We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Nataly Perez. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Nataly below.

Nataly, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you share an important lesson you learned in a prior job that’s helped you in your career afterwards?

Upon graduating chiropractic school I took an associate position at a pretty popular office. I quickly learned that the way they practiced was not what I had in mind. I wanted more 1-on-1 time with patients and wanted to treat the whole person, not the singular ailment, nor sell treatment plans and learn scripts for selling my services. I always wanted to approach healthcare from a place of wellbeing not a sales pitch. I quickly parted ways with that employer and immediately set into motion my own practice. Sometimes those lessons are horrible in the moment, but absolutely necessary.

Nataly, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I knew very early in life that I would have a career in the health field. I attended the DeBakey High School for Health Professions and my high school experience was a little different from that of an ordinary high school student. During this time I was exposed to various medical rotations and preceptorships involving nurses, physical and music therapists, social workers, medical doctors, and even plastic surgeons. I continued my education at the University of St. Thomas, where I received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Arts with concentrations in Biology and Theology in 2007. I was part of the Pre-Medical Program and actively participated in on-campus scientific research which later led to a position at the Methodist Hospital Research Institute and four published scientific articles. I then received my Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Texas Chiropractic College and obtained a second Bachelor of Science degree in Human Biology in 2012. While there I completed internships at the Moody Health Center and was selected to participate in the Rice University Athletic Program, where I provided chiropractic care for student athletes. My final off-campus preceptorship involved treating non-professional and professional athletes, including NFL players and Olympic athletes.

That’s my official education path, but what led me to today has been my willingness to go above and beyond for my practice, staff, and patients.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Most business owners do it all and I was no exception. Marketing, scheduling, and accounting, on top of treating patients, were only a few of my tasks. Every business owner does this. Until you no longer have to. However, the hardest lesson is knowing when to give up those roles and scale up the business. I didn’t want to give up control, but with doing so I was able to get back my time and that’s most valuable now. I was content doing it all, but knew the office was growing enough that I needed more help. Also, at the same time by body gave up on me. Not really, but I did need major surgery and needed to accept help over a few months. During those few months, I realized hiring associates was an amazing decision and life-changing. No one adequately teaches you to let go, but for myself and my office it was what was needed in order for my business to grow.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Since day 1 I always treated patients the same way I wanted to be treated by any doctor. I wanted to be respected and heard. This is how I approach my patients and I hope my respect for patients is what encourages them to tell friends and family about my office. I’m also pretty fun and very knowledgeable in my field. I like to spend time on keeping my established patients healthy and happy. I also know the struggle of starting a small business, so I do reach out to new local women-owned businesses and love to cross-market with them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.chiropractornataly.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chiropractornataly
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chiropractornataly
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/nataly-perez-dc-houston-2

Image Credits

Lily June Photography