The path to business success in private practice

Over the past two decades, I’ve dedicated myself to helping refractive and cataract surgery entrepreneurs thrive. Throughout this journey, I’ve seen the transformative power of TOTAL commitment.
When an eye surgeon considers going private, they must choose between a full-time private practice and part-time work. I’ve seen it, and so have my clients. The answer is clear: going full-time is better IF you’re optimising for business success.

Why Full-Time Private Practice is the Path to Success

Maximized Focus

Full-time dedication means your practice gets 100% of your attention. This focus drives efficiency, enhances patient care, and streamlines operations. By dedicating yourself entirely to your practice, you can address issues promptly, innovate more effectively, and maintain a high standard of service.

Accelerated Growth

Committing fully to your practice allows for faster decision-making and more rapid implementation of ideas. This agility propels your practice forward, enabling you to swiftly seize opportunities, respond to market changes, and adopt new technologies or techniques.

Increased Availability

Greater availability means accommodating more patients, leading to a broader window of opportunity. This increased patient volume boosts revenue and profits, providing the financial stability to invest in your practice’s growth.

Stronger Patient Relationships

Spending more time with patients fosters stronger relationships, increasing patient satisfaction and increased referrals. Building trust and rapport with patients encourages loyalty and long-term engagement with your practice. Satisfied patients are likelier to recommend your services to others, contributing to your practice’s growth through word-of-mouth marketing.

Professional Mastery

Full-time practitioners gain extensive experience in crucial areas, allowing them to stay at the forefront of medical advancements and business skills.

I understand that transitioning from part-time to full-time can be daunting. However, the financial and professional rewards are significant.

Of course, the risks are also higher. And I know one of the reasons doctors became doctors is to avoid risk. Let’s face it: You’ll always be in demand.

If you’re on the fence, consider this: what could you achieve if your private practice had all of you, not just a part?

For those looking to have a big impact in their field AND on their finances, it’s time to dive in. Running a business is not a hobby. It takes massive effort, sacrifice, and time to create something extraordinary. And that’s why most successful business owners are unbalanced. It’s a feature, not a bug.

Wrapping Up

Some of you won’t like this, but it doesn’t make it less accurate. If you’re not optimising for business success, this advice may not be relevant. And don’t confuse it with money-grubbing. Most surgeons I know don’t do this for money. Money is a by-product of the business person they’re becoming along the journey.

Two more things: This choice is both seasonal and reversible. There will be seasons where you might hate your life, but it’ll pass, and you’ll end up more free than most. And, if you choose to dive in fully, you may fail, but you won’t die. You can always return to your old life, now a little wiser.

The best way to address any nagging questions about practice growth, marketing, or patient volume is to book a free 15-minute compatibility call. This will provide options and give you a clear idea of what’s possible for your practice.

NOTE: The best way to answer that nagging question about practice growth or marketing or patient volume in the back of your mind is to book a free 15-minute compatibility call. Get some options and go away with a clear idea of what’s possible.

About the author

Rod Solar
Founder & Scalable Business Advisor / fCMO

Rod Solar is a co-founder of LiveseySolar and a Scalable Business Advisor for its customers. Rod mentors and coaches eye surgery business CEOs/Founders and their leadership teams to triple their sales, double their profit, and achieve their “ideal exit”.

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What our clients say…

“In a matter of weeks, we already saw results with LiveseySolar. Far before we were even finished with our project.”

Erik Chotiner, MD, FACS, Ophthalmologist

“The whole group has been very, very professional. We’re quite early in the stages, but we can see the benefits.”

Dr Nick Mantell , MBChB FRANZCO

“They’re very professional. They know what they’re doing, but they also put us at ease. This helped us to cut through what’s needed to get what we want.”

Mr Praveen Patel, MA (Cantab), MB BChir (Cantab), FRCOphth, MD (Res)

“It’s wonderful to work with an agency that engages on our level and understands our market.”

Dr Anton Van Heerden, MBChB; FRANZCO, Ophthalmologist

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Meet our Co-Founders

We’re passionate about helping leaders of high-quality, growth-minded practice owners double their practice revenue

Rod Solar

Founder & Scalable Business Advisor

For over 20 years, I’ve helped ophthalmology entrepreneurs scale their private practices. I specialise in doubling revenue within three years by offering a proven framework, hands-on experience, and a team of experts who implement what works. We take the guesswork out of growth and scale, so you can focus on delivering exceptional patient care while maximising the value of your business.

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LiveseySolar completely transformed the way we were approaching this… We’ve gone from having just the dream of having a practice to having a practice up and running with people making inquiries and booking for procedures… It’s extremely pleasing. We feel lucky we connected with LiveseySolar.

— Dr Matthew Russell, MBChB, FRANZCO, specialist ophthalmic surgeon and founder of VSON and OKKO

Laura Livesey

Founder & CEO

I’m the co-founder & CEO of LiveseySolar. I’ve developed powerful eye surgery marketing systems that increase patient volumes and profits for doctors, clinics, and hospitals, since 1997.

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Rod and Laura know as much about marketing surgery to patients as I know about performing it. They are an expert in the field of laser eye surgery marketing. They know this industry inside out. I believe that they could help many companies in a variety of areas including marketing materials, sales training and marketing support for doctors.

— Prof. Dan Reinstein, MD MA FRSC DABO, founder of the London Vision Clinic, UK