From London, England, David Kalmanovitch is an esteemed child psychologist, professor, and mentor. He has more than 15 years of experience working as a psychologist.
Mr. Kalmanovitch began his career working with adult patients in local hospitals. After working with adults for about five years, he transitioned to working with children. Roughly five years ago, Mr. Kalmanovitch launched his own private practice.
In his career, David gained a large amount of satisfaction through helping people. He works to help his patients, students, and mentors develop the skills they need to move forward in their lives and future careers.
In his free time, Mr. Kalmanovitch spends time with his wife, Caroline Kalmanovitch, works to stay active, and reads to further his professional development and keep up with current news and affairs that could impact his industry and patients.
How did you get started in your industry?
There was never really a question of what I wanted to do. I was always interested in human behaviour and knowing what drives people to become the way they are, so becoming a psychologist made sense. When I started out though, I started working in local hospitals with just adults. While the experience was interesting and I enjoyed the work, I wanted to branch out to working with children to impact behaviour earlier on, before patients transition to adolescence and adulthood with habits that they’ve taken with them throughout their lives.
How do you make money in your field?
Really, it’s just about building a list of clients and building those relationships so that it translates to more clients through referrals. Sometimes it truly is all about who you know.
How long did it take for you to become profitable?
Maybe about a year. Obviously becoming a doctor can be a grueling process, but the payoff is worth it in the end. Working with hospitals as well, I was guaranteed profits. When I set out to establish my own practice, it was definitely an adjustment to start from scratch.
When you were starting out, was there ever a time you doubted it would work? If so, how did you handle that?
At times I think everyone doubts themselves. For me it was quite a challenge. As a psychologist focusing on social work, you’re expected to have everything together in your own life in order to help others. When I was starting out, this was something I worried about a lot. When I lashed out in my personal life or something caused me to react negatively, I questioned if I could reasonably help others. But just because you have the proper tools in place doesn’t mean you don’t have problems just like everyone else. You’re still human and will therefore still have normal human reactions. It’s just how you are able to handle and cope when you are presented with problems that sets you apart.
Do you remember how you got your first client?
My first ever patient was just assigned to me through working at the hospital. When I established my own practice, it was through previous patients I had worked with that I got referrals and word began to spread.
What is one marketing strategy that you’re using that works really well to generate new business?
I make sure that I network with other psychologists regularly. At times, other psychologists may have a lot of patients and they are unable to take more on. As a result, they refer them to colleagues in the field that they trust. I also ensure that I network with other medical professionals that could refer patients to me.
What is the toughest decision you’ve had to make in your professional life?
Leaving the hospital to launch my own practice was a difficult decision. There were a lot of variables and initial business expenses that I hadn’t anticipated. But as my patient list grew, it became clear that I had made the right decision.
What do you think it is that makes you successful?
I make sure that I manage my time effectively in order to fulfill my responsibilities and then some. I am constantly seeking ways to improve my skills and further my professional development. I believe that these habits make me successful.
What has been your most satisfying moment in business?
Becoming a professor and mentor. While launching my own practice was a pivotal milestone for me, I truly get pleasure out of knowing that I have grown enough in my own career to have the confidence to teach others.
What does the future hold for your business? What are you most excited about?
Continuing to expand my practice and potentially find a partner. I am most excited about continuing to teach psychology courses and to see how my mentees expand their own careers.
What business books have inspired you?
It’s not a business book per se, but I do enjoy The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. I think it’s relevant to every situation and everyone can take something from the book whether it’s the importance of perseverance and determination, the value of spiritualism, or the importance of having hope.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
I would tell myself to have more confidence in my abilities and tell myself that I don’t have to strive for perfection all the time. As I mentioned previously, I used to think that it wasn’t okay to express any negative feelings or feel any intense anger, stress, or sadness because of my career. But we’re all human and these are normal human emotions. It is about how we handle these emotions and allow ourselves to feel them but not allow them to hold us back that makes us who we are. And obviously if your personal emotional response keeps you from functioning appropriately, that’s when you have a real problem.