COLUMN BUSINESS TALK Anatomy of a start-up clinic A How a satellite office can enhance your income potential fter 12 years in private practice, I decided to turn back the clock and open a satellite clinic to complement my flagship office. This start-up office provides a niche service to patients while expanding awareness of my BY ANTHONY LOMBARDI brand. My second location is a 500-square-foot space within a commercial building that houses a dance studio, karate school and a dental office. It is owned by the operator of the karate school, and the rent, which is very reasonable, includes utilities, a wireless network, running water and signage on the inside and outside of the building. It offers chiropractic care, physiotherapy and massage therapy, and the niche service is that appointments are only between 5:00 pm and 9:00 pm on weekdays. In many ways, opening a satellite location is very much like starting a practice right out of school. By applying a few simple principles you can make a start-up office successful without draining your bank account. Target property owners that are not large corporations These rental opportunities will provide you with a better price because small businesses or “mom and pop” corpo-rations will see you as an opportunity to turn unused square footage into cash. In these cases, the owners usually try to do anything they can to promote your business – because, after all, if you do well then they get paid over the long term. Be a copycat If the owner’s business is successful, then you will find that promoting your business alongside theirs will expose more potential patients to your whereabouts. Being part of a newsletter, joint mail-outs or mutually promoting each other’s business in social media are simple things you can do on a regular basis. smartphone. The day before their scheduled appointment, all the patients receive reminder text messages to ensure they show up for their booking. I purchased two reinforced massage tables for $300 each, and the equipment and supplies needed to provide outstanding clinical care. In total it cost about $1,500 including promotion costs. Grind it out Keep expenses low Keep expenses low by becoming interactive. In my satellite clinic, I do not use any support staff. The therapists rebook the patient’s next appointments using a laptop and collect payment using the Square device which attaches to their ANTHONY LOMBARDI, DC, is consultant to athletes in the NFL, CFL and NHL, and founder of the Hamilton Back Clinic in Hamilton, Ont. He teaches his fundamental EXSTORE Assessment System and conducts practice-building workshops to health professionals. Visit www.exstore.ca for information. 14 Canadian Chiropractor September 2014 If you want to be successful, you need to be willing to work – and that means you need to be prepared to grind: • Take every patient visit as an opportunity to grow – focus on producing outstanding clinical results. • Remind patients you are accepting new patients and give them three to four business cards before they leave. • Return every email, text, message, direct message (on Twitter) and call, and be willing to adjust your schedule to secure the new or follow-up patient appointment. • Commit time/set time aside to brainstorm ideas to pro-mote your brand and generate new patients. www.canadianchiropractor.ca Photo: Fotolia
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