Below is an experience a DC wants to share with you: As a recent graduate (Didn't have part 4 passed until June, 2000, 1st day in practice May 23, 2000 I may be able to help those looking for light at the end of the tunnel. First let me say that I didn't work that hard in school, and really slacked toward the end. My adjusting skills were pretty poor so I felt like I needed to associate. I went to Michigan because I failed part 4 and had to get started. The first thing I did that helped was to make connections in school (at DE) so I knew a Doc I met there and called him. I got a job pretty quickly. If I had to do it over again I would have asked the Doc for a couple of old associates phone number, to find out how he is. My boss was very tough and I worked like a dog. One thing: IF you go to the interview as an associate, tell him/her how hard you will work and what you bring to the practice, do NOT just ask about the salary and hours, you will appear lazy and in it for yourself. Now that I have my own office I am amazed by the "candidates" that come to the office with poor preparation. You want to work for a star, but watch the contracts! I would go for 1 1/2 year max...unless you are really green. Also make sure you will get to learn all phases of the business, some Docs just want an adjuster and won't let you see the whole picture. You are lucky as an associate in that the pressure is off and you can learn on his patients. However, you best learn as much as you can about everything from billing to codes to screenings to reports to how to get and keep new patients. When you enter an associateship, begin with the end in mind. What is your exit strategy? I knew I wanted to find a retiring/ partnership oriented Doc so I began going to the internet, targeting the cities I wanted to live in, and sending the Docs letters mentioning my intent and having my phone and e-mail. This took alot of time, it was 8 months before I found a place for me. I really researched the insurance laws, just me, I wanted to go where I had a good chance to succeed as opposed to going to Marietta ;). I also called a few Docs in the cities I was checking out and tried to get a feel for the area. Be careful here, it is amazing how 1 negative call can sway you into thinking you went into a bad area! One CA told me she was with a new Chiro that tried EVERYTHING and failed, that everyone already had a chiro in the area. Also, when I first opened, I went across the street and met the competition, who told me how saturated the area was. He then called my prospective landlord and told him that I was a bad risk, that I would fail within 6 months. I had to have my parents back me up on my lease because of this guy. Anyway, I would be VERY careful about where I choose to practice, I would pick a place where the odds were in my favor. Talk to the CA's , they can reveal alot. Tell them you just got out of school and could they help you with a few questions... I would say of every 100 letters I got about 3-5 bites from Docs. I would then go to meet them, and tried to get a feel of the area. It is very easy to be intimidated by the place and also by the allure of the "easy way" . These days I have seen allot of scenarios where you work in the office for a few months, then the doc puts you in an office, then you pay the doc like 250 K plus the office price plus three years of sharing the dough. I have seen it work, they have a vested interest in you and they will try to coach you. I would only go with proven winners if you do this. Anyway, I was really getting beat up in a few cities and was down , but I kept going..desperation almost made me go with what would have been a very expensive and bad deal for me...but I kept going, wy wife helped me avoid a bad mistake. It is so critical where you go and what you do...Anyway after a particularly bad "scouting" weekend I went back to Michigan , and almost thought there was no way out. I followed through with the Docs I met, always thanking them. Also, I saw some offices that I thought were horrible , that I would never buy at first glance. DO NOT look at the doc and what he is like as much as where he is, is office in a good location and how long has it been there. I went to a really far out AK-net practice and the guy did an hour of "voodoo" on me. I called my wife to tell her I met the weirdest chiropractor out there.....and that he wanted to sell me his practice for 250,000, and that he would finance me. He told me he had AS and that he didn't have that much gas in his tank. Anyway, out of desperation I called 6 weeks later, and he answered the phone and told me it was weird that I had called because he had been in the hospital for 4 weeks and that it was the first day he was in the office. He said that he would sell for 125,000 and that he was in weak health. The next time he talked he mentioned 100,000. I was really worried about his style of practice and , well , worried about just about everything. But, I