Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dr. Samantha Brooks. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Dr. Samantha, thanks for joining us today. Setting up an independent practice is a daunting endeavor. Can you talk to us about what it was like for you – what were some of the main steps, challenges, etc.
In my field, doctors are expected to be entrepreneurs, but there is very little business training given during our education. This is the reason, I believe, so many chiropractors choose to go with a franchise model. For me, that model felt too “cookie cutter.” I knew I wanted to serve mostly moms and babies/kids and the 5-minute adjustment was just not going to cut it! These people deserved to have an experience that was high touch, low tech and with expanded visit times to make sure all of their questions were being answered. Imagine a doctor’s office visit where the setting is peaceful, there is lots of time to discuss health challenges and goals and patients feel cared for and supported in their health journey.
So, I set out to create something totally different than I’d ever seen in a typical high volume chiropractic office. Our minimum appointment time is 15 minutes and go up to 90 minutes. Adjustments are private rather than open adjusting and there are tons of Montessori toys for the little ones to explore before, during and after the family’s session. Soft music is playing, essential oils are diffusing and lighting can be bright and sunny or dim and peaceful depending on the patient’s mood and need that day. We always start the visit with a conversation about what the patient is noticing in their body this week and how they are feeling emotionally. Sessions include breath work, massage, stretching, movement and gentle chiropractic adjustments – whatever the patients need that day. The office is peaceful, tranquil and quiet – a respite for busy parents – not busy, hectic or loud.
Establishing a practice like this defies the attitude that a high-volume practice is the only way to make money in this profession. How do we provide this model of care and still make a good living?
1. Sharing space – We share space with like minded individuals who provide complementary services to our clients. It makes for lower overhead and it’s a built-in referral network. Professionals like Lactation Consultants, Massage Therapists, Midwives, Pelvic PTs and Yoga/Pilates/Movement instructors are perfect suite-mates that we’ve enjoyed sharing space with over the years.
2. Staffing – We don’t have a need for a full-time Administrative Assistant at each office because we allow for plenty of time to schedule future visits and answer questions within the adjustment session. We have 1 part-time Virtual Assistant who is able to field email and text requests and run payments for up to 3 offices at a time.
3. Pricing – Insurance companies rarely have the patient’s best interest at heart and have become increasingly difficult to work with over the years. In our model of care, we keep our cash rates for adjustments comparable to what a clients copay would normally be $45-65 in our area, offer sliding scale for lower income individuals and provide detailed invoices to folks who have excellent out of network benefits or health shares so they can apply for reimbursement directly from their insurance carrier. Initial visits, functional medicine consults and other 60-90 minute visits cost more, but are still an incredible value to the patient.
4. Real estate – I highly recommend owning your own building whenever possible and leasing additional space to like-minded professionals as discussed above. Also, I’ve had great success buying and leasing within a “live-work” area where you own residential apartments above commercial space where your office is located. It takes usually a 10-35% down payment to own commercial real estate, but you can talk with a banker about Small Business Association loan products that are available to help you get started.
If you’re thinking of opening your own practice and want a model of care that feels more personalized, I highly recommend it!
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I am an Atlanta native and began to work in the field of chiropractic in 2010, which came after 14 combined years of medical administration and clinical work in the fields of pediatrics and orthopedics. My experience with chiropractic care prior to that job began in 2008 during my pregnancy with my son. I had developed severe sciatica at about 7 months gestation and began seeing a chiropractor to help with it. Within just a few visits I was experiencing less pain and the condition completely resolved soon after that. Additionally, I began to notice a ton of other positive side effects from the care I was receiving!
After my son was born, he experienced difficulty nursing, colic and recurrent ear infections. By the time he was 15 months, his pediatrician began talking about surgery for ear tubes. I felt really bad about all of the antibiotics he had already been on and was considering an ENT consult when we were introduced to the idea of chiropractic care for children. My son began adjustments when he was 18 month old at the chiropractic office worked at in 2010 and he’s been under care ever since. He’s also never had another middle ear infection!
Soon after beginning my career in holistic care, there was an immediate calling to further my education to serve more people in the health arena. I first obtained a certification for Holistic Health Coaching from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, working for multiple chiropractors and a naturopath to support their clients through nutrition and health coaching. I then pursued a Doctorate of Chiropractic from Life University, graduating in 2016.
Right away, I knew I wanted to primarily work with babies and children. From 2015 on, I was working as a Director for a Non-profit Birth Center. I opened my first chiropractic clinic in 2017 serving the moms and babies in and around metro-Atlanta and we donated all of our profits back to the Birth Center. Eventually, the Birth Center grew to a point where I struggled to manage both businesses in addition to my #1 job as solo parent to my then middle school-aged son, so I resigned from the Birth Center in 2021 and have spent the last few years focusing on expanding our chiropractic offices to serve more people with this much needed model of care.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
The most important thing that has helped me build a great reputation is curiosity and humility. I have a ton of experience in the medical field and in business, but I’m very willing to admit that I do not know everything. Curiosity about and respect for how other professionals serve your clientele (and with your patients themselves!) is essential if you want to continue getting referrals from them.
I frequently speak with MDs, Naturopaths, Midwives, Physical Therapists and other medical professionals about patient care, research and new technology. I’m always in learning mode rather than selling mode and this has resulted in deepened relationships professionally, which means more referrals into my practice. When I speak to my patients and am able to reinforce the care their receiving from other providers, everyone wins!
You’d be surprised how many doctors fail to ask their patient what they believe is the root cause of their health challenges. Curiosity and humility allow me to believe what my patients are saying rather than thinking I know better than them. In fact, one of my favorite questions to ask a patient (especially a child!) is, “What does the doctor inside of you say?”
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
I think Covid-19 was a huge pivotal time for so many people. For me, I was running a medical non-profit and my chiropractic offices. Simultaneously, my child was forced to do virtual school every day as an 11-year-old. My workload doubled, My romantic partnership disintegrated. My child was stressed and failing at schoolwork. For months I was stressed, on-edge, overworked and under-appreciated everywhere I turned.
In early 2021, I pivoted. I closed one of our chiropractic offices and diverted patients to the next closest office, sold my home and moved to the community where my mother and sister live, which also had in-person school. I also quit my non-profit job – an organization I literally helped build from the ground up, something I had committed so much of my life to. I was heartbroken and grieving, but I knew it was the right step. Then, in early 2022, I sold another one of my practices and the live-work building it was located in and took some time off to renovate my new primary residence and spend more time supporting my kid. In 2023, I opened another location for The Brainery chiropractic office in my new hometown. It was all a whirlwind!
It was a huge shift to go from working 80 hours a week down to 20 hours a week. Financially, it was a risk. The only reason I could afford to do it was because of the gains from the sale of real estate. It was scary to take time off, buy another building and start another practice. But, I pulled through with even more success than I could have imagined. Now, I have a loving partner that I met in my new hometown, a new practice with the most awesome patients, a stable and sustainable life for my now teenager, and a super close relationship with my family. I’m so grateful that I trusted my gut and made moves that (albeit difficult) paid off big time!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.TheBraineryATL.com
- Instagram: @TheBraineryATL
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063708003490
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1MHcd4wleXAkU4Vm3inEyQ
Image Credits
Carolyn Frackelton