How I Created Massive Business Growth in Ninety Days with Dr. Megan Melo

If your business isn't working the way you expected, it's not because you're bad at business. It's because no one ever taught you.

How it actually works.

We were trained to master algorithms in medicine, but when it comes to revenue teams and growth, we were never taught anything. We weren't even told to figure it out. We just assumed somehow we'd know. Like it would magically make sense. But it doesn't. The era of the seven Figure Physician CEO is here. And it's not about working harder. It's about learning entrepreneurship as a system. The same way you mastered ACLs and pals, you can master the algorithm of building a profitable scalable business. That's why I recorded the seven Figure Physician CEO audiobook. Whether you're building a medical or non medical business, and whether your goal is your first million, first 2 million, first 5 million, first 10 million, this is where the journey starts. There is no Calvary coming to save us. We are the Calvary. So. So go get your audiobook now. Www.entremd.com 7Figurebook. And let's rewrite the narrative for physicians starting today.

Hi, docs. Welcome to the Entre MD Podcast, where it's all about helping amazing physicians just like you, embrace entrepreneurship so you can have the freedom to live life and practice medicine on your terms. I'm your host, Dr. Umna. Hello, hello, hello, everybody. Welcome back to another episode of the ontreanity podcast. I am super excited today because I know I'm always super excited, but truthfully, I always am. Like, really, the reasons are just different. Okay, so the reason I'm super excited today is because I have the amazing Dr. Megan Mello here. And she is a family medicine and physician, obesity trained. She is a coach, she's a podcaster. She has a lot of exciting things going on and we're going to be talking about all things entrepreneurship. She's going to be taking us behind the scenes of her journey. And I love sharing stories like this because she's an example of what is possible for physicians. We've been told all kinds of things, stay in your lane. We make bad entrepreneurs and all of those kind of things, which are all lies. And I love to showcase people, people who, who have dared the fears and dare the narrative to get started, to grow to scale all of that. So, Dr. Megan Mello, welcome to the show.

Thank you so much for having me. I'm excited to talk today.

I'm excited to listen. I've been waiting for this. All right, so I'll give You a moment. Introduce yourself to the listeners. Hey, why is Dr. Una so excited? Tell them why.

So, as you mentioned, I'm a family medicine physician in Seattle, Washington, and I came out of my training in an HMO setting and believed that being an employed physician was the way forward. That's what I saw everybody in my life doing. And it just seemed like, okay, that's just the track that you stayed on. And so I worked in the same job for about 11 years and just began to realize that the lack of control that I had, the lack of ability to become more specialized in areas that I had gained some expertise in, was just wearing me down. Initially, I stepped out after getting my obesity medicine certification to open an obesity medicine clinic. But along the way, I got a coaching certification to help with that and realized that I could be using it to coach physicians on burnout and emotional exhaustion and stress eating. Took a little sideways turn there. Now I'm focusing on coaching physicians.

All right, you embraced all the things, and, you know, it's. It's a common narrative, right? The lack of control. And, you know, later on, we'll talk about how you feel about that now, with the way your career is playing out and your business is playing out. And for everyone who's experiencing that, I want to invite you to start exploring, because it doesn't have to be that way. It doesn't have to look like anything anybody you hear has done right. Some people have that feeling, and they start a private practice. Some people have that feeling, they become a coach. Some people have that feeling. They're like, I always want to develop this product. Now I'm going to do it. It could be anything, Right? But it's just. It's an invitation to explore and go, like, so how can I get back in control? What would that look like? And all of that. Right. Okay. So you decided that's what you were going to do. I'm going to coach physicians. I'm going to help them. And people come to you for that, for burnout, for stress eating, for weight loss and all of that. And so you had the ide. You had the training, you had the idea. Then what happened? And I asked that question because many people have ideas of what I want to do, and they don't know what those next steps are. Right. And so what did you do? How did this play out?

Yeah, so when I opened my business, I came from the experience of always being busy in my practice, fully booked, overbooked, asked to take on extra this and that. I was a teacher for Many years in our family medicine residency faculty. And so I did carry the naive assumption that many of us carry that I just needed to hang my shingle and they would come.

Oh, you did that? I did that too. We are entrepreneurial twins.

Yes, yes. And I did convert some of my practice coaching clients who were physicians over into paid clients and was grateful for that. But then I was left with too much blank space and trying to figure it out. And around that time, I started listening to your podcast and then binging and then joining the Entre MD Facebook community. And I joined a 14 day challeng that you had, which had me asking people for referrals and collecting testimonials. All of these things that I was like, oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, I can't do that. And I'm sure if I had known that was part of the challenge, I would not have signed up. Right. But it gave me this experience of, oh, these are the things that are going to move the needle. And I do have to market. And it's something that I've heard you say of as an employed physician. I sort of imagine there wasn't marketing going on. And yet every time I saw marketing that was sort of selling me as a physician within the group, I was very resentful because I was overbooked. I'm like, why are they continuing to market us? But I didn't really pay attention to the fact that they have to market. Everyone has to market to have a business.

