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Per-unit pricing for neuromodulators feels logical because that's how you buy the product. But it can create billing anxiety, invite negotiation, and keep patients focused on units instead of results. In this solo episode, I break down how per-area pricing can improve the patient experience and make revenue more predictable. We'll look at margins, EMR data, and how to price around outcomes without guessing. Patients Shouldn't Be Doing Math in the Chair When patients have to calculate units during a consultation, price becomes part of the treatment decision. They may ask for fewer units to stay on budget, which can compromise the result. Flat upper face, lower face, or full face pricing shifts the conversation back to the outcome and lets the injector recommend what's appropriate. Build Flat Pricing From Your Own Data Don't pick a flat rate because it sounds cleaner. Start with your numbers: Pull average usage by treatment area from your EMR Include product, labor, injector commission, and membership discounts Calculate loaded cost and target gross margin Keep per-unit pricing where precision treatments need it Some appointments will run higher and some lower. What matters is that the averages come from real usage and the margin holds. (00:04:35) Pricing concerns in cosmetic procedures (00:07:36) Managing patient expectations and value (00:13:22) Benefits of flat pricing (00:16:06) Shifting toward outcome-based pricing Take Negotiation Out of the Treatment Room Patients should be deciding whether the treatment plan fits their goals and budget—not negotiating units with the injector. Clear pricing gives your team more room to educate and recommend the right treatment. Predictable Pricing Makes Growth Easier Price from actual usage and your full cost structure, and you'll get cleaner margins, more predictable revenue, and fewer cash flow surprises. As you scale, a repeatable pricing model is also easier to train and use across providers. Follow Shannon & Keep What You Earn: Shannon Weinstein is the founder of a fractional CFO firm specializing in helping 7-figure aesthetics and wellness practices scale with clarity, cash flow, and confidence. She is committed to helping med spa owners understand, fix, and maximize their business's enterprise value, offering actionable advice and resources, including a popular free video series specifically for aesthetics practice owners. Fractional CFO Services and Executive Financial Review: https://www.keepwhatyouearn.com/ Connect with Shannon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannonweinstein Watch full episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@KeepWhatYouEarn Listen on your favorite podcast app: https://pod.link/1580071347 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shannonkweinstein/ The information shared is for educational purposes only and is not individualized financial advice. Aesthetics practice owners should consult a qualified professional before implementing financial strategies discussed here.
What happens when a law firm owner realizes growth requires more than just continuing to work harder? In this episode, Melissa sits down with Velocity Work client Shavon Smith, a business attorney who serves entrepreneurs and growing companies as a fractional general counsel, to talk about the shifts that helped her move beyond a growth ceiling and run her firm more intentionally. Shavon shares what changed when she started looking more closely at the numbers, setting clearer standards, and making decisions based on data instead of instinct. She discusses raising her rates, valuing her experience, delegating more effectively, creating better expectations for her team, and becoming more selective about the clients and work she takes on. This episode will help you think differently about what it takes to grow a law firm without simply adding more hours. You'll learn why visibility into your numbers changes the decisions you make, how valuing your expertise affects profitability, and why intentional changes in how you lead can create more capacity and alignment in your firm. Let's talk! If you are a law firm owner looking to talk with us about partnering on your personal and professional growth, book a short, free, no-pressure call with Melissa here: https://velocitywork.com/calendar Check out Ben Gideon and Jeff Wright's podcast Elawvate: Build and Grow Your Law Firm on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts: https://vwrk.cc/gideonasen Calculate your producer multiple with our free Producer Calculator here: https://vwrk.cc/pm Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.velocitywork.com/377 Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@velocitywork
