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Sunday, June 12, 2011

Care Management & Guardianship Business Seminar

When I started Bridge Builders, Ltd. over eight years ago I had no idea it would turn out to be such an adventure. I started with a business partner and we thought we had the tiger-by-the-tail. We believed everything we were told [actually by others who had no experience in this type of business] that all we had to do was hang out a "shingle" and we would have more business than we knew what to do with. NOT! Did we do any due diligence? No. We were starry-eyed and optimistic. I think that I can comfortably say that we made just about every mistake that could be made when starting and building this type of business. Some "mistakes" weren't really mistakes, we had to try ideas to see if they would work. Some did and some didn't. The partnership didn't last, which was traumatic. With hard work and a lot of determination I turned my business into a well-respected business, not only locally but statewide.
Recently, I was nominated for the Washington State Small Business Person of the Year Award for 2011 and was one of twenty-six finalists. Most of the other businesses were far larger and more established than my tiny business. I feel just a bit smug "rubbing elbows" with these "big leaguers."
I want to share what I've learned with others who want to start or who are struggling with similar Care Management and/or Guardianship businesses. I hope to help others avoid some of the pitfalls that I experienced. The industry of Care Management is really a very new concept and often misunderstood. A guardian is really just a "glorified" care manager as the only difference is that the guardian has decision-making ability [and a lot more paperwork!]. Lately, the media wants to make guardians villians and I'm afraid that care managers might come under fire as well. We all need to have high ethical standards in our business practices and stand up for our industry when it comes under attack by media who are only looking for articles that shock. In order to do this we care managers and guardians need to develop a close network with each other. I literally get calls from all over the country from people who have heard of Bridge Builders, Ltd and want to know if there is something similar where they live. It makes me and my referral look good if I can say "yes" and the care manager or guardian that I refer them to does a great job.
To this end I am sponsoring a seminar about this topic in August 2011. It is open to all who are interested and will provide difficult-to-find forms and "secrets" that the agencies we deal with don't volunteer and examples of how to fill out the forms; where to find the "go-to" people in your area; example business forms and where to find free business forms... and more!
Date: Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Place: Kitsap Conference Center, Bremerton, WA
Time: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Cost: $250.00 (Breakfast and Lunch included)
***Early Bird Special of $225.00 of paid by June 30, 2011***
If you would like a brochure, please email bridgebuilders@olypen.com and put "Business Seminar" in the subject line. You may also call us at (360) 683-8334.
This seminar has been approved for continuing education credits for Certified Professional Guardians in Washington State and I am happy to provide whatever documentation is needed for other professional organizations.