Matt Wanderer

Dec 30, 2018/by Matt Wanderer

Although giving should be an all-year-round thing, the giving season is officially coming to an end, and I wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their support this year! After months of anticipation, as you already know, Carie is finally here!! I also wanted to express my gratitude to those providers who have generously given their time to those who need it by joining our social cause Share the care.

Share the Care has been created to bring healthcare to those who need it the most. Providers can participate in the Share the Care program by donating a free, digital consultation to a charity, non-profit, or disaster-relief victims.

Doctors can join the Share the Care movement by simply agreeing to donate up to one free consultation a month. The Carie team will work hard to connect your generosity with someone in need of care and help to coordinate your virtual care contribution seamlessly.

As a little “thank you”, providers who sign up to support the service, will receive an online badge for your provider listing and microsite to help spread the word of your generous participation in the Share the Care program and periodic recognition on Carie’s digital awareness campaign. Even 8-10 minutes of your time and talent will make a significant difference in people’s lives.

Help us change to make the world a healthier place one month at a time!

Once, again thank you to everyone who has supported and rooted for us! We couldn’t have done it without you!

Oct 10, 2018/by Matt Wanderer

 

Work-Life Balance: Finding my way back to the 4F’s

We live in a world where the work never stops, putting in extra time to win in our careers is normal We know from major research that in order to be exceptional in any given field you need to put in serious extra time and likely pull all-nighters. Statistics state that in order to be good at something you need to put in 10,000 hours!! So, yea, working is a part of life and a component of being successful. But when is it too much? When is it counterproductive and when is it just plain dumb?? I’ve seen a lot of people who so focused on their careers that they overwork themselves, they burn themselves out, they fail at work and they fail at home, finding that balance is everything

Like I try to do in business every day, I want to lay my challenges out there and be honest about how hard its been to find work-life balance lately, it’s hard, sometimes it feels impossible the pressure to keep up with 2018 and maintain one’s sanity and a healthy lifestyle is a daily challenge. To keep it simple and easy I try to remember what I call the “Four Fs” Family, Friends, Fitness and Finance.

A long time ago I made a personal decision that no matter what,  family comes first.   hard to be fully present with my eye on the right stuff at home my mind constantly wants to hustle and work especially now in crunch time for the Carie launch!! But I when I’m with my family, I am trying my best to be PRESENT at the moment. Turn off the phone, ignore some email, miss a few texts, it’s all still there in an hour or two when we check back in. Just do what you can to soak up the moments with my kids, my wife, my dog..  watching them grow, and enjoying the little things in life as much as possible.

Next, There’s no way to overstate the importance of having quality time with a good friend. Making time to nurture real friendships is important to me. Although I’m constantly busy I t make time to see them, to chill out and, just catch up on life, reminisce on old stuff, dream about new stuff…. To really belly laugh is the greatest “refresh” button I’ve found.

Third, In order to really have a balanced life, you definitely need your “me” time. Fitness, for me, is my “me” time. I try to completely zone out and enjoy my workouts. Not only that, but I feel like working out is also my therapist. Here, I let my anger out, I brainstorm, I get new ideas. It is extremely fulfilling to be able to get an all-around benefit. Health should be our number one priority.

Lastly, At the end of the day, what ties it all back in this big crazy wonderful and expensive world, is Finance. We all have to work, we all have to pay the bills, that relentless pull of dollars from your wallet is never really gonna ease up, so we stay on our business, try to be smart with our money and try to find peace with the long-term marathon that we have to plan to win.

What is your work-life balance method? always on the hunt for a better way!

Sept 16, 2018/by Matt Wanderer

Living in the Miami tropics sometimes feels like it may as well be another planet. A number of my old friends in CA with whom I have kept in touch over the years, online and some who have recently told me they have had enough with their boring (stable and good) jobs and are going rogue as entrepreneurs to follow business dreams that have been thus far Garageband ambition.

The tricky part about this for me is being the “Debbie Downer” who in good conscience has to revisit the vast delta between my actual life experience as an entrepreneur and the sunny public perception that my friends back home have seen over the years. You know what I’m talking about, while a company will usually post a big win, an award, a contest, an innovation, it almost never publicizes the pain, struggle and constant little fails that in reality make up most days for every entrepreneur I know. With this in mind, I wanted to write something up, not to talk anyone out of quitting their job, but just maybe a little cautionary piece to note how you might avoid or at least minimize some of the significant risk’s that await your life without a boss.

