Building a Business Development Department With the Support of a Community
How relationships formed through SONO helped Tanner Wolf of Three Rivers Hospice move beyond imposter syndrome, establish a standalone department, and grow into his role as a leader.
Tanner Wolf
Director of Business Development · Three Rivers Hospice
When Tanner Wolf was given the opportunity to lead business development at Three Rivers Hospice, he was not simply inheriting an established department. He was helping build one.
The organization had recognized that business development required a different set of priorities, skills, and operating rhythms than clinical leadership. Patient care and regulatory compliance must remain central to a hospice’s clinical operations, while business development requires dedicated attention to growth, community relationships, referral development, and measurable accountability.
Tanner was entrusted with turning that recognition into a functioning department. As he worked through the responsibility of defining roles, establishing expectations, managing people, and creating new processes, the relationships he had developed through SONO became an important source of guidance and confidence.
Building a department from the ground up
One of the most significant leadership challenges Tanner faced was helping separate business development from the clinical department and establish it as a standalone function.
The change required much more than updating an organizational chart. Tanner needed to build much of the department’s operating structure from the ground up.
His responsibilities included:
- Defining clear roles, reporting relationships, and territories.
- Establishing performance expectations and accountability standards.
- Creating visit procedures and referral-tracking processes.
- Hiring, onboarding, coaching, and managing team members.
- Taking responsibility for payroll and administrative processes that were outside his previous clinical experience.
- Demonstrating why business development needed dedicated leadership and infrastructure.
The operational responsibilities were substantial, but Tanner also carried the personal pressure that often comes with stepping into a new level of leadership.
A connection that began with Three Rivers Hospice
Tanner first became involved with SONO through the leadership team at Three Rivers Hospice.
The organization had been part of SONO from its earliest days and had participated in every SONO Symposium. Because Three Rivers Hospice was already a Legacy Partner, Tanner was able to enter an established community of hospice leaders and begin building relationships of his own.
What stood out most to him was how willing other members of the community were to help.
“Every person I have met has offered to assist in just about anything they could help with.”
The openness extended beyond formal presentations or scheduled programming. Tanner developed relationships with several leaders whom he could continue calling after the Symposium was over.
Those relationships became practical resources in his everyday work.
Turning relationships into practical guidance
When Tanner began organizing the new business development department, he reached out to people he had met through SONO.
Rather than attempting to solve every problem alone, he asked other hospice leaders how they had structured their own departments. Those conversations provided ideas about what to prioritize, what mistakes to avoid, and which opportunities he should take advantage of.
The value was not that someone handed Tanner a universal template. Instead, he gained access to experienced people who were willing to share what they had learned — trusted, candid peer relationships rather than generic networking.
“I reached out to several people I had met through SONO to get insight on how to structure everything. I received feedback about what not to do, what to prioritize, and what opportunities to take advantage of.”
Growing into leadership
The relationships Tanner developed through SONO affected more than the department’s structure. They also changed how he viewed himself as a leader.
When he was first given approval to lead the department, Tanner experienced imposter syndrome. He was taking responsibility for functions he had not previously managed and building systems that had not previously existed.
Through conversations with other SONO leaders and the practical guidance shared during ongoing monthly discussions, he became more confident in his judgment and more comfortable in his leadership role. That growth was cumulative — the result of relationships, recurring conversations, shared experience, and his own willingness to engage.
“My involvement with SONO has absolutely made me a better leader. I had imposter syndrome when I was given the green light to run the department, but the conversations, encouragement, and practical advice I received helped me become much more confident in what I was doing.”
Participation unlocks the community
Tanner’s experience reflects an important part of the SONO model: the greatest value comes when members actively participate.
The community can provide relationships, access, ideas, and opportunities, but members must be willing to ask questions, share their own experiences, and invest in relationships with other leaders.
For Tanner, that participation turned the SONO community into a trusted network he could draw upon while taking on one of the most important professional challenges of his career.
What the SONO Community Made Possible
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Access to experienced hospice leaders who were willing to share candid advice.
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Practical input while structuring a new business development department.
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Guidance about processes, expectations, accountability, and common mistakes.
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Greater confidence while stepping into a new leadership role.
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An ongoing network of people Tanner can call upon in his day-to-day work.
Advice for other hospice leaders
When asked what he would tell another hospice executive considering SONO, Tanner pointed back to participation — meeting people, sharing knowledge, and putting in the work to build relationships.
“I would tell another hospice executive that joining SONO could be one of the best decisions they make all year. Take advantage of the opportunity, meet as many people as you can, and be willing to share your own ideas and knowledge. You will get out of it what you are willing to put into it.”
Leadership Is Easier When You Do Not Have to Navigate It Alone
SONO Legacy Partners join a trusted community of hospice leaders who are willing to share ideas, compare experiences, and help one another work through the realities of leading a hospice organization.