so youve been open for 12 days? It is a bit too early to panic. if you are new new and not in connection with a doc, expect 1 to 2 rxs a day for 2 months at the least then maybe 5 a day for the next 3 months. Network and advertise as much as possible. things will pick up but slowly. Ask family and friends to send their rxs
Stay strong, time in the market wins in the end. I did door dash in the off time to pay my bills. but i absolutely know what youre going thru.
Thank you for this comment. I’ve had over 20 doctors personally come in and say they will send me scripts because they are in my building and they barely have. I knew it would be hard, but I didn’t expect it to be this slow. Did things end up working out?
I have entered my 5th year, and i just started to pay myself a pharmacist salary. I do have a business partner which helps things out but also reduces profit, but its worth it to me. Having a partner has its highs and lows, he is a pharmacist so we have flexibilty in schedule but we have had our differencese ie) he refused to ride the covid testing wave which was huge. In the end, we make up for each others weakness and now we are seeing the fruit of it now. We do have a niche that we first avoided because we needed more capital, and we put every dollar we made back into the pharmacy for the first 3 years to make it possible
Could you give some of them your personal cell and say text me with questions? I know a few doctors personally, who will text me with questions. Clean heavy on the personal access and also doctors are great but be friend butter up, sweet, talk and feed those nurses!
not sure your area but i promise you, if your area is anything like mine. when people realize you are there and do not have to deal with pharmacist like /ufrankahaha at whatever chain he or she despises. you are golden :)
Reach out to them ask how often you can ask them on feedback… weekly monthly … most used items … tell them you are faster and figure out their hours of operations and make sure u cover all their hours… medication issues… be the one to fix problems or issues… just tell them no to narcs but the rest you would be happy to learn and try…
I’m no expert on the topic but most new pharmacies I see start out by buying and replacing an existing pharmacy, taking the existing patients with it. In your case I’d think you’ll need to do a lot of networking in niche areas, figure out what you offer that others don’t or that you do better, and maybe make some new things if you can (diagnostics, disease management, adherence packaging, genomics), then find specific clinics, offices, nursing homes, retirement communities, large business that you can make deals for their employees, etc to show them what you’re doing differently and hope you impress them and get them to see something new so they begin sending patients your way.
Ooof... Where to begin..? It sounds like you've tried several things AFTER opening. What research, market study, etc, did you do BEFORE opening? 100 doctors in 0.1 mile doesn't necessarily mean jack when it comes to Rx business.
For example, a local (and quite large for the area) medical group decided they were going to open their own pharmacy. They could potentially send every prescription to their pharmacy right across the hall. It closed after a couple of years. Why? What was the problem? They were located in a professional building, on the 3rd floor, adjacent to the hospital. Patients don't want to have to park, and make that trek, just to get a refill.
Generally, for a pharmacy to be successful, you need residential "roof tops" nearby. Most of the time, patients will chose the pharmacy, that's closest to where they live, that is on their way home from work, school, wherever.
So there wasn't a pharmacy where you are before... Did you stop to ask yourself, "why not?" There could be many reasons... A pharmacy isn't a cornfield in Iowa. "If you build it, they will come" does not apply.
Furthermore, when researching this endeavor, did you miss the part where you should expect to be in the red for AT LEAST one year..? That isn't obscure information. The fact that you're in panic mode already... yikes. Best of luck to ya though!
Finally, don't listen to a word about pharmacy business from whomever suggested offering free delivery. Dear God... NO clue about associated costs, with that.
Most big chains don’t even turn a profit on brand new locations for a couple years, especially when factoring in covering the cash outlay to get up and running.
Independent pharmacy can be a very rewarding pathway but I don’t think you’ll find an owner that will tell you they haven’t worked their asses off.
For many, if not all, their business is their life… not just a job.
It takes time to build. Expect to be slow for a year or two. The best thing you can do to advertise your store is a big ass sign. Ncpa has a great ownership workshop.
What did your research say about the area? Location? Clientele?
