We had the good fortune of connecting with Marissa Yahil, MSOT, OTR/L, CBS, IBCLC and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Marissa, what do you attribute your success to?
The most important factor behind the success of my private practice has been the processes I put in place to attract clients who are facing specific challenges that I am well-suited to address. In doing so, I ensure that I am highly likely to able to help them achieve their stated goals. With private practice, clinical outcomes are absolutely everything. With good clinical outcomes, word spreads fast! One happy client tells a few people about the practice, which leads to more happy clients who tell more people about the practice. Within three months of opening my practice in the Dallas area, I was on a wait list, and I have been on a wait list since then, receiving more new client inquiries than I can accommodate — this is why I am currently looking to hire and train another occupational therapist right now.

What should our readers know about your business?
I use a holistic and integrated approach to support my clients by offering a combination of lactation consultation, feeding therapy, and occupational therapy during our sessions. For families who really need this combination of support, we are able to make incredible progress towards their goals, often after they have spent months struggling.

How did you get to where you are today business-wise. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges?
It helps that my parents are entrepreneurs and small business owners. I grew up watching them run their business, and I helped them from a young age. Additionally, as an adult, I spent (and continue to spend) a lot of time reading about business ownership, connecting with other private practice owners, and listening to business-related podcasts. I have spent hundreds of hours working on the ‘back end’ of my business, and I have made loads of mistakes along the way. Although it has not been easy in many ways, I enjoy owning and operating a business, I find the work really engaging and exciting. When challenges arise, I reach out to my amazing network of colleagues for inspiration and advice.

What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way?
Some lessons I have learned along the way are:
• Find people who are doing what you want to do and reach out to see if they might be open to speaking with you (offer to compensate them for their time)
• There is always more to learn when it comes to owning and operating a business and being open to learning more is key.
• Keep overhead as low as possible when first starting out

What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
I want the world to know that there is a huge lack of support and services for families when they are expecting a new baby (especially their first baby) and in those early months postpartum. Lactation and infant feeding are two areas in the early postpartum period that cause a significant amount of frustration and stress for many families. Lactation & Development Resources aims to alleviate this frustration and stress so that families can bond, grow into their new roles, and truly thrive.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Well… it’s tough right now since I have two young kiddos of my own (a toddler and an infant), but I would likely want to take them to The Shops at Legacy in Plano. In Dallas, I would see if they were interested in checking out any of the local museums.

Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc. In your view what are some of the most fun, interesting, exciting people, places or things to check out?
A week long trip… honestly a lot of time would be spent at my house with my kiddos, and we would probably do a lot of kid-friendly things – ha! We would check out my favorite restaurants near where I live in Plano – True Food and Masero. Peppa Pig World at the Grapevine Mills Mall, The Dallas World Aquarium, and The Perot Museum of Nature and Science would also be on the list of places to go with the kids.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to dedicate my shoutout to The Breastfeeding Resource Center in the greater Philadelphia area where I was fortunate enough to spend three months working alongside and learning from incredible the IBCLCs that work there (“IBCLC” is used to refer to an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant). I would also like to thank Salus University (where I completed my masters degree in Occupational Therapy) for providing students with such unique learning opportunities such as this one. This was the culmination of my graduate training in Occupational Therapy as well as the beginning of my journey towards becoming an IBCLC. My amazing husband Uri absolutely deserves recognition in my story, too, for encouraging and supporting me every step of the way.

ersonalMarissaYahilMSOTOTR

Website: www.lactdev.com, www.lactationOT.com

Instagram: @lactdev, @lactation_ot

Facebook: Lactation & Development Resources, The Lactation OT

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