This episode is sponsored by NURP NURP helps busy physicians grow their wealth through AI-powered algorithmic trading designed for demanding careers. No day trading, no guesswork, and no constant market watching required. Ready to put your money to work? Visit start.nurp.com/doctors to learn more. Trading involves risk, and results may vary. This is not financial advice. __________________________________ Most physicians building a side business fall into one of two traps with "the number." 1: Trying to fully replace clinical income right out of the gate. Anything short of that full salary feels like failure, so healthy early-stage progress gets misread as "this isn't working." 2: Never setting a number at all. You're busy with webinars, LinkedIn posts, and calls, but you can't tell whether the business is working because you never defined what "working" means. Dr. Mike Woo-Ming reframes the goal: your real number isn't your income. It's your freedom number; the smallest monthly amount of outside income that lets you drop a call shift, cut a clinic day, or reclaim a Sunday. That number is almost always a fraction of your salary, and that's the point. Financial freedom isn't matching your W-2; it's buying back your time dollar by dollar. He shares his own story of setting an ambitious $10,000 per month target early on, watching the gap feel like failure every month, and only turning the corner when he lowered the bar to what would actually change his life (starting with covering a car payment). Two physician case studies drive the point home: one who set a realistic freedom number and kept going, and one who quit a promising venture because it failed to hit an unrealistic sprint-style target in the first few months. The episode ends with a practical three-step exercise you can finish in 5–10 minutes tonight: Freedom number: Smallest monthly amount that changes one specific thing about your week. Proof number: First repeatable revenue that proves the concept works (often far smaller). Time check: Divide by the hours you're realistically willing to give; adjust if it becomes another full-time grind. Once you have the right number, the same business often stops feeling behind and starts feeling ahead. Three Actionable Takeaways: Your freedom number is not your salary: Calculate the smallest monthly outside income that lets you change one concrete thing (drop a call, cut a clinic day, reclaim a weekend). For most physicians this is a few thousand dollars a month, not a few hundred thousand a year. Separate proof from freedom: Early on, track a much smaller "proof number" (first repeatable paying customers or first $500–$1,000 per month recurring). It answers "Does this concept work?" long before the freedom number arrives. Run the time check: If reaching your freedom number requires another 30–60 hour week on top of clinical work, the math isn't freedom, it's a second job. Adjust offer, price, or timeline until the hours fit the life you actually have. About the Show: Bootstrap MD is the ultimate podcast for physician entrepreneurs looking to escape traditional healthcare and control their financial futures. Hosted by Dr. Mike Woo-Ming, a successful physician, entrepreneur, and investor, the show delivers actionable insights on starting businesses, creating passive income, and navigating healthcare entrepreneurship. Featuring interviews with industry leaders, physicians, and experts in telemedicine and digital health, it's your guide to building a profitable, fulfilling career. Tune in weekly at http://bootstrapmd.com About the Host: Dr. Mike Woo-Ming has over 20 years of experience as a physician entrepreneur. He's built and sold multiple seven-figure companies and now leads Executive Medical, a group of clinics specializing in age management and aesthetics. Through BootstrapMD, he mentors physicians in business, content creation, and autonomy. Let's Connect: www.https://www.bootstrapmd.com Want to start a podcast? Check out the Doctor Podcast Network! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
For decades, the standard HR playbook has been attract, retain, develop. Jason Desentz thinks the order is wrong.As Chief Human Resources Officer of Toshiba America, Desentz starts with the people already inside the business. In technical fields where experienced employees can take a year or more to train, retention is not simply an HR metric. It affects how quickly a company can grow, respond to new demand and capitalize on emerging markets. That equation is becoming even more important as AI infrastructure drives investment in energy and advanced technology while manufacturers compete for a limited pool of skilled technical talent. Desentz brings an unusually business-first perspective to HR. He evaluates people decisions against ROI, challenges his team to experiment with AI, and argues that HR leaders need to understand the technology, operations and economics of the companies they serve. At the same time, his approach is deeply human: listen to employees, get creative about the employee experience, invest in development and give people opportunities to try something new. From rebuilding pathways into manufacturing to preparing 6,000 Toshiba employees across the Americas for AI, this conversation explores what changes when people strategy becomes business strategy. In this episode:Why the return of U.S. manufacturing is colliding with a technical talent pipeline weakened by decades of offshoringHow AI-driven data centers are creating new workforce demand across energy, infrastructure and field serviceWhy Desentz puts retention before attraction when thinking about talent strategyHow Toshiba evaluates the ROI of retaining highly specialized employees who can take more than a year to trainWhy CHROs need to understand the CEO, operations, technology and business economics, not just HRHow high-school co-ops, technical education and experiential learning can rebuild pathways into manufacturing careers3 Big Takeaways1. Your workforce strategy is part of your growth strategy. Toshiba