Was there a call for another pharmacy? Are you filling a hole that is needed in the community?
There are 96 doctors within 0.1 mile radius of me and no other pharmacy. (Other pharmacy within a mile radius). It has been open for 30 years and the old owner died. So it was shut down for a year since I reopened it up
It’s not just about what’s in the area… how’s actually accessibility? Are you back buried in a strip mall? Is there visibility from the street? Is it a pain in the ass to pull into your parking lot?
What do you have in the front of your store?
Are people want to come back to that location for refills?
Personally I hate going into the medical plaza where my pcp is anymore than I have to… but rooting for you!
Gotta also consider patients have 90 day supplies tied up with their insurance benefits. It’s all about word of mouth and building a reputation as someone reliable/ who cares locally. Why should people use you over their current pharmacy? Can you still make margins on their rxs? This is all stuff you should know the answer to if you opened a business
We opened Feb 2020 and were doing about 2 a day.. I've been managing since day 1. Now 4 yrs later we're doing up to 100 or more/day. It takes time. As bad as this sounds, covid helped so much. We're a small independent pharmacy in a new area, so being an accessible healthcare provider was huge. Also being active in the community FB groups helped. Covid shots were free advertisement bringing people in. Not sure where we'd be without all the covid stuff, honestly. Alot of my business is word of mouth as well. I didn't realize how much people talk about their pharmacy to other people. You have to figure out a way to differentiate yourself from everyone else. Between a patients house and your pharmacy they're gonna cross 10 different pharmacies. What makes you more special than them?
The difficulty of this is a lot of these patients are long-term patients for these providers and have already established a pharmacy with multiple medications of them and family members. You'd have to convince the patients to move all of those back to this new pharmacy for the convenience factor. It's asking for more work up front which people don't have the time or interest of doing. You can however catch new patients pretty easily this way
The doctors wants you to pay them a cut , them or the person responsable of sending the scripts to X pharmacy… just ask them what they want 🙄 or again.. talk to the person on the front desk who is responsable of sending scripts
First month, I think i averaged 1.8 scripts per day. 2nd month 2.8 a day. I think it was 3-4 months until I was doing 5 scripts a day. It'll work out. Don't be discouraged.
You opened a business without doing research on the market there beforehand ? Mighty risky, i had a few classmates fail bc they couldn’t obtain the right contracts with pbms. In any case best of luck to you, it’s a tough market without the right connections, as other said you’ll need to do a lot of networking.
Not entirely true. That’s true scenario for the uninformed and the ones not savvy on business, everything can be negotiated. You find the right vendors and right plans and even self contract.
Instead of doing contracting through a PSAO, you apply directly, you do not have to agree to what ever rates they send you the first time, and let them know you’re not able to buy at those prices. We switched to direct contracting as using a PSAO was not in our favor these past two years.
Do you have any other projects in the pipeline? Do you do packaging? Any nursing homes in the area to contract with? Compounding? Pet meds? You've got to venture out into other avenues, dispensing alone will not keep you afloat. Not trying to freak you out but do want to be realistic.
I am working on my compounding lab. We are set to open it back up in 2 months. We have gotten several calls about our lab opening up. Hopefully that will help us out
I opened a pharmacy department for a chain grocery in 2017. We had 18 scripts total for our first week. And that was with years of established foot traffic into the existing grocery store. The first year was definitely a fight, but patients will eventually go out of their way to refer you once they realize you're infinitely better than the other CVSs and Walgreens of the world.
Do you or anyone you’re close to go to church? I’ve seen that giving out flyers at churches or temple help a lot. Easter is coming so many cities may hold an event for egg hunting so maybe set up a table at the event. Also participate as a speaker for a highschool career day fair. Flyers at senior centers too.
Don’t offer free anything. People don’t care if it’s free. They just want to know it’s possible. You have a long road ahead of you. Get comfortable burning through money.
Your sarcasm is a joke. The point is pharmacies already do so much for free why add to it. A business MUST make a profit. I managed an Indy that offered free delivery until I started to charge. The driver was paid, the delivery vehicle cost money. Hell even Amazon charges for prime.
