Brighter Spotlight with Heidi McBain
Success is all about initiative when it comes to a private practice.
That’s why we are so excited to announce April’s Brighter Spotlight, Heidi McBain.
This month, Heidi McBain tells us about how she opened up her own private practice in Flower Mound, Texas right after returning from six years away in Peru. By diversifying her marketing and taking advantage of opportunities she might have passed on otherwise, Heidi has fostered a growing practice with a thriving online presence.
And she did it all in less than six months with gumption and Brighter Vision.
Q: Tell us a little bit about you and your practice!
A: My private practice is located in Flower Mound, Texas (outside of Dallas/Fort Worth) and it focuses primarily on women. I specialize in Grief and Loss and Maternal Mental Health (including postpartum depression/anxiety and supporting moms throughout their motherhood journeys). I also offer Online Video Counseling to women living in the state of Texas via Doxy.me.
Q: What is one reason you’re glad you became a therapist?
A: To help people who are hurting feel better, to the best of my ability.
Q: What do you like to do in your free time when you’re not working?
A: I love spending time outdoors hiking with my husband and two kids (ages 9 and 12), running with my Labrador retriever, reading, and traveling to new places. I am also an endurance athlete and have completed multiple triathlons and marathons, although now that my kids are older we run a lot of local 5K races as a family.
Heidi and her family at the Dallas Color Run.
Q: When did you become a Brighter Vision client, and why?
A: My family lived overseas in Lima, Peru for six years before moving back to the States about a year ago. I knew I wanted to open a private practice when we moved back, so the first thing I did was take a class about the ins and outs about private practice. My instructor stressed the importance of having a website. I tried in vain to build one myself for way longer than I should have, and then decided I needed some professional help.
Heidi and her family enjoying Machu Picchu, Peru.
Going with BV was one of the best decisions I made in this process, and I’m so happy I made it early on. My website launched in December 2017 before my official private practice launch in January 2018. My web designer took my website vision and made my site even better than I imagined in my own mind. I also LOVE the support team you have over there, as I am an idea’s person and am so appreciative to have this team to run my ideas by, sometimes on a daily basis as creativity hits me!
Heidi’s Brighter Vision Website, HeidiMcbain.com.
Q: What methods were you using to attract clients before you had a Brighter Vision website?
A: Brighter Vision actually started my journey into private practice, as my website was up and running before I was ready to officially launch my practice. I am so glad I did it this way as my website really represents who I am as a person. All my marketing efforts are based on trying to get people to my site via my business cards, social media pages, therapist directories, etc. as I feel like if I can get them to the site, the site will resonate with the right people.
Q: How did your process of attaining and attracting clients change after your Brighter Vision website from how it was before?
A: I think I have done a lot of things differently from the “norm.” I took time last year as we were transitioning back into life in the States to interview people and write an e-book called Life Transitions: Personal Stories of Hope Through Life’s Most Difficult Challenges and Changes. This book is showcased on my home and author pages of my website. I love to write and I had time to write last year, but I also wanted to have something to offer people from my unique life experiences as well as the 25+ people I was able to interview about their unique life experiences as well.
Q: What is one of your favorite parts of your website? How does that represent you and your private practice?
A: I absolutely love the two sliders on my home page. The first has beautiful pictures of the outdoors and a few of my favorite quotes. I love quotes, and some of my favorites are showcased throughout my website and on my blogs as well. The second slider displays the publications that have featured my writing and quotes.
One thing I tried to do in the process of building my business is to play to my strengths and the things I really enjoy doing (because, let’s face it, there are plenty of things, like giving my 30-second elevator speech at marketing meetings, that I don’t particularly enjoy, but feel they are still an important part of this process). So, I started a weekly blog very early on that focuses on my four specialties (Counseling for Women, Grief and Loss, Support of Moms, and Online Video Counseling). I have also had a lot of success being featured in publications after responding to HARO (Help A Reporter Out) requests as frequently as I can (they come out M-F in the morning, midday and evening). This plays into my love of writing, but also gets me out of my comfort zone, as there are a lot of reporters and authors who request recorded phone interviews as well.
Q: What is something you know now about marketing your private practice or making a private practice website that you have learned from your experience with Brighter Vision?
A: I have learned so much from BV on how to market my practice. First, it was SO helpful having my website as my first promotional tool because as questions came up, I had support people I could ask regarding what the best practices were for marketing my practice. We discussed SEO a lot and how having outside websites link back to my website (such as the publications I have been featured in) helps my own SEO. We talked about the importance of starting a mailing list early on (I use Mail Chimp and when people sign up from my home page they get the self-care list from my book for free). Also, the importance of social media as platforms to share my blogs and also the articles I have been quoted in (and they even had suggestions on which ones to start with based on the population I see. So, I just started my Facebook and Instagram business pages, Heidi McBain – Discover What Matters, and have plans to add Pinterest in the future as these are the “big three” for women right now).
Heidi’s business Facebook page, Heidi McBain – Discover What Matters.
Q: How do you keep organized and scheduled in your day-to-day life?
A: I keep a written planner. I like to physically write my plans for the day in it, but it also helps to be able to see my entire week at a glance.
Q: How do you make time for self-care with your busy schedule?
A: I wake up early, before the rest of my family wakes up (minus our dog, Pisco, he hangs out with me!) to exercise, do a three-minute mediation and at least one page of journaling. It helps to have the same morning routine everyday, because it has become a daily habit for me.
Heidi’s adorable Labrador retriever, Pisco.
Q: What other tools or services do you use to help boost your private practice?
A: I have tried to be open to any and all opportunities that come my way, as things I have thought would be helpful in this process have not been, while things that I have often had the initial thought of, “Why am I even attending this?” have opened up new opportunities that I had not originally thought of on my own.
Q: What have you found to be the most important piece of advice someone has given you about being a private practice owner?
A: To appreciate the process itself and not be so focused on the outcome. I have grown so much personally and professionally since January 2018 when I launched my practice. I try to remind myself to look back at how far I have come in this very short amount of time, which also helps propel me forward toward my personal and professional life goals.
Q: Do you have any pieces of advice for someone just starting their own private practice journey?
A: We all go through some serious growing pains right after launching a private practice, and I do not think this part of the process gets talked about as much as it should get discussed. Starting out is hard for all of us! It has helped me to think that at the end of this year, I will be in a very different place than where I was at the beginning of this journey, or even where I am right now. I have a vision in my head of where I would like to be, and I also plan on putting that vision on a vision board that I can look at each and every day. I think there is something very powerful about seeing where you want to be so you will take the necessary steps in your life to get there. This is a professional journey, but also a personal one, so surround yourself with as many supportive people as you can, people who truly understand you and your vision for the future!
What wonderful insights to get from our Brighter Spotlight! Thank you for spending the time with us, Heidi, we’re all grateful for you sharing the benefits of your experience and your private practice journey.
If you would like to learn more about Heidi or see more of her intelligent online presence, you can find her on these platforms:
If you’re looking for an easy way to get your new private practice off the ground – or if you’d like to revitalize your current practice and web presence – we’d be happy to walk you through a free trial of Brighter Vision to give you a taste of what your website could become. Contact our customer happiness team to get started or if you have any questions!