I’ve learned that my story is really not all that unusual (which is kinda scary).  I won’t bore you right now with all the details, just suffice it to say, I had been confronted with some unexpected circumstances that led to a financial crisis in my business. It was a horrible “do or die” situation and I was faced with a very serious decision with only two choices:

CHOICE #1: Quit. I’m not a quitter, but honestly no one would blame me… it had been a tough year, enough to break anyone’s will. I could walk away proud for giving it a go.

CHOICE #2: Learn how to build a successful acupuncture business. Crap! I hated the B word! Learning business skills meant I would have to face my fears and dig deep… I hated practice management mumbo jumbo and only wanted to immerse myself in the healing arts. It would be easier to quit… I just didn’t know if I had what it takes?

Before I really had a chance to methodically weigh the pros and cons of each choice (something I always do with important decisions), I felt something deep inside that overwhelmed my thought processes. If the feeling had words they would be, “I AM AN ACUPUNCTURIST!”

It wasn’t a question. It was a statement.

And I knew then and there I had to do what it took to learn how to take control of my practice and build a sustainable and profitable business. (I felt SICK!)

That was about 5 years ago and I can look back now and smile. Learning business and marketing skills was not as difficult as I had thought.

The hardest part was trying to figure everything out on my own. Back then, there wasn’t a whole lot of support for acupuncturists trying to build a business. It was super difficult for me to tell the difference between legitimate marketing methods and unproven schemes promoted by so-called experts.

I’ll admit it, I was lucky.  I connected myself with the right people, attended awesome training programs and got top notch coaching from experienced teachers. They continue to inspire me and motivate me.

I could have taken everything I learned and built my practice and lived a very happy, quiet life.  But the thing is, when I had my epiphany, that I AM an acupuncturist, I also made the commitment right then and there to find a way to teach everything I learned to YOU and anyone else in the entire acupuncture community who wanted to learn.

It has taken me a little longer than I anticipated.  My research, testing and re-testing is part of the reason you haven’t heard much from me in recent months.  But I’m happy to say, I am confident that my business partner, Alicia Bausley, and I at Empowered Business Entrepreneurs, LLC have developed the ultimate business and marketing course specifically for acupuncturists.

I’ll be launching it soon and it will culminate in a 2-day live event (that we’re tentatively calling the Acupuncture Business Academy Super Summit). I already have some top notch speakers lined up and two full days of training that will absolutely change the way you approach your practice, business and LIFE!

The Acupuncture Business Academy will solve many of your marketing challenges and set you up with everything you need to build a successful practice.  How do I know? Because I have spent several YEARS ‘in the trenches’, listening to you, talking to you and working with you.  I’ve learned that business and marketing techniques that work well in other fields (like chiropractic, dentistry, internet business, etc) do NOT work for acupuncturists, and I’ve refined and simplified everything to make this course easy to learn and effective to implement.

Although the Internet is a great tools and I’ve enjoyed meeting many of you online, I am looking forward to connecting with you in person.  I’ll be sharing more details as everything gets finalized.  There is A LOT to get done and I am personally overseeing every detail so that you have the best training and awesome experience.

I hope you are as excited about the Acupuncture Business Academy Super Summit as I am!  I’d love to hear your thoughts! Go ahead and share your feedback below. After all, we’re in this together!

Peace,

Lisa Hanfileti, LAc
Insights-For-Acupuncturists.com

Business Coaching For Acupuncturists With Kevin Doherty, LAc
“Inner Freedom, Outer Success” Starts January 18th, 2011
Click here for more info.

Kevin Doherty, LAc, author of Build Your Dream Practice, is offering a class to show you the exact steps and marketing strategies that he has used to build his successful acupuncture career.

Click the screen to learn more from Kevin Doherty, LAc

When I graduated from acupuncture school and started my practice (in 2000) there wasn’t anyone out there providing the kinds of resources and guidance that Kevin offers.  I would have JUMPED at the chance to learn from an experienced acupuncturist so that I could have avoided the mistakes I made opening my acupuncture practice.

In this one-time teleseminar Kevin will give you his personal acupuncture business blueprint and share proven business planning and marketing strategies to help you thoughtfully build and grow your acupuncture practice.