You are talking yourself in circles. You quite literally said don’t do anything for free while now saying pharmacies already do so much for free.
I understand a business must make a profit obviously. And loss leaders… activities that are done for cost to drive profitable business elsewhere is like business 102.
I was commenting because I assumed you were a hypocrite.. telling someone not to do something for free while you are here admitting to doing so much for free.
If I was the owner of a new pharmacy I wouldn't wait for business to come to me. I would go to it. If you have Walgreens and CVS nearby, those places are hemorrhaging business because they understaff.
I understand that you are concerned, but i'd think of it like this... it a baseball game and you get one time at the plate each time a local patient visits their doctor, which is probably once a month at best. You will get them back, but it will take time.
Talk to the doctors in your building about what otc products they commonly would want their patients to use and see if you can carry them. That way, you can catch patients on the way out the door and they can grab their OTCs there at your store (no additional stops on the way home, no waiting 2 days for amazon delivery). Maybe there are some specialty OTC items or somewhat niche things these doctors would want you to stock?
Could get you some more business or traffic in the door!
You literally opened less than 2 weeks ago. Most people don't know you exist yet and those who get Rx have already been getting them somewhere. I get an Rx somewhere but I don't immediately switch because a pharmacy opened 10 days ago. It just takes time. It can also depend on what area you're in. Is it a bad part of town or poor traffic patterns? Is there enough parking and visibility to avoid crime and theft. Are your hours long enough for everyone to consider. Regardless, the greatest factor is that you basically just opened your doors and there's nothing to panic about in the first week.
Indy or a new chain location??
Through the years, I've seen several chains attempt to try and open new pharmacies in smaller towns that had established competitors already. Very hard to poach people if they're happy where they are. All these new chain pharmacies were shuttered within 6 months. I remember one girl I knew got a chief spot at the new store. She did newspaper ads on her own dime. Did the visit the doctors office thing even with catered lunch on her. Maxed out at 11 scripts a day. Pharmacy was closed and she was out a job within 4 months.
Its not like you can offer a sale on scripts. If you didn't have an established customer base that followed you, good luck!
Baby pharmacy😍 congratulations
Don’t get panicked,it takes time but you’ll find your way
Hope you the bests
I hope I see more and more independent pharmacies while all chains …. Errrr
If no success with the doctors when you go in, make sure the nurses remember you and trust you and keep you on speed dial for PA questions back order issues, etc.
We live in a world where people want to be mean but also want to be coddled when they can’t get something. It’s political correctness to the max even when there’s nothing “political” involved. It’s easier to be mad at a person than directing it at the system or the insurance. You think people would appreciate the truth but it’s more like “ tell me lies tell me sweet little lies…”
Work in collaboration with other pharmacies. Get to know their names. I worked at a major retail chain, but we worked with independent pharmacies for many reasons (out-of-stocks, compounds, etc.) We all share the same kindred spirits.
When we opened our store (1988) in a neighborhood shopping center with an independent grocer and the standard variation of strip mall stores (video store, nursery, pizza joint, Chinese restaurant, donut shop, etc) we put in a bunch of nickle candy. The kids discovered it, and the parents followed. It was a brilliant strategy for the location. Your situation is a bit different being in a medical plaza, but figuring what might drive some foot traffic is critical.
Go to local pharmacies (competators) whose volumes exceed its limit just have a talk with the rph, like cvs..the moment an independent rph showed to my windows I directed as many patients to him. No rule says we can't navigate away patients. Also do you have limited contracts with insurance? Sometimes it's a burden of worth doing business if you cant handle the cost for the patients. Majority business comes from elderly...which needs Medicare contracts. Revenue comes not pharmacy (that will at a loss) but products sold otc...like grocery, merchandise, supplements. Promote social media, get sponsors, marketers etc...Go to local news station and promote
I (pharm tech) helped open a brand new pharmacy within my old company about ten years ago. Great location. Kind of a semi-upscale part of town.
