How To Write an Osteopathy Business Plan
- Alan Zaia M.Ost
- January 15, 2022
- Business
How to write an osteopathy business plan in just 9 steps
Osteopathy business plans made easy
The vast majority of osteopaths dream of one day opening a clinic and watching it grow as you help more and more people overcome pain. As all clinic owners know, setting up a clinic consists of hard work, dedication and plenty of organisation. In our experience, many osteopaths struggle to understand how to write an osteopathy business plan because they either know nothing about business or the research they have done is hard to understand.
Knowing how to write an osteopathy business plan is the best way to organise your objectives and begin putting systems into your clinic so you can reach your goals without distraction. You can use a business plan to lay out how you’re going to grow your business over the year, 5 years or an entire career.
Here, we’ll cover the overall structure of our template and how you can create your very own plan in just 9 steps.
The importance of an osteopathy business plan
See the big picture
Having a business plan is one way to see where you are, where you want to be and how you’re going to get there. It’s a document that you can use in many different ways.
- You can present a well-written business plan as supporting evidence when applying for a business loan if you’re starting a new clinic or expanding your current one.
- No matter whether you’re a solo practitioner or diving in deep with a multi-room leasing agreement, your osteopathy business plan provides clear, detailed direction. Direction you can show to anyone within your circle, helping them understand how to work towards the clinic’s vision.
- A business plan for osteopaths can highlight weaknesses and opportunities, making it extremely valuable when hiring so you can bring in the best people for the right reasons.
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9 steps to creating an osteopathy business plan
We’ve made writing an effective osteopathy business plan super simple with our 50-page Osteopathy Business Plan template. If you’re interested in our template and strengthening your business, book a free strategy call with Alan, and we’ll be happy to help.
Here’s our 9-step outline for creating an osteopathy business plan.
1. Executive Summary
The executive summary section aims to give the reader a big picture overview of your business, including who’s running it, what it does, how it does it, and why it exists.
- Business details (e.g. name, address)
- Goals
- Mission (Why) Statment
- Keys to success
2. Business Overview
A business overview section gives the reader a “family tree” of the business. Who’s who and how the business is structured.
- Business Owners
- Management Structure
3. Services
Our main service will be osteopathy as osteopaths, but of course, you may offer more. The services section is your chance to clearly define what osteopathy is and give details on other services you provide or services you intend to add to your clinic in the future.
- Proprietary Rights (e.g. copyrights, trademarks)
- Main service
- Other services
- Future services
4. Products
The products section aims to outline how you’ll buy, store and sell products in your clinic. Having clinic products such as orthopaedic pillows, ice/heat packs, or resistance bands can increase your revenue and profit margins.
- Proprietary Rights
- Main product
- Other products
- Future products
5. Marketing Plan
Marketing is how you will effectively communicate who and how you help and build awareness about your business.
- Target market
- Marketing messages
- Pricing Structure
- Competitor Analysis
6. SWOT Analysis
Many companies worldwide use a SWOT Analysis to get a snapshot of their resources and see where they need to improve. It’s a simple yet powerful tool that any osteopath can use to know where you can make improvements.
- Strengths
- For example, you may be a local in the area, so you know the community, and they know you.
- Weaknesses
- For example, your business may lack marketing expertise, making it difficult to build awareness that you exist.
- Opportunities
- For example, a local gym has just opened up down the street from you, giving you the opportunity to develop a strong business to business relationship.
- Threats
- For example, you may be looking to expand your business but cannot due to the shortage of associates.
7. Operations
In this section, the reader should gain an understanding of how the business will function. The more details you can include, the better.
- Day-to-day
- Facilities
- Suppliers
- Staff
8. Financial Plan
Business is about people first, and money is only one critical part of many that make up a healthy, sustainable business. The financial plan is the place to discuss facts, figures and money. Your financial plan should share realistic statistics about how much money you expect to have come through the business.
- Payroll
- Assets
- Initial Startup Costs
- Ongoing Costs
- Cashflow projections
- Balance sheet projections
- Break-even point
9. Final Details
Final details are an extra section to add information you feel would help the reader understand your business more. However, if you follow this business plan, they should understand what your business looks like inside out.
Putting your plan into action
Now you have your osteopathy business plan, you should have an idea of the areas you need to work on first. Having a complete overview lets you write out an ultimate to-do list and put it in priority order. If you have associates or staff share the business plan with them to give you feedback and work together towards your vision for the clinic.
Knowing how to write an osteopathy business plan gives you and your staff a clear vision for what you want to achieve and is an excellent stepping stone towards systemising your clinic.
Written by Alan Zaia M.Ost
Founder & CEO of Osteohustle. You’ll find Alan coaching osteopaths, travelling in a van or writing our weekly newsletter, The Hustle.
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The greatest osteopaths in the world never stop learning.
Get the best business and marketing resources for osteopaths in 30 words or less into your inbox every Monday.
By subscribing to The Hustle, you agree to our terms and conditions. We’ll never send spam.