The Importance of Giving Back

The Importance of Giving Back

As most of my avid blog readers out there already know, I am a Baltimore Chiropractor whose clinic spends the majority of its time treating Baltimore car accident injury patients. Of course we see patients who have not been involved in Baltimore auto accident injuries, and we spend a fair amount of time treating headaches, neck pain, mid back pain, lower back pain, and sciatica as well.

I opened the clinic about 4 years ago. My goal was simple: to become the premier destination for chiropractic/rehab services for Baltimore City while catering to the Hispanic demographic located in Southeast Baltimore. We’ve seen approximately 2000 new patients in that time frame. A lot of my chiropractor friends ask how I got to see that many new patients so quickly. And the answer is “I give.” I wake up early to see the early risers, I work through lunch to see patients who only have a short period of time on their lunch breaks for care, and I stay late to see those working far away who only want to come here. I worked every Saturday for the first two years. I give and I give and then I give some more. There’s a saying in business networking that “giver’s gain.” Starting with one new patient, helping them to the best of my abilities, the referrals started to snowball. Online reviews grew and the practice grew. It continues to grow to the tune of 75-80 new patients a month. I am beyond pleased with the success of the practice and my ability to help the citizens of Baltimore live healthier, happier, pain-free lives. There have been bumps in the road as we have hired (and then fired) staff members whose commitment to patients was not in line with what I was looking for. But I suppose that is to be expected with any (relatively) new business.

Anyone who has ever started a business or ran a business knows that there is usually a cost to business and financial success. Typically that is decreased health (due to stress and meals on the go) and decreased “relationship” health, as more time and resources are diverted to the business side of life and less to the personal side of life. I missed countless family gatherings, weekends together with loved ones, and countless evenings with friends playing cards and hanging out so that I could work, solidify my brand, and continue to grow my business. Some people call this “sacrifice” but I don’t think its a sacrifice. I think its a necessary commitment early on to help the business and practice take off.

Recently my family suffered a tremendous loss as my mother lost her battle with lung cancer. I found (and find) myself less motivated to grow the business and more interested in investing in those parts of my life that I have been putting by the wayside. Having lost someone I cared about I find myself wondering if it matters if I can increase the number of patients we help or how much money we can collect, or when I can finish paying off my student loan debt. I find myself wanting to spend more time with my girlfriend, my friends, and my family. I think its a natural mental frame shift that probably occurs with most people when they suffer a tremendous loss. It puts our mortality into perspective, as well it should.

To help honor my mother’s memory I put together a youcaring campaign.  The campaign details a little history of her life and it shines a light on her true passion – animal rescue. I made it a commitment to raise $5,000 in her memory to donate to the cause that brought her such joy and meaning in her life. Since her passing we have raised over $3,300 for the cause. We are about two-thirds of the way there!

Having said that, I would like to compel my blog reads to like, share, and if possible, donate to the cause. As my team and I have given to help you over the past four years, please help give back to communities outside of work and healthcare that mean a lot to me. And more importantly, I’d like those blog readers (especially other business owners, entrepreneurs, and Chiropractors) to take an evening off and spend some time with those who care about you the most. You don’t know when you won’t have that opportunity.