In 2020, I became interested in learning how to smoke meat. Since then, I have noticed some tips I have learnt about smoking meat also relate to running a successful podiatry business. Who would have thought?
Below are my top ten tips that I think you will benefit from and find easy to apply in your podiatry business, and if nothing else, you'll learn a lot more about smoking good meat.
1. Don't over-season; keep it simple
When you're smoking meat, you want the seasoning to bring out the flavour in the meat, in addition to the smoke flavour you're creating. If you over season with too much salt or pepper, it can be over-powering and take away from the desired result.
I think this relates well to setting up systems in your podiatry business, don't over-complicate them; keep them simple. A good rule of thumb is getting a 12-year-old to read your system; if they don't understand it, it's too complicated.
In the 12-Week Podiatry Business Reboot, I discuss writing systems for average patients, not extremes. Trying to write systems to cover every patient and every concern is a waste of valuable time. Remember, keep it simple.
2. Allow enough time to cook
Smoking meat is often referred to as cooking low and slow because the temperate of the smoker is kept relatively low, and therefore it takes much longer to cook the meat all the way through to the desired result you are after.
So, you must learn to be patient and respect the smoking process; you cannot rush.
When you think of different aspects of your podiatry business, you must also learn to be patient and respect the process. A new marketing campaign will not always give you instant results; sometimes, it takes time to gain momentum.
I say the same thing about business coaching; you need time to see the true results. I know the 12-Week Podiatry Business Reboot does give some fast early results, but the program's true value is not fully experienced until many months afterwards.
3. Make sure you rest the meat long enough
Meat needs to rest because the juices need time to redistribute; otherwise, it will flow away as soon as you cut into it, leaving you with a brown, overcooked piece of meat.
Just like meat, you need to rest as well. You need to permit yourself to take a break. If you've been flat out on a particular task or just been busy, take some time out to rest and recuperate. It's sort of like redistributing your creative juices.
You need to slow down before you can speed up.
4. Don't make big changes when you cook
If you want to get better at smoking meat, you've got to make continual small changes, review the results and then make another small change or tweak. Therefore, you should only make one small change at a time. When you make small changes and review the results, you become more aware of what works and what does not.
If you feel a current marketing strategy or tactic is not performing as it should, the same principles apply, make one small change at a time and avoid big changes; otherwise, you could miss which change made the difference.
5. Look for the right signs
When you're cooking meat in a smoker, there are several things you're looking at. The colour, how does the bark look, and is the fat rendering as it should? These are all important, but not as important as the temperature.
The internal temperate will tell you when the meat is cooked and safe to eat, and different meats have different temperatures. I don’t care how good my chicken looks; if the thermometer says it’s not cooked, it’s not cooked.
With your podiatry business, there will also be particular signs or key performance indicators you should look at regularly to know if your business is running as it should. I discuss numbers in Episode 135 - The Importance of Understanding Your Numbers.
But not all numbers are equal or hold the same importance. Depending on the type of podiatry business you’re growing, certain KPIs will hold more relevance than others.
6. Don't over smoke
When you first begin smoking meat, you think the more smoke, the better, but what you quickly learn is that it leaves a bitter taste in your mouth, and it is not pleasant.
How does this relate to your podiatry business? You should stay in contact with your patients with regular newsletters and emails to keep them updated with what your business is doing, but don't overdo it.
Don't bombard them with too much information. If you’re doing a newsletter, electronic or hardcopy, keep it simple and don’t make it too long. Respect your patient's time.
7. Avoid wild temperature swings
One of the trickiest things to master when smoking meat is maintaining a constant temperature for an extended period of time.
If you have wild temperate swings, it will affect the cooking process and outcome of your cooking. If it's too high, the meat cooks too fast and becomes tough, and if it is too low, you may find you're getting takeaway for your dinner guests because it's not ready.
Your goal is to maintain a constant temperature and therefore cook at a steady rate.
I like to equate temperature swings to managing the patient flow or weekly patient numbers in your diary. What you don't want is busy weeks followed by quiet weeks. This is not a good way to run a podiatry business.
8. Do not use low-quality meat
When it comes to meat, you get what you pay for. If you start with low-quality meat, it will be extremely difficult to finish with a great outcome.
When it comes to your podiatry business, aim for quality in all areas.
For example, quality instruments may cost more, but they also last much longer and make your work life easier. I bought a pair of surgical scissors in 1998 that cost me about $110 at the time, and they are still going strong today.
In my podiatry business, I always had the philosophy of 'better before cheaper', and sometimes the best option was also the cheapest, but not very often. And patients are not dumb; they can tell the difference between a quality service and a cheap service.
When it comes to treating your patients, offer them the best treatment, not the cheapest treatment and let them decide if they can or cannot afford it.
A patient's affordability is not your responsibility.
9. Trim properly
Before smoking meat, you need to allow time to trim, meaning removing some excess fat, especially the hard fat and fat that's too thick in some areas.
You must also trim off any thin pieces of meat that will burn during the cooking process. You're better off cutting it off and putting a smile on your pet’s face.
In your podiatry business, where can you trim the fat?
- Are you over-ordering, and have you got valuable stock sitting on a shelf for too long?
- Are you spending money on marketing that gives you little or no results?
- Are you offering services or have equipment that no one uses or wants?
- Have you got a spare room in your clinic doing nothing? Could it be a sublet?
- Are you hanging onto underperforming team members?
10. Learn from others with experience
The best advice I can give anyone learning to smoke meat is to learn from others that have gone before you. They say if you’re going to walk through a minefield, follow someone else’s footsteps, which sounds like good advice.
Most of my smoking knowledge has come from YouTube and friends with smokers. If smoking classes were available where I live, I would be tapping into those as well.
What I don’t do is take advice or guidance from people that do not own a smoker.
As a podiatry business owner, you need to do the same. Learn from others that have gone before you, and stop trying to reinvent the wheel.
If you need help with your business, read books, jump onto webinars and listen to podcasts. Consider attending online training, like my 12-Week Podiatry Business Reboot. You need to get into a habit of continual learning.
If there is a LIVE event, make it a priority, and don't make excuses why you cannot attend.
If you have any questions about this episode, please email me at .
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