It seems like it’s that time of year when aspiring myofunctional therapists start dreaming about starting their own myofunctional therapy business.  Perhaps it is the realization that summer is coming and you’d like to have a bit more flexibility in your workweek, or maybe it is because you can’t unsee all of the orofacial myofunctional dysfunction out there and your boss has zero interest in addressing the pink elephant in the room. Regardless of what the reason is, you’re in the right place because you’re reading this article. 😉

And I’ve got you.  I’m a “dream weaver” if you will because I help registered dental hygienists, speech-language pathologists, and dentists realize their dream of starting a myofunctional therapy business or at the very least adding it to the currently offered menu. 

More importantly, in addition to teaching my signature Myo Mastery Program, I personally mentor my students to help them learn how to avoid the pitfalls and problems of new myofunctional therapists. 

In this article, I’m going to share with you 6 steps that will help you get the myofunctional therapy business ball rolling!

Step #1: Get Your Myofunctional Therapy Foundation

This will be where you start.  There are lots of programs out there.  You just have to decide how you learn best and who you’d like to learn from.  Who has what you desire?  I don’t mean material possessions, I mean who has what it is that you’re after.  Who are you looking up to?  Who do you think has the secret sauce?  The great Tony Robbins has said that you should figure out what it is that you want and find someone who has done that or has that.  And then learn from him or her.

For example, When it comes to starting a myofunctional therapy business, do you truly want to build a business, or do you really just want to “dabble” with a side hustle?  The answer to these very different questions could yield you a very different answer.  Also, it is important to consider whether the person has done what you think they’ve done.

Let me give you an example from my own myofunctional therapy business experience.  I have had several students and many more private coaching clients who’ve taken courses on starting a myofunctional therapy business from people to offer a “training program”.  However, the person offering the program hasn’t exactly had outstanding success as a therapist or as a business CEO.  But it truly depends on what YOU value.  Do you want to learn from someone who “has a business” (more like a mediocre side-hustle) or do you want to actually learn from someone who has the numbers behind the success?  Numbers such as:

In the last year, my company has experienced a 35% increase in client exams and enjoyed a 59% conversion rate to a paying customer.  Comparatively, in the last year, my company earned $2000 fewer dollars for 25 days less work?  (I’ll take that all day every day!)  And what about this figure…last year my company came in $20,636.63 OVER goal. 

I’m getting off track here, but the point is… YOU get to decide who you learn from!  Make it count!  Find the right person and get your myofunctional therapy foundation.  I like to call these your “sea legs”.  Learn the fundamentals.  Learn the vernacular. Grasp the concepts.

Step #2: Launch Your Myofunctional Therapy Business M.V.P.

I call this your minimum viable program.  When you’re launching your own MVP you will be getting all the basics in line and then starting…before you’re ready!  

Yes, it’ll be scary!  Yes, it’ll make your pits sweaty.  Yes, it’ll be the bravest thing you’ve done!  Why?  Because those who successfully implement what they’ve learned, succeed.  I teach the MVP process inside the Ignition Implementation Lab for a reason.  Because you’ve got to implement to ignite!! 🚀  You can’t hide behind beautifully designed business cards or creating the perfect website.  You’ve got to get the minimum stuff done to get started, and then you continue growing, learning, and perfecting.

There are 3 things that I want my students to get done to launch their MVP and then (and only then) they can work on the other details.  You should consider this also.  I know it sounds counterintuitive but you can trust me on this one…start before you’re ready and be prepared to launch with a minimum framework!

(Now, just because I know you’re totally freaking out on me here…I’m not meaning to just throw caution to the wind and go willy nilly into working with your first client.  That’s not what I’m talking about.  You already have your myofunctional therapy foundation remember?  You’re not just diving in without having an idea where you’re going!)

Step #3: Build a Network For Your Myofunctional Therapy Business

You will be helping your clients build their comprehensive health team, so it is important for you to be a source of support during this time.  Whether you’re building a brick-and-mortar business or doing an online startup, you will have to have conversations with people of all backgrounds to see if they are right for your clients.  You will need allergists, otolaryngologists, sleep doctors, dentists, chiropractors, osteopaths, speech therapists, oral surgeons, orthodontists, and more in your network.

In addition to building a network to help your clients, building a network will also help you build your myofunctional therapy business.  If you do a bang-up job with a tough client, you’re going to catch the eyes of your providers.  It becomes a symbiotic relationship.  When someone presents in his or her office and has needs that you can help with, a referral will be coming your way!  This is the power of building a strong, professional network.  I would have to say that 80% of my business comes from 20% of my excellent referral sources.  They keep me busy and keep the lights on.  

The same will go for you.  You need a handful of solid referral sources that refer to you and you should have a solid foundation for your business.  If you’re building your myofunctional therapy business right now, you should already be working like crazy on building a solid network.

Step #4: Understand Your ICA (Ideal Customer Avatar)

I’ve written many articles about ideal customers and I seem to talk about it ad nauseam but it has been the hardest lesson for me to learn.  When you understand who your ideal customer is, you can get out of the shark-infested waters of the red ocean. (Read: Blue Ocean Strategy: Are You Swimming In the Blue Ocean?)  Stop worrying about your competition or the frenzy of fighting for clients.  

I don’t want all of the people who have orofacial myofunctional disorders.  I don’t want all of the mouth breathers, tongue thrusters, or tongue-tied folks.  I only want to work with my ideal customer.  The rest are up for grabs. 

