Swimmy
On Sunday mornings, my routine usually involves a trip for coffee followed by a quiet moment at the beach to watch the sunrise. Most often, I do this alone, though sometimes my wife joins me. This Sunday, while she attended a yoga seminar in South Beach, I went to my version of “church” by myself. Sunrise, unlike sunset, offers a purposeful space for reflection and connection. Fewer people are out at that early hour, making it far quieter and allowing for a more intimate experience. There’s something uniquely symbolic about sunrise—it represents renewal and growth, the beginning of a new day with all its potential. Rising early has always come naturally to me, and the pre-dawn hours might be my favorite part of the day.
As of this writing, there are just 65 days left in the year. My schedule is packed, with my wife’s 50th birthday, the addition of new offices to our network, Christmas in El Salvador with Papi, and a New Year’s trip to the mountains. And, of course, Thanksgiving. Under normal circumstances, it would be business as usual, but this year is different: my mother is sick. On Tuesday, we’ll have our first visit to the oncologist to create a plan around her diagnosis. At 79, she’s had an impressively healthy life for a lifetime smoker, a drive-through regular, and a serial exercise avoider. Outside of her hospital stay when I was born — premature and needing a 30-day stay in an incubator — she has defied expectations and has enjoyed relatively good health.
In addition to the E-Myth by Michael Gerber and The Education of a Bodybuilder by Arnold Schwarzenegger, 2 childhood books can be credited for shaping who I am over the last 57 years. Leo Leoni, an Italian writer and illustrator, is the author of two books that were read to me as a child and still have today on my bookshelf. One of the books is Swimmy. Swimmy is about a little black fish who lives in the ocean with a school of red fish. One day, a big fish comes along and eats all of Swimmy’s companions, leaving him alone and scared. As he swims through the ocean, he marvels at its wonders — jellyfish, lobsters, and seaweed — and discovers both courage and beauty in his world. Eventually, Swimmy finds a new school of red fish hiding from predators. He teaches them a clever solution to overcome their fear and protect themselves: by swimming together in the shape of a big fish, with Swimmy as the eye, they appear much larger and are able to fend off their enemies. The story imparts lessons on resilience, teamwork, and the power of unity, showing that even the smallest creatures can achieve great things when they work together. Swimmy encourages creative problem-solving and celebrates both individuality and the strength of community. I am not so sure my parents connected with the symbolism of the small fish doing big things when they read this to me 50 plus years ago. But I have made that connection part of my persona from a very young age. Or did they?????
One of the things I’m most proud of as I reflect on this year’s business development is my absolute certainty that my team will get the job done. I’m humbled by how little I need to oversee the daily tasks involved in running a multi-state organization. My team is incredibly well-trained and fully aligned with our mission: getting every claim approved and providing care to each patient within 48 hours of their initial contact.
To my fellow business owners reading this week’s entry, it’s crucial to have systems in place that effectively run your organization, along with the latest technology to support all aspects of operations. Our organization employs both on-site and remote staff who support billing, accounting, social media, information technology, and business development. We use CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software to integrate communications between our providers and patients. A few years ago, I could not have imagined running a business with remote employees. And today I couldn’t imagine not having remote employees.
We will soon be hiring an Operations Manager to oversee the moving parts of our offices. This will lead to faster communication between headquarters and network providers, more efficient patient scheduling, an improved contracting process, and smoother onboarding for new offices. Essentially, we’re bringing on Swimmy to lead our organization and empower every team member and network affiliate to foster teamwork, unity, and resilience in tackling the most challenging tasks. This effort aligns with my two “Whys”: taking care of the people who care for our country and spoiling the people I love. I feel truly blessed to do what I do. Have a great week, everyone!
