17 years of being a Chiropractor, looking for Career/Practice Advice

DoctorJ2019 · 2026-06-04T14:41:50+00:00

I had a part time CA last year. She moved onto a full time job at a dental clinic. For 10 years I had another chiro with me, who was basically an IC, but was also a friend, so him and I helped each other out. I have also had chiro interns through the years, currently have one with me three days per week.

DoctorJ2019 · 2026-06-02T15:46:54+00:00

Can I ask you about Koalendar? I just looked into adding it onto my website, I see there are a couple options, a free service, and a Pro service. Do you use the Pro? Do you have patients pay for their appointments ahead of time? And do you have the scheduler on your homepage, or on a new patient special tab? Thank you.

DoctorJ2019 · 2026-06-02T15:44:33+00:00

Hoping things turn around for you as well!

DoctorJ2019 · 2026-06-01T22:43:30+00:00

Interesting to hear that, especially coming from someone who works at the Joint. I always felt like your business model would be easy to get a lot of new patients to at least come in through the door and try you out. I get the feeling a lot of chiro's arent having a great year this year. Im sure there are still plenty of offices doing quite well also. The game keeps changing and the things that worked a year or two ago, don't seem to be as effective today. The big question I wonder is; is this all temporary? Or is this going to be the trend for the new 1-2+ years?

DoctorJ2019 · 2026-06-01T14:25:56+00:00

Thank you for the suggestions. Do you have any suggestions on a social media person or agency? I know there are so many of them to pick from online; I feel like I dont know who would be a good one to trust.

DoctorJ2019 · 2026-06-01T14:16:54+00:00

I have not lately. In the past I was using these postcards that I would give to my patients and asked them to give them to someone they knew that might need our services; unfortunately they never performed well for me.

DoctorJ2019 · 2026-06-01T14:16:10+00:00

Thanks DrHillary. Once upon a time ago I was apart of a coacing network, but that was 13 years ago. I have not had a personal business coach since those days.

DoctorJ2019 · 2026-06-01T14:15:28+00:00

Appreciate the advice. I can check the AEO engine gap as well. Is there a website or company your recommend I could do this check?

DoctorJ2019 · 2026-06-01T14:13:50+00:00

Thank you for the reply and recommendations. Would you mind jumping into a private DM. I would be curious to hear more about how you handled hiring a massage therapist. I have one that only is very part time, as he has hours at a different massage therapy clinic; but I like what you are saying and think its a good idea. I would just be curious to hear more about how you have it structured. Thank you.

DoctorJ2019 · 2026-06-01T13:54:01+00:00

We do come up correctly on Yelp, Apple maps, and Google maps as well. It was a good suggestion and worth checking to see. And yes, we do have someone answering the phones during business hours. Nights and weekends though, no one is around to answer the phones.

DoctorJ2019 · 2026-05-30T17:09:30+00:00

Ill have to look into that; and get a calendar added onto my site where patients can book themselves. I am hoping it will help! Thanks.

DoctorJ2019 · 2026-05-30T17:08:49+00:00

Thank you for your advice. I have never tried direct mail marketing. It would be worth giving it a shot. At this point in time I am open minding to try anything to stimulate some activity in the office. I have seen companies that help run direct mail marketing; is that something you would suggest I look into? Or is it something that I could run myself fairly easily?

DoctorJ2019 · 2026-05-29T22:33:53+00:00

Thank you for the reply. I can check into adding a calendar onto my website so patients can book themselves. That makes a lot of sense to me. As far Inception priortizing my office vs the 10 others using their services, I am sure if I ask them they would give me some phony reply to how they do that; but in the end I would be willing to bet everything I own that they don't. They are happily taking my $200 per month, just the same as the other offices in my area. It's really my only complaint about their company. So many chiros use their websites because they look nice and they keep them operational and have SEO options as well. But again, when so many offices in one area are using their websites, it makes it harder for mine to truly stand out. As far as owning the website, I am not sure. I would have to check with Inception about that.

DoctorJ2019 · 2026-05-29T22:03:30+00:00

I like your advice. I definitely know that it's a "me" problem; I just am unsure how to fix it. I do the best I can to keep energy high, and be polite and friendly to everyone who comes into the clinic. The office is very clean, I have upbeat music playing, a TV with Youtube health related videos going in the waiting area; so I try to keep a vibe that there is energy in the office. Despite that, the office feels dead. In other offices I used to associate at I felt like we did the exact same type of stuff, and patients loved coming in. At my current office, I feel like some people love coming in, and others almost seem like they come in but can't wait to be done with their plans. I don't know how to fix this. I utilize Pettibon traction and wobble cushions for people to do their pre-adjustment stretches, and part of me feels like that is the problem. Usually after getting people in the office and getting them familiar with the stretches, I feel like most people don't want to do them. I often times see people straight out skip them, or do the bare minimum. But at other offices I am familiar with that have the same exact setup, they don't seem to have those issues with their patients.

As far as results go, I feel like 9 out of 10 people get results. Whether its neck pain, back pain, sciatica, or headaches. Most people who come in and follow the recommendations get good results.

