I have been working alongside John at Peak Strategies for three months now. In the time I have been exposed to the world of pharmacy only slightly. However, I am beginning to understand the complex and current issues that pharmacy owners are facing. High rents, Chemist Warehouse, the review and the list goes on. Also we are heading up to a long weekend and I thought I would share some advice on the concept of reflection.
On the weekend I was watching a Facebook video by my mentor and friend Jeremy Watkins. He was doing the Cape to Cape walk. At the time of writing this I haven’t yet heard from him to see how he got on. But one thing he said in the video resonated with me. He was saying at the start of the walk that he was feeling a little scared and sometimes we need to do something that scares us. That got me thinking about business and my own personal journey.
Another APP has come and gone, and once again the themes of innovation, community health, change and professional services ruled the conference. They were the key issues for all Pharmacy of the Year contenders who were very inspirational. This week I am going to discuss a couple of concepts that have stuck out in our minds. The Federal Minister for Health Greg Hunt spoke of early access, interventions and preventative health outcomes without going to the hospital. Let’s just think about this concept for a little while, it is nothing new I’m sure. But in essence the pharmacy’s role is to screen patients for a range of ailments, then when identified pharmacists can refer patients to the GP. So instead of GP’s and pharmacies at war with each other, they can actual work really well together for the community’s health, and ease the pressure on hospitals. Patients having greater access to pharmacies and being screened more may help prevent patients from going straight to the hospital. They could be treated at the pharmacy and/or GP. This is a better outcome for everyone.
I wish I knew then what I know now…….does this statement sounds familiar? I know I have thought this quite a few times; recently it was about the topic of purpose. One of the biggest drivers on how I run Peak Strategies comes from having a clear purpose. The purpose comes from the answer to the question of “Why are you doing this?” Many of us start a business with set goals in mind, I certainly did. However, those goals sometimes change as you go through the motions. One of the many mistakes I made is that I didn’t truly understand the importance of having a strong purpose. I mean a REAL purpose; making money is not a true purpose.
The Blame Game
It is a really interesting phase of life that pharmacy is going through. There is a huge amount of nervousness in the market at the moment and a lot of discussion about the future of the industry.
What surprises me the most is the different reactions? There are some who feel so helpless; I am concerned for their mental health. There is without doubt significant pain felt by some, who simply cannot see any light at the end of the tunnel. They are seeing their pharmacies go backwards year after year, with rents increasingly unaffordable. There is clear distress.
