About a year ago, I decided to begin taking on private clients. I was not naive enough to think I could hand out a few business cards and within weeks be adding people to a waiting list, but I certainly didn’t know it would take as long as it did to build a base. I was officially in business for over a year before I picked up my first client.

Back in April, I got a little piece of advice from my accountant. She told me about a local group of business owners who met weekly to network and support one another. She invited me to attend.

Problem: the meeting is held at lunch time meeting,and my private practice is a side business. I work at the school during the week, AND I’m in a year round school!

Solution: I waited until my (two week) summer break when I could plan my hours.

Report: I have attended two meetings so far and I’ve received 3 referrals from people I’ve met there.

The moral of this story is: GET OUT THERE! Meet people and educate them about what you do, the services you provide and the person you are. Make connections. Oh, and also, listen to your accountant. рџ™‚