25 Years as an Employee → 50 Members in Her First Month as CEO with Dr. Traci Desplinter

What happens when a 25-year OB/GYN stops playing it safe — and bets on herself?

Dr. Tracy Desplinter left a 15-year hospital career, built a direct care practice from scratch, and hit 50 members in her very first month.

In this episode, she breaks down exactly how she did it — the mindset shifts, the team building, the newsletter strategy, and the community that made it all possible.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome to the Profitable Private Practice Podcast, the show that proves that private practice isn't dead. It's just getting started. I'm Cheka Anachuku, and every week I sit down with thriving private practice doctors who are rewriting the rules and redefining what success looks like in healthcare. From smart business moves to mindset shifts and everything in between, we're here to show you how to build a practice that is not only profitable but purpose driven. If you're ready to thrive like these doctors, join the movement at ontremd.com forward slash thrive. Now let's dive in. Hello, hello, hello everybody, and welcome back to the Profitable Private Practice Podcast. And today I have with me Dr. Tracy DeSplinter. Hi, Dr. Tracy. Hi, Cheta.

SPEAKER_00 0:43

Thank you so much for having me. I'm really excited.

SPEAKER_01 0:46

I'm so glad you're able to be on.

SPEAKER_00 0:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 0:48

Oh, this is awesome. I'm glad you're able to make it. So before we get started, could you go ahead and um give us a 60-second introduction of yourself, just for people you know who haven't heard of E before?

SPEAKER_00 0:58

Yes, my name is Dr. Tracy DeSplinter. I am an OBGYN. I have been for 25 years. So I'm board certified in OBGYN. More recently, I've become certified as a practitioner by the Menopause Society. And I have also obtained board certification in obesity medicine. Um, I have a new direct care private practice devoted to comprehensive care of women in midlife. So for hormonal and metabolic health, um I'm the go-to person here. I'm in Houston, Texas, uh in North Houston, actually in the suburbs. And I serve women all throughout Texas via telemedicine. I also have in-person visits for local patients. Um I have two daughters on a personal level. I have two daughters. Uh, one is a medical student in her third year in Houston, and the other is in graduate school at Northeastern University in Boston.

SPEAKER_01 1:56

Wow, that is awesome. That's amazing. I heard East in the MMI. I just started smiling. I've been to Texas so many times. I love Texas so much. So, like if I ever go anywhere, it's most likely going to be in Texas. Oh, that's for this. Maybe the next time I come, I'll come say hi. I hope you will. I'm gonna hold that with night my day. Okay, okay. I'll I'll I'll tell my mother that's gonna happen. So now I was doing a little fact checking because I like to do fun facts before we get started, kind of to just break the ice. And I read that you're actually a scuba diver.

SPEAKER_00 2:30

Yes, yes. I am an avid scuba diver. Uh, since I've had an empty nest, I have picked that hobby back up. It was something that I learned to do way back when I was in college, and then I didn't do it for years. Always wanted to. And so for the past few years, I have been scuba diving every chance I get. I've been to some really cool places and seen lots of really neat underwater uh sea life.

SPEAKER_01 2:54

That is awesome. So, could you tell us a little bit about the first moment that you entertained the thought of becoming an entrepreneur when you first started your practice?

SPEAKER_00 3:03

Yes, great question. Uh, it was actually really late in my career. I've been employed my whole career, most recently for the past 15 years, with a big hospital system. And I really thought I would retire from there. But there were some changes in the system that um made the culture such that it wasn't a healthy place for me to continue to stay. I also have some health issues that are minor now, but I don't want them to get worse. So I needed to look for a mode of practice that was a little more um conducive to a healthy lifestyle. So instead of being being awake um a c few times a week, all night, taking care of patients, I I moved to a gynecology-focused practice so that I can sleep and exercise and eat healthy and work when I'm working.

SPEAKER_01 3:55

Okay, that's good. That's awesome. And so now you mentioned that you know you just recently started the practice. So could you tell us a little bit about um some of the challenges that you had to face between that time where you entertained the thought and the time where you started your practice?

SPEAKER_00 4:10

Yes, there were a lot. I've I've learned that creating the whole infrastructure for a practice is really more daunting than I would have imagined. So there are lots of different uh there's website creation and um finding a focus for the business and a niche that's needed, and and it's also a passion of mine that making all those things um work out together. And then there are lots of different platforms that need to communicate with each other digitally. And that was probably my biggest challenge was you know, coming up with an electronic record, uh and a built one that had billing platforms so that pay people have a way to pay for their visits, um, and then having the website functionality so that people can do online scheduling and the conveniences that we've come to expect, um, being on the other side of that and trying to make those conveniences available to people was probably my biggest challenge.

