Electronic Health Reporter

Being a pharmacist is one of the most rewarding, yet challenging jobs. It requires a high level of knowledge and handwork as well as great communication skills.

You need to be personable and empathetic because you’re dealing with patients on a daily basis, but you also need to be able to prioritize your time to stay organized.

Finding a balance between all of these different factors can be difficult, but it’s definitely possible. It might take some time and experience to reach the level at which you’re comfortable owning and managing your own pharmacy, but it will be rewarding when you do eventually reach this stage.

If you’re a newly-qualified pharmacist with the hopes of one day owning your own pharmacy practice, or if you’ve recently progressed onto being a pharmacy owner after years of being a technician, here are some top tips for you. Following these tips will ensure you become a successful pharmacist-owner.

Bulk Buy Your Supplies

Getting wholesale pharmacy supplies is one of the most cost-effective ways to fulfill your inventory needs. Usually, bulk buying works out at a much cheaper cost per unit, so you could be saving yourself a lot of money by doing so.

Ordering large quantities of common medications that many of your patients take regularly ensures that you never run out. Staying stocked up is important for any business, but it’s especially vital for pharmacies whose patients rely on their supplies to stay healthy.

Bulk buying your products can also save you a lot of time. Each month, you can fill out a large order and have the products delivered within a few days. This saves time and energy making smaller weekly orders. You can then get on with your other important activities without needing to worry about running out of stock.

There are many pharmacies that choose to work with wholesale suppliers, but you should make sure that you’re getting the supplies you need at the prices you want. You should be able to find reliable suppliers that can provide you with the range of products you need for your pharmacy at competitive prices.

Team Work is Key

Running a successful pharmacy requires teamwork. In order to stay on top of your deliveries and provide the best care for your patients, you need a team of great staff.

From the receptionists to the pharmacy assistants to the dispensers, everybody needs to work as a team to ensure that the pharmacy runs smoothly and efficiently.

When you hire a great team of staff members, you can achieve high levels of success as a pharmacy. You can build a credible and trustworthy reputation by providing amazing customer service and high-quality products. Without your team, this would be much more difficult.

Promote Yourself

Marketing is everything nowadays. If you want to run a successful pharmacy, you need to promote yourself, especially if you’re a brand-new practice.

Independent pharmacies are now having to compete with larger pharmaceutical companies and this can make things very difficult. However, with great promotion, you can get your name out there and bring in new customers.

Distribute leaflets and brochures to spread the word. Create patient information leaflets that position your pharmacy in a place of authority and show patients that you are trustworthy and knowledgeable.

You can also use social media to your advantage. In the digital world that we all live in, digital marketing can make the difference between success and failure for pharmacies.

Create engaging and inspiring posts each week for your potential customers to view. This could include some behind-the-scenes footage of your pharmacy or medical advice that people can follow to optimize their health.

Don’t Be Afraid to Delegate

As a pharmacy owner, it’s natural to want to do everything yourself. You may have a specific order that you like to do things in. You may have a specific way of working.

But if you want to grow your pharmacy and expand your operations, you must get used to delegating certain tasks to other members of the team. You need to take on the role of a leader!

The simpler, more time-consuming tasks can be completed by those who are less qualified or less experienced than you are.

If you are spending a lot of time doing simple tasks within your pharmacy, you are limiting the amount of success that your pharmacy can achieve. By outsourcing and delegating some of your workload, you can free up some of your time to focus on the more important tasks at hand.

Be Passionate

Passion may not seem like an important trait for pharmacy owners, but it definitely is!

To own a successful pharmacy, you have to dedicate a lot of time and effort to growing your business. If you’re not genuinely passionate about what you do, then you won’t enjoy your work and you will find it much harder to stay motivated.

When you possess a true passion for what you do, it shines through to your patients. In turn, they have a better experience at your pharmacy and you are much more likely to retain these patients. More patients often leads to higher profits and a better reputation.

Have a Plan

Every business needs a great business plan, and pharmacies are no different. Without a plan, it’s much harder to see significant growth in your pharmacy because you won’t know where you are heading.

Planning ahead ensures you have adequate time to prepare for the upcoming quarter. You will be aware of your inventory and you can easily manage your budget.

Having a detailed plan also helps to keep every staff member on the same page. Everybody knows which goals are you aiming for so you can all collaborate to ensure these targets are met.

You can use your plan to determine which tools or software your staff are going to need in order to do their jobs efficiently. This might mean providing new training sessions or purchasing the latest dispensing equipment.