Tina Baxter Of Baxter Professional Services and The Nurse Shark Academy: Five Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Launched My Business or Startup

Taking the risk to start a company is a feat few are fully equipped for. Any business owner knows that the first few years in business are anything but glamorous. Building a successful business takes time, lessons learned, and most importantly, enormous growth as a business owner. What works and what doesn’t when one starts a new business? What are the valuable lessons learned from the “University of Adversity”? As part of this interview series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Tina Baxter.

Tina M. Baxter is an advanced practice registered nurse and a board certified gerontological nurse practitioner through the American Nurse Credentialing Center (ANCC), who resides in Anderson, Indiana. She is the founder of The Nurse Shark Academy where she coaches nurses to launch and scale their businesses. She is the host of The Nurse Shark Academy show which interviews and spotlights nurse business owners and leaders in healthcare. She is the owner of Baxter Professional Services, LLC, a consulting firm which provides legal nurse consulting services for attorneys and insurance professionals.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

I started my entrepreneurial journey while in nursing school teaching CPR classes to make extra cash. I had no idea that this could be a business. I was just looking to supplement my income. I had great mentors who helped in nursing school so they would send people my way to take the classes. I was teaching in doctor’s offices and health clinics, not realizing that I was taking on corporate clients. I just kept it up as a side hustle until many years later, when I started a business with my business partners and I realized I was already an entrepreneur.

Can you tell us a story about the hard times that you faced when you first started your journey?

One of the hardest things was making that mind shift from employee to entrepreneur. Learning that I had to show up when no one else would. I also had to learn how to set my price for my services and not to be afraid to send an invoice. I know it may sound silly but understanding that what you have to offer has value and you deserve to be compensated for your skill can be foreign to nurses. Many nurses working at the bedside don’t charge for their services, it is bundled in the room charge. It is the hidden value of nursing. Charging a fee for my services was foreign to me as an entrepreneur as my fees are not dictated by insurance company reimbursement agreements or a service contract by an employer.

Where did you get the drive to continue even though things were so hard?

I turned to my faith, my husband, Daniel, and my mentors. It is so important to have good mentors and coaches in your life. I hired a branding coach, joined a mastermind, and poured myself into personal development. I discovered that I had to first invest in myself to help grow my business.

So, how are things going today? How did grit and resilience lead to your eventual success?

Things are moving along. I started out the new year with submitting my first book to the editor with the goal to publish this year. I am working on a second book outline now. My podcast, The Nurse Shark Academy Show, is entering its third season. We were nominated for a Women In Podcasting Award last year.

I learned to keep moving forward. Not every project will work out. I took what I learned from each experience and just kept moving forward. I stay on the lookout for new ideas or opportunities to be of service. I recognize that everything has a season. When my first business closed and we dissolved our partnership, it hurt but I also recognized that it was time to move on. If we hadn’t closed that business, I would not have had the time and focus to launch The Nurse Shark Academy. I would have still been playing small.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

I remember once when I was taking the nursing assistant students to clinical on early Saturday morning and I was reminded that I was no longer twenty years old. I could make it in my 20s on 4 hours of sleep, get up work a full shift, and still go out at night. Well, the night before, I was up late working on my progress notes after a very long day at the clinic. This was following a week where I was up late most nights, traveling to different cities to see patients, and coming home to chart. I went to bed around 2:30–3:00 am and got up for clinicals at 5:30 am. I showed up at the facility dead tired. I remember sitting on the sofa and I told the students, just get started and call me if they needed anything. I felt and looked awful. I was in pain from my head to my toes. Even my hair hurt. I dismissed the student early at lunch time, went home and spent the next two days in bed. I learned two lessons, one, don’t ever run yourself into the ground like that, and two, I am not twenty years old anymore. I can’t bounce back that quick. I learned to pace myself.

What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

When I started The Nurse Shark Academy, I wanted to find a name that really spoke to who we are as nurse entrepreneurs. I looked around at different names, Nurse Boss, Nursepreneurs, etc and they were taken. I was watching Shark Tank then and I thought, what about a shark. A shark is an expert in their field. I thought why not The Nurse Shark, we are experts in nursing and experts in business. A fun bonus is that there is an actual nurse shark animal. The nurse shark has lots of teeth and looks scary, but it usually won’t bother you unless you bother it. I like that. Nurses are the same way. Nurses are compassionate and caring, but when threatened we aren’t afraid to show our teeth. It really resonated with me.

Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?

Seek out people you can trust, who have your back, and your best interest to be a part of your tribe. Learn to collaborate. You don’t have to be in business alone. Invest in yourself. Find a good coach or mentor. Take time for your self-care.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?

There are so many. I would have to say my husband, Daniel. He just gets me and allows me to be me. He is my business partner. He knows if l was left to my own devices, I would continue to grind away and forget to eat or sleep. He helps me to set healthy boundaries. I made a commitment to stop working by 9:00 pm. I have meetings with people from around the world so sometimes the calls can run late. I hang it up at 9:00 pm as often as I can with very few exceptions.

