How to Scale a Service Business

[TerraceHouse]

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Hey guys, I've always been employed so have no idea if these are good tips or not but I just watched this video of Alex Hormozi helping a dental practice owner scale their practice. Can any private practice owners speak to what they think about this video? It's a 37-minute video so totally understand if it's like "who has time for that," but as someone who one day dreams of being a practice owner... curious if this can be applicable to psych or if this is pretty unique to dentistry: If I Wanted to Scale a Service Business in 2026, Here's What I'd Do [Full Blueprint]

 

[psydocc]

My review: incredibly basic advice provided by a roided out internet grifter who makes his money off an illusion of success. Little applicability to a psychiatry clinic.

Maybe I'm wrong. Go ahead and take before and after pictures of your psych patients and let us know how that works out.

 

[Stagg737]

Not in PP but my first question would be do you really want to look at this as a “service business” model? I know several PP docs who view it this way and the commonality is that they are all very, some would say overly, generous and quick to prescribe controlled substances.

So be aware that how you view the practice you build may very much affect the types of patients trying to see you.

 

[PsyDr]

Isn't this just pouring new wine into the old wine-casks of "Create solid policy & procedures, hire an butt-load of NPs, market yourself using online ads, get paid upfront"?

 

[Sushirolls]

Scaling a PP changes it from be you, your name, your practice to now more of a traditional business.
You have employees. And different types. Front desk, billing possibly, and clinical.
Each has their own issues that come with that type of employee, then compounded by normal personality differences, human "issues" which is a fancy way of saying you can't avoid HR BS.
If you aren't paying top dollar for front desk staff, you will have turn over. Whether it is large health systems or small docs they all struggle with retaining staff, and that isn't even the metric of "good" staff.

You need to reflect and decide what is your goal? Are you wanting to be business minded most? Make as much money as possible? Or do you want a simple independent practice that is lean, slim, and low BS.

I have a quality assistant. I've thought about scaling up over the years, and initially set out with infrastructure to pursue that. But now... no thanks. I like the quiet simple, no BS, no bureacracy, no office staff HR drama. It is hard to put a price on that peace.

 

[calvnandhobbs68]

My review: incredibly basic advice provided by a roided out internet grifter who makes his money off an illusion of success. Little applicability to a psychiatry clinic.

Maybe I'm wrong. Go ahead and take before and after pictures of your psych patients and let us know how that works out.

lol this dude's entire business model is "sell advice to people who hope they too will make a bunch of money someday"

He touts his history but his history is....ran a few actual gym chains in the ground. Figured out that dumb people will pay a bunch of money for a consultant to do stuff for them without the actual risk of a true company, so started a company called "Gym Launch" (which at its core is a rebranded consultant for people trying to start gyms) and some company selling rebranded supplements "Prestige Labs" which he then re-sold to private equity. He then co-owns Skool which looks like the freaking worst of the worst of youtube ads, check out the front page. So he basically now owns a company that platforms what he used to do....sell advice on how to market your own business lol.

So yes he's very adept at separating dumb people from their money. As many people have found out online it's much easier to sell people the idea of a product or advice on how to start a business or market their business then to actually start a business that makes anything or provides actual services. Because then you're up 200/500/1000/whatever bucks and if they can't market their own business it's on them not you, you've taken essentially 0 risk besides your own time and content creation.

I mean we COULD scam our patients. Daniel Amen is very adept at this and makes a buttload of money.

 

[Cath Up]

I will add to the responses with a similar opinion, probably with diminishing returns:

I spent a lot of time looking into private practice, and do have the scaffolding for one but am not using it. Currently employed as well.

You can make a very comfortable living by the fruits of your own patient interaction related labor. Maximizing this should sate any entrepreneurial spirit anyone has: You can negotiate and cherry pick good insurance; you can work long hours; you can see cash at a high rate; you can market your specific specialization; you can join a multi specialty group; you can hire a midlevel or two for very stable patients who want to stay with the practice for some reason; you can do ads; you can add TMS; you can add physician partners. There is so much opportunity and variability and room for creativity.

But what, in my opinion, a psychiatrist generally cannot accomplish ethically, is to fixate on “building a business” in the sense of making a boatload of money for greed’s sake and/or hiring a ton of midlevels that you “oversee.” I haven’t ever seen good psychiatry practiced like that.

 

[throw-away-go-away]

Hey guys, I've always been employed so have no idea if these are good tips or not but I just watched this video of Alex Hormozi helping a dental practice owner scale their practice. Can any private practice owners speak to what they think about this video? It's a 37-minute video so totally understand if it's like "who has time for that," but as someone who one day dreams of being a practice owner... curious if this can be applicable to psych or if this is pretty unique to dentistry: If I Wanted to Scale a Service Business in 2026, Here's What I'd Do [Full Blueprint]

what happened to the video?

 

[FatherPsychiatry]

"Scale"

 

[mistafab]

Straight out the Amen clinic playbook on this one.

Just need to throw in a 7000 dollar useless EEG test book report, and a 14000 dollar 'functional' MRI map.

Edit: Next step is switch to calling them 'clients' not patients. Then instead of therapy, 'coaching,' and instead of treatment, provide 'value.'