F R O M T H E
PRESIDENT
Kristi Hayes , C . Ped . PFA President kristi @ pedorthics . org
“ You can ’ t expect to meet the challenges of today with yesterday ’ s tools and expect to be in business tomorrow .”
— Unknown
Many people fear change , whether it is in personal or business matters , but changing nothing solves nothing . Never be afraid to make changes midstream ; after all , you wouldn ’ t keep ordering footwear for your patients if it falls apart and you certainly wouldn ’ t make the same type of orthotic for every problem . So in day-to-day practice you are really employing small changes all the time .
Sure , nobody likes big changes but they are necessary . Recently , PFA made a shift and hired a new management company . This enabled us to dramatically cut our costs in order to provide you with better benefits for your money without raising costs to you . In our new economy , we all need this kind of change to both sustain and grow .
Moving our files to a new office and training new staff isn ’ t an exciting or glamorous job , and is incredibly time consuming ; however , the end result far outweighs the work involved to create the change . The adjustments you need to make in your business will not be any easier but it ’ s quite necessary .
Is your profit stagnant ? Are your employees unhappy ? Not getting return on your time investment where referrals are concerned ? Then it ’ s time to evaluate your position overall and plan out some changes . Just because you have a problem here or a problem there , doesn ’ t mean you have to make as big of a change as we did ; maybe all you need is a tweak . It ’ s vital to monitor your progress in every area so you can properly determine your next move .
The best advice I can give you is not to delay your full inspection of your own business . The sooner you can take a good , long look at it ; the better off you will be because you can spring into action . “ I ’ m too busy today , I ’ ll get to it tomorrow ”… that can kill you . Too many wait until it ’ s almost too late , and I ’ ve even done it myself on an endeavor or two .
I had put off writing this President ’ s Message in the evenings to watch TV . I was watching a reality show about a gal who goes into your business , tells you quite bluntly what you are doing wrong , and in a week shows you how to do it right … I had to laugh because it reminded me of myself , and of course , I proceeded to tell myself to get off the couch and get my butt back to work ! The only reason I share this personal tidbit is because shows like this are becoming more and more popular , and every time I see one , the business owner is in dire straits because they absolutely refused to change . This portrays a growing trend of people who don ’ t want to give up on their business , but will lose them because they just won ’ t do anything different .
Obviously the moral of this story is don ’ t be one of those people ; get off the couch and talk to friends and colleagues , and find out what they do best and emulate that success wherever possible . Allow them to help inspire your changes , big or small . And as always , PFA is here to help . ■
ABOUT PFA
The Pedorthic Footcare Association ( PFA ), founded in 1958 , is the not-for-profit professional association that represents the interests of the certified and / or licensed pedorthist and supports the pedorthic profession at large .
Through PFA ’ s efforts , pedorthics — the design , manufacture , modification and fit of shoes and foot orthoses to alleviate problems caused by disease , congenital condition , overuse or injury — is a wellestablished allied health profession that makes an invaluable contribution to public health .
MISSION
PFA ’ s mission is to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the credentialed ( certified and / or licensed ) pedorthist through education ; increase the demand for the credentialed pedorthist ’ s services through marketing ; and defend the credentialed pedorthist ’ s right to practice through government affairs activities .
Pedorthic Footcare Association 8400 Westpark Drive 2nd Floor McLean , VA 22102 phone ( 703 ) 610-9035 toll-free ( 800 ) 673-8447 fax ( 703 ) 995-4456 email info @ pedorthics . org website www . pedorthics . org
Scan the QR code with a smartphone to learn more about PFA .
6 Pedorthic Footcare Association www . pedorthics . org