Time to Accept it its Tough

Running a business and being a chiropractor isn’t easy, I was asked yesterday by an observing physiotherapy student if I thought “chiropractors were generally more entrepreneurial than physiotherapists”.

My answer was almost immediate, “they have to be”. As chiropractors there are less of us, our profession lesser know and misunderstood, and our fees generally higher. As such we must be entrepreneurial.

But what does that mean? It doesn’t mean finding new and tricky ways to sell and look fancy. It simply means constantly looking for and creating new ways to solve problems. That is it, entrepreneurs solve problems, businesses exist to solve problems for customers, and chiropractic is a beautiful profession well place to solve so many health problems for our patients.

And it’s tough. With a market becoming more cutthroat, people choose where to spend money, we need to stand out as key problem solvers. We need to be the solution for them that they want and that they will pay for.

It is beautifully simple really and there are only two things you need to worry about in order to continue to thrive. But before I tell you, you need to understand, over the next few years it is going to be hard work. We are going to have to show up for our people consistently and persistently. And yes, this hard work can be the most fulfilling and rewarding thing and here is how.

1.       You need to be the BEST person to solve their issue.
The definition of ‘fulfilment’ according to Tony Robins, is quite simply, growth. If you are always growing and getting better, moving forward then you are likely to live a fulfilled life.
Striving to be the best chiropractor possible will move you well in that direction.
You also NEED to be that for your patients, who when making buying decision in a tough market, will chose only the best.
Is that you? Are you fulfilled? Are you constantly training to improve?

2.       You need to CARE about the individual.
As well as finding the person to solve their problem, patients also want to find someone who cares. More important than ever in a fiscally and emotionally tough time.
Are you genuinely caring for your patients, are you doing more than expected, are you nurturing them though care, beyond just their adjustments?
Gandhi said something along the lines of ‘to find true happiness, one must lose themselves in the service of others’.
To make this hard work fun, fall in love with service and care about each individual.

Remember you practice grows and thrives not in the hundreds or thousands of people that you serve, but in the ONE person you are serving at that time.

With love

Tom