was desperate to get away from my slavedriver boss. The situation had deteriorated as is almost always the case. The guy was religious and I trusted him and moved on blind faith that he would indeed not screw me. He agreed to transition me and to give me a small salary while I learned the ropes about his office. When I arrived he was tough from the start. He didn't help me at all and he basically put a gun to my head and said "buy the practice" or else he would close the doors. So, my point is, sometimes you have to take a risk. I left the nest of a associateship, and went ahead and took the plunge and bought a practice. The sellar's health had declined, he had a 'voodoo" technique and barely any patients still coming, he was uncooperative...I bought, but only ended up paying $45 K for the practice. As it turns out my friends have spent about 60-70 K to get their doors open, with no patient base. It is amazing to see 4 or so patients a month come in because they have been there before...they barely remember the other doc. In short, I would HIGHly recommend you buy another already existing practice if it is in a good location. By good I mean NOT in Marietta, Georgia, but don't be scared about competition. I have a chiro across the street and 100 yards down the road. They scared me in the beginning...now I have the attitiude that they are older, more set in their ways, maybe a little lazy, that I can dominate the area if I want. How id I build? Well, I found a good place to screen and did my first screening ever using a metricom, an old school computer that works well because it shows a spine and takes just 6 seconds to perform. I showed them the problem and told them I could help. I used my wife as the closer, I mimicked a technique from Dr. Cousinau in MI, but just find a good screener and copy his rap or ask me.. We were seeing about 20 patients a week the first week , which I thought at the time was horrible, but it worked to my advantage to get the price down from 100,000 to 90,000 to 50,000 to 45,000. No matter how bad the docs practice looks, just look at the physical qualities and the location....and the amount of time and hassle to open and equip a practice. My friend Derek in Michigan spent a FULL YEAR haggling with painters, electricians, carpet guys, permits downtown... THe Doc I bought from had alot of bad qualities but over 20 years had his share of sucessful cases, and they help me with new patients. With our first screening we attracted 9 new patients, and the next one we got 12. Screenings are tremendous, but you have to be PUMPED up and excited or you may get no-one. You must get yourself mentally ready. Like Dr Cousineau says, who is going to win, you or the prospect? WHo has more to offer? I wear a whistle to blow, more to get myself pumped up then anything...just don't sit there like a dud, look sharp and get a rap. "if I could help you with your problem would you come see me"? Anyway, about the finances...I could have gotten a loan from the bank, but the guy was a complete stiff and made me have my parents co-sign, lock their assets up for 7 years..I simply asked my father fro a loan, but backed it up by writing a business plan and cashflow projections....This is a MUST, it makes you put your ideas on paper , your plan. You can find business plans on the internet. THe doc offered to finance me , but as I said, the banker he brought in was a stiff so I begged my dad for a loan.. Anyway we collected 2600 my first month... another thing, as soon as you even begin to practice somewhere find out the insurance plans in the area, CALL and APPLY for the plans. It takes time, requires alot of documents like Licence, diploma, malpractice, etc, but it takes MONTHS...I have seen some of my friends drop the ball on this, then they leaned the hard way when a new prospect came into the office and the lame duck couldn't use their insurance..only because of his own laziness...I got on all the major plans it took 4 months or more for the biggies...for me this was the last bureaucratic step that went way back to part one of Nat'l Boards...GET IT DONE! SO, there are allot of small details, but in short, the practice took off preety fast, we went from 53 to 97 in that first screening, then we went to 107 a week, and last week some 14 months later we saw 207, a record. Our collections went from 2600 the first to 24K in month 2 to 72,000 in month 7... I cringe when i read these horror stories of people starting out and flopping, because we has been so good to us. We bought a $430,000 home , we take great vacations, we work very hard, we try to screen 1 time a month, we make about $40,000-$50,000 a month profit, and our goal is to make 60,000 per month...we are always trying to improve our systems, paperwork, etc. If you are not growing you are dying. We treat people well (like most chiros do) they in turn refer. Well, gotta run. If anyone wants to ask any questions, feel free to email me at chiroworksbrazil@hotmail.com