| By
T. A. Owen, D.C.
The
first consideration is the town in which to locate.
It is wise to seek the counsel of persons in the area
who are successful.
It
is a major mistake to return to one’s home town
just for the sake of being “home.” Another
error is to choose an area because of the pleasures
it offers.
Opening
offices in the home town seems to be the road of least
resistance, but actually the young chiropractor is
asking for trouble that will come in several forms.
First,
the people who have known you from childhood will
hold back in showing confidence in you. They will
remember the way you were before you went away to
school.
In
the second place, you have too many friends in your
home town. That is bad — just ask any established
doctor the kind of patients that friends make. There
is also a tendency for too much social life when you
set up offices in your home town and this diverts
you from your main purpose in life — to become
a successful chiropractor.
Thirdly,
your folks will make too much of a demand on your
time. My advice is to fly the coop, spread your wings.
With your new title of “Doctor” go away
and reach for your new station in life.
Instead
of weather, recreation and size of the city, choose
the site of your offices where the type of people
you prefer live. After all, you will be dealing with
PEOPLE day after day. It is PEOPLE who will help you
build your success. After you achieve that, you can
go to those areas that offer special recreation and
pleasures and enjoy them as you will.
This
advice to “move away” also applies to
the established doctor who finds that he is beating
his head against a stone wall. Get out of your rut;
break your present connections and seek out another
place to build success.
Other
factors to be considered:
1.
Pick a town of 500,000 of fewer residents living within
a 25-mile radius. The smaller the town, the faster
the start.
2.
A working class people is best, a community of older
folks.
3.
The number of competing chiropractors is not important.
Their types (positive or negative thinking) are important,
for you will have to associate with them.
4.
Make sure that the community has a diversified means
of income and that it has money in circulation.
After
picking the town, the choice of site is most important.
Keep the following in mind:
1.
The office should be on a well-known street.
2.
It should be on a corner. This gives side-street parking
and easier identification. “At the corner of
Main and South “ is better than saying “at
1259 Main St.”
3.
You should be able to live in the same building with
your offices the first few years. Just being able
to answer the phone quickly will pay the rent. Otherwise
live close enough so you can have a phone extension
in your home.
4.
Pick a building that needs exterior changes. This
will make people notice the improvements being made.
5.
Locate near a prominent landmark, a school, post office,
library, etc. That helps people find you.
6.
Your street should have good local traffic flow but
not be a one-way street. If you have to choose a one-way
street, pick one leaving town as most people stop
at the doctor’s while going home from work or
shopping.
7.
Take a two-year lease on the basis that you will keep
up the interior of the building while the landlord
maintains the outer walls and other factors.
8.
Don’t put up or decorate a building to the point
that it will not be accepted by the neighborhood.
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