Welcome to Entrepreneurship 101
A practical guide to entrepreneurship for students and new DCs starting their first practice.
There are 100 ways to start your career. What is the right one?
Taking first steps in your chiropractic career. I graduated from chiropractic school in 2003, and I saw my first patient in my own clinic in March 2004—three months after graduating. That is how long it took me to get my board scores, pass my jurisprudence exam, and paint the walls.
Action steps to create practice success
Student DC I often think, “What if I had to start a practice again today?” After running my own practice for 27 years, coaching hundreds of doctors, and seeing the good, bad and the ugly, how would I begin again, incorporating what I’ve learned about clinical and business success? I offer three critical steps to hit the ground running.
Why all students should shadow a DC
Student DCAs I am writing this, I have a little kink in my neck. The cause? A student adjusted me the other day. I always have some students or interns—or both—hanging around the clinic. I never say no to a student who wants to shadow or intern with me. Does it help my practice? No, it’s more of a distraction than a help, as even unpaid interns end up causing more work than they save. One summer intern took down our internet access for a day.
How to attract new patients to your practice
Student DC One of the first successful actions I took when I got in my first office was to get out of it. I had everything arranged inside—the phone system, the appointment book, and the X-ray equipment. So I waited with anticipation and—crickets. Nobody was calling or stopping in. Looking at my quickly dwindling business checkbook balance, I had to take action to attract patients and do it at low expense.
5 tips for your new chiropractic practice
Student DC The chiropractic profession has grown exponentially. With that growth has come more practitioners and an ever-changing health care marketplace. From a public perspective, locating a doctor of chiropractic isn’t difficult. The problem finding one who is consistent in his or her delivery, shows up and, most importantly, stays in business.
Jumpstart your online marketing with social media
Student DCOk, here is what we have been noticing the past few weeks regarding the marketing for our clients using Facebook, and thought we would share our findings so you can start implementing some of these things as well for your own business. As far as social media goes, Facebook is the granddaddy of online marketing. So the first thing you need to have is a separate Facebook page for your business, and you need to be engaging your audience with regular postings on your business page.
Why you need a safety net
Student DC I remember not long after enrolling in chiropractic school, and well before graduation, realizing that chiropractors don’t have a safety net. I have come to see now, after 14 years in practice and coaching and speaking to hundreds of chiropractors, that this lack of a back-up plan is one of our biggest challenges. First of all, doctors have always been an entrepreneurial bunch. That includes MDs, DCs, DOs, and DPMs.
Top 5 tips for the new chiropractor
Student DCIf I could go back to the beginning of my career and give myself some advice, I would be tempted to not do it. Looking back over the past 30 years however, there are some things that I think would have served me well. Here are five tips for the new chiropractor. Your DC degree is a license to begin learning. Immerse yourself in continuing education. Not only will you be exposed to new ideas, techniques and technology, you will be exposed to other doctors that have traveled further down the path.
Communication styles can build or break your practice
Student DC Communication is vital to building a successful practice. It’s also the reason many chiropractors fail to thrive. You want to develop a communication style that empowers you for success. Those first years in practice are loaded with excitement, nerves and learning curves. And you know how to check and adjust, but do you know how to build a business? The latter is something with no rulebook. It’s learned by trial and error.