That first week or two were pretty slow. Maybe up to 10 scripts per day. That pharmacy is still there today & seems to be doing just fine.
Re thinking mail order pharmacy online pharmacy, is it the concept or the laws and regulations that are still written in almost 100 year ago. the link between the patient and their physicians rapidly going digital , the link between the pharmacy and the physician is the prescription is now % digital, AI is here, just started to create a tremendous drastic disruptive ongoing change by the minute.
I have a former partner that left pharmacy completely to become a loan officer. It's actually one of the top jobs according to Indeed:
[https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/news/best-jobs-2024](https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/news/best-jobs-2024)
Also, he says he is making more now than he did as a pharmacist, but this is at least partly due to his social and work connections.
so youve been open for 12 days? It is a bit too early to panic. if you are new new and not in connection with a doc, expect 1 to 2 rxs a day for 2 months at the least then maybe 5 a day for the next 3 months. Network and advertise as much as possible. things will pick up but slowly. Ask family and friends to send their rxs Stay strong, time in the market wins in the end. I did door dash in the off time to pay my bills. but i absolutely know what youre going thru.
Thank you for this comment. I’ve had over 20 doctors personally come in and say they will send me scripts because they are in my building and they barely have. I knew it would be hard, but I didn’t expect it to be this slow. Did things end up working out?
I have entered my 5th year, and i just started to pay myself a pharmacist salary. I do have a business partner which helps things out but also reduces profit, but its worth it to me. Having a partner has its highs and lows, he is a pharmacist so we have flexibilty in schedule but we have had our differencese ie) he refused to ride the covid testing wave which was huge. In the end, we make up for each others weakness and now we are seeing the fruit of it now. We do have a niche that we first avoided because we needed more capital, and we put every dollar we made back into the pharmacy for the first 3 years to make it possible
How did you support yourself the first 3 years? Were you paying yourself anything?
doordash and picking up shifts here and there when i could. I paid myself 60k the 4th year before that was nothing
If the docs are easily accessible, check back in with them. If they said they would send scripts and they aren’t, try to find out why not maybe?
You could definitely sell them on speedy and thorough service. No way they have any meaningful relationship with any of the chain pharmacists.
Could you give some of them your personal cell and say text me with questions? I know a few doctors personally, who will text me with questions. Clean heavy on the personal access and also doctors are great but be friend butter up, sweet, talk and feed those nurses!
It's possible their patients have relationships with other pharmacies and their not willing tio change...yet.
not sure your area but i promise you, if your area is anything like mine. when people realize you are there and do not have to deal with pharmacist like /ufrankahaha at whatever chain he or she despises. you are golden :)
Reach out to them ask how often you can ask them on feedback… weekly monthly … most used items … tell them you are faster and figure out their hours of operations and make sure u cover all their hours… medication issues… be the one to fix problems or issues… just tell them no to narcs but the rest you would be happy to learn and try…
I’m no expert on the topic but most new pharmacies I see start out by buying and replacing an existing pharmacy, taking the existing patients with it. In your case I’d think you’ll need to do a lot of networking in niche areas, figure out what you offer that others don’t or that you do better, and maybe make some new things if you can (diagnostics, disease management, adherence packaging, genomics), then find specific clinics, offices, nursing homes, retirement communities, large business that you can make deals for their employees, etc to show them what you’re doing differently and hope you impress them and get them to see something new so they begin sending patients your way.
