What's best?  

Only animals or include humans, too?

If you're a veterinarian, your veterinary-medicine services could be the human analogue for reference in this article. 

It's not uncommon for new graduates to prick my brain. Having been a practicing chiropractor for (gulp) 25-years, and being married to a full-time practicing animal chiropractor (co-founder Dr. Amanda), I feel I've got some insights. 

A question often asked is whether or not to start a human practice, and include animals on the side, or go "all in" with animals (only).

Disclaimer: There is no right answer for everyone. These are just my opinions based on my personal/ & professional experience, which includes knowing a lot about the animal chiropractic and human chiropractic profession.

In my opinion, unless you absolutely love (and I mean love) taking care of humans, I'd strongly encourage going all in on animal chiropractic.

Here's 8-reasons why...

1. LOW START UP COSTS
   
   • Human chiropractic practices cost a ton to set up. Rent is a fortune. Equipment is expensive. It takes a lot of time to get a clinic patient-ready.
   • Add on a business loan to your already (likely) extensive student loans, and this debt can feel like an elephant sitting on your chest.
   • By contrast, as an animal-only chiropractic provider, you could begin seeing patients almost anywhere, with minimal operating costs or equipment.
    
2. LESS COMPETITION
   
   • In 2025, there's roughly a couple thousand certified animal chiropractors in the USA. Human chiropractors in the USA approach 73,000. Do the math. This would be similar in other countries.
   • If you live in a state with a chiropractic school, or anywhere that cares a lot about health (outdoor lifestyle cities), you could probably throw a stone and hit a chiropractor.
   • If you're the only animal chiropractic provider in your area, there's no question, you've got a leg up.
    
3. LOWER COMPLEXITY/BARRIERS TO SUCCESS
   
   • There's a lot to know (a lot!) to becoming a (financially) successful human chiropractor - it ain't easy! 
   • You're going to need to understand insurance, get credentialed, learn how to "sell" chiropractic care, fight with insurance companies, convince patients to pay cash if their insurance doesn't cover what they need, etc, etc. (too much to list here...)
   • As an animal chiropractor...(most) clients are just thrilled you exist, and are ready to do whatever is needed to help their "baby". I know I would! There's a reason they say, "people take better care of their pets then themselves"... because it's true!
    
4. NO EMPLOYEES!
   
   • I've had a large practice with 10-employees. I'm not boasting...In fact, quite the opposite. Never again! IYKYK
   • It's really tough to run a traditional veterinarian office, human/animal office without a single employee.
   • It's absolutely commonplace to run an animal-only animal chiropractic business, solo! (Dr. Amanda has a full time virtual assistant, which has been a godsend. She's an independent contractor and works from another country).
   • No more workman's comp claims, "with inflation and all, I believe I deserve a raise," "my car won't start," "stomach flu (again)," "grandmother died (again)," "I'm stuck in my driveway," etc, etc. IYKYK
    
5. PROFESSIONAL INCOME WITH FAR LESS STRESS
   
   • New grads often misbelieve you can't make a high, professional income, as an animal chiropractor. You absolutely can!
   • What matters is not what you gross, but what you keep. Sure it sounds really nice to say, "last year we brought in $400k," but you only kept $150k of it after all the expenses.
   • There is no question you can earn upwards of 6-figures running a solo (3-4 day/week) animal chiropractic practice. 7-figures is even possible if you happen to work in the right circles (confirmation dogs, high performance athletes, race horses, show horses, etc). We have ChiroSimple members who do this, and I can confirm they're doing very well.
    
6. NO COACHING
   
   • I'm not against coaching, but you don't need it. In human practice, it's a must. And, coaching isn't cheap.
   • Fellow animal chiropractors are still very generous with their time and expert knowledge. I believe this is because there's little competition, so they feel abundant. In time, this will likely change, just as it has with human chiropractic. Successful human chiropractors tend to keep their "secrets" close to the chest. They've also paid a lot (of time and money) to acquire their special sauce. So, that also plays a part.
    
7. MORE FLEXIBLE SCHEDULE
   
   • Being a solo practitioner makes it easier to take time off and switch your schedule.
   • For some reason, animal chiropractic patient owners are more understanding about time off than human patients. At least, that's been my experience. They're just more laid back.
   • When I take time off, my patients make faces at me. When Dr. Amanda tells her patients, they wish her a nice trip and tell her, "you deserve it!" 🤷‍♂️
    
8. MORE FULFILLING
    

• In 25-years of being a human chiropractor, I can say that I've certainly made a difference in many people's lives. But, nowhere near the effect Dr. Amanda has made for the animals, their owners and their family members.
• Every single day (over dinner) she shares miracles, and the impact she's having on her patient's lives, along with their owners, and it's nothing less than almost angelic. I'm certain you're doing the same!

• Just read the testimonials of animal chiropractors and compare that to colleagues who only treat humans or traditional veterinary care. It's not the same.

• Dr. Amanda would continue treating animals even if she couldn't get paid, because of how it makes her feel. She regularly says, "I was put on this earth to help animals, and they need me."  I only know 1-human chiropractor who might say he'd work for free (and I wouldn't believe him ;).

Anyway, these are just my thoughts. If you've been considering selling off your human practice (or veterinary practice), and going all in on animal/veterinary chiropractic - DO IT!

Some ChiroSimple News...

• Our customer base has really been growing this year, mostly from word-of-mouth. We are thankful for all your support and loyalty. We built ChiroSimple for the animals. We love them, we love you, and with your help, we can help more of them.
   
• This week, you'll notice some really nice improvements in the program, especially with the Draft Save/Finalize Save buttons, when saving Notes.
   
• SMS reminders are coming to ChiroSimple Scheduling! We're very close.
   
• Apple App is coming! Yes, you'll be able to get the OFFLINE version of ChiroSimple on your iPhone and iPad. (Android is already available)
   
• Scheduling continues to get better and better. If you're not yet using it, turn it on in your Settings, it's a game-changer!

Our babies, Alfi (8) and Luigi (4) cuddling by the fire - a morning ritual.

As always, I just want to take a moment to thank all of you for being the most loyal and wonderful customers (more like family) we could ever ask for. 

Your ongoing support is why we continue to work so hard at elevating ChiroSimple so it's the best it can be. 

We love you all.