Partnership are like marriage. When they work, they are beautiful, when they don’t it’s a disaster. In pharmacy land there has been some seriously impressive partnerships that have been formed and gone on to huge success. There have also been some bitter and ugly “divorces”. Partnerships are certainly not for everyone. Some owners I know work well on their own, but not very well in a partnership.
Internally at Peak it was a difficult one. Our superstar team are great at what they do but last year, a lot of things we touched turned to crap, nothing was working. Don’t get us wrong we love a challenge, but we like to be working towards a big goal. However, working hard for no tangible results is soul destroying.
Last night I went outside and stood there for a while. I looked out the darkness of the bushland across the road. I watched the full moon rise over the hills. Aside from frogs croaking, and an owl hooting, it was very quiet. It was peaceful. My family had just finished dinner, kids were in their bedrooms and I have just finished cleaning up. That peacefulness and calmness was in stark contrast to the year the Peak family just experienced.
How do I reflect on this year? Where do you start with this year? It has honestly been the hardest year we have ever had to face at Peak. Frankly it was bloody tough. But this year has enabled us to be very thankful that we do what we do. We have a good business that helps a lot of pharmacy owners around Australia. We have kept the Peak family employed and in a safe and secure business. We have provided jobs to 4 additional people this year. There is a lot to be thankful for.
Recently, I presented a webinar for the Pharmacy Guild of WA, as part of the Future Pharmacy Program.
It was all about planning for business growth. Something I recommend you all watch to start planning for your respective pharmacies. One theme that constantly came up in the webinar, and something I note that is common amongst pharmacies that fail in this process, is leadership and accountability. The two go hand in hand. You see any process of change, particularly regarding setting goals and planning for growth in your business, leadership and accountability are two key elements that are non-negotiable.
Last Tuesday night Treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, delivered the federal budget for 2020-21 after it was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This budget was significantly different from the others due to major Australian events including the 2019-20 bushfire emergency and the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic which has disrupted the lives of the Australian community and all countries worldwide.