Who is an ideal customer for you?  

This is a great question and there isn’t a simple answer for everyone.  When considering who your ideal customer is, you need to understand that an ideal customer is:

• Someone who wants your product or service
• Someone who has the ability to pay for your product or service
• Someone who has the authority to purchase your product or service

Your ICA wants YOUR product or service (not mine, not Susie Q, not the desperate loud mouth on Facebook), has the money to pay and has the authority to make the decision to purchase.

Learning about my ideal customer avatar has truly been transformational for my myofunctional therapy business.  I don’t concern myself with anyone out there who isn’t ideal for me, my business, or the moral compass of my brand.  The beautiful thing is that once you learn the lesson and embrace the concept that “everyone is not your customer” you will be a step ahead of the game, and save yourself a whole bunch of sleepless nights!

Step #5: Define Your Unique Myofunctional Experience (UME)

How are you going to specialize and be different?  How will you stand out in a noisy crowd?  

Can I give you a huge secret?  It shouldn’t be money.  

Your UME should have nothing to do with your prices and everything to do with what a person can expect when working with YOU.

When someone emails me and wants to know one thing…price…I know they will not be my ICA.  My ideal customer wants a truly unique, transformational experience that can only come from working with me.  My ideal customer doesn’t worry about insurance, bargains, coupons, or anything except whether I have a spot open to work with them.

Let me say that again for the kids in the back….

My ideal customer doesn’t worry about insurance, bargains, coupons or anything except whether I am willing to work with them.   Yes!  You heard that right.  I am interviewing them as much as they are interviewing me.  My friend, my zone of genius has been dialing in my UME so much that clients are clamoring to work with me.  They don’t ask how much.  They don’t ask for a discount. They just want to work with me.

Step #6: Perfect & Practice “Your” Craft

This is probably the hardest step and the one that causes my students the most heartburn.  People think that confidence is a trait you’re born with, but it truly isn’t! Confidence is a skill set that you must master.  If you are starting your myofunctional therapy business or you want to someday, you’re going to have to practice and perfect your craft.  I say “your” because you are unique and have a unique twist for your ideal customer.  I spend a lot of time teaching how to have conversations with confidence to my students.  Speaking intelligently about your specialty and services will draw people to you.  If you cannot explain what you do, why it’s important, and who it can benefit without stumbling over your words, I encourage you to spend more time practicing.  

In my experience, nothing creates distrust faster than someone who can’t adequately and professionally articulate their craft.  It takes time to sound polished with your answers and schticks so give yourself some grace and lots of calendar space! 

(You can also download my free guide, Conversations That Convert, to help you!)

What I’ve learned about building a powerhouse myofunctional therapy business…

✨ Your myofunctional therapy business will only be as good as your foundation and implementation.  You’ve got to learn in a manner that makes sense to you.  If you’ve taken a course and it didn’t deliver, take another one.  No excuses.  You are worth the investment.  Remember that the cost is often just peanuts when you compare the long-term return on your investment. 

✨ Starting before you are ready is paramount.  I started my business pretty quickly but I still wasted considerable time spinning my wheels.  I wasn’t sure what to do first, so it was like I was rowing a boat with one ore.  Once I got focused on building an MVP it was literally weeks before I had raised my intro prices to full pay because of the demand.

✨ Make competition irrelevant.

✨Learn from someone who is a step (or ten) ahead of you.  I had to figure out a lot of things for myself, which were both good and bad.  It was good because it made me a better teacher.  It was bad because I wasted a lot of time.  (Which is why I’ve been so over-the-top passionate about delivering all. the. things. to my students!)

In a nutshell, if you are considering launching a myofunctional therapy business I’ve given you an easy to implement 6 step roadmap!  You can do this! We need you in the field!  There is so much myofunctional impairment out there, and so few excellent myofunctional therapists.  

xo, 😘

About the Author, Carmen M. Woodland

Carmen is a powerhouse myofunctional educator, whose “secret sauce” is teaching women how to build their own, incredibly satisfying career in myofunctional therapy.  She is obsessed with all things myo, myofunctional therapy business, marketing, social media, content, data, revenue, goals, and helping you navigate the messy and magical journey to becoming an authority in the myofunctional therapy niche.

She teaches you the tried and true secrets to building a career you’re in charge of, and one that’s life-changing for both you and your clients.

Shy away from the hard stuff?  No way, Carmen gets down in the trenches with you, just like your favorite gal-pal there to cheer you on.  Her no-nonsense-tough-love-common-sense-solutions-oriented approach is the real reason that she gives you the kick in the pants you need.  Carmen is your one-stop shop to learn everything you need to know about delivering effective myofunctional therapy, and building a thriving, profitable myofunctional therapy business.

A dental hygienist who got tired of watching unhealthy people slip through the cracks.  She took her 15 years of dental hygiene experience, completed advanced post-graduate training in orofacial myofunctional therapy, earned a prestigious M.B.A. (Masters in Business Administration), grew a successful myofunctional therapy business, and now she works from home with clients around the world and runs an extremely popular myo coaching and business training program.

If you find your passion intersection at the corner of Myofunctional Therapy Avenue, Dental Hygiene Highway, Female Entrepreneur Boulevard, and Work From Anywhere Way…then get cozy here, because you’ve found your unicorn!  Carmen is here to educate, encourage, and empower you while she teaches you all the things!