SPEAKER_01 5:11

So, how were you able to overcome it?

SPEAKER_00 5:14

Well, I thought I was gonna do a micro practice, which I would have no employees, it would be just me. And that was a big eye-opener. I quickly realized that I needed help with the technology aspect. So that's the start of my rockstar team. And I have a really amazing executive assistant who's great with technology, and she can take my ideas and actually put them into practice, into play. She can make them work. So she help has helped me figure out which platforms we need and how to make them communicate with each other. And that's been a lifesaver.

SPEAKER_01 5:49

That is amazing. So you mentioned your Rockstar team. So could you talk a little bit more, you know, about the dynamics of your team? What the what specific things did you have to do to create the Rockstar team, even hiring people, etc.?

SPEAKER_00 6:01

So I only have one person besides myself on my team so far. But she is moving from part-time to full-time at the beginning of April because we are growing and her role is expanding. It started by something just as simple as the you know, the business before the business, where I was planning to send a weekly newsletter out and trying to figure out what kind of platform or CRM to use to manage the email distribution list and to make that connect with the website, my landing page where patients were providing or women were providing their email addresses. So I was kind of banging my head on the wall, having no idea how to do this very simple thing. And I decided that I needed to take a walk. I walked about halfway down the block, and about halfway down the block, I realized I need a young person. I need a young person who's smart and motivated and who needs some extra hours at work. And I realized that I actually knew somebody who was in another part of Houston who met all that criteria. So I called her and she immediately said, Oh, I'll do that for you for free. And I was like, No, I I want you to be part of my team. And it started out as a very limited part-time role. And then since then, she has her role has expanded. She's made herself indispensable, and she's helping me with lots of other pieces of technology and with uh answering the phone and responding to um email requests and text message requests from potential patients and from patients.

SPEAKER_01 7:37

That is awesome. Rockstar team, it may just be one person, but that doesn't mean it's not, you know, that's awesome that you know you're just starting out, but you already have, you know, that person that's able to fill that role for you. And so um, I know that sometimes when it comes to teams, something that people can struggle with is, you know, the vision casting aspect of it, or like when you have that person, you need being like very specific with okay, this is what I need you to do. Um, and you know, not being vague about it. So was there ever a time that you struggled with that?

SPEAKER_00 8:11

Um, actually, I just uh talked to her from the very beginning, and as her role has expanded, I've I've told her, you know, if I seem stressed, it's not at you, and I definitely don't mean to point it at you. And and she's she's pretty thick skinned, and uh, we treat each other respectfully, and she's uh very good at accepting feedback. So I've I've just been um frank with the feedback um when something needs to change or it's not quite how I want our message to sound, and she's been receptive to that so far. So I think the key is communication and both parties being willing to communicate openly. Um so we have done well in that regard.

SPEAKER_01 8:55

That's awesome. And so I know um, you know, we're talking because you know you more your practice is, you know, kind of new, but could you tell us about um some of the things that I know you're like you're in the business school and you joined the business school before your practice started. So what were let's do top three things that you learned that you were able to use when opening your practice?

SPEAKER_00 9:19

Um, wow, top three is hard because I've learned so many things in the business school. I'm so thankful for it. So I think um learning how to um get out of the comfort zone to be present and visible on social media, kind of coming out of obscurity. Um, that was a big one. Um lots of tips on the newsletter, and which has been key to building uh so social media was key to building the um the database list uh for the email. And then the newsletter going out has been key. The call to action has been, you know, join our practice or schedule a meet and greet. And so all of those things kind of building upon each other. Um, the most important aspect for me of the business school that's helped me the most is the community. So the culture is so collaborative and helpful, and the other doctors who are in the business school and have been in it longer have been extremely helpful to me. And then also the people who joined around the same time as me that were in the business before the business, we have been um sounding boards for each other, and that part has been really helpful.

SPEAKER_01 10:34

That is awesome, that is amazing. And so now, if you could say something to someone who is, you know, just now starting their practice, what would you tell them based off of the insight and the help that you've got from the business school?

SPEAKER_00 10:49

I think I would remind them that they've done a lot of hard things before. This is just another thing that we're not born knowing how to do, but that we can absolutely learn. And as many challenges as there are, and as scary as it can be, we've done harder things and been successful at them.

