You Blew All Your Cushion on an Unexpected Repair - What Can You Do Next Time?
The table breaks. Or the HVAC system dies. Or your computer crashes and takes all your files with it.
And just like that, the $3,000 you had saved up for a "rainy day" is gone. Poof. Now you're back to living paycheck to paycheck, one equipment failure away from panic mode.
You're probably beating yourself up thinking, "I should have saved more." Or maybe you're wondering if you'll ever get ahead when it feels like something always goes wrong right when you start building momentum.
Here's the thing: unexpected expenses aren't actually unexpected when you run a business. They're inevitable.
My $500 Amazon Wake-Up Call
Let me tell you about my ink cartridge revelation. Last May, we had a massive Amazon charge that caught me off guard. Over $500 for ink cartridges and office supplies. I couldn't figure out where it came from until I started tracking patterns.
Turns out, we were burning through supplies way faster than I realized because I wasn't paying attention to the trends. I'd replace an ink cartridge and forget about it, then three months later—surprise!—we needed another one.
But here's the bigger issue: I didn't have systems in place to plan for these "surprises." I was flying blind, hoping nothing would break, instead of accepting that things WILL break and planning accordingly.
During our expansion chaos, we were constantly hit with unexpected costs. The fancy shopping center location we chose? Way more expensive than anticipated. Equipment repairs? Always seemed to happen at the worst possible time. It felt like the universe was conspiring against us.
Really, I just wasn't planning for reality.
Here's How to Build a Real Safety Net
Stop calling them "unexpected expenses" and start calling them "business reality." Because once you accept that shit will break, you can actually plan for it.
First, track your "surprise" expenses for a full year. I promise you'll see patterns. That ink cartridge hits every 4 months. HVAC maintenance every 6 months. Equipment repairs tend to cluster in certain seasons.
Here's my system: Take your last 12 months of "unexpected" expenses and divide by 12. Let's say that's $800 per month. Now add that to your overhead calculation as a line item called "Equipment & Maintenance Reserve."
So if your current overhead is $40,000 monthly, it's now $40,800. If you see 1,000 patient visits per month, your break-even just went from $40 to $40.80 per visit. That extra 80 cents per patient creates your repair fund automatically.
But don't stop there. Build layers:
Layer 1: Monthly repair reserve ($800 in our example)
Layer 2: 3-month operating expense cushion ($122,400 for our example practice)
Layer 3: Equipment replacement fund (10% of equipment value annually)
Yeah, it sounds like a lot. But you know what sounds like more? Having to put emergency repairs on a credit card at 23% interest because you didn't plan ahead.
The Profit Margin Safety Net
Here's where profit margin becomes your best friend. If you're charging $40 to break even, charge $52 (30% profit margin). That extra $12 per patient doesn't just go into your pocket—it goes into your "business won't fall apart when the table breaks" fund.
At 1,000 visits monthly, that's an extra $12,000 per month. Suddenly, a $3,000 repair doesn't wipe out your cushion—it's just a normal business expense you planned for.
How I Help Practitioners Build Bulletproof Businesses
I work with chiropractors, massage therapists, and acupuncturists who are tired of financial surprises derailing their progress. We don't just organize your current expenses—we analyze your patterns to predict what's coming.
My 90-Day Profit Clarity Program includes a complete audit of your "surprise" expenses from the past two years. We identify patterns you've never noticed, build reserve funds into your pricing structure, and create systems so you're always prepared for business reality.
We organize expenses using real wellness practice categories (not generic business advice), audit where you're vulnerable to cash flow disruptions, and build multiple layers of financial protection. I check in throughout the 90 days to make sure you're actually building these reserves, not just talking about them.
Ready to stop getting blindsided by "unexpected" expenses? Download my free budget spreadsheet [Budget Sheet] to start tracking your patterns, or book a call [Chaos to Profit in 90 Days] to discuss building a bulletproof financial foundation in the 90-Day Program.
Because the goal isn't to avoid surprises—it's to be so prepared that nothing surprises you anymore.