We all know the tendency to post the high points online, from birthdays to weddings and vacations, when’s the last time you saw a press release about someone losing a contract/bid/contest? Never going to happen. That said, most of those who have been close to me over the years and through some fantastic wins have also watched me suffer through some crushing fails. Generally speaking, it seems like people’s memories naturally gravitate to the wins, probably a good thing all around, we humans seem to prefer to talk about and think about the wins. But before you quit your job and leave your safe place to swing for the fence, I want to note at least a way we can minimize risk along the way.

I always try to remind my friends that the vast majority of what I have done in life has not worked out. Truth be told I’m probably 5 for 40 in business success v. failure, nothing to brag about, the losses are awful, they cost real people jobs, sometimes your best friends, they can cost you both your credit and your credibility. I’ve watched people lose their houses, their spouses; you name it… if you really love your idea enough, you can blow through your kid’s college fund in a couple of quarters no problem. A real fail will make you cry.

Once you have earned your first failure, to stand up and try again, even to get out of bed, can feel utterly impossible for some period. For those who manage to rally that second wind, they will from that morning forward, wake up each morning knowing damn well that whatever professional privilege and self-dignity they have managed to earn or regain can disappear again with a few bad decisions, any given Wednesday. I don’t know anyone serious in business who when being honest doesn’t describe a sense of profound vulnerability.

The purpose of this letter is to note that if you are at some level an entrepreneur who IS going into business for yourself, you must be intentional about what LEVEL of risk/reward you need. Struggles and challenges are a part of life like books often note, the bigger the ambition, the bigger the exposure. If you’re committed to starting a business you have the opportunity to put your plan into one of maybe three generic “risk buckets”, you can:

1)    Bet it all on the next Billion-dollar disruption (my unfortunate disposition)

2)    Find an existing business or system, think franchise or business opportunity that takes most of the innovation/systems/planning and infrastructure risk off your shoulders, or

3)    Move into a strong sales job where you can make a fortune, have flexibility in work scheduling and literally not risk a dime. (great salespeople really do have their cake and eat it too)

At the end of the day, we are all salespeople. Some of us sell our ideas to our teams, some of us sell our artwork to the local connoisseur, and some of us carry the actual title of “Sales” and if at the top of our game make more than our bosses.

If you fall into bucket 2 or 3, congrats, you’re going to be just fine!

If you are like me and were born into the high-risk / rebel-change bucket, you’ve got a really tough choice in front of you. You can suck it up and find a way to survive a day job; that will never fully satisfy you (but will keep you safe and dry). Or you get ready for the fight of your life and prepare to go “all-in” for a long period of time, a couple years of which usually can’t afford to pay you a dime.

When a friend tells me they are good with bucket 1 and can’t live without chasing down that monster vision, the next set of questions come into focus easily.  The statistics for new business success speak for themselves, a vast majority of ventures will fail in the first year, even more in the second year, and only about 1% will make it to month 36 where you start to appreciate the business you are now actually in.

At age 33, when I went back to business school, in large part to lick my wounds (after losing 140 Million Dollars in the 2008 financial crisis) I was forced to digest a mountain of biographies and business data that generally suggest that the success of a committed and serious entrepreneur how well they get back on their feet following inevitable failures. Before you go all-in, really ask yourself, as deeply and seriously as you are able… Can you survive a loss or two to get to the glory??

Sept 08, 2018 / by Matt Wanderer

In our society, it is automatically assumed that when a doctor graduates he/she is a “happy doctor”, they ’re instantly making BIG Bucks and living the life! Unfortunately, this is far from the truth. In reality, it’s a tough world out there for newly minted physicians leaving most in a complex and challenging situation, and one that for some reason doesn’t seem to be properly addressed in all that medical school. Welcome to the business world Doc, It’s almost as if the system is rigged against them.

Let me walk you through the frustrations of a doctor: At young age he/she is often one of the brightest in the classroom, the doctors I grew up around were always working twice as hard, they were playing piano or violin- they were never skipping class and many were not really enjoying a normal childhood. Then they make it! They get into that top-tier college, and now they are REALLY studying, studying, studying, skipping the college parties, missing out on all the fun. But all that hard work pays off,  they did it again, tops of their class in order to get into the best med schools. Another big battle and victory gets them into a top-notch residency.

