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

Hi Michelle, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about how you went about setting up your own practice and if you have any advice for professionals who might be considering starting their own?

I remember when my husband was still in Chiropractic school and how he would come home and chat with me what he was learning about. A lot would go over my head (especially the deep biology, chemistry and neurology he had to learn), but the physiology and basics of what was happening in the body always fascinates me, as I have my education in exercise physiology. I clearly remember thinking that the general population didn’t know what Chiropractic was and how it could help them, and I instantly became on board with making sure we were going to share that message with our communities! It wasn’t long after that we were introduced to some of our future mentors who would lead and guide us into starting our own practice and enter the business world!
I don’t know how we would have made it without those mentors. When we actually started our business, we had no idea what we were stepping into, even though we thought we knew. We quickly learned that there is a big difference in hearing what others have been through, and then going through it yourself. We “knew” what was coming our way and we had the right expectations, but we weren’t prepared for the amount of hard work it would actually take to be successful.
Some of the biggest challenges we faced were over setting goals and under-working to achieve them. We were devoting too much time on small tasks we thought were productive, but they weren’t the factors that were bringing us new business. We eventually hired a business coach that our mentors had also used in the past, and he really helped us re-shape our mindset on our goals and the actions we needed to take to achieve them. Looking for outside help is ALWAYS something I recommend to others.
To our surprise, one of the other big challenges we faced was our work-life balance…but not in the way most people would think. We were maintaining a very healthy balance of work and life. As new parents we made sure we enjoyed time with each other and our new baby, but that ultimately took away a lot of time to dedicate to our practice. We always said our priorities in life were (in this order) faith, family and Chiropractic. Without realizing it, we were actually staying true to this! We were making sure we spent time on our faith, in our marriage, and with our family, and we were putting our business after those things. Our struggle then, was that we underestimated the amount of things that we were NOT willing to sacrifice for our business to be successful, and we weren’t happy with our rate of growth. Once we realized this about our life, our goals quickly shifted and we started realizing we were on the exact path we wanted to be in our business AND our family life, and that is something we refused to give up. A slower path to success became a much more bearable goal when we knew what the alternative was.
Because of this realization, my advice to any young professional considering starting their own business would be to establish their top priorities and set up your actions steps to achieve that life, but then you must be okay with your rate of growth. If your path is different or slower than you want, but you have your priorities right, that’s a big achievement.

Michelle, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Well let’s go! I grew up in Bradenton, FL and have been in Tampa since I was 16. I met my husband at summer camp when I was 11 (or something) but we didn’t date until college, and then we got married right after we graduated! In college I started off as an elementary education major and quickly decided that was NOT for me, but GOD BLESS the teachers who are so amazing! I always had an interest in science and physiology, so as I was researching majors I came across Exercise Physiology, and the list of courses made me SO excited! I knew instantly that was for me. I graduated from USF – GO BULLS – and jumped right into the field! I started off very clinical as I was performing fitness testing and cardiac stress test via EKG. I slowly moved more fitness-based and became a full-time personal trainer and instructor.
My husband had known he wanted to be a Chiropractor since early on in high school, so he already had his path set. As we went through school and he moved on the grad school, it was a no-brainer that we could eventually work together to create something for our community that offered health and wellness, the natural way!
Together, we now have our own practice, 2 sweet little boys, and a life we absolutely love!
Until a couple years ago, I was working full-time in the fitness industry doing everything from personal training and teaching yoga classes to helping my clients with their stress levels, testing their metabolism, and getting them set up with the right blood tests to better understand their bodies. Physiology is what I love!
What I’ve learned from my husband is that Chiropractic is the foundation of our physiology and our biomechanics. A lot of people think it’s just bones, but it’s so much more! We offer neurologically-based Chiropractic care in our office, and we tailer it to your needs and your body. True health and wellness is very comprehensive, and our goal is to help you get all the pieces of the puzzle in the right spot. What a lot of other people offer tends to only look at one piece of the puzzle instead of putting the puzzle together to get the best answers. While physiology works the same way in all of us, not all of us are the same, and that’s a very important detail when assessing your health!
Our message is simple: Take control of your health and don’t believe everything you see out there.
While this task is simple, it is not always easy. That’s where we come in! Let’s start by looking at the root cause of everything, and that’s what we do! We are so proud that we get to be a part in people taking control of their health and stop relying on medications to live.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Endurance. One thing I’ve learned in the business world is that there are a lot of similarities to the fitness world. I spent every day as a fitness professional telling people that the most important thing they can do is to stick with it. DON’T QUIT!
I have found the same thing to be true so far in business. Sure, there are a few things you can do that will give you short-term success, but for long-term success you have to have endurance. You must be in it for the long haul. There will be ups and downs when owning a business, but you can’t go up and down with it. You just stay steady.
If you are consistent, other people in your field will come and go within your market, but when people realize they need your services, they’ll come to you because you’ve always been there.
Especially when it comes to healthcare, people want someone trustworthy and consistent! We’ve been involved with several business groups within our market, and we plan to stick with them. When people see us, they know what we care about because we always stay consistent with our message. We knew from the beginning we were in it for the long haul, and because of that I know our reputation has positively increased.

Any advice for managing a team?

Be a servant. Everyone wants to be a boss, but no one wants to be a leader. Leaders lead with action, and there is a lot of research to show that people want to be led. The characteristics of a leader can be very different than that of a boss. If you are looking to be a servant to those around you, including employees, that will rub off on everyone else too. When you look to serve your employees, they’ll look to serve you and each other. Most employees and teams don’t like their “boss”, but they love the person who helped them grow and develop. I always want to be that person, not the boss!
The other aspect I firmly believe will help successfully manage a team and establish a high morale is integrity.
If you don’t want your employees bad-mouthing customers, then don’t do it yourself. Then take it one step further and don’t allow it around you, which means it’s not allowed in your place of business. When you set a high moral standard and then show your team that you live up to it, they will either step up or step out.
It all starts from the top, and when the top is you, you have to be very introspective. If you are serving others with integrity, your team will either follow your lead or they won’t stick around. When trying to set a high morale, either of those options are good. Let the good ones stay and the not-so-good ones show themselves out!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sunsetchirotampa.com
• Instagram: @sunsetchirofl and @michelle_moody1
• Facebook: @sunsetchirofl

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