Reflecting on starting up a business
It’s been 4 months since I started up my chiropractic and rehabilitation business, and I feel like now is a good time to reflect on the process so far and look to the future.
Looking back at when I started in February, I had more time to be organised and meticulous with planning and admin. This will be a challenge to continue to the same level as I get busier.
As lockdown restrictions have eased and more normality returned to life, busyness, as well as business, has increased. This is making me appreciate the value of downtime for myself and ensure I have a work-life balance, but at the same time trying not to feel bad about it as I’m not working!
Being self-employed has given me flexibility in my working life, but as an organised person, having a structure set out is probably the most important thing. In the last month, I’ve organised myself a weekly timetable so that I can schedule clinic hours, golf club working hours, training and admin time for planning, social media posts, blog writing, and so on. This has been really useful to guide my organisation and also leave time especially at the weekends for relaxing and socialising (now we’re allowed to socialise!)
The biggest thing I’ve learned about running a business so far is that there are always going to be ups and downs, but riding out the waves and generally heading on an upward trajectory is the key in the longer term. Being in charge of most decisions related to the business gives an extra layer of responsibility, which is good as I know what’s going on and have to feel confident in my decisions but the caveat is that everything I do is scrutinised by me and can sometimes lead to analysis paralysis!
Taking small steps is an important part of how I work with clients in rehabilitation, but the advice carries over into business, and life
The main thing that’s helped me is to constantly be learning and reflecting on things that are going well and things that could be improved. Generally, I’ve concluded that the best thing to do is take some action rather than none at all, if it’s not the right choice, I’ll learn from it, and it tends not to be a big deal in the grand scheme of things. For example, spending money on Instagram advertising I don’t think was a good choice, but local advertising could be more fruitful.
“The biggest thing I’ve learned about running a business so far is that there are always going to be ups and downs, but riding out the waves and generally heading on an upward trajectory is the key in the longer term.”
My confidence has definitely improved over the last few months. By documenting the process through this blog I have been able to see some real changes in the way that I am working in a business-orientated way but still keeping my ethos of patient-centred and evidence-based healthcare. My confidence with using tools like Canva, writing and uploading blogs to Squarespace, and generally design-related work has also improved with practice. With the help of Elwyn and Ken at PixelHaze, I feel like I’m improving the image of my small business although the brand is already established.
This month, I’ve progressed business-wise by getting my business on Google, which is a big step for visibility as now when people search for a chiropractor in North Baddesley (the village where I live), I am on the list with contact information and a new look page on the Back to Roots website. I’m really proud of how the page looks on the website, which I got up and running with Ken and Elwyn’s help. I think having this will help to set the right expectations for potential clients as well as ensure any leads get followed up with the ‘contact me’ section.
Working with one of my clients
The next step for me now is really to continue working with my current clients, documenting their progress via social media to increase awareness of my business and improve my reputation; this I hope will lead to positive reviews and testimonials on Google and Facebook which, in turn, will in time lead to new clients coming on board.
Now that COVID-19 restrictions are easing again allowing indoor meeting to take place, my classes can resume in person and I am hoping to run some more classes that allow me to help people with aches and pains, and do more fun classes or workshops such as for gymnastics and strength and conditioning too. I think that spending more time in the gym, meeting people at the golf club, and getting my name out there more and more will in time produce the increased awareness I am hoping for and in the long term get more clients on board.
Working with clients is now taking up more of my time, which was always the aim. Now I need to keep up the momentum!
Ads and posters are still something I want to do and will consider running from time to time, but I think a major thing I have learned is just to spend time with people, have conversations, and give people the opportunity to find out about what you do. Generally, aggressive marketing doesn’t align with my business model and the way I want to be perceived, so it’s not a strategy that I’m going to spend a lot of time, money, and resources on.
In the next 6-9 months, I am hoping to gain a more steady stream of clients, increase my local visibility and connect with more members of the community. I am looking to run another in-person class at the local gym as there’s a great sense of community and support of small businesses which is an environment I think that I can thrive in with time.
Check out my social media to see how I get on over the next few months!