sees significant opportunity as AI and data-center investment drives demand for energy generation, storage and infrastructure. But capturing that opportunity requires having specialized technical talent available when demand arrives. For a CHRO, workforce capacity becomes a strategic constraint that has to be planned alongside growth.2. Calculate the business value of retaining technical expertise. Some Toshiba field-service employees require more than a year of training to service complex equipment. Desentz estimates losing one could cost roughly $100,000, before accounting for the time required to rebuild that expertise. That changes the economics of retention: spending creatively to improve an employee's experience can be far less expensive than replacing specialized capability.3. Build AI capability by giving employees real problems to solve. Toshiba launched a six-course AI-readiness curriculum through Toshiba University, but Desentz didn't stop at instruction. His HR organization formed teams to build AI agents around actual business needs, including payroll, attendance and recruiting. Employees learned the technology by applying it, while Toshiba surfaced tools it could potentially deploy in the business.We want to hear from you! Send us a text.Instagram - Facebook - YouTube - TikTok - Twitter - LinkedIn
What happens when your law firm grows faster than your capacity to keep doing everything the way you always have? Jenni Evans, the operational backbone at Evans Family Law and Velocity Work client, joins Melissa to share her perspective on the firm's evolution and 48% growth over the past year. As the firm has grown, so have the demands on Jenni's role, making it clear where the business and its people need more support. In this episode, Melissa and Jenni discuss the work happening behind the scenes at Evans Family Law. Jenni shares how they have invested in their people, built a strong culture of accountability and support, and learned to surround themselves with partners who bring expertise to the business. She also shares what she is learning about letting go of lower value work so she can focus on where she contributes most. Let's talk! If you are a law firm owner looking to talk with us about partnering on your personal and professional growth, book a short, free, no-pressure call with Melissa here: https://velocitywork.com/calendar Check out Ben Gideon and Jeff Wright's podcast Elawvate: Build and Grow Your Law Firm on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts: https://vwrk.cc/gideonasen Calculate your producer multiple with our free Producer Calculator here: https://vwrk.cc/pm Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.velocitywork.com/376 Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@velocitywork
Most Americans never truly disconnect from work—even on vacation. After decades of tying your identity, daily rhythm, and sense of worth to a paycheck, stepping away feels less like freedom and more like freefall. Oz Chen spent years financially independent before he could accept it, wrestling with the psychological gap between having enough money and being okay with not working. Key Topics Discussed Oz's Background and FI Journey (00:02:30) Oz shares his introduction to financial independence through Tim Ferriss's Four Hour Workweek, his career as a UX designer, and the moment he officially accepted being financially independent at 37—years after crossing the actual threshold. The Job That Changed Everything (00:08:15) After seven comfortable years at one tech company, management changes, an acquisition, and mounting burnout made Oz's dream job unsustainable. He reveals the "work policy statement" he'd written that predicted exactly when he'd need to leave. Taking FMLA Leave as an Experiment (00:15:40) Rather than quitting outright, Oz used 12 weeks of FMLA medical leave to test what not working would feel like. He set a deliberately low bar for success—sleep and play pickleball—instead of maintaining his productivity mindset. The Unexpected Layoff (00:22:30) During the final week of his sabbatical, Oz received a layoff notice with severance and garden leave. What could have felt devastating instead felt like "divine timing," perfectly aligning with his planned departure. Wrestling with Fear and Acceptance (00:28:00) Oz shares his practice of writing acceptance statements for every fear—from scarcity feelings to relationship changes. By acknowledging fears without resisting them, he reduced the suffering that comes from fighting his own emotions. Practical Strategies for Decumulation (00:35:45) Breaking down the scary process of drawing down investments: think month-by-month rather than annual withdrawals, and sell "junk" investments (random stocks, crypto) first before touching beloved index funds. Life After Work and Future Plans (00:42:20) Oz describes his current life taking community college music classes, learning trades, and planning for the next 2-3 years before potentially having children. He emphasizes honoring different life seasons and remaining flexible about future work. Notable Quotes Ginger: "Pain plus resistance equals suffering. The pain is part of the human experience, but the resistance is the thing that you can control." Oz Chen: "I accept that not having a paycheck coming in will feel weird and scary. I can have the feeling and it doesn't have to change what I'm doing." Oz