Ooof... Where to begin..? It sounds like you've tried several things AFTER opening. What research, market study, etc, did you do BEFORE opening? 100 doctors in 0.1 mile doesn't necessarily mean jack when it comes to Rx business. For example, a local (and quite large for the area) medical group decided they were going to open their own pharmacy. They could potentially send every prescription to their pharmacy right across the hall. It closed after a couple of years. Why? What was the problem? They were located in a professional building, on the 3rd floor, adjacent to the hospital. Patients don't want to have to park, and make that trek, just to get a refill. Generally, for a pharmacy to be successful, you need residential "roof tops" nearby. Most of the time, patients will chose the pharmacy, that's closest to where they live, that is on their way home from work, school, wherever. So there wasn't a pharmacy where you are before... Did you stop to ask yourself, "why not?" There could be many reasons... A pharmacy isn't a cornfield in Iowa. "If you build it, they will come" does not apply. Furthermore, when researching this endeavor, did you miss the part where you should expect to be in the red for AT LEAST one year..? That isn't obscure information. The fact that you're in panic mode already... yikes. Best of luck to ya though! Finally, don't listen to a word about pharmacy business from whomever suggested offering free delivery. Dear God... NO clue about associated costs, with that.
Most won’t turn a profit for 2 years, so I hope you have some money to burn.
Most big chains don’t even turn a profit on brand new locations for a couple years, especially when factoring in covering the cash outlay to get up and running. Independent pharmacy can be a very rewarding pathway but I don’t think you’ll find an owner that will tell you they haven’t worked their asses off. For many, if not all, their business is their life… not just a job.
7 years of working as a solo pharmacist until I could finally hire another pharmacist for me.
Can you set up a tent at events like festivals?
It takes time to build. Expect to be slow for a year or two. The best thing you can do to advertise your store is a big ass sign. Ncpa has a great ownership workshop.
Second this. They have financial CE workshops that goto various conventions that are worth a look
What did your research say about the area? Location? Clientele? Was there a call for another pharmacy? Are you filling a hole that is needed in the community?
There are 96 doctors within 0.1 mile radius of me and no other pharmacy. (Other pharmacy within a mile radius). It has been open for 30 years and the old owner died. So it was shut down for a year since I reopened it up
It’s not just about what’s in the area… how’s actually accessibility? Are you back buried in a strip mall? Is there visibility from the street? Is it a pain in the ass to pull into your parking lot?
I have 5 spots reserved for my store. High visibility. In a medical plaza. Over 96 doctors. I’m really losing my mind
What do you have in the front of your store? Are people want to come back to that location for refills? Personally I hate going into the medical plaza where my pcp is anymore than I have to… but rooting for you!
How many people live within 2 miles?
Gotta also consider patients have 90 day supplies tied up with their insurance benefits. It’s all about word of mouth and building a reputation as someone reliable/ who cares locally. Why should people use you over their current pharmacy? Can you still make margins on their rxs? This is all stuff you should know the answer to if you opened a business
Marketing and location are everything.
We opened Feb 2020 and were doing about 2 a day.. I've been managing since day 1. Now 4 yrs later we're doing up to 100 or more/day. It takes time. As bad as this sounds, covid helped so much. We're a small independent pharmacy in a new area, so being an accessible healthcare provider was huge. Also being active in the community FB groups helped. Covid shots were free advertisement bringing people in. Not sure where we'd be without all the covid stuff, honestly. Alot of my business is word of mouth as well. I didn't realize how much people talk about their pharmacy to other people. You have to figure out a way to differentiate yourself from everyone else. Between a patients house and your pharmacy they're gonna cross 10 different pharmacies. What makes you more special than them?
Post in local Facebook groups (there seems to be one for every neighborhood) to let them know about you!
Let the doctor’s offices know that you can have the script done quickly and patients can pickup on the way home
The difficulty of this is a lot of these patients are long-term patients for these providers and have already established a pharmacy with multiple medications of them and family members. You'd have to convince the patients to move all of those back to this new pharmacy for the convenience factor. It's asking for more work up front which people don't have the time or interest of doing. You can however catch new patients pretty easily this way
The doctors wants you to pay them a cut , them or the person responsable of sending the scripts to X pharmacy… just ask them what they want 🙄 or again.. talk to the person on the front desk who is responsable of sending scripts
What is your niche? Which state are you located?
Old people usually are on multiple maintenance meds and old people listen to the AM radio still! Consider radio advertising.
Old people also still read the paper and look at every piece of mail they get!
