7-Figure Chiropractic Clinic - The Veteran Who Built His Practice From Scratch

Building a Practice from the Ground Up

• Embrace calculated risk and commitment. When starting his practice, Dr. Shaddock signed a 10-year lease on his first location to lock in a lower rate in a growing area. This created a sense of "forced success," motivating him to work hard and make the practice successful.
• Be a hungry go-getter. Dr. Shaddock worked seven days a week in the beginning and started with very few patients, but he never gave up. He attributes this mindset to his time in the Marine Corps, which instilled discipline and the confidence to believe in himself.
• Prioritize relationships and community involvement. The key to his practice's growth was building strong relationships, not just with patients but also with other medical professionals like pain management doctors and neurosurgeons. In the early days, he was doing five networking events a week to get the word out, which eventually led to a robust referral network.
• The power of proximity. For his second location, Dr. Shaddock intentionally opened an office right down the hall from a company he wanted to get referrals from, knowing that simply being seen regularly would lead to a relationship. This "calculated risk" worked, and the referrals began to flow.

Scaling and Leadership

• Scale for quality, not just quantity. At one point, Dr. Shaddock had five offices but found it was too difficult to manage and maintain a cohesive culture and quality of care. He scaled back to three locations, which he finds "doable" with a team of around 24 total employees and six doctors.
• Use trips and events to build team cohesion. To maintain a strong culture across multiple locations, Dr. Shaddock takes the entire company on an annual vacation and also organizes a separate trip for just the doctors. He believes these events are important for helping the team "gel" and bond outside of work.
• Delegate and adapt your role. As the practice grew, Dr. Shaddock's role changed from doing "all the things" to being a leader who delegates and sets an example . He now sees patients only one day a week for five hours, allowing him to focus on business leadership and avoid burnout.
• Engage with your patients. The most important piece of advice he gives to other chiropractors is to be engaged with the patient. This means knowing their name, asking about their life and family, and giving them answers to their questions. He believes an educated patient is a compliant patient, which is essential for retention and building a successful practice.

Marketing and Business Operations

• Learn the fundamentals of your marketing. Dr. Shaddock learned to manage his own Google Ads and SEO after feeling that the agencies he hired were not paying enough attention to his campaigns. While he recommends eventually hiring a professional, he advises business owners to at least learn the basics so they can make informed decisions and not get "scammed."
• Consider all payment options. While he acknowledges that dealing with insurance can be a hassle, Dr. Shaddock believes that being a cash-only practice cuts you off from a large portion of the market, especially in a city with many large companies that offer good insurance plans. He believes a successful practice should be "multi" in its approach, accepting cash, insurance, and personal injury cases.