SPEAKER_01 11:07

And been successful at them. That is awesome. And now let's talk about your wins. Um, since you started your practice, let's do your top three tangible wins. And I would also like to know about you know, like the people who have been coming into your practice since starting.

SPEAKER_00 11:23

So the top one that comes to mind is just the really strong start that we have had. So we still have a lot of growing to do, but in the first month, I was hoping I offer um memberships as well as individual visits. Um, some women, a lot of women only need to see their gynecologist once a year. So I didn't, I wanted to include individual visits, but I hope to the the my practice can serve people best if they are members with ongoing uh care. And I was hoping in my mind quietly that we might have 10 members at the end of one month, and we had over 50. So yeah, the strong start has been extremely encouraging, and I would not have been anywhere near that without EBS.

SPEAKER_01 12:14

Wow, that is amazing. Is there any any other wins you'd like to share?

SPEAKER_00 12:19

Um, learning that I need a team and starting field one, that that has been a win. And then the the growth of the newsletter list has I've got um over 1400 on it now. And so just the the pace at which these uh things have grown has been really encouraging to me.

SPEAKER_01 12:39

That's amazing. So could you talk, and you mentioned that you had um 50 people with the with the membership. Um so could you talk a little bit about like what were some of the steps that you took to ensure that that would happen?

SPEAKER_00 12:53

So some of them were um personal growth and development, changes in in my own mindset about what's possible. And then um I obtained some extra education, not only the business school, but also getting a certificate certification by the uh Menopause Society and then a whole nother board certification in obesity medicine. These certifications are not something I absolutely had to have, but I think they have been helpful because they've um they lend credibility and increase my knowledge base. And then there's some places online that people go looking for a um a certified provider. So I think those things have helped.

SPEAKER_01 13:32

That is wow, that is amazing. That like, you know, you were secretly hoping for a small amount, but then your practice really just kicked off and it started flying. And so I know sometimes other people um, you know, may not um like fly off as hard as you did, but you did, and that's that, you know, that's amazing. Were there any specific, let's say, marketing strategies like between the social media or referral sources or things like that, or even the newsletter that you had to use to start off that hard?

SPEAKER_00 14:03

I think all of those things, and then I I also think that I had a little bit of a head start because I've been in practice in the in the same area for about 20 years. So a lot of the patients that are new to my practice now are not actually new to me. But my office is in the area that's just a little bit outside the area where I have practiced most for the last 15 years. And so I'm drawing in some uh patients who are new from a a little bit different area of Houston. So we have a mix, but I think I had a really big head start by having sort of already having a personal brand just by virtue of the fact that I've been in practice here for a long time.

SPEAKER_01 14:42

Wow, that is amazing. So how has um how has the newsletter helped with um the brand building as well?

SPEAKER_00 14:52

I think people becoming aware of my extra certifications and training and interests, because what I'm doing is not just strictly gynecology. It I do offer gynecologic services, but I'm um targeting comprehensive care for women in midlife. So there's a lot of hormonal changes, metabolic changes that occur during this period in life. It's a really unique time where if we are proactive, we can actually prevent or change the arc in a favorable way with which we're reaching chronic disease. We're also all headed toward a chronic disease of some sort as we age. But wouldn't it be nice if we had to have a heart attack or stroke if we could have it in our 90s instead of in our 60s or 70s? There's um definitely objective data to to um for me to spread the word and be able to help people change that arc. So the newsletter has helped me define my um my mission and kind of get the word out with the kind of service that I'm offering. And that's helped bring in the right people who are of the same mindset.

SPEAKER_01 16:03

Okay. So was there anything about the newsletter specifically that um you learned like you learned how to do it from the business school?

SPEAKER_00 16:13

Yes. So I I learned all about how to do it through the business school. I would I didn't have a newsletter before I was in school. So when we were at the um vision retreat in October in the evenings, and then the couple days following, I was developing the um the landing page uh for people to come and give provide their email addresses. And then I started asking people for that on social media and pointing them in that direction. And then when I started getting email addresses, I started creating a newsletter. Um, consistency is one of the biggest um uh uh pieces of information or pieces of advice that Dr. Una gives us. And so I make sure that the newsletter has goes out at the same time of day, at the same time of week, every single week without fail. And I think that's been really helpful.

SPEAKER_01 17:03

That is amazing. Um, so what has been, you know, since joining the business school, even since opening your practice, what has been your favorite thing about the business school?