For details on how to register for the class click on the link below:

“How to Make 2010 The Best Year Ever In Your Private Practice”

The class is being held on Thursday December 10th at 5 pm Pacific, 8 pm Eastern time. This live event is a great opportunity to ask questions directly to Kevin, but if you are unable to attend it will be recorded.  You must register, however in order to receive the recording.  Click Here now to learn more.

Wishing that 2010 is the best year ever in your acupuncture practice!

Warm regards,

Lisa Hanfileti, LAc
Insights-For-Acupuncturists.com

My Free Acupuncture Business Plan Details How We Secured Funds to Build the Acupuncture Practice of Our Dreams

When I wrote my Acupuncture Business Plan there were not any “templates” out there for me to follow, so it was a ton of work.  I would love to save you some of the struggle I went through by giving you my actual Acupuncture Business Plan that I used to secure a business loan in 2005.

But there’s a catch.

This business plan has some of my actual financial data and market research. And I do not want it floating around the Internet willy nilly.

I only want those acupuncturists who are serious about their business to get a hold of it. That is why I decided to make my Acupuncture Business Plan free, but only to those who purchase my ebook, “Complementary and Alternative Marketing”.

Go to www.ComplementaryAndAlternativeMarketing.com to learn more.

Ever since I posted on my Insights-For-Acupuncturists Blog that I wrote a real business plan in 2005 to secure a bank loan, I have been inundated with requests asking where to go to get ahold of my plan.

The truth is, I have already made my acupuncture business plan available to a select few, simply because I needed to see if it was going to be helpful to students, graduates, and other acupuncturists.  Well… I got my answer!

So in response to your requests and feedback, let me explain where I am coming from and what I am willing to do…

You probably already noticed that about HALF of the “10 Big Mistakes I Made Opening My Acupuncture Practice” could have been avoided if I had written a business plan.  It has been frustrating to have had to learn how to run a business the hard way.  I would love to save you the frustration, not to mention wasted money and time, that I experienced.

Also, it concerns me that I have heard from experienced acupuncturists that they too have made these exact same mistakes!  It is time to put an end to these common errors and change the way we go about setting up our acupuncture practices.

So I have decided to do something that no one has ever done before…

I am releasing my actual acupuncture business plan that my husband and I wrote to secure funds from our bank and through the Small Business Administration (SBA) to purchase, what has become, the acupuncture clinic of our dreams.  What’s more is…

I want to give you my acupuncture business plan absolutely free!  But hold on… there IS a catch.  (Read on.)

This is a 35-page document that includes our:

• Executive Summary
• Acupuncture Industry Analysis
• Acupuncture Market Research
• Acupuncture Market Statistics
• Financial Projections
• Risk Analysis
• And all the other key components of a properly written acupuncture business plan.

Plus I added a detailed Introduction and Epilogue to give you an insider’s view of how we actually wrote the plan.

This is really a very valuable document and I think I am going to sell it at some point. But right now, for a limited time, I have decided to include it as a Special Unadvertised Bonus with every purchase of my ebook, “Complementary and Alternative Marketing: How to Attract New Patients, Build Your Practice, and Earn Passive Income With Your Acupuncture Website”.

Learn more about “Complementary and Alternative Marketing: How to Attract New Patients, Build Your Practice, and Earn Passive Income With Your Acupuncture Website” here:

http://www.insights-for-acupuncturists.com/cam-ebook-halfspecial

Offering you my free acupuncture business plan is definitely a way togive you incentive to invest in my Complementary and Alternative Marketing ebook, because I KNOW that this ebook can save you time and money and give you incredible insight into how you can build and grow your acupuncture practice better, faster, and stronger than 90% of the current practicing profession!  So it’s my way of giving you an irresistible deal so that you take advantage of information that can save your acupuncture practice.

Lisa, How Do I get Your Acupuncture Business Plan?

It’s simple.  All you have to do is purchase my ebook and my Acupuncture Business Plan is yours for FREE. It is delivered right along with the other 6  free bonus videos and ebooks.  To learn more, click on the link below:

Get my free acupuncture business plan when you purchase,
“Complementary and Alternative Marketing”

Your success matters to me!

Lisa Hanfileti, LAc