An Invitation to Think Outside the Box
Tommy Boone, PhD, MPH, FASEP, EPC
Professor and Chair
Department of Exercise Physiology
The College
of St. Scholastica
Duluth, MN 55811
Never
cease to pursue the opportunity to seek something different. Don’t be
satisfied with what you’re doing. Always try to seek a way and a method
to improve upon what you’re doing, even it it’s considered contrary to the
traditions of an industry.
-- Howard Marguleas
I don't have much information about people starting their
own business but I like the idea. They
are pioneers. We have many different
kinds of products because business owners stuck their noses out to do something
different. Most of us don't think about
taking a different path. Often, we take
the comfortable path. There isn't even a
dream of something different. No one has
said to students, in particular, to think outside the box (however unnatural it
may feel).
My thinking may be unusual for most exercise physiologists,
especially the academic types. But, I
think exercise physiologists today will have to learn how to be leaders in business
as they are in health, fitness, rehabilitation, and athletics. I have been an exercise physiologist for a
long time, but I don't know when I have been more aware that starting your own
business is more important today than ever before. It feels to me that this is the only true
future of Board Certified Exercise Physiologists.
For more than a decade now, I have worked to support the idea
that entrepreneurial exercise physiology is a good thing. More and more I realize that it can involve a
combination of community practice, clinical skills, business skills and
managerial skills; all rolled into one.
Because the business and managerial areas of study are not required in
the typical exercise physiology curriculum, electives should be chosen to
strengthen these areas. The timing is
right to elect to take several or all of the following courses. No, I’m not talking about an account degree,
although it couldn’t hurt:
- Accounting
- Economics
- Personal Investing
- Financial Planning
- Business Management
- Ethics and Business
Law
- Marketing Management
Are you a risk taker who has always dreamed of "doing
your own thing?" Well, perhaps, you
should be. Starting your own healthcare businesses
isn’t impossible. That's right, it isn't
impossible! More than anything, you need
the passion to get started, and you need to know that it's worth it. Also, you need to know that getting out of
debt isn't just a dream (especially the college tuition loans). It is possible. Resolving credit issues and managing money
are subject areas exercise physiologists can (and should) talk about. They should also demonstrate the ability to
envision the future and who are passionate about "exercise as
medicine."
As an example only, the exercise physiology entrepreneur could
assume the risk and management of a healthcare business. You know…the application of exercise
prescriptions to young obese children, help the person with diabetes or
depression, rehabilitating the heart patient, or creating a specialized
training program for athletes. Think
about it. Life is a risk. Managing your affairs is full of
challenges. There isn't anything magical
about either one. It can be learned, and
the ASEP leadership is looking for exercise physiologists with the
entrepreneurial mindset.
- How to
assess business opportunity?
- How to
develop a business plan?
- How to
sell the idea?
- How to
bring the right people together?
- How to
pull together the right resources?
The ASEP leadership is also interested in helping students
develop the business tools and techniques to be successful. This means more academic exercise
physiologists must learn how to teach their students to work for themselves and
be self-sufficient. Can it be done in
addition to the emphasis on the scientific aspects of health, fitness,
rehabilitation, and athletics – your bet!
A primary goal of the ASEP leadership is to extend support
to other academic exercise physiologists to facilitate new thinking about
healthcare businesses and, therefore, further the goals of establishing
financially credible career opportunities for all exercise physiologists.
Reference
Boone, T. (2008). Going for the MBA Degree. Boonethink.com/
[Online]. http://boonethink.com/?p=128