For three years, Bonnie Healey
worked as a solopreneur in her therapy practice, Hope and Meaning Counseling. Then came COVID and the demand
for mental health services nationwide intensified.
“Part of it was pandemic-related
and just coping with adjustments,” Healey said of the increase in mental health
services. “People had time to do therapy. When they were stuck at home there
was no escaping some of these problems anymore.”
By 2021, Healey, a therapist of 13
years, hired her first employee. Her counseling business has since grown to
include 10 other therapists and three administrative staff.
In the process of expanding her
employee base, Healey also sought to enlarge her space, which, at the outset, consisted
of a 400-square-foot office.
Unsure of how to obtain funding
to purchase a larger office, Healey began mentoring with Steve Wolfson of SCORE
Bucks County. Together, they created a business plan and worked through the
steps required to secure a Small Business Administration loan.
“I had no idea how to actually
present my business,” Healey said. “He gave me some good critiques and helped
me revise the business plan.”
The SBA accepted Healey’s plan
and provided the funding. In February Hope and Meaning Counseling relocated to
a 1,300-square-foot space featuring three private offices, a waiting room, two
open work areas for administrative staff and a playground outside.
Situated on 3.5 acres in
Pipersville, the new location also has plenty of space to allow for walk and
talk therapy, which is popular among youth and others who prefer to do therapy
outside.
In addition to in-person mental
health services, Hope and Meaning Counseling offers telehealth counseling.
Therapists are licensed to serve clients in all 67 counties of Pennsylvania, as
well as Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, Vermont, and Oklahoma.
When Healey worked on her own,
she estimates that she saw between 40 and 50 clients regularly. Currently, she
and her team are serving 179 active clients. Since May 2021, 147 clients
concluded therapy.
“I can’t believe how things have
grown,” she said. “I have to start hiring again. The demand hasn’t really let
up that much.”
Wolfson, whose business
expertise includes starting 13 warehouse locations in the construction industry
and growing operations to $50 million in five years, said he’s glad that the
“calculated risk” of scaling up her business is paying off.
“She is proactive with a sharp
keen business mind that helped her offer get accepted against other bidders,”
Wolfson said of Healey’s real estate venture.
Healey intends to continue
boosting her business knowledge through SCORE webinars and mentoring with
Wolfson.
“I never thought I would own a
group practice and I never thought I would buy commercial real estate,” she
said. “I can’t predict that I’m not going to have a second location one day.”
Eventually, Healey said she
hopes to come “full circle” by becoming a SCORE mentor.
“We all need help,” she said.
“It’s something I really hope I can help people do in the future.”
About SCORE
Since 1964, SCORE has helped more
than 11 million aspiring entrepreneurs. Each year, SCORE
provides small business mentoring and workshops to more than 375,000
new and growing small businesses.?With 50 members across the
county, SCORE Bucks?County?provides over 1,500 free
mentoring services annually to local small business owners
through one-on-one counseling and small business seminars. To stay up to
date on news and happenings, join SCORE Bucks County’s email list. Text
SCOREBUCKS to 22828.