Okay, so you just saved a lot of lives here. And it's true because, I mean, I understand that I did that. And when I found out, when I started my practice, I had the same philosophy. I was like, I'll hang the shingle. They will come. I hung the shingle. Nobody came. And I was shocked that I was going to have to market my practice. I was like, wait, like, I have to go talk to people. You know, like, in retrospect, I was like, we don't do stuff like that. We show up and see patients.

Right, right.

And I had to unlearn all of that. And I love that you're like, yeah, I would see them marketing me. And I'm almost resentful not realizing that that's the mechanism that gets your schedule filled. You know what I'm saying? And so everyone has to market. That's just so beautiful. Okay, thank you. So you did the 14 day challenge. I think it was the 14 day momentum challenge. That was the one you did. Right. And it was designed that way. Like, you don't have clients, you don't have patience. Your business is kind of plateaued. Right. And it's like, okay, let's get you into momentum. And it's. I'm sure everything there was fairly uncomfortable. And I said, it's a challenge, it's going to be challenging. But if you do it though. Right. Okay, so what, what kind of results did you notice from the challenge? And this could be tangible and intangible. So one of the intangible ones is like, you're like, oh, this is what you do to make it work. Like, everyone has to market. That's an intangible one. But what else, what else happened from the challenge?

Yeah, I mean, I was able to collect reviews and post them so that people could see that people enjoyed my services and they might come my way. Let me think, what else did I do? I reached out to some potential referral sources and let them know what I was doing, because from the time that I left my practice to where I was at that time, I had very much changed course. I wanted to connect back with people and make sure they knew what I was doing and that they could send people to me and that I could be an outside resource, especially around physician wellness. What else? Trying to remember all the things that were on that challenge. I'd say the intangible was that it made me realize that I have to do something regularly, on purpose, all the time, in order to build positioning as a business to let people know what I'm doing, to not be the best kept secret.

And we don't want that, we don't want that. We want to be household names. Okay, love it. So you did the challenge and then you said, you know, after that you had joined the on trendy business school. So talk to me about your decision to do that and did you have any hang ups around it? Like, I don't have the time, I don't have the money. I've done stuff like this before. Did any of that come up for you?

Yeah, I mean, I certainly had the time because I had a lot of blank space. The money was an obstacle because here I was with this brand new business and I'd already invested quite a bit in, you know, getting my coaching certification, getting obesity medicine certified, you know, a number of things. And I thought, oh, can I spend more money on this additional training? I think after the challenge, it just really brought me to mind of I need a little push to get out there. And I wanted to be very much in community with other people who were Taking on the same challenges. Me, by myself alone, I might do a little thing here or there, but I wasn't going to be getting myself out there. And so once I kind of made that decision, then it was just, all right, well, how am I going to pay for this? And I remember telling my husband, I'm like, I'm not asking. I'm just letting you know that I'm joining this physician's business school because I'm really serious about making this business work.

Oh, man, talk about confidence. I loved. Because this comes up a lot when people are like, okay, so what if I don't have the permission of my spouse? And, you know, the answer will be as different as marriages are. Right. Like, because it is just so different. But when you have a conviction, right? Because you thought about this, you're like, okay, I did this with a challenge. This is the impact. I realize that I need community. I need the accountability. I need to be in a group. Dr. Tola, I interviewed her earlier. She said, I need to be among fellow crazies. Right?

Right.

Because. Which is what entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs are. You know, I need to be among fellow crazies. But you built your conviction. You built your certainty. So when you showed up, it's not like, can I. Because sometimes that can I. Is I'm not committed. I haven't made the decision. I'm not certain. So can you give me some certainty? Right. But you were certain. And so you're like, I'm not really asking. I'm telling you that this is what I'm doing because I want to make this business work and I'm committed. And the most certain person always wins. When you show up with that level of certainty, it's like, let's do it. Right. So that, that's, that's. That's some really beautiful insight. I was. I was curious. Okay. Love it. So you decided to do that because you're like, this is what I need to do to take it to the next step. And then what happened after that?

Yeah. So I remember after I made the payment that I had some access to some of your previous courses and went through them and so started to really dig into the work of, like, do I have a successful business idea? How do I think about showing up and speaking to other humans? And the Rock the Stage formula? And I started incorporating those tools right away. I went out and spoke to several departments and just started that uncomfortable work of getting myself out there and showing up. And as the school started, then I had access to previous calls with all your Wonderful students and getting to listen to their stories along their journeys, and there was the teaching components. But really listening to these people that I could see out there on social media, that I could see their businesses and hearing their side of it from different stages, that further gave me that strong conviction. I know I can do this. And I'm going to have to do some things I don't like doing in order to really make it work, but so does everybody else.

