Jennifer Sosnowski, MD, and owner of Scottsdale, AZ-based MVP Medical Care, always dreamed of being a physician and helping others.
After completing her family practice residency, she was recruited to start a new urgent care for a large, multi-specialty practice. She quickly learned the downsides; long hours, never-ending patient flow, being on call to cover subordinates’ days missed, and not having a connection with her revolving door of patients.
Dr. Jenn switched to primary care within the same group, but things still didn’t improve. Even though she was seeing as many as 42 patients per day, their problems seemed to continuously grow.
During this time Dr. Jenn was struggling with her own health issues. Her chronic daily migraines were so intense at times that she would have to be driven home by her husband, Larry, and take days off to recover.
They were so bad that she couldn’t enjoy the little things many of us take for granted, such as her habitual hikes in the desert, or a glass of wine. But the most disheartening challenge for her was not being able to conceive. Dr. Jenn and Larry became resigned to their fate of never having children because of her medications and severe migraines.
The bright light in her journey was her discovery of Functional Medicine. After chasing all other alternatives her application of Functional Medicine principles finally resolved her migraines. At 42 years old, Dr. Jenn became pregnant with their first child (no IVF needed).
She delivered their second healthy son 2 years later and had proof of the power of Functional Medicine.
Larry decided to walk away from an established career to help Dr. Jenn pursue her dream of launching her own Functional Medicine concierge practice. Together they purchased a new office and things grew, albeit slowly.
As the sole physician, Dr. Jenn still worked long hours, and concierge patients would dictate her personal schedule. She still suffered burnout, and her net profit didn’t match her previous salary.
She struggled with how to best help patients while implementing Functional Medicine protocols. She knew she needed a better way. Dr. Jenn explained her anxiety, “As we signed the mortgage on our new office Larry was excited, but inside I was full of dread. How long can I keep this pace to pay the bills?”
Dr. Jenn came across FPC’s booth at a conference, and they appeared to offer a solution. Larry, not having seen FPC or their pre-education, just dismissed them as another consultant. Dr. Jenn persevered, and they attended a Discovery Day in Scottsdale in 2017. They both agreed FPC was the solution they’d been seeking. They offered a packaged service model, proven marketing strategies, and mentorship for owners and staff alike.
Though turning the battleship wasn’t quick or easy, MVP’s average monthly revenue soon doubled. But it still seemed that for each step they took forward they took two steps back. They had to let go of two employees for cause, a theft and credit card fraud nearly drained their business accounts, and in November 2018, Dr. Jenn suffered a neck injury in a car accident that re-ignited her migraines.
This impacted her winter talks and in July 2019 she literally had to walk out mid-dinner talk due to a migraine onset. Then, just as things began to improve, their primary dinner talk venue went out of business, wiping out October’s talks with no warning.
Despite this, Dr. Jenn and Larry doubled down. They re-focused on the FPC fundamentals; they front-loaded November and December with talks at a new venue, and they increased their marketing spend. The FPC coaches were there for them whenever they asked. Their perseverance paid off.
In November Dr. Jenn reached quick start, goal and 2nd, 3rd and 4th achiever goals as well as her Best Month Ever. She did this with only 11 days in the office that month due to travel and holidays.
Thanks to FPC, Dr. Jenn and her team received a much-needed morale and financial boost and re-set their perspective as to their true capabilities.
Both Larry and Dr. Jenn agree.
“FPC is the best business decision we’ve made. Having a network of experienced, like-minded practitioners and coaches to whom we can reach out and commiserate is in itself invaluable,” she said.
Larry now enjoys being able to attend his sons’ school and sporting events, and Dr. Jenn enjoys pursuing her passion of helping patients completely change their lives for the long-term.
“You can’t do it alone, and we don’t believe there’s any other way you could make a cash-based practice thrive,” she said. “What impresses us most is the phenomenal turnaround and improvements we see in our clients every day. We wouldn’t be here today without FPC’s help.”
So, are you ready for a success story of your own?
If you are, I have good news! We can get you results like this. It won’t be easy, nor will it happen overnight, but I’ve seen it happen so many times that I can tell you that’s it’s possible.
You’ve got to be hungry, driven, up for the work, listen more than you talk, complete more than complain, implement plans more than you announce them, and show up daily with a beginner’s mind. If you’re ready, it’s time to get to work!