Chen: "Clarity through action versus expecting clarity before action. Breaking things down into smaller components generates clarity." Oz Chen: "The productivity engine is something that often buzzes in the background for optimizers. There's always something to work on, always something to optimize." Oz Chen: "I realized my fear was a very generalized fear. Writing down that fear and asking, is that true? helped me see it's potentially a reversible decision." Key Takeaways Write a work policy statement listing specific conditions under which you'd leave your job, similar to an investor policy statement for market downturns Break down your fears by writing them out specifically, then question their validity and put dollar amounts to worst-case scenarios Create acceptance statements for your financial fears to reduce internal resistance rather than trying to eliminate fears entirely Calculate your first 3-6 months of expenses in retirement month-by-month rather than thinking about annual withdrawals to make decumulation less daunting Consider using all available time-off options (PTO, unpaid leave, FMLA if eligible) to experiment with extended breaks before making permanent career changes Identify "junk" investments in your portfolio that you'd be happy to sell first before touching core index fund holdings Set a low bar for success duri…
In this episode of the Grad School Femtoring Podcast, I explain how to calculate the return on investment, or ROI, of graduate school. As admissions season begins, many prospective students are asking whether an advanced degree makes financial sense. I walk you through the data you can use to make a more informed decision, including expected salaries, the full cost of attendance, lost wages, completion rates, and time to degree. I also invite you to consider the personal, professional, and community returns that may matter alongside salary. Through a simplified break-even calculation and a set of values-based questions, you can evaluate whether a particular program will bring you closer to the work, impact, autonomy, and long-term well-being you want. In this episode, you will learn: How to compare your earning potential with a bachelor's degree and an advanced degree Which expenses to include when calculating the full cost of graduate school Why lost wages, retirement contributions, and time away from the workforce matter when calculating the ROI of grad school How completion rates, attrition, and time to degree affect a program's potential return How to estimate the number of years it may take to recover your graduate school investment How to weigh financial outcomes alongside intellectual fulfillment, professional autonomy, community impact, and personal values Work with me Explore grad admissions consulting support as you clarify your goals and decide whether grad school aligns with the future you want: https://gradschoolfemtoring.com/consulting Free resource Download your Grad School Femtoring Resource Kit: https://gradschoolfemtoring.com/kit/ Explore more Read the full blog post on "How to Calculate the ROI of Grad School": https://gradschoolfemtoring.com/how-to-calculate-the-roi-of-graduate-school/ Listen to more episodes on Financial Literacy and Grad Funding: https://gradschoolfemtoring.com/podcast_catergory/financial-literacy-and-grad-funding/ Support the podcast with a one-time or monthly donation: https://donate.stripe.com/bJedR8dGRcs6ewGdwq38401 Access transcripts and additional resources: https://gradschoolfemtoring.com/podcast/ Audio and transcript edited by Yessi Sanchez: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yessisanchez/ This podcast is a proud member of the Genuina Media network. The Grad School Femtoring Podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for therapy or other professional services. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Is going independent actually more profitable than working on commission? In this episode, Ambrosia Carey breaks down the real numbers behind commission, booth rental, and independent hairstyling...including expenses, taxes, break-even points, unpaid time, and what stylists actually keep. You'll also learn why the best business model isn't the one that looks most successful online, it's the one that supports your income, workload, and life. Take 50% off GlossGenius premium plan for 2 months with code SUCCESSFUL Join our next 5% Journal Newsletter HERE Start our free 10-day business challenge Key Take-aways: 1. Revenue is not income. The amount your business produces is different from what the business keeps, and different again from what ultimately becomes your personal income. 2. Going independent does not mean keeping 100%. Independence gives you control over where the money goes, but you also become responsible for rent, product, software, processing fees, supplies, marketing, taxes, benefits, savings, and other operating costs. 3. Commission versus booth rental isn't a simple percentage comparison. A stylist producing $12,000 in a 50% commission model may look at the other $6,000 and assume independence automatically puts that money in their pocket. The real comparison has to include the expenses required to produce that same $12,000 independently. 4. Higher-producing stylists may see a larger financial advantage from independence. As service revenue increases, fixed expenses can represent a smaller percentage of total revenue, but the independent stylist also assumes the full financial risk when revenue falls. 