Why $1M Is Keeping Most Chiropractors Broke
$1M is the ceiling, not the milestone. Dr. Bobby Ilijasevic, founder of Atlaxis Health in Australia and Remarkable Practice coach, scaled a single chiropractic office past $5M and is targeting $10M. He breaks down the skill-acquisition curve, the talent funnel most owners miss, and why $1M is keeping the profession broke.
Episode Details
Most chiropractors set their goal at $1M and treat it as the finish line. Dr. Bobby Ilijasevic argues that's the trap. A $1M practice running at industry-standard margins doesn't leave enough money for the org chart, accountability structures, leadership positions, and bonus systems that real businesses run on. It's a broken model, and most of the profession is stuck in it because nobody told them to aim higher.
Bobby is the founder of Atlaxis Health in Cremorne, Australia, a coach at The Remarkable Practice, and he's spent the last 13 years building what he believes is the model most chiropractors haven't seen: a $5M-plus single-location private chiropractic office, with a clear path to $10M. He took 3 years to crack his first million. Then he went from $1M to $2M in 6 months. $2M to $4M in 18 months. $4M to over $5M in the next 8. Same office. Same chair. Same square footage.
In this episode, Bobby breaks down what changed. His core thesis: your rate of growth is directly proportional to your rate of skill acquisition. He walks through the four marketing channels every business uses (1-to-1 cold outreach, 1-to-1 warm outreach, 1-to-many cold ads, 1-to-many warm posts) and why most chiropractors only run them for new patients, missing the talent acquisition funnel that's just as important.
The conversation gets tactical on the hire-back order. Bobby's sequence (which he wishes he'd known earlier): CA first (admin), then EA (executive admin), then associates (delivery), then marketing manager, then sales, then office manager, then operations manager. Skip a step, and the next layer never holds. He also reframes the BJ Palmer story for modern owners: BJ didn't try to open ten chiropractic offices. He opened a school (the talent funnel) and bought a radio station (the patient funnel). That's the model.
If you're stuck at the $1M ceiling, considering whether to add a second location or dig deeper into the one you have, or wondering why your current associates aren't profitable enough to scale, this episode is a re-framing from someone who built a $5M single-location practice and is making the case that the ceiling most chiropractors believe in doesn't exist.
Key Takeaways
- $1M Is the Ceiling, Not the Milestone: A $1M practice doesn't leave enough margin for org charts, accountability, and bonus structures. Bobby argues the goal is keeping the profession broke and that $5M to $10M single-location is achievable for those who reframe what's possible.
- Skill Acquisition = Growth Rate: Bobby's core rule: your rate of growth is directly proportional to your rate of skill acquisition. The fastest way to add skills is to pay people who already have them. Free resources work, but when you pay you pay attention.
- The Two Funnels Every Owner Needs: A new-patient acquisition funnel AND a talent acquisition funnel running constantly. Most operators only run the first and wonder why they can't find A-players. BJ Palmer figured this out a century ago: school for the talent funnel, radio station for the patient funnel.
- The 4 Marketing Channels Framework: All marketing fits into 4 categories. 1-to-1 cold (LinkedIn outreach to hire). 1-to-1 warm (text everyone in your phone). 1-to-many cold (paid ads). 1-to-many warm (post in groups you're in). Use all four for both patients and talent.
- Vision Has to Fit Other People Inside It: Every team member works for you for their own selfish reason — their goals, their growth, their journey. A leader's vision has to be big enough to contain the visions of every person on the team. That's how you attract A-players who could earn more elsewhere.
- The Hire-Back Order Most Owners Get Wrong: CA first (admin), then EA (executive admin), then associates (delivery), then marketing manager, then sales, then office manager, then operations manager. The order matters. Skip a step and the next layer never holds.
- 600% ROI on Marketing Beats Every Other Investment: Most owners will put money in the stock market for 7% and refuse to invest in their own business. If your business gives you 600% ROI on marketing dollars, the math says invest there until that return drops.
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