I put a lot of trust in my team and expect that they will perform to a high level.
Dr. Dan Wilson grew up in Yardley, Pennsylvania. Throughout his life, he was an active soccer and ice hockey player, participating on the regional and state levels. It was at this time that he began to experience sciatica symptoms and leg pain. His father took him to see a chiropractor and after only a few visits his symptoms resolved. More importantly, his chronic migraine headaches also subsided and have not been an issue ever since. Dr. Dan Wilson found higher health through chiropractic, and he knew he wanted to dedicate his life to helping others achieve the same.
After receiving his undergraduate degree in Exercise Physiology from the University of Delaware, Dr. Dan Wilson moved to Marietta, Georgia to attend the most highly renowned chiropractic school in the country- Life University. During his time at Life University, Dr. Dan Wilson focused his studies in pregnancy and pediatrics, as well as helping athletes recover from injuries and improve their overall performance. He was also active in mission work, helping to bring Chiropractic to under-served countries such as the Dominican Republic and Trinidad. Through Chiromission, Dr. Dan Wilson and a group of 30 other doctors were able to deliver chiropractic adjustments to thousands in addition to explaining the amazing healing power of the body.
Where did the idea for Inspire Chiropractic and Wellness—Dr.Dan come from?
After practicing chiropractic for the last 5 years I realized that the most important aspect of chiropractic is not what we do but the WHY behind what we do. The name Inspire Chiropractic and Wellness encompasses our mission, Inspiring people to think and act differently about health; to make changes in their lives to improve the quality of their life rather than treat their symptoms of a poor lifestyle as traditional medicine has done.
What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?
Our day is very structured. We have created a schedule that allows for adequate time with patients but one that also creates an environment of great energy in the office. The majority of time that we are open there are many people in our office at the same time hearing encouragement, health tips, strengthening their bodies and improving posture, getting adjusted or getting a massage. We separate our paperwork and marketing time to office hours when we are not seeing patients. I have found that trying to fit in different tasks in between patients would only disrupt the energy we had going towards the task at hand. I think a lot of times we can end up multi-tasking too much in our day to day that it takes time to get refocused which ends up being wasted time.
How do you bring ideas to life?
Through teamwork. We meet as a team weekly and brainstorm ideas for marketing or for making improvements in the office and then we allocate those ideas to certain individuals to bring them to life. When tasks are delegated to other team members I let them run with their ideas. I try not to meddle in the creative process and have found that when you trust your team they do more to live up to the expectations you set rather than constantly checking in on them during the process.
What’s one trend that excites you?
Micro-outsourcing. I love it. I use Fiverr a lot for graphic design or advertisements. The low cost it takes to hire people that are experts in so many different areas can save me a ton of time to focus on what I do best which is take better care of my patients.
What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?
Delegation. I put a lot of trust in my team and expect that they will perform to a high level. I try not to micromanage because I have found that interfering makes my staff focus on the tasks at hand rather than going above and beyond what is asked of them. Trusting that they will do the job with excellence allows me to spend more time on my activities as well as empowers my team to be self-directed.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Don’t keep up with the Joneses. Not just in my personal life but in business. Most people live in debt rather than pay off debt and invest. I drive a 2007 Nissan Sentra, not because I must, but because I would rather not pay money for something I drive 8 miles per day back and forth to work.
Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on?
That the easiest way to feel better about your life is to shut off the news. Many individuals I talk to on a regular basis spend countless energy on following politics or local news and let it dominate their thoughts and actions. When you sit back and realize that you have relatively no control on these situations and that events that happen even 20 miles away from where you live do not directly impact your day to day actions, you have more time to focus on the positive aspects of life.
As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
Attend seminars or read motivational books. Every time I go to a seminar my practice grows without doing anything differently. What changes is my focus, attitude, my ability to remain present, and I come back a better version of myself.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business? Please explain how.
Asking for referrals. I learned early on that people are constantly trying to refer you to what they like or utilize. Think about the last time you saw a good movie. You probably told a few people how great it was and encouraged them to go see it. It’s the same thing with my business however people don’t know or realize it is ok to refer their peers. Simply asking for them at the right time has been our biggest practice builder.
What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
I have made many failures. My biggest failure was not opening my practice earlier in my career. I knew years before I went out on my own that I was ready but was afraid of all of the ‘what ifs’. The best advice I heard was from Tim Ferris. He asked the question, what would it take to get back to where you are currently in your yearly salary if your new business failed. Once I thought about that and realized I could go out and apply for a job and be right back where I was extremely quickly it became a no brainer.
What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?
Always be diversifying your portfolio. I think real estate is such a great investment and a great idea for anyone looking to start a business.
What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?
A pressure cooker. I make all my own meals but don’t have a lot of free time with my business, my wife, and our 3 kids and all their extracurricular activities. This has allowed us to cut our cooking times down significantly so I can still eat healthy in a fraction of the time.
What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
For my business, I have been using Facebook video to record brief interviews with clients who share their stories about how chiropractic work has helped them. This saves me so much time because I let the stories speak for themselves, rather than come up with a marketing message on my own.
What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?
My favorite book of all time is the 4 hour work week. I have become such a better time manager as a result of this book and started a concierge chiropractic business in addition to my office because of it as well. It helped me to focus on my practice members 2 most common concerns (time and money) and to offer a solution to negate these issues to ease the barrier of entry.
What is your favorite quote?
“You don’t stop dancing because you get old, you get old because you stop dancing.” I think people get bored of life and as a result of stop what made them excited about it in the first place. Keep dreaming, keep dating your spouse, keep trying and failing at businesses, and keep active to stay young.
Key Learnings
- I think real estate is such a great investment and a great idea for anyone looking to start a business.
- Every time I go to a seminar my practice grows without doing anything differently. What changes is my focus, attitude, my ability to remain present, and I come back a better version of myself.
- That the easiest way to feel better about your life is to shut off the news.
Connect:
Mario Schulzke is the Founder of ideamensch, which he started a decade ago to learn from entrepreneurs and give them a platform for their ideas.