In 2019, when we were all making New Year’s resolutions and planning what 2020 would be like – none of us expected the year it turned out to be.
It hasn’t been easy, it hasn’t been predictable, but pharmacies have stepped up to the plate in more ways than one, always ready to help their communities. Although 2020 was challenging, there are still things we could be thankful for this year.
And as the year comes to an end, we can look towards the new year and hope that 2021 brings new opportunities, good health, and a brighter future for all.
Now is also a good time to take a step back and evaluate how your pharmacy has grown and progressed this year, as well as how you can continue improving in the new year. Hear some words of wisdom from industry leaders to get inspired for 2021.
In order to be successful, you have to always be better than you were yesterday, last week, last month, and last year. In this clip from the Catalyst Pharmacy Podcast, Josh and Mark talk to Rannon Ching about the importance of constantly adapting and building a culture in your pharmacy that encourages growth and collaboration:
“For any business, it’s important to look at what you’ve done [so far] and know that’s not it,” says Rannon Ching. “Hopefully you’re smarter 6 months from now then you are now. So an idea you had 6 months ago probably isn’t the best idea. Or, if it was a good idea – how do you make it better? Maybe the game has changed [since then].”
Always look at your business strategy through a new lens depending on how things change in the market, in your community, or within your store. Don’t settle and assume what you’ve been doing will always work.
What’s one of the best sources to get ideas for change in your pharmacy?
The people who work in it every day. Your team sees what works and what doesn’t, and if you build an environment that encourages them to speak up and offer their suggestions, you can find new opportunities you may not have thought of before.
“I love hearing problems, but don’t just throw a problem in my lap. You better give me a solution,” says Ching with a laugh, as he explains he doesn’t want to just hear ‘our workflow sucks’ without a concrete example and idea on how to improve it.
He gets great feedback from his team, and that’s part of what allows Tarrytown Pharmacy to have continued success in its community.
Stacy Welling was another guest on the Catalyst podcast who also believes in constant growth and innovation.
In this clip, she talks about finding ideas to create new profit streams and continuously educating your team to cross train them on specialty services.
Your staff is a powerful asset to the success of your pharmacy, and they can be instrumental in growing your services if they just get the right training.
“In these times that we’re in right now, we all have to kind of refocus, refresh, and hit the reset button and ask ‘What are doing well?’, ‘What are we not doing well?’, and ‘What do we need to be fine-tuning?’,” encourages Welling. “All those are things that keep us from slipping into the status quo, and allow us to operate at a more elevated level.”
How will you refresh your pharmacy in 2021?
From the team at PioneerRx, we wish you all a Happy New Year! We look forward to continuing to support all our pharmacies into the next year and see what exciting things the future holds for independent pharmacy.