That is so good. So good. And I want to commend you because I think your cohort, you got access to the private podcast for the Entre Energy Business school a month before school started, right. You guys got the bonus month, if you will, and you decided, I'm going to consume that content. Because you could have said Thanksgiving and Christmas, Dr. Una, we'll see you in January, but you did that and you started applying it right away. And one of the things that happened because you did that, you're like, wait a minute, I see this doctor killing it, but I'm listening to this call from a year ago. I'm even better now than she was then. So, yeah, I could make it right. Like, that's what stories do. That's what stories. They, they validate. They. They normalize the ups and downs and the feelings and the fears and all the stuff we have as entrepreneurs. So I really want to commend you because one is that you dug into the work, you went to to study, to listen to the, you know, the podcast, to learn all those things. And then two, you throw massive action behind it, even though you're like, you. Yeah, some of this is going to be uncomfortable, some of this is going to be scary, but we're going to do it. And I'm not an exception to the rule. Everybody has to do this. Right? I mean, that is just so insightful. Okay, so you started doing all these things, you started learning all these things, you started hearing all these stories and. And then what happened?

Well, and then the school started and I was right at it. And I. I mean, the experience of actually being there live on calls, of course, is a next level thing. And we've continued to have challenges. And since that time, just in the first quarter when I made my list of what did I get done this quarter, it's like, well, I showed up on Facebook lives, I planned a webinar, I launched a podcast, I started batching my content, I started doing all of these things, things, building some systems and just digging into the work. And I'm lucky that I am in A position where I have the time to do that because I gave myself that time. And that's true from the beginning, but it just keeps cranking the volume up, if you will, on what happens.

Cranking the volume up. Love it. So you start putting yourself out a lot more. Right. You talked about the Facebook lives, you talked about the webinar, the podcast, the speaking, all of that. Did that have any ripple effect on the number of clients you brought in, people you're able to serve? Because you had done the hang the shingle version and that didn't work. So you did all these things and what happened with that?

Yeah, some of the work is adjusting to the stop and start nature of how clients come in, because that's very true. But I got some new clients. From word of mouth referrals, I have been able to directly ask my current clients to renew and whether they're coming back, which is something I never would have done before. I started to see that people were mentioning me as a coach. I go into Facebook groups, I show up, I talk, I offer thoughts and support to people. And I don't go in there to poach anybody or get clients, but I go in and I show up and I serve. And when I do that, people start knowing, oh, she's a coach. Oh, it's really helpful. I like the way that she says this thing. And that has gained me some clients, both because people have mentioned my name when someone's like, I think I want to coach. And I also had this experience where I noticed that someone was responding a lot to the things that I was saying. And she sent me a DM and she said, oh, I loved your post on this or that. And I pointed her to my blog. And then I interacted with her off and on for a few weeks. And then I finally just reached out and asked her, I said, would you like to come work with me? And she did. I asked and she said yes.

Okay. You know, you're making my day in all kinds of ways, right? First of all, you're showing up and serving, and we talk about that a lot. Not about poaching or going with the intent to sell. You're just going to be yourself, you're going to serve. So you're doing that. And people who are working, working with you, you're asking them, do you want to continue working with me? And people are following you around and you're like, you want to come on board work? Like, you're just making me happy. You've made my day.

Thank you.

Thank you. Best. Best Thursday ever. Okay, so that's very different from Hang the Shingle, right? And you. You. You have this thing of putting yourself out. And, you know, in. In the entrepreneur world, and especially in the entrepreneur business school, we talk a lot about the snowball effect. Because all these things you're describing from joining the school to now, it's about a quarter, right? It's. It's about 90 days, if that. About 90 days. And if you do that in 90 days and you do this for a year and you're going to keep doing it, and the ripples will just be bigger and bigger because you're building that audience, then, I mean, like, it just makes me really excited when I think about what you're. You're setting the stage for. So, you know, what are your thoughts about it? Like, this is different now. What are you thinking about? Like, what your business will look like in six months or a year? We don't have crystal balls, but we dream, right?

Yeah, that's a great question. I don't know, but I'm kind of seeing this next quarter as the time that I expect to really start hitting an expansion. And so I have a few collaboration webinars planned with people who have bigger lists than I do, and I am going to be featuring people on my podcast and showing up on people's podcasts and really building that audience, that, know, trust factor. And the more I do that, the more I see the effects. You know, in the first quarter, I was. I recorded several podcasts, but most of them haven't come out yet. So I'm like, okay, we're getting going, but no one's gonna know about it for a while. But each time one of these. One of these things releases, and I practice, okay, well, how do I market? How do I see other people marketing? I learn and grow.

