JAKE SIMONS

Co-founder, The Acting Center

Sounds like what Mark Fraser needs is either a teleportation machine or a clone. He has a full-time job and a family so all those hours of driving are wearing on him. He’s worn out, and when you’re worn out, you’re no good to your full-time job, your startup or your family.

Fraser obviously doesn’t own a teleportation machine, so, as it stands, he’s driving 400 hours a year. That’s an entire month spent on the road, provided he drives 12 hours a day and stops to sleep. My concern is that he will eventually resent the drive and lose passion for the business. Time spent in a car could instead be spent growing the practice in Sudbury. Maybe he could share office space with a complementary business, allowing him to share costs while also increasing client traffic.

Instead of regular out-of-town appointments, perhaps he should make less frequent appearances, where he would also focus on attracting new clients and perhaps even offer the initial consultation. The rest of the sessions should be done remotely with the exception of the final one, which ideally would be in person in the same scenario as the initial consultation. Talking to a computer is never as good as being in the same room as someone, but embracing this technology could allow Fraser to limitlessly grow his practice while also freeing up time to play catch with his kids.

Meanwhile, because of the increased presence in his hometown, the buzz is building and the practice is getting more local clients. Why not try to encourage some of his out-of-town clients to come to him instead of him going to see them? A good, strong home base flourishes, allowing him to hire and train staff (maybe someone who doesn’t mind driving) who could then do what he does, freeing up even more time for Mark so that he could perhaps even coach some Little League baseball.

All this could culminate in him selling his life story of business and baseball to be produced into a Movie of the Week,

Now to really make the movie interesting, maybe it should have a teleportation machine and a clone... “I’ve decided to grow as fast as my time will allow, but to attend to each client’s counseling session in person,” Mark Fraser said. He investigated using Skype, FaceTime and other videoconferencing services, but sensed his clients would become disengaged within 10 minutes. “I amtrying to show young people how to manage their attention deficit issues after all. Showing up in person shows commitment from my side, both to the parent and to the child. At this point, there does not seem to be a way around delivering treatment sessions in person. With that in mind, I amnot willing to compromise the quality of my services, even if it means growing the business more slowly.”