Have you been considering starting a mobile phlebotomy business, but were concerned that the start-up costs would be more than you could handle? Are you overwhelmed by all of the things you need to purchase before you can begin making money? This article will give you a good idea of the things you’ll need to purchase to get started as the owner of your own mobile phlebotomy company. Some are costs that are specific to mobile phlebotomy companies, while others are general start-up costs that all businesses must incur.
Licenses and Certifications
If you are already a licensed as a Certified Phlebotomy Technician (CPT), this is one expense you can avoid. If you aren’t, you should definitely become one. Other certifications to consider are a HIPAA certification and a Basic Life Support (BLS) certification. Both of these certifications require taking a course and an accompanying exam. Prices vary on these courses and exams, but there are plenty of places online that offer them, so be sure to shop around for the best price.
Start-Up Equipment
If you’re already a phlebotomist, you’re probably familiar with the type of equipment you’ll need, such as needles, syringes, tubes, tourniquets, tape, gauze, and sterilization supplies. You’ll also need personal protection equipment (PPE) to keep yourself safe, such as sterile gloves and face masks or shields.
Since you’ll be doing mobile phlebotomy, you’ll also need a cooler, medic bag, and a sharps disposal container to take with you on the road. You may want to consider purchasing a centrifuge for your car. An entry-level one can be obtained for a few hundred dollars.
What About a Company Vehicle?
Most new mobile phlebotomists assume they need some sort of fancy company vehicle on day one of starting their businesses. This isn’t the case at all. There is no reason you can’t use your personal vehicle to drive to your patients’ homes for blood draws in the beginning. If, as your business becomes more profitable, you want to purchase a nice vehicle with your company’s graphics on it, you can do that at a later time. A company vehicle is not a necessary start-up expense. Similarly, things like monogrammed scrubs and bags are nice to have, but not necessary to run your business.
General Business Start-Up Costs
As mentioned before, starting a business of any type is going to incur some start-up costs. One of the first things you should do is spend a few hundred dollars to consult with a business attorney or tax professional to help you choose the most appropriate business structure for your mobile phlebotomy business. You have several options here, including setting up your business as a sole proprietorship, an LLC, a partnership, or a corporation. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer—the best structure is determined by a number or factors. It’s important to get this decision right in the beginning stages of your business, since it can be costly to change your business structure in the future.
When obtaining your tax ID number from the federal government (also known as an Employer Identification Number or EIN), make sure you do not pay for this. It is free to obtain an EIN, and if you land on a website that tries to charge you for one, it is a scam! You may have to pay a small fee to get a business license in your city, county, or state however.
Other start-up costs that apply to pretty much any business are marketing expenses. At the very minimum, you should have a website created for your new company. You can start out with a very simple site that you can later expand as your business grows. There are sites on which you can create a website yourself for free, but you probably want to spend a couple thousand dollars and hire a professional web designer to do this for you. A professional can help you present your mobile phlebotomy business in the best way possible, and a website designed with search engine optimization (SEO) in mind can actually help you bring in business!
Other marketing expenses you may want to consider are professional logo design, and designing and printing business cards and brochures.
Insurance is another important consideration. You should be sure to purchase adequate malpractice insurance to protect yourself and business.
This isn’t an exhaustive list of start-up expenses, but it should get you started! For more information on how to get started, you may want to consider purchasing this Comprehensive Guide to Starting a Mobile Phlebotomy Company. It will answer many of the questions you probably have, and even some you didn’t even know to ask!
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