Crest of the Wave

I'm experimenting with different looks for the site. Hopefully nothing looks too weird but things will keep changing.

I and my family met with the landlord 3 days ago and walked through the office space again. As I remembered, it was small and cozy. And the smell! That's because there is currently an acupuncturist there who has jars and jars of various pungent herbs and whatnot sitting on the wall. One of my daughters has asthma, and she could only last 15 minutes before she began getting symptoms and we had to get out of there.

That is one of the reasons why the landlord wants to get another tenant in there. He said he has lost some patients (he is a clinical psychologist) due to the smell. He has a small office that is part of the same suite, so in essence we would be sharing the suite.

In addition, because I am trying to keep my initial costs low, I will be renting out 2 of the 3 offices, and sharing the space with a chiropractor. The landlord tells me that the chiropractor is 65 years old and ready to retire at any time. Since he is on a month to month rental, I can essentially take over the 3rd office any time I want. And to be sure, I will make sure it is written into the contract.

So, we basically agreed in principle that I will rent out this space. The landlord says he prefers a minimum 2 year lease (naturally), but my wife is still a little nervous about the whole venture and would prefer a 1 year lease. Even though we both feel that the practice will be a success, and everyone whom we've talked to in the local community also has told us it will be a success, we both still feel nervous since it is our first self-employed business venture ever. What if nobody comes? What if there is suddenly a huge recession/depression? What if I get disabled? What if I can't stand the hassles of coding and billing and all the other administrative headaches?

I am very reassured by Gordon Moore's recent email message after his visit to the National American Academy of Family Physician's convention, where he said there were many doctors who have made the leap to solo practice, or are planning to do so. He calls it "the crest of the wave". It's kind of exciting to think I might be part of that wave.

Something clearly needs to be done to fix healthcare in America. Perhaps it is us doctors who can right things back again. One little wave at a time.

Countdown: 90 days until target start date