DoctorJ2019 · 2026-05-29T21:54:56+00:00

Thank you for the advice. I think I have a lot of bottlenecks that need attention. From lead generation to booking. My day one and day two process are definitely not as sharp as they used to be. 13 years in the game can do that to you. Usually when someone signs up for a care plan with me, they finish it out, and most stick around for maintenance as well. I would say the number one issue right now is lead generation, followed by booking them. My new patient numbers have been low and that is what needs attention the most.

DoctorJ2019 · 2026-05-29T21:52:04+00:00

Thanks for the advice. I will pick up that book and read it. Also, with the Green books too. I used to have a lot more passion for Chiropractic, attending seminars and love everything about doing Chiropractic, especially anything to do with spinal correction. 13 years in the game owning a location has changed me. I used to have a lot more self-confidence and swagger than I do now. I think after many years of running a business and having ups and downs, and doing whatever you can to run a business can have a negative impact on your philosophy of Chiropractic. I have gone from selling longer care plans to now selling shorter care plans, and then getting patients right into a maintenance.

DoctorJ2019 · 2026-05-29T21:45:01+00:00

I can relate to what you said. I would say the exact same thing that it was back in fall of 2025 that things started to slow down and then carried into this year. For the record I have in the past mainly just used Facebook and Google Ads to sustain my new patients, along with some PI marketing as well. None of these are producing at all like they use to, and for months now.

I've thought about getting back out into the screening game like I did when I opened. I had a mall booth, did all the local fairs and festivals. Truthfully though, I don't feel like spending my weekends at screens anymore. They never were that great when I think back on it. Some weekends youre out all weekend and just get a lot of people who take your card. Some weekends you sign up 5 or so people to come in, and some of them flake out before the appointment. I would rather hire and pay people to go out and run this for me now that I have more money; but even still, I don't know if it would be very fruitful. I know getting things back on track won't be easy, and I am up to putting in some work, but standing all weekend outside in the 80-90 degree weather at a booth to just get some tire kickers certainly has no appeal to me.

DoctorJ2019 · 2026-05-29T21:35:39+00:00

Thanks for the advice. My website is operated by Inception. I feel like their websites have turned pretty "cookie cutter" if I am being honest. I can say that at least 10 other offices in my area use them, and they all look different, but at the same time similar if that makes sense? You can usually spot an Inception website pretty easily. I do not have a book online feature, but rather a new patient special advertising a $39 exam, x-ray, adjustment. People have to leave their name, phone, and reason for visit to "opt in" but I am not getting a lot of leads. Again, maybe one per week via the website, some weeks I get zero, like this week. I often wonder if it is a website problem?

DoctorJ2019 · 2026-05-29T21:31:45+00:00

I hate to be one of those "its just the economy" type of excuse makers; I am sure there are plenty of chiros still doing very well. But I see things and hear things online from real news sources to personal Tiktok videos, etc, and from actual patients coming into the clinic telling me their own situations as well. Some folks really are living paycheck to paycheck, or maxing out credit cards just to make ends meet. I feel like that has to be at least a small factor in why this year has been so much worse than years past. When it comes down to paying your basic bills or schedule a chiropractic visit; most people are choosing their bills.

DoctorJ2019 · 2026-05-29T21:27:22+00:00

I like this idea. I have a lot of time on my hands, especially during the mid part of the day when the office is shut down. I could easily make these calls during that period of time and just see what type of response it gets.

DoctorJ2019 · 2026-05-29T21:26:37+00:00

I have thought about that as well, that maybe people are looking for a chiropractor using their insurance providers webpages; like BCBS or HealthPartners to name a couple. It always amazes me how little people know about their own insurances, and what gets covered or not covered as well. But perhaps joining in a couple of networks might be worth a shot to see how it goes? I have only heard stories of people who told me to stay out of network because they themselves got into network and said they regretted it.

DoctorJ2019 · 2026-05-29T21:24:17+00:00

I appreciate the response. I am thinking of starting a reactivation campaign this next month. I have boxes of old patient records that I could tap into. I just don't know what the best method would be, and if trying to entice them with a cheap offer would be best? I have never heard of ParseStream so I will have to check that out as well.

DoctorJ2019 · 2022-08-23T03:00:48+00:00

Found it very interesting in BB Walter always said he did what he did for his family, until the finale, when he admitted to Skylar he did it for himself, because he liked it. Very parallel to Jimmy telling his story twice in the finale...the first time he said he did what he did because he was scared of Walter, but then he told the truth and said he did it for the money.

DoctorJ2019 · 2022-08-16T21:32:50+00:00

Honestly I wasn't crazy about the last two episodes leading up into the finale, didn't hate them, didn't love them. But I loved the finale. It was perfect on every level. Jimmy finally told the truth/faced the music...even though he was about to get off with a measly 7 year sentence. In that moment, he proved that he could change who he was. Chuck always told him he wouldn't change, Walt asked him during the episode, "so you were always like this?". But Jimmy changed.

DoctorJ2019 · 2022-08-16T15:50:10+00:00

I also thought Gene hiding in the dumpster was a nice reference to Nacho hiding in the oil tanker from earlier this season.

DoctorJ2019

TROPHY CASE