Photo by Karolina Grabowska

1 Big Mistake I Made When I Opened My First Medical Practice

Ernesto Gutierrez, MD
2 min readSep 5, 2022

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Like most beginners, I made a lot of mistakes when I opened my very first medical practice.

But this was the biggest one, by far:

I Neglected Client Acquisition

Here’s what happened:

Like many first-time entrepreneurs, I believed all that mattered was providing really good service. So I put all my time and energy there. Getting the perfect equipment, the right supplies, sharp-looking scrubs, etc…

But none of that made me money.

And after a couple of weeks I realized I either changed something, or I’d be out of business way sooner than my lease expired…

But, it’s also worth acknowledging that making this mistake taught me a ton.

In medicine, you learn to respond to emergencies. Ask any doctor what’s the first thing you check in a trauma patient and they’ll all (hopefully!) respond it’s the airway. Everything else you can do for that patient is useless if their airway is blocked or compromised in any way.

In business, client acquisition is your practice’s airway.

Your service, your equipment, and your team are irrelevant if you are not getting them patients!

Ever wonder what else you don’t know that you don’t know about business as a doctor? Reach out privately on LinkedIn or Twitter and let’s chat. Bet I can spot some of your business blind spots…

This post was first published at drernestomd.com

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Ernesto Gutierrez, MD

I help experts build businesses aligned with their true life goals • Physician - Retired at 37 • Full-Time Dad & Husband 🤟🏻