How a Chiropractor's one-man clinic grew to S$5K/mo revenue after only 5 months

In one line, what do you do and what is your most significant achievement?

I am a Chiropractor and my one-man clinic managed to make 5k in monthly revenue after 5 months.

Who are you and what business did you start?

I am a passionate Chiropractor and small business owner. My business, The Chiro Lab Private Limited, is a chiropractic clinic that offers personalised chiropractic services to help people solve their pain/injury related problems at an affordable price.

What's your backstory?

I've had many of my own injuries in the past, and have seen many chiropractors, surgeons and physiotherapists to try and solve my pain related issues. I wanted to work with a guide who could help me problem solve and figure out where my pain was coming from, but all I got was a bunch of medical jargon thrown at me, diagnoses that meant very little to me and no desire to listen to my ideas and concerns.

I started this business out of my own need/desire to figure out what was wrong with my body, having a guide who knew what they were doing but who also cared about my concerns and ideas. Someone who could work with me to reach my goals.

What led you to specialise in your industry?

A passion for the human body, fitness, health and wellbeing. My desire to optimise my body and stay pain free led me to want to help others do the same.

How did you spend your First 100 Days of launching your business?

I made my first $100 as a Chiropractor doing a house call for a friend of my mum using a portable massage table and some tools I got while in university. In the first 100 days of launching my business, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. I spent many hours agonising over clinic locations, trying to build my website, setting up social media and figuring out how to actually run a brick and mortar service based business.

Since launch, what has worked to attract and retain partnerships/customers?

Working on Google, being consistent with the SEO stuff, promoting my services on social media and word of mouth by providing a good, personalised service!

What is one underrated thing in your industry that business owners should start doing/using?

As a new business owner, I can't say I know the answer to this question. I guess being honest is really underrated. If I can't help someone, or don't know the answer to something, I'd rather be honest and try to help a patient with the problem solving process, and look at different alternatives, than try to be a know-it-all. Being an expert is overrated, actually caring about the person I'm helping is underrated.

What were the biggest challenges you faced and how have you overcome them?

I started this business fresh out of university and did not know much about business before jumping in, thinking I could learn as I went along. It proved to be a steep learning curve, and I had many sleepless nights with my mind going into overdrive. I struggled with many aspects of the business, such as marketing, sales and trying to set up partnerships.

Personally, running a solo business is a lonely journey, and I struggled with the fact that unlike many of the people I knew, I wasn't on a traditional path. I wasn't earning a fixed monthly salary, and having to fight for the survival of my business was quite stressful. There were many days where I wondered if I made the right choice, and I felt envious of some of my friends in more traditional jobs, who did not have the same struggles, and had a more “traditional” career.

I'm still overcoming these challenges, with encouragement from my family, friends and my own cultivation of the right habits, such as setting up boundaries around work and personal time, and reading fiction before bed instead of a business/marketing book has been super helpful in helping me get proper rest.

What platform/tools do you use for your business?

PlatoMedical (partient/clinic management) Squarespace (website), Google drive (storage), Xero (accounting), Canva (Designing), google (everything else)

How are you doing today and what does the future look like?

Today, I am getting the hang of running this one man clinic. I am considering paying myself a salary, which was inconceivable just a few months ago when I was struggling to break even. The future looks bright, as I plan to grow my business by providing my services to larger companies and delegating more of my day to day work to third party providers and freelancers.