Teanna has an energy that just draws you in. While we were chatting, she compared herself to a cup that was neither half empty or full but overflowing. She started out like most, working on her own, then a year and a half ago, she formed Ascend Pediatrics in Cochrane, Alberta and started to build her team, which has seen lots of growth in the last year. She is in charge of 10 professional contractors and 20 employees for their aid program. She loves working with her multidisciplinary team, and the diverse group of people that they are.
Interview completed on October 28, 2022 by Ashley Reina, Owner of Therabyte App
How did you get started in private practice?
I had no intention of starting my own company, however I was considering opening a private practice; however, running my own company seems like an overly ambitious goal. Putting money and time into learning how to grow a business and lead is important.
What have you done to grow your company quickly?
I followed the ways in which it was growing organically. When I did “try” to grow it, the efforts didn’t seem to work. I have tried to measure and track it but it has been challenging to put the parent referrals and organic growth.
Can you tell us just a little bit about your views on failure and how that’s a company core value, and how it contributes to your team culture?
Failure is a strong trigger word for me. I don’t believe it; you must learn and grow. Our team values learning and progress over failure.
Every day, I preach a growth mindset. So I preach the same thing to my staff. This is something that has always been a part of me! I know that if I support my staff like I support my clients, there is a trickle down effect that in turn helps their clients and helps our company thrive. It’s probably one of the weirdest explanations, but if people come to the clinic and say, “This failed or that failed,” many of our team members will say, “Oh, Teanna doesn’t believe in failure, therefore we don’t talk about it in that context. We shift the conversation to say “Okay, but now we’re learning and growing, so we can move forward.” That’s probably where I sit with the word “failure.” I don’t even like saying it and everyone on our team knows that. Within our company culture, we see this belief affect how the team converses with one another, and within our team and individual KPIs. We use our KPIs to measure progress and growth.
Explain to our audience what a KPI is?
Trish Williams was my coach for strategic planning, and she helped me set up what are called “key performance indicators.” It’s how we measure the growth of our staff and set goals for them to keep growing and building their skills, knowledge, and expertise.
What is one of the things you find challenging as a business owner?
People management is the hardest. I’m reading Brene Brown’s “Dare to Lead” and another about shame. It’s helping me deal with guilt and shame around myself as a leader and my relationship with productivity and work.
Prior to using Therabyte you were using the Jane App. Tell us how Therabyte has been a better fit for your team?
I have honestly loved Therabyte and I cannot express how much it has given me in terms of having my time back. I have been able to reduce my invoicing time by at least half, because of bulk invoices rather than individual ones for each client session in a month.
What do you love most about Therabyte?
Getting my time back. Having Therabyte has organized my life and my ability to know where everything is and take back my time. The amount of support and the collaboration with the team is another one of my favorite pieces.
What is something you would like everyone to know about going into business and building a team?
Give yourself permission to unplug and build boundaries. And that It is okay to feel overwhelmed.
Business building is rewarding yet difficult and sometimes it can be lonely. If you can be honest with yourself about the ups and downs, the highs and the lows of the work that we do, you will be able to allow for productive days, emotional days, and low-energy days. Not every man or woman can be a CEO, but for those that do, it is unique and challenging.
To read the full OT panel transcript and hear more from Teanna and the other panelist on various questions regarding building a thriving private practice – click here
Connect with Teanna!
Email: teanna@ascendpeds.com
Website: www.ascendpeds.com
Instagram: @ascend_peds
