As a business owner, part of mature growth is defined by the ability to not only recognize your strengths and work on them but to understand your mistakes, continuing to improve each day.
Julie Hubik understands that she is not perfect, but she uses this to her advantage, identifying how she can reinvent herself and leap ahead of others in the game.
As an entrepreneur, from the minute she wakes up to the second her head hits the pillow, she is a great example of the perseverance and passion that is needed for a hearing healthcare clinic to survive.
While audiology wasn’t always her first domain, persistence and enthusiasm are a key part of Julie’s personality, so it wasn’t long until their pathways met, and she was changing the scope of the industry.
“There is no way to prepare for what may walk in the door, you must be good off the cuff so to speak. You never know what may come your way. Audiology is simply so much fun.”
Up to now, Julie has achieved many great things – Cornerstone Audiology her biggest victory – but she has suffered many strikes along the way, including the pandemic and all the difficulties it has brought.
Despite this, Julie managed to turn 2020, an economic crisis, into a year of profitability, opportunity, and cooperation.
In some ways, Julie has a mindset that works differently from others. Where one may falter and crumble, Julie leaps at the opportunity.
So, let’s understand a bit more about Julie Hubik…
Hearing Loss Was Second Nature
Exposed to hearing loss from a young age, Julie became enamored by the world of hearing healthcare after watching others around her struggle. It upset her to see others go without the ability to hear sounds, particularly communication.
Whether by learning sign language to speak to a family friend or helping her roommate with instructions, Julie did all that she could to make sure others felt included.
With hearing a key passion, she went on to work with an ear, nose and throat surgeon after graduating with her Au.D and went head-first into the world of hearing healthcare.
However, it wasn’t always easy, and she even walked out of a clinic on one occasion.
Julie recognizes that mistakes were made on both sides, which she still reflects on to this day, but it only cemented the growing need to open her own clinic.
“To be able to combine my love for older people, audiology and business into a career at Cornerstone Audiology is a dream for me.
It is a gift every day. I am so thankful for all of it, even my frustrations at the ENT office. Every job or position that we hold in our life prepares us for what is next.”
From opening up Cornerstone Audiology in 2007 to juggling many roles and being unable to take a paycheck for over 3 years, she now has 7 members of staff, two offices in West Texas, and serves over 9,000 patients, with this number continuing to grow each week.
Julie is always learning – the pandemic a particular lesson – but she is excited about the future and what it brings and is glad to have her team alongside her every step of the way.
The 3 Strategies That Allowed Cornerstone Audiology To Grow
Julie shares the three things that have aided her success as a clinic:
#1 – Consistent & Creative Communication
“During the pandemic, our genuine concern for our patients, as well as our consistent communication with them, built loyalty among our patients. We have built an additional layer of trust with our patients so that when they receive an email or a letter from us, they read it and most of them respond in some way.
Over the past year, we have run multiple upgrade campaigns, and all have been extremely successful. I attribute this to the level of trust we have established, the open communication lines we have with our patients, and the extra care we have taken in the campaign presentation.”
#2 – Transparency
“Over the past year, our audiologists have implemented a uniform price sheet to go over with patients after a hearing loss is explained. These visual pages give patients a consistent story about what is included in the treatment plan selected.
The design and content encourage patients to choose more advanced offerings and therefore has increased Average Selling Price (ASP) by over $500/hearing aid.”
#3 – Reliable Accounting
“Restructuring commissions and employee compensation packages has increased revenue and productivity of the entire team. As mentioned previously, my office manager/financial administrator is more motivated to keep accounts receivable as low as possible.
Audiologists are more motivated to recommend higher level technology as well as extended warranties and accessories, also increasing overall revenue for the clinic.”
Julie understands that there are going to be greater challenges than others, including local competition, but she believes creating a strong team is essential, allowing resilience against any difficulties that may come their way.
“It has been easy to see which vendors you work with align with your values and which ones do not.”
“I have eliminated almost all of the vendors I work with who don’t align with my own values and culture. That has been a huge relief.”
Julie’s firsthand experiences allowed her to relate to her patients at a deeper level, but it wasn’t until she came across the Inner Circle that she noticed a real change to her brand.
The Number One Way The Inner Circle Contributed To Julie Hubik’s Success – Perspective
“Before I used Orange and Grey, my marketing budget was extremely expensive. Although I was fairly consistent marketing to my database, I also spent over $35,000/year on television, $10,000/year on billboards, $20,000/year on radio and $30,000/year on direct mail.”
“I am currently doing none of these things and my revenue is on track to have a record year for profitability in 2021.”
“With all the uncertainty of the industry, knowing Inner Circle is strategically planning with me to tackle all that lies in front of me. By working on online articles regarding OTC, Google searches, OTC offering in my Service Center, I feel confident that we are heading into the future armed to offer the best help to those with hearing loss without ignoring the other options that exist in the market.”
Julie Hubik is a well-respected member of the Inner Circle, providing an example to many others in the industry. She is a forward thinker with a strong vision and is a key role model to others.
We are grateful to have her onboard our community and can’t wait to watch her grow.