What to consider before you open for business
By Doug Bedichek, DC

Establishing your own practice may be the most significant career move you’ve made since you chose your profession. You have many choices to make and a lot riding on those choices. Some will affect your practice for years to come.

Three major steps you’ll take before your grand opening are selecting a location, laying out your office, and making your presence known.

LOCATION

An optimal location improves your productivity, helps attract and retain good employees and patients, and gives you a positive image in your community.

The three primary considerations are cost, visibility, and accessibility — but not necessarily in that order. It’s easy to place too much emphasis on the cost of rent or lease; treat visibility as an equal consideration.

• Cost. Paying a high price in rent just to get a prime location may put you in a financial hole before you even begin your practice. Keep in mind that your realtor or property owner’s representative may not have the experience or knowledge of what it takes to start a chiropractic practice.

While prime locations may be beneficial in many ways, they do not always translate into a higher number of new patients. If your only criterion is the finest location, you’ll be paying a higher rent and will have to see more patients to meet your overhead.

Conversely, the least expensive location may be hidden from clear sight or in a less-than-desirable building, which will not attract walk-in patients. This too can cause financial stress if you are unable to generate the patient volume needed to pay even the least expensive rent.

• Visibility. The more visible your office, the greater number of walk-in patients you will attract. Being situated off the beaten path in a shopping center, hidden in an office building, or not visible from the road will make you overly dependent on your external marketing. Poor visibility doesn’t mean you won’t have a successful practice, but it will certainly add a significant challenge when you’re starting out.

• Accessibility. Traffic flow and ease of access to your location are also important aspects to consider. Investigate construction plans for your area by contacting local government and city departments of planning and development. Road closings and detours, even for a short time, can stunt growth for months, which, in the beginning stage of a practice can be crucial.

Balance all these aspects by finding a location that provides easy access and adequate visibility, without the high price tag.

OFFICE DESIGN

Once you have found your practice location and signed the lease, it’s time to consider the design of your space. Efficient layout can make all the difference.

• Arrangement. Minimize the distance between treatment rooms. Place the exam room, adjusting room(s), and the doctor’s office near each other. The time and energy this saves can be directly transferred to your patients.

• Flow. If your space allows, create a horseshoe design that facilitates one-way patient flow and allows the office to have separate check-in and checkout areas. Make the checkout area as private as possible since personal information regarding health or finances will be discussed there.

• Space allocation. Create plenty of space for active therapy if you are planning to incorporate rehabilitative exercises in your protocols. Patients need room to exercise — but not a huge amount of space. If properly arranged, a rehab suite can be as small as 10 by 10 feet.

ADVERTISING

Now it’s time to put your energy towards opening day. This is a good time to start promoting your practice on your building, in print, and at community events. Plan your marketing months ahead of your scheduled opening date.

• Signage. Sometimes we don’t realize how many potential patients drive by the building, see your sign, and make a mental note about where a new chiropractor will be located.

An example might read “CHIROPRACTOR COMING SOON” followed by your phone number. Order the sign well in advance — it may take weeks before your sign is complete and installed.

• Direct mail. Some direct-mail advertisers will ask you to promote your practice by giving coupons for free services. This approach can be expensive. It attracts patients who are merely interested in taking advantage of the “free” services and leaves you struggling to schedule more patients to justify its cost.

Talk with other merchants in the area who have used direct-mail companies and inquire about their results. Your return on investment (ROI) for any practice promotion should be at least 3:1. This means earning $3 for every $1 you spend.

• Print advertising. Most small local newspapers have affordable rates and are read by most residents in your town or area of the city. An inserted flyer is often more cost-effective and productive than an ad printed on the page. Chamber of commerce and business networking group newsletters provide additional vehicles for print promotions.

• Community presence. Joining your local chamber of commerce is an excellent way to raise awareness of your new practice. Be prepared to volunteer in projects and become involved in chamber functions.

Be on the lookout for ribbon cuttings to attend, luncheons to sponsor, and community programs to support.

Opening a chiropractic practice can be difficult, so give yourself the best possible chance of success. By planning well, you’ll sleep well at night and open with confidence, knowing you’ve done everything needed to make your practice a success for years to come.

Doug Bedichek, DC, is a senior coach at Breakthrough Coaching, which provides personal coaching to chiropractic and multidisciplinary practices throughout the country. For more information about Breakthrough Coaching or to contact Dr. Bedichek, call 800-723-8423 or visit www.mybreakthrough.com.