Man, I am so happy. So happy for you. This is just the beginning. Just the beginning. And if I remember correctly, you did post that. I mean, which if. If it was Hang the Shingle before. I think you posted that this quarter was your most profitable quarter. Or was it that January was your most profitable month? I don't remember.

March was my most profitable month. I mean, I don't have that many quarters for comparison, so. Yes. But March, you know, kind of blew everything else out of the water. Although, you know, again, in that sort of entrepreneurial adjustment phase, you know, I'm not getting a regular paycheck in my business, you know. Well, that's not true. I am paying myself, but I'm not Getting regular revenue the way that you do when you're an employed physician. So I used to get a paycheck, you know, in a certain cadence. And I had a good month in January. I had a better month in March. I didn't have anybody come in February. Right. And so kind of adjusting to, okay, well, the money comes in and then it doesn't. And then it does, and then it doesn't. That's been a real shift for me.

Yeah. And so the thing, the thing here is that as you do the consistency with putting yourself out there, as you build the systems, as far as, remember we talk about the second generation revenue and all that, you'll create consistency. So that's, you know, that's just in the beginning. And like we said, you're a quarter in. Totally got this. Right. Well, you get to that point where there's a stability to it that can be created. So you're on it. So you'll knock it out the park, I have no doubt. Awesome. Okay. So if somebody is out there and they're, you know, maybe they've tried with a business for a year or two and they're like, you know what? She's right. I want to do what she did. But I don't know if the business school work for me or I don't know if this will work for me. You know, I'm a physician, not an entrepreneur, you know, that kind of thing. What would you say to that person?

Yeah, I think one of the biggest things is don't take your fear and anxiety as signs that there's danger here.

Oh, okay.

Talk about that. You and I share an Enneagram. We are both Enneagram sixes. We both are. So we both go to the worst case scenario. I am great in a crisis. I'll tell you. I am right on it. But when we get stopped by our fear, stopped by our anxiety, what if this doesn't work? What if it doesn't help? We won't move anywhere. If I don't make the decision to join the business school and I don't make the decision to commit to doing certain marketing things, nothing happens. Nothing happens. And I think we're so used to sort of taking those fears and anxieties as a sign that there's something wrong. There's something truly dangerous here, and that's not it at all. You need to move through that. This is not medicine. Right. Making the decision to go on to your entrepreneurial journey is not life or death. It is about daring yourself to do something big.

Daring yourself to do something big. Could not have come up with better. That's a good one. Okay. All right, people, you heard the doc. And so if you're like, you're right, you're right. This is not life or death. I want you to head over to our application for it. So it's ontramd.com business. And truthfully, I have told people not to join the business school. Right? And so the application is not about anybody making you to get in. It's about, are you good, fit? Will your business work? Is this the right time for you? The team will help you decide that. And if it's what you should be doing, we'll invite you to come in. And if it isn't, we'll say, I don't know, see you six months maybe. They'll take care of that. Right. And so you have nothing to lose. So I'll say, apply entremdy.com forward/business, and then we'll take you from there. Okay? Now, Dr. Mello, people are like, Dr. Una, that was good. But where do we find her? Okay, I want to listen to her podcast. I want to see this social media posts that people are following everywhere. Where do they find you?

Yeah, so my podcast is called Ending Physician Overwhelm, and you can find it on all the places that you find your podcasts. And the easiest place to find me is at my website, www.healthierforgood.com. and then I'm also on Instagram and Facebook, eganmellomd.

All right, and we will link to all of those in the show notes. Thank you so much for coming on, and thank you for being vulnerable and taking us behind the scenes and sharing all the things, because this is what we need to create the change we want to see in the physician community. This is possible for us. You're an example of what is possible. You can be scared of marketing, become great at marketing. You can hang the shingle and they don't come, and then you can learn to do it differently. And they will come. Right. And so is just a beautiful thing. And I can only imagine the joy you get from seeing your clients get results and all of that. Because, I mean, business is amazing because of who you become in the process and the life change you're able to create for others. So just. Good. Thank you so much for coming on.

Yeah, thank you so much for having me.

Absolutely. All right, people, remember, on trend is a movement. What that means is share this podcast episode and don't keep it to yourself. Okay? There the ripple effect of this story is something that a decade from now, people will still be referenced.

That's.

That's what, that's what things like this do. So share it. You never know whose life you're changing. You never know who goes on to be a really successful entrepreneur because of this. You don't know who goes on to create massive change in the physician community because of it. Don't keep it to yourself. Share it on your social Share with the doctors and I will see you on the next episode of the Entrepreneur podcast.