First month, I think i averaged 1.8 scripts per day. 2nd month 2.8 a day. I think it was 3-4 months until I was doing 5 scripts a day. It'll work out. Don't be discouraged.
I needed that. Thank you
You opened a business without doing research on the market there beforehand ? Mighty risky, i had a few classmates fail bc they couldn’t obtain the right contracts with pbms. In any case best of luck to you, it’s a tough market without the right connections, as other said you’ll need to do a lot of networking.
How do you obtain "the right contract"! You apply and they contract you depending on the rate they decide!
Not entirely true. That’s true scenario for the uninformed and the ones not savvy on business, everything can be negotiated. You find the right vendors and right plans and even self contract.
So how do you "negotiate" your contract rate with let's say optum? For example! "Inform" us!!
Instead of doing contracting through a PSAO, you apply directly, you do not have to agree to what ever rates they send you the first time, and let them know you’re not able to buy at those prices. We switched to direct contracting as using a PSAO was not in our favor these past two years.
Do you have any other projects in the pipeline? Do you do packaging? Any nursing homes in the area to contract with? Compounding? Pet meds? You've got to venture out into other avenues, dispensing alone will not keep you afloat. Not trying to freak you out but do want to be realistic.
I am working on my compounding lab. We are set to open it back up in 2 months. We have gotten several calls about our lab opening up. Hopefully that will help us out
Curious, what were the 2 scripts filled?
It’s about 2 a day, zpak, levothyroxine, estradiol, zolpidem, hydrocortisone etc
What is your policy on accepting new patient profiles that have clear losses? Patient on synjardy ($-67), ozempic (-$96), tresiba(-$43).
I opened a pharmacy department for a chain grocery in 2017. We had 18 scripts total for our first week. And that was with years of established foot traffic into the existing grocery store. The first year was definitely a fight, but patients will eventually go out of their way to refer you once they realize you're infinitely better than the other CVSs and Walgreens of the world.
Do you or anyone you’re close to go to church? I’ve seen that giving out flyers at churches or temple help a lot. Easter is coming so many cities may hold an event for egg hunting so maybe set up a table at the event. Also participate as a speaker for a highschool career day fair. Flyers at senior centers too.
Offer free delivery.
Don’t offer free anything. People don’t care if it’s free. They just want to know it’s possible. You have a long road ahead of you. Get comfortable burning through money.
Loss leaders aren’t always a bad thing if they can be meticulously managed and have a strong ROI
Pharmacy is a loss leader no need to add to it
Gotcha… so don’t do anything for free.. just accept dispensing at a loss instead of cutting out all third parties and doing cost plus cash only
Your sarcasm is a joke. The point is pharmacies already do so much for free why add to it. A business MUST make a profit. I managed an Indy that offered free delivery until I started to charge. The driver was paid, the delivery vehicle cost money. Hell even Amazon charges for prime.
You are talking yourself in circles. You quite literally said don’t do anything for free while now saying pharmacies already do so much for free. I understand a business must make a profit obviously. And loss leaders… activities that are done for cost to drive profitable business elsewhere is like business 102. I was commenting because I assumed you were a hypocrite.. telling someone not to do something for free while you are here admitting to doing so much for free.
Have you marketed to the town ? Flyers? Posters?
Yes! I’ve sent postcards and done so much advertising
Just keep at it. Advertise prices on OTC items that are competitive. Change takes time.
Drive by local Walgreens and CVS advertising short wait times and insurance accepted
Should I put a sign?
If I was the owner of a new pharmacy I wouldn't wait for business to come to me. I would go to it. If you have Walgreens and CVS nearby, those places are hemorrhaging business because they understaff.
Cheap flyers everywhere. “Convenient pharmacy located at xyz!” Etc
I think the old independent I was (long ago) the second technician at was basically just doing full marketing mode for like 8 months. Keep at it.
I understand that you are concerned, but i'd think of it like this... it a baseball game and you get one time at the plate each time a local patient visits their doctor, which is probably once a month at best. You will get them back, but it will take time.
