that all of these offices have in common. These are the follow-ing: an on-purpose and inspired chiropractor; an energetic and focused front desk assistant; and a humble office space. There is no greater return on investment than investing time and resources on you and your staff. Specific things such as seminars, continuing education courses and technique classes are all low-cost components that will produce a high return on your investment (ROI). Things that tend to negatively affect your ROI, and that are not in line with the principle of “keep-ing things basic,” might be some new technologies/gadgets, ex-pensive modalities, or anything else that requires a long-term financial commitment/lease. With your next few new patients, I challenge you to try doing nothing but adjusting them, and taking care of their needs. See what happens. The next basic expense is a really great, all-around, chiro-practic assistant (CA). If this person has your system and pro-cedures in place, you should be able to see up to 300 patients a week with just one CA. In order to have your CA operating at a high level, you must invest your time and resources in them to ensure they are inspired and confident. I guarantee that, over time, this will be an excellent ROI. Finally, the maximum space needed for a solo practitioner is around 700 square feet. This will give you two treatment rooms, a small reception area and a small office area. Trust me – not much more is needed and this can really cut down your rent obligations. These little suggestions may seem trivial but could make the difference between you netting 40 per cent of your gross in-come versus 60. How many more patients would you have to treat to replace that saved income? When you keep things sim-ple in your office, and don’t have to hit goals based on finances for things you don’t really need, you can relax and focus on the true needs of your patient. This type of responsibility gives you freedom to practise simply and happily, and when this happens I assure you that you will, in turn, end up seeing more people! Remember, the little expenses tend to add up, so be careful and be thrifty! In fact, challenge yourself and your office staff to keep to a budget and reward yourselves when you beat your targets. • KEYS TO MAXIMIZING YOUR BOTTOM LINE Tracking your activity and simplifying your practice needs will help you increase your bottom line while minimizing stressors and helping you focus on your patients’ needs. ACTION STEP 1: Track your statistics, including office expenses. ACTION STEP 2: Set a budget for specific areas and reward the office when you meet your targets. ACTION STEP 3: Challenge yourself to trim expenses not essential to the practice. The Federation of Canadian Chiropractic REGULATION ACCREDITATION La Fédération Chiropratique Canadienne RÉGUL A TI O N AC CRÉD IT A TI O N www.canadianchiropractor.ca CANADIAN CHIROPRACTOR | OCTOBER 2012 • 23
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