How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?

My show is about promoting nurses as entrepreneurs and business leaders. I speak with nurses who are coaches and consultants like me, nurses who are opening homecare and concierge business, nurses who are inventors and bringing new products to the market. It is all so gratifying. I don’t worry if someone is going to choose to work with guest over working with me. There is enough business for all of us. I know that I am not everyone’s cup of tea and that’s okay. I learned to stay in my lane and share what I have with others. If we cross promote. Collaborate, and work together, we all win. That is what we want, right? So, if my platform can help you prosper in your business, then we both win. I have a piece of that. Some nurse or potential nurse listening to my show can say, “I can do that”. It helps grow our profession and it keeps nurses who may have thought that they needed to leave the profession to stay. My philosophy is you can leave your job, but you don’t have to leave your profession. Learn to be a nurse in a different way.

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first launched my business,” and why?

In my first business, I had two business partners. We were fellow nurses and friends. We started with the simple idea of helping people in our community get jobs during the recession of 2008–2009. Over time, that vision changed but we did not keep up with the changes or recognize when our vision became fragmented. We added services before we fully implemented or realized our other service lines. We grew fast and it changed our course from our original mission. This invariably resulted in conflict. Stay on your mission and keep it in your focus. Support one another by nurturing the skills of each partner. One of the biggest lessons is to make sure each partner’s skill set is aligned with the tasks they are assigned in the company. No one wanted to “do the books” so we just selected someone to do it by default. Things did not work out well until we hired a professional to assist us. Know your skillset. If you don’t have the skills or the heart to do a task, delegate it appropriately or hire a professional. A second lesson, be open and honest when things are not going well in your business. Make sure everyone is equally invested in the business for success. As Brene Brown says, clear is kind. If you are not feeling it, say so. Be willing to listen to the other person’s point of view. Communication is key. Third, be open to change because the market shifts, demand may change, and you may have to pivot. When the pandemic hit, many companies were scrambling to find a way to function in an online environment. I had time restraints that forced me to make most of meetings on Zoom. Suddenly, the world shuts down and people were ready to meet online for business. My networking and reach have grown tremendously. Because I was already in that space, it was much easier for me to pivot and change. Fourth, establish clear boundaries and healthy relationships. I remember I was sitting in a deposition as a nurse expert and the plaintiff attorney was just over the board insulting. I mean just terrible to myself, the defense attorney, and to nurses in general. My job was to objectively discuss the standard of care. He consistently belittled the profession of nursing and myself. I remember thinking to myself, “Who hurt you?” The defense attorney had to object and call him out on it. I remember thinking I don’t need that negative energy in my life. It was later when talking to another attorney about the situation, he mentioned, “Yeah, I know that guy. He is the angriest person I have ever met.’ That angry guy went on my “do not contact” list. Have healthy boundaries and don’t work with someone just to make a buck. Save your peace. Lastly, if you are going to business partners, have a solid partnership agreement that benefits all parties and clearly spells out how to disband the company. When we closed our first business in 2020, it was rushed and painful. Make sure that you consult an attorney to have you write a solid partnership agreement and discuss having a succession plan. It will make the transition smoother. Although we are no longer in business together, we do remain friends and support one another. Don’t burn bridges. The business ran its course. You can give up or keep moving forward.

Can you share a few ideas or stories from your experience about how to successfully ride the emotional highs & lows of being a founder”?

Stay grounded and connected to your beliefs. You are going to have many people come in with their opinions about you are doing and how they would do it. Stay true to yourself and your values. You can take the advice of others and as I said, sound advice is helpful. You should only follow the advice that is authentic and adheres to your ethical boundaries. Remember that there are many ebbs and flows in life and in business. You may have to slow down or speed up depending on what happens in your life. When my husband was facing very serious health challenges, I had to take a step back and focus on helping him to get better. During that time, I couldn’t launch new products or services. I was focusing on staying the course. Whatever season you are in, embrace it. Learn when to ride out the storm and when to face the winds head on.

You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

I would really like to see nurses utilized more in the media. I watch medical TV dramas where nurses are invisible and doctors do all the work. We work as a team. I think writers and journalists should speak to nurses more and include us in the story. There is a wealth of knowledge that nurses bring to the table. I thought about starting a business that helps actors learn to work like nurses for TV so they aren’t using a nasal cannula as foley cath or putting tape on a wound with no dressing. How cool would that be?

How can our readers further follow your work online?

They can follow me on website to access my blog, podcast, and the events I have available at www.thenursesharkacademy.biz. You can follow my Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn pages:

https://www.facebook.com/thenursesharkacademy/

https://www.instagram.com/thenursesharkacademy/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-nurse-shark-academy/

This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!