5. Your break-even point should include your life, not only your booth rent. Ask what the business reliably needs to produce to cover business overhead, personal expenses, taxes, savings, retirement, vacation, and future growth. 6. A full schedule doesn't automatically mean a profitable business. Pricing, service mix, product cost, unpaid time, overhead, and appointment efficiency can all influence what you actually keep. 7. Calculate your real hourly earnings. Include the hours behind the chair plus the time spent marketing, ordering inventory, communicating with clients, bookkeeping, scheduling, and managing the business. 8. Audit the business model before blaming yourself. "I need more clients," "I need to post more," or "I need to raise my prices" may not actually be the answer. The real opportunity could be overhead, service profitability, scheduling, pricing, or another structural issue. 9. There is no universally superior salon business model. Commission, booth rental, salon suites, and independent ownership can all work. The better question is whether the model supports your financial goals, desired workload, and the season of life you're currently in. Take 15% off our favorite skincare line, Pharmagel with code SSA15 If you prefer video, find us on YouTube Find us on Instagram & TikTok
Every expert sounds convincing until you realize you've collected ten different "right" answers to the same retirement question. Brad Barrett recently found himself overwhelmed by competing FI strategies—from Cody Garrett's bond ladders to Aubrey Williams' risk-based guardrails—and came to a liberating conclusion: sometimes you just need to pick one and move on. Key Topics Discussed Navigating Conflicting Expert Advice (00:02:15) Ginger and Brad discuss the challenge of choosing between different expert strategies for bonds and withdrawal rates, including bond ladder approaches versus risk-based guardrails. Making Financial Decisions Without Certainty (00:10:30) Brad explores the psychology of decision-making in FI, discussing the 'sleep well at night' test and how to evaluate competing strategies when none are clearly wrong. Brad's Japan Trip: Spontaneity Over Optimization (00:22:45) Brad shares his spontaneous three-week Japan trip, including last-minute concert tickets, the cultural observations that impressed him, and learning to prioritize experience over perfect planning. The Kumano Kodo Trail Experience (00:35:20) Detailed discussion of hiking the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage trail, including logistics, luggage forwarding, trail conditions, and the decision to prioritize wellbeing over completion. Travel Rewards Strategy and Hotel Points (00:48:00) Ginger and Brad tackle practical travel rewards questions about card cancellation, point expiration, and strategies for using co-branded versus transferable points effectively. Notable Quotes Brad Barrett on expert advice overload: "I suspect if we had ten different experts in with ten different vehement opinions, I think you and I could be convinced on any of them which might suggest that I think you just pick one." Brad Barrett on simple withdrawal strategies: "It's very reasonable to just log in every month and say, hey, I need three thousand dollars this month, and you go and sell three thousand dollars worth of funds. There's nothing wrong with that." Ginger on decision paralysis: "How do we ultimately make these decisions? There comes a point when it's like, these all sound great, but I have to choose one." Brad Barrett on travel philosophy: "For me, travel is whatever I want to learn about myself, what I want to learn about what I want my life to look like in the future. And those little micro lessons are pretty useful." Brad Barrett on optimization: "I don't think life is necessarily about optimizing all the time. So I think that led to a much better trip." Key Takeaways Use Notebook LM to compare different expert strategies by inputting source documents from various FI experts you trust and having an AI-assisted conversation to clarify differences Consider consulting a fee-only CFP through services like Hello Nectarine ($175-400/hour) when you're within 1-2 years of retirement for specific guidance on withdrawal strategies Read 'Tax Planning To and Through Early Retirement' by Sean and Cody to better understand tax optimization strategies for early retirement Before canceling a co-branded credit card, verify points have transferred to the loyalty program and check the expiration policy for any free night certificates Calculate your potential tax liability in early retirement using the standard deduction and 0% long-term capital gains bracket to understand how much you can withdraw tax-free Research versatile travel clothing (Merino wool shirts, multi-purpose shorts) that work for both hiking and casual dining to simplify packing Explore Agoda for hotel booking in Asia and compare rates with standard travel rewards redemptions Resources and Links ChooseFI Episode 566 - Risk-Based Guardrails for Drawdown with Aubrey Williams ChooseFI Episode 606 - Target Date Funds with Cody Garrett ChooseFI Episode 594 - Travel Rewards Deep Dive with Noah ChooseFI Episode 601 - Travel Rewards Refresher for 2026 with Devin Gimbel ChooseFI Travel Resources Agoda - Hotel Booking Platform Noteb…