Don’t forget to check out this FREE webinar called “Social Anxiety: Breaking It Down to Build Up Social Competencies” on Tuesday, November 19th brought to you by Social Thinking! #Freebie #Webinar #SocialAnxiety

Check out these three ways to use Jenga in Speech Therapy from Speech Therapy Plans. #SLPeeps #SLPLife #Jenga

Have you heard about ASHA’s requirement for CEUs in the area of Ethics? In this blog post from Speech Room News, Jenna Rayburn-Kirk offers options for completing the ethics requirement for FREE or cheap. #SLPeeps #SLPLife #Ethics #ASHA

Check out this FREE Parent/Teacher Conference reminder note with a Spanish translation included from Raising Scholars on Teachers Pay Teachers! #Freebie #ParentTeacherConference

“To be or not to be, that is the question.”  In today’s world, therapists have the option of being their own boss or being an employee of a company. As your own boss you will be responsible for everything to make the company run.  You will make most of the decisions, create your own business processes, and hire your own team to help where needed.  In today’s blog, we break down the steps to starting your own therapy business.

As with any business, there are startup costs including both time and money.  A therapist who wants to start their own business will need to do the following things to get started:

1. First, you will need to name your business.  While this may sound easy, a company’s name is really important to convey what the company encompasses.  I have met many business owners over the years that have changed their company’s name several times, because the name just wasn’t quite right, or the name really didn’t convey the heart of what the company does.    
2. The next step is to set up your business with your state’s government. Each state’s filing fees may differ, but Indiana’s is about $100.    
3. Then you will need to obtain professional liability and some general liability insurance.  These insurance policies range in price based on your experience, what profession you’re in, and what company you get them through.
4. You will also need to obtain an EIN number from the federal government.  This will be your business’s social security number, so to speak.  This is free to obtain and can be done online. 
5. A bank account is needed as well.  You will want to keep your business funds separate from your personal bank account(s). 
6. Finally, you will want to hire a professional accountant to help with all of the finances and taxes for your business.  A good accountant can help prevent you from making some of the most common business mistakes.