Aligned Ambition - Holly Skinner
Welcome to our Aligned Ambition Series. A monthly blog series where we highlight a member of the HIVE community to learn more about their journey, purpose, and future vision.
Holly is the founder of Skinner Solutions, an agency that provides administrative and billing support to healthcare providers in private practice. Drawing on her background in healthcare administration—and inspired by a desire to help providers reclaim their autonomy. Holly built her business to remove the backend burdens that keep clinicians from thriving. Her work is rooted in efficiency, advocacy, and a deep understanding of what it takes to run a sustainable private practice.
To learn more about her business visit https://www.hollyskinner.com/
Holly’s Story:
Tell us about your business. What inspired you to start it?
My business is Skinner Solutions- an agency that provides administrative and billing support to healthcare providers in private practice. As the daughter of a private practice pediatrician, I always knew I wanted to be in the healthcare space. My tendency to get queasy around blood quickly led me to decide against actual practice so I was drawn towards administration. I got my masters in healthcare administration and went straight to work in the hospital setting.
Through this work, I started to see some of the downsides of corporate level healthcare. I noticed the bottom line driving all decisions and the focus on quality patient care often being overlooked. I also sat on a provider feedback panel and consistently heard providers frustrated with the “big brother” feeling of their practices and the loss of autonomy they suffered as system level providers.
This prompted me to reexamine private practice and what was keeping providers from pursuing private practice when it could clearly give them the autonomy they craved. The answer? The back end burden. Providers were trained to provide clinical care. They were not trained to run businesses. And this lack of confidence and- quite frankly- the lack of desire to deal with these things- seemed to leave a hole in the market that I could potentially fill. If we ended up failing, I could always return to work in the hospital. But I was unhappy in my job so if my “worst case scenario” of returning to work in the hospital was what I was already doing, then it didn’t make sense not to try.
What has been your biggest challenge as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
My biggest challenge as an entrepreneur- and one that I still work daily to overcome- is work/life balance. Being the business owner, you are constantly thinking about your business and your clients. While this is great, it is hard to remember to “turn it off” sometimes and focus on other aspects of my life. The biggest thing I have done to overcome this is set boundaries around my time and turn off emails and notifications outside of working hours. I also brought it support through working with a business coach, so I can have someone to share the mental load with and not feel so overwhelmed all the time.
How has being a member of Hive Ambition impacted your entrepreneurial journey?
Hive Ambition has completely transformed my entrepreneurial journey! First, I am a proud graduate of the first cohort of Pollinate. This small group mentorship was a game changer for me as it connected me with other entrepreneurs and allowed me to reexamine parts of my business that were not working and work to improve them. Hive also connected me to Ashley, who I hired for a year (so far LOL) of private 1:1 coaching. Having this 1:1 guidance and Ashley’s operational expertise has truly transformed my business and helped me find joy in my work again.
What advice would you give to women considering starting their own business?
GO FOR IT. We have so many resources available to us that you truly can figure out anything if you are willing to work hard and keep adapting. You will not do it perfectly right away. But you will learn and evolve and, over time, have the business of your dreams! Also, surround yourself with other entrepreneurs (ahem, Hive). The value of being in the room with others who are also building businesses and can understand your struggles is truly unmatched!
Can you share a moment when you felt particularly proud of your business?
My proudest moment in business was when one of our physical therapist clients reached out to me and told me that for the first time in years she had been able to attend her son’s soccer practice and make dinner and not feel totally stressed or tied to her desk. She was so used to doing it all herself that she was missing out on her kid’s childhood. It was so rewarding to know that through our support she was able to have some time back in her day and spend it with her kiddo! It reminded me that the work we do is not just task completion, it truly gives providers freedom.
How do you balance ambition with self-care in your daily life?
I start the day with self care- yoga, journaling, drinking my coffee outside etc. I’ve learned that having these moments of self care first thing in the morning helps me start my day with a positive attitude and ensures that I am taking care of myself before trying to take care of everyone else. If it didn’t happen first thing, it may not happen at all!
How does your business align with your personal values and your soul’s purpose?
The biggest way my business aligns with my values is I truly value helping others and I get to do that every day. I also am a HUGE proponent of entrepreneurship and female empowerment so the fact that my work allows others to chase their dreams- especially badass women and mamas- truly lights me up.They of course CAN do it all, but with my help they don’t have to! Also, growing up with my dad being a doctor I saw first hand how often the healthcare field can pull you away from family. Since my dad didn’t always have adequate support, he wasn’t always able to be present with the family. Knowing that I am changing that for other providers and their families is so rewarding!
What does living in alignment mean to you, and how do you integrate it into your business?
Living in alignment to me means living in a way that honors my values and living in integrity. This is integrated through every aspect of my business! From who I hire to who we work with, I place a value on good people supporting good people to do good work. Yes, finances are important, but the difference we are able to make together in patient’s lives is truly what matters. American healthcare is an often overwhelming and awful experience- as many of us know- so anything my team and I can do to make the delivery of care a better experience for both providers and patients, we will do it!
Can you share a moment when you felt truly aligned with your work and its impact?
For me, I feel truly aligned when talking to providers considering private practice. I love painting the picture of what is possible for them and feeling their sigh of relief as they realize “I CAN DO THIS”. A lot of providers want private practice but feel overwhelmed, so when I can help them see the vision and support them in taking that leap it is so rewarding. We are not just doing billing, we are empowering providers to chase their dream practice!
What practices help you stay grounded and aligned during busy or challenging times?
For me, it’s all about intentional breaks and distractions. For example, if I know I have a crazy week coming up I am very intentional about planning something to look forward to like a massage or a coffee date. Having something to look forward to during a busy time is a game changer for me! Also, THERAPY. I can not stress enough the impact therapy has had on me personally- and my business- over the last 6 years. It allows me to vent, to see things from a new perspective, to be reminded of my value, and feel supported no matter what I am facing.
What legacy or impact do you hope your business will leave on the world?
Oh man, I want to leave such an impact! I hope my business leaves the world with a group of private practice providers who are able to provide superior patient care, while also enjoying their lives. When I think of looking back on my business, I think of: providers who made it to their kid’s sporting events; patients who received superior care from balanced and supported providers; healthcare as an enjoyable experience because of the support of my team. And, female business owners who saw me succeed and decided to take a leap into their own venture.
To learn more about Holly’s business visit https://www.hollyskinner.com/