At this point, they are working for pennies 80-100 hours a week. But wait, it isn’t over yet! These doctors are then faced with the possibility of going into practice without the prestige of specialist distinction or entering a fellowship to become a specialist. They are the best damn it, what do you think they do? And there goes another 4 years of no money, no sleep, more debt. By the time this is all done, they emerge heroically, and left with half a million in debt, and expected to live up to all the social expectations that come with being the top of our social ranking system, the pinnacle of financial success for all that hard work and delayed gratification.

At this moment, the doctor makes one of two decisions:

• They open their own practice Which sounds pretty risky and scary to me.
• Or “B” they enter the big box health system and concede to a long-term contract where they can actually keep up with those debt payments and make every pound… The only problem is, they are signing up for MORE YEARS of 80-100 hour work. They are giving up the prospect of a normal marriage, time with their kids, the ability to relax and get some satisfaction in life after 30 some years of unstoppable grind.

So how does a doctor break through and find some satisfaction? some peace of mind and a taste of independence???  What if there were a third option to private practice (alone and on your own) and the “big box health system” that is driving doctors to opt out of healthcare altogether?  Carie was created as a free care platform to empower the local, independent doctor. We won’t pretend any of this is simple or easy, but we’re paving a new path for doctors looking for a new kind of graduation, one with less stress and pressure, one where they can leverage Carie’s simple  platform, to build a deep, healthy, long-term and committed relationships with patients across the country who want a doctor they can get to know and trust over the years to come.

While traditional telehealth, other platforms focus on the cheapest possible experience & least expensive care for the insurance payer. At Carie , we are betting big on the doctor/patient relationship and our doctors are using technology to stay closer and more well connected to their patients without the cost typically associated with “concierge’ care. This focus on long-term doctor-patient relationships is one great example of what differentiates Carie doctors from other providers available “on-line” our doctors are also available LIVE IN-PERSON!, welcome to the future of health care, and to America’s first fully connected digital healthcare team.

 

Aug 31, 2018 / by Matt Wanderer

My old friends from California always tell me that they don’t understand how I went from point A to B as an entrepreneur.  I assure them that my path was anything but straight. There were plenty of challenges, roadblocks, and detours along the way.

Struggles and challenges are a part of life, especially when starting a business. What truly determines the success of an entrepreneur and sets them apart is how they plan for, react to, and ultimately overcome these roadblocks. Negative thoughts will bombard you. You will hear “NO” one million times over before you hear one “YES.” Keep in mind that success is determined by your ability to uphold a steadfast spirit and focused mind in the most trying of times. If there is one thing I have learned about human nature, it is that people want to see you fail; we are all playing the same game. In this gambling game of business, I have kept my cards close to the vest and my circle tight. You must ignore those who say it is IMPOSSIBLE.

As an entrepreneur, it is inevitable that you will face unforeseen roadblocks on your journey. You may reach a point where you want to turn the car around and head home. Therefore, with your final destination in mind, you must keep pushing forward—faster and more vehemently than before. You can be one of two people: those who weaken when confronted with opposition or those who let opposition and every challenge propel them to succeed.

Growing up I faced many difficulties. I was raised by a single mom, working three jobs. Despite my circumstances, nothing could stop me from turning my ideas into reality. Since then, I have several businesses under my belt including my newest and most innovative venture, Carie Health.

Starting businesses has been an exciting journey, to say the least. However, I have endured both personal and professional struggles to cross the finish line, I risked it all to get here. Making bets and taking gambles goes against our nature. Denying yourself the security of an average, comfortable life is anything but easy, but it’s what every success story begins with. I went through 2+ years with little money and facing poor odds with three kids and my wife depending
on me. I said to myself, “the only way this won’t work is if I stop. As long as I keep driving forward, I’m going to make it.”

I want to share with you the key points that helped me overcome the challenges I’ve faced:

• Have a purpose you’re passionate about
• Take bold risks
  • Business is like a giant game of chess- you must make strategic moves and learn quickly from your mistakes
• Embrace your ideas put them into action and even better ones will follow.
• DON’T doubt your vision; enlarge your vision and take every limit off yourself.
• DON’T focus on your weaknesses. If you do, you’re in trouble. DO focus on your
  strengths—you’ll go really far.