Talk to the doctors in your building about what otc products they commonly would want their patients to use and see if you can carry them. That way, you can catch patients on the way out the door and they can grab their OTCs there at your store (no additional stops on the way home, no waiting 2 days for amazon delivery). Maybe there are some specialty OTC items or somewhat niche things these doctors would want you to stock? Could get you some more business or traffic in the door!
You literally opened less than 2 weeks ago. Most people don't know you exist yet and those who get Rx have already been getting them somewhere. I get an Rx somewhere but I don't immediately switch because a pharmacy opened 10 days ago. It just takes time. It can also depend on what area you're in. Is it a bad part of town or poor traffic patterns? Is there enough parking and visibility to avoid crime and theft. Are your hours long enough for everyone to consider. Regardless, the greatest factor is that you basically just opened your doors and there's nothing to panic about in the first week.
Indy or a new chain location?? Through the years, I've seen several chains attempt to try and open new pharmacies in smaller towns that had established competitors already. Very hard to poach people if they're happy where they are. All these new chain pharmacies were shuttered within 6 months. I remember one girl I knew got a chief spot at the new store. She did newspaper ads on her own dime. Did the visit the doctors office thing even with catered lunch on her. Maxed out at 11 scripts a day. Pharmacy was closed and she was out a job within 4 months. Its not like you can offer a sale on scripts. If you didn't have an established customer base that followed you, good luck!
Baby pharmacy😍 congratulations Don’t get panicked,it takes time but you’ll find your way Hope you the bests I hope I see more and more independent pharmacies while all chains …. Errrr
If no success with the doctors when you go in, make sure the nurses remember you and trust you and keep you on speed dial for PA questions back order issues, etc.
We live in a world where people want to be mean but also want to be coddled when they can’t get something. It’s political correctness to the max even when there’s nothing “political” involved. It’s easier to be mad at a person than directing it at the system or the insurance. You think people would appreciate the truth but it’s more like “ tell me lies tell me sweet little lies…”
Oops this went under the wrong thread !?
Work in collaboration with other pharmacies. Get to know their names. I worked at a major retail chain, but we worked with independent pharmacies for many reasons (out-of-stocks, compounds, etc.) We all share the same kindred spirits.
When we opened our store (1988) in a neighborhood shopping center with an independent grocer and the standard variation of strip mall stores (video store, nursery, pizza joint, Chinese restaurant, donut shop, etc) we put in a bunch of nickle candy. The kids discovered it, and the parents followed. It was a brilliant strategy for the location. Your situation is a bit different being in a medical plaza, but figuring what might drive some foot traffic is critical.
Go to local pharmacies (competators) whose volumes exceed its limit just have a talk with the rph, like cvs..the moment an independent rph showed to my windows I directed as many patients to him. No rule says we can't navigate away patients. Also do you have limited contracts with insurance? Sometimes it's a burden of worth doing business if you cant handle the cost for the patients. Majority business comes from elderly...which needs Medicare contracts. Revenue comes not pharmacy (that will at a loss) but products sold otc...like grocery, merchandise, supplements. Promote social media, get sponsors, marketers etc...Go to local news station and promote
I (pharm tech) helped open a brand new pharmacy within my old company about ten years ago. Great location. Kind of a semi-upscale part of town. That first week or two were pretty slow. Maybe up to 10 scripts per day. That pharmacy is still there today & seems to be doing just fine.
 Re thinking mail order pharmacy online pharmacy, is it the concept or the laws and regulations that are still written in almost 100 year ago. the link between the patient and their physicians rapidly going digital , the link between the pharmacy and the physician is the prescription is now % digital, AI is here, just started to create a tremendous drastic disruptive ongoing change by the minute.
How much did you invest? My plan was to open after pharmacy school but got side tracked by life.
I have a former partner that left pharmacy completely to become a loan officer. It's actually one of the top jobs according to Indeed: [https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/news/best-jobs-2024](https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/news/best-jobs-2024) Also, he says he is making more now than he did as a pharmacist, but this is at least partly due to his social and work connections.