You're Working More Hours But Making Less Money

Last year you were seeing 20 patients a week and taking home $3,000 a month. This year you're seeing 35 patients a week and somehow you're only taking home $2,200.

What the actual hell is happening?

You're busier than ever. Your schedule is packed. You're working longer days, seeing more people, and feeling like you're constantly "on." But when you look at your bank account, it feels like you're moving backwards.

You start questioning everything. Maybe you're not working hard enough? Maybe you need to see even more patients? Maybe you should add weekend hours?

Stop. Just stop. Working more isn't the answer when you don't understand why working more isn't working.

My Hamster Wheel Reality Check

I lived this nightmare in 2022 when we were expanding. I was working full-time at my original office while trying to get the second location profitable. More hours, more patients, more stress. But somehow, less money in my pocket.

I kept thinking, "If I just see a few more patients, if I just work a little harder, the numbers will work out." I was like a hamster on a wheel, running faster and faster but getting nowhere.

The truth hit me when I finally sat down and calculated my real hourly wage. After factoring in all my expenses, administrative time, and the hours I was actually working, I was making less per hour than my front desk staff. That's when I realized I wasn't running a business—I was running a very expensive hobby.

The problem wasn't that I needed to work more. The problem was that I had no idea what each patient actually cost me to serve, and I was adding expenses faster than I was adding profitable revenue.

Here's What's Really Happening

When you grow without understanding your numbers, you don't just add patients—you add complexity. More patients means more administrative work, more supplies, maybe more staff, definitely more overhead. If you're not pricing correctly for this new reality, you're diluting your profit with every new patient.

Let's break this down with real numbers. Say you were seeing 80 patients monthly at $50 each ($4,000 revenue) with $2,500 in overhead. You were taking home $1,500.

Now you're seeing 140 patients monthly at the same $50 each ($7,000 revenue). But your overhead jumped to $5,500 because you needed more supplies, longer hours mean higher utilities, maybe you hired help. Now you're taking home $1,500... wait, that's the same amount for almost double the work.

But it gets worse. You're probably so busy seeing patients that you're not doing the business development work that actually grows profit. You're not optimizing systems, not raising prices, not cutting unnecessary expenses. You're just grinding.

The Solution Isn't More Patients

First, calculate your true cost per patient RIGHT NOW. Include everything: rent, supplies, your salary, administrative time, marketing, insurance, the works. If that number is $35 per patient and you're charging $45, you're only making $10 profit per patient. No wonder working more doesn't help.

Second, audit what changed between last year and this year. Did you add expenses that aren't generating proportional revenue? Did you hire someone who isn't pulling their weight? Are you spending money on things that feel important but don't actually bring in patients?

Third, fix your pricing before you see one more patient. If your true cost is $35 per patient, you should be charging at least $50 to break even comfortably, and $65 to have a healthy profit margin. That extra $15-20 per patient adds up fast when you're seeing 140 patients monthly.

Here's the math: 140 patients at $65 instead of $50 is an extra $2,100 monthly. Same hours, same work, but now you're actually profitable for your effort.

How I Help Practitioners Escape the Hamster Wheel

I work with chiropractors, massage therapists, and acupuncturists who are exhausted from working harder without working smarter. We don't just add more patients to your schedule—we make sure each patient actually contributes to your profit.

In my 90-Day Profit Clarity Program, we start by calculating your real cost per patient so you know what you're actually earning per hour worked. We organize your expenses to identify what's eating into your profits as you grow, audit your practice systems to find efficiencies that save time and money, and create pricing strategies that reward your hard work with actual profit.

I check in throughout the 90 days because it's easy to slip back into the "just work harder" mentality when you're stressed about money.

Ready to stop working more for less? Download my free budget spreadsheet [Budget] to calculate your real profit per patient, or book a call [Chaos to Profit] to discuss how to make your hard work actually pay off in the 90-Day Program.

Because you shouldn't need to work twice as hard to make the same money. That's not growth—that's insanity.