143 Days

143 days before I embarked on this great adventure, I sat with Mrs RCS and explained to her that I wanted to do the crazy thing and set up my own business. It took 143 days to get everything in place, and now I find myself 143 days after the event.

What have I achieved?

My god where do I start?! I have overachieved in some areas and strangely missed in other key areas, but on the whole I have had a pretty good start;

• Launched a new Aesthetics product
• Implemented a software system
• Built an iPad App
• Rebranded a company
• 3 Articles in Aesthetic Industry Press
• Speaker at ASAPs and FACE
• Created the Practice Transformations Pathway
• Implemented the Practice Transformations Principles in a Harley St Practice

So, what have I learnt?

Well Terry, I have learnt so much in the last 143 days its scary, but so enlightening!

I started RCS Consulting with a vision of bringing the archaic business processes inherent in the Medical Aesthetics Industry in to at least the 19th Century. This is a challenge, and one that needs to be an industry wide change, not just one or two businesses at a time.

• No matter how hard I try, I will never, ever escape software development projects
• Doing your own accounts and expenses is a massive ball-ache
• Blue Oceans are better than Red Seas
• Don't take on clients that aren't ready for you
• My gut feelings are scarily accurate
• Some people are more generous than you would ever have imagined
• Some people are just pricks
• I love Innovation!

With these learnings I have split the company in two; we have RCS Business Consulting Services Ltd, which is the consultancy arm and Practice Transformations, which is the Practice Improvement Product.

The idea to "productise" the service came from a guy called Daniel Priestley and his "Key Person of Influence" Seminar. (www.keypersonofinfluence.com).




The basic premise of this is that in any industry the main industry changing decisions are made by a few key influencers at the core. I consider myself to be one of those in Medical Aesthetics, so I listened intently as he gave some really interesting steps to maximise your influence. I'm not going to steal his thunder, but I am going to his next Central London Seminar on 23rd June. See you there!

Who have I learnt from?

I am going to take this opportunity to big up a couple of people, Brad Waldron and Steve Esler.

I met Brad through Worthing Rugby Club, and my gut said "There is something about this guy.....", so I did what any self respecting nosey bastard would do and I googled him. Turns out that Brad is the Director of Intelligent Inspirations (www.intelligentinspiration.com), and has worked with some real heavy hitters and was a great help to me in formulating the strategy and plan for Practice Transformations. Without Brad it would have taken me much longer to realise the solution to the problem - the client, NOT the Dr is at the heart of the process and improving the experience they have MUST be the focus of the business.......

.....and he gave me some awesome presentation skills training.

Steve is a great friend of mine - and whilst I can't divulge too much as to what I have learnt, suffice to say that Steve Esler's name will go down in history (beneath mine of course) as the guy who changed Medical Aesthetics forever. Watch this space

What would I change?

Nothing. I would keep it all as it has been a whirlwind experience and every day is a School day. Even the rubbish days when I mistakenly took on a project that I knew would move me in a direction that I didn't want to go, I learnt a lot about Stakeholder management. 


The Practice Transformations process is quite a difficult one for some practices to endure - many Dr's believe that their problems lie with their staff, when the reality is that THEY are the real cause.

Communicating that is a challenge in itself, but one that must be overcome in order for the process to embed and for the business to grow. It takes a big pair of balls to do it, which is why there are not many consultants who do.


"And I know what I have to do now. I gotta keep breathing. Because tomorrow the sun will rise. Who knows what the tide could bring."

What will I achieve in the next 143 days?

This is a MASSIVE phase in the development of RCS Consulting and The Practice Transformations products.

We are attending the FACE Exhibition and Conference at the Royal College of Physicians on 15/16/17th June and I will be speaking about Practice Transformations at the FACE of the clinic session 1145 on the Saturday.

There is much going on.........