Step 4: Designing Your Business Model
Start With Your Why
Define your core purpose. Is it community impact, clinical specialization, or financial freedom? Your 'Why' dictates your 'How'.
Scope of Services
- Initial Consultations (90 min)
- Follow-up Visits (45-60 min)
- Prenatal Classes & Workshops
- Specialized Oral Habilitation Work
Practice Setting & Models
Home-Visit Focused: Primary delivery via travel; minimal office rent, high travel costs.
Office-Based: Families come to you; high overhead, but batch visits efficiently.
Hybrid/Telehealth: Combine in-person with virtual follow-ups for maximum flexibility.
Design Your Ideal Week
Sample Week:
Mon/Fri: Admin, billing, & prenatal workshops.
Tue/Wed/Thu: 3 Home Visits max per day.
Daily: Hard stop at 4 PM for family/personal recharge.
Planning for Growth
Decide early: Solopreneur for life, or building a group? This affects your systems, EHR choice, and legal structure from day one.
Business Model Checklist
- Defined ideal client avatar
- Set 3 core clinical services
- Locked in travel radius & travel fees
- Calculated COBO vs target profit
- Drafted weekly template
Your business model is the logic of how you deliver value, sustain your practice, and create the life you want. For IBCLCs, this means balancing clinical excellence with financial viability.
Who You Serve
Identify your ideal client. Are you serving local families, specific medical niches, or virtual global patients? Narrowing focus increases expertise.
Service Area
Define your travel radius strictly. Use zip codes to limit travel time and protect your profitable clinical hours.
Practice Hours
Establish batching. Tuesday/Thursday for visits, Monday/Friday for admin. Protect your ideal week from the start.
Strengths & Differentiation
What makes you 'sticky'? Is it your unique background, your tech integrations, or your specific clinical outcomes? Lean into it.
Common Mistakes
Avoid 'scope creep' where you undercharge for extra time. Don't neglect admin hours—unbilled visits are lost revenue.
Action Items
- Block 2 hours for 'Model Audit'
- Run COBO calculation using local tax rates
- Announce current service area zip codes
- Update EHR with new service types
SunShyn Tip
Your business model isn't static. Review it quarterly. If you're consistently booked out but burnt out, it's time to adjust your travel radius, your rates, or your ideal week structure.