The Importance of Having a Home Modifications Mentor for Your Business

Why would you want to have a home mod mentor? Because it will help you build a successful business!

 

This does not only apply to Occupational Therapists with home modifications businesses; business owners of all kinds who have mentors report more satisfaction and success in growing their businesses.

 

There is no point in striking out on your own. A business mentor offers you support and information; keeping you from making mistakes. Why? Because we have likely already made the mistakes—and learned from them. Let us help you not make the same mistakes.

A home health occupational therapist had a client with Parkinson's disease and two dangerous entrances into her home. The therapist reached out to us for help because she was not sure how she should approach this issue.

 

Part of our guidance to her was to stand back and take photos of each entrance—specifically panoramic photos that show the scope of the issue and surrounding area. On one level, we needed to see what was happening to offer our advice. On another level, we were teaching this therapist about best practices for home modification assessments. It is very helpful to give panoramic photos to contractors so they too can understand the project before doing a on-site visit. Instead of having to go back and get these photos later for the contractor, our process is to take panoramic photos at the beginning of our assessment. We were able to teach her that valuable step.

 

Our mentor advice ranges from the simple and basic (above) to how to approach complex client issues such as if they rent a home or have limited to no funding, as well as how to run your business.

Another mentee contacted us with a one-word email subject line: "Help!" The problem was that she had a client with such a long wish list of things he wanted done, that our mentee did not know how to figure out how much to charge the client for the services he was requesting of her.

 

This can be a delicate balancing act for you as a business owner. As a new business owner, she wanted to maintain a good relationship with her client. Not only did she want to maintain a positive relationship with her client but she shared that he was likely going to be a referral source for her once she completed his project.. She further explained that her client was connected to a specialist doctor in the community who would likely send her additional referrals.

 

As her mentor, we got on the computer right away with her and literally screen-shared what we had done at Thrive for Life with two similar clients that requested items that were above and beyond the original requested needs. We walked her through how to break down each task, calculate the time requirements, and assign a charge to each line item. We also shared with her how much we charged for the work we completed. Her email subject line of "Help!" by the end of our screen share sessions changed to: "Thank you so much this makes sense, I know exactly what to do now!"

 

In addition, we demonstrated for her how to approach these types of clients and she was able to communicate with him about these additional costs. Our mentee was worried that the cost was going to be too high for the client, so we advised her to ask her client to write down a list of everything he wanted, and then we would break that list down into what was medically appropriate and what would simply be "nice to have". That allowed the client to decide what was worth spending the money on, and what he might want to forgo or put off until later.

 

We shared with her to keep in mind that for clients who are particular about what they want and seem to want higher end products and solutions, you can certainly subcontract an interior designer or other necessary subcontractors to complete the work with you to the satisfaction of your client. We discussed how those costs would be included in her estimate to the client.

 

Not only is this approach practicing good communication and good business with the client, it also protects you as a business owner. With a detailed, written-out list, you can be sure you are being compensated fairly from the beginning. You avoid the risk of performing work outside the scope of the project (which you may not be paid for).

Getting advice from a mentor who has been where you are is a huge confidence-builder for you. You get reassurance that yes, you are doing the right thing. You know that if you are unsure about something a client has asked, that you have someone to check in with who can give you the right answer or at least brainstorm with you from a place of knowledge and experience. Mentors are a must.

Someone with more experience in your business has already made many of the mistakes you are about to make. Tapping into our knowledge base can help you avoid similar issues, saving you frustration, time, and money.

As part of our mentor experience, we regularly answer emailed or texted questions from our mentees. We screen share what we have done to show clear examples of what works. We role play conversations with clients to allow you to approach each client with confidence and clarity. We share everything that we know about building a thriving home modifications business from our combined over 40 years of experience.

 

You do not have to reinvent the wheel. Let us help you. We have a proven system that is great for getting your home modifications business started or moving it forward into greater referral sources.

 

Learn more about our Home Mod Mentor Course now.