SPEAKER_00 17:13

The community of the doctors, for sure. So I I mentioned earlier, and I don't want to repeat myself too much, but I can't really say it enough, that the the culture of the group is uh nurturing, encouraging, um, helpful. Uh, to see some of the people who've had tremendous success and have been in the business school for a long time kind of put a hand down and help pull the rest of us that are new kind of up, um, has been very motivating and um inspiring. And then to have colleagues that are at similar places with just getting ready to launch a practice or a business or to um have the early growth has been nice. It's a little bit isolating in private practice, or it can be. So having the community has really been helpful.

SPEAKER_01 18:01

That's awesome. And so to the people who are listening, I do want to invite you to um do this thing that we like to call it called book a call. So essentially you may think, okay, well, business school sounds a little bit intimidating. So I don't know if I want to do that, but the community sounds nice. The things that Dr. Una talks about sounds nice. So what I would advise you to do is to book a call. You can go to onchmd.com forward slash success. And in that, you will get to have a conversation with one of our team members, and essentially they'll just walk you through what your next best step would end up being. So whether it's something like coming to one of the events and testing it out before you join the business school or joining the business school or joining PPPM, you'll be able to have that conversation with them. So I want to invite you to book a call that's on treemd.com forward slash success, like you can book your call today. And now um for Dr. Tracy, something that I hear people say, you know, people who have been inside of the business school that they say often is that on tree MD, the business school itself is like an alternate reality. So what you experience inside of the business school and what you experience outside of the business school are two separate things. So, in what ways have you experienced that before?

SPEAKER_00 19:12

I think a lot of times outside the business school, there's um not as much collaboration and it's more competition. And inside the business school, there's there's um the scarcity mindset is gone. And we know that there's there's plenty of patients or plenty of coaching clients or whatever your business may be. And so the the um the atmosphere of collaboration, I think, is what's most different inside is compared to outside.

SPEAKER_01 19:40

Compared to outside. I've heard people say that as well, too, where like the collaboration and the competition thing, where the doctors inside the business school are helping each other, where outside they're, you know, kind of climbing over each other to get to the top. And so it's amazing that inside of the business school, that's not something that you see, but everybody's working together to, you know, um push each other up. And so now if you could tell um someone who is interested in joining the business school, but they're a little bit on the fence about it, if you could tell them one thing that you believe would convince them to join, what would you tell them?

SPEAKER_00 20:13

I think it's been, I think the business school and the things I've learned and the the people I've met and the network that uh is developed within the business school has been the key to my success thus far. And I'm early in my practice, but I I do have a really encouraging start. And I I would just encourage that I think the key to that has been the business school.

SPEAKER_01 20:36

And you're only gonna keep going from here, Dr. Tracy. It's gonna keep going all the way up like this. So you're you're doing amazing. That's awesome. And so now where can people find you? They want to get to know more about you, they want to come to the practice or want to find you online. Where can they find you?

SPEAKER_00 20:53

Yes, so um, my practice website is refinedwomen's health.com. And you can easily join the practice if you're in Texas. Um, anywhere in Texas, there are telemedicine options in addition to in-person options. Um, you can schedule a visit conveniently on the website or join the practice on the website. On social media, I'm on Facebook and Instagram, and I use my real name, Tracy Desplinter MD, uh Tracy with an I on both of those platforms.

SPEAKER_01 21:24

On both of the platforms. Alrighty. And so, Dr. Tracy, lastly, if there's anything that you want someone to take away from this episode, um, what would you want it to be? You know, give us a quotable quote, something that they can go home with.

SPEAKER_00 21:38

You've done hard things before. And if you if you get the proper uh put yourself in the proper environment and surround yourself with the right people, uh, develop your mindset, you can do you can launch a practice or a business of your own.

SPEAKER_01 21:52

You can launch a practice of your business of your own. Don't forget you've done hard things before. I like that. I'm gonna put that on a sticky note and put it on my wall. But thank you. So much, Dr. Chasey. It has been an absolute pleasure interviewing you. And to everybody who is watching, as I like to say, make sure that this is not your best kept secret. So if you feel like there is something that was shared in this podcast episode today that you feel like someone that you know, a private practice doctor that you know absolutely needs this, then don't hesitate to share this with them. And to everybody watching, we will see you next time. Thank you for listening to the Profitable Private Practice Podcast. If this episode inspired you, share it with a private practice doc in your life and subscribe so that you never miss an episode. Don't let this podcast be the best kept secret. I'm Shatana Chiku, and I'll see you next week.