding Disorder Conference hosted by Feeding Matters. I’ve already signed up for three different conferences from August to October this year, so stay tuned on social media (Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook) to stay in the loop.
10. Offer Educational Workshops & Trainings to Fellow Clinicians
If you’re an expert in a particular topic, consider leading educational workshops and trainings. It’s a great way to connect with providers of different disciplines. I’ve presented to various advanced practice registered nurse and physician assistant cohorts of the APRN Scholars Program of Almost Home Kids of Lurie Children’s Hospital on topics in pediatric feeding disorder, ARFID, and picky eating.
if you’re interested in having me for a lecture, please see our nutrition workshops and trainings page for more information.
Looking Ahead
In the future, I look forward to becoming a preceptor for dietetic interns. I learnt so much from all of my preceptors in graduate school and have always loved mentoring others. As Yébo Nutrition continues to expand, I plan to hire associate dietitians to help meet increasing demand. I look forward to building a team of dedicated dietitians here at Yébo Nutrition. There are a few other projects I’ve been working on, but you’ll have to wait and see!
Thank you for an incredible first two years in private practice! I’m so grateful for my clients, family, friends, and colleagues. This is truly a dream come true. Cheers to many more years together!