A Guide to Starting Your Own Complementary Therapy practice

This is a step-by-step guide on how to set up your own complementary health care practice. This book covers every aspect of starting up a new practice, taking into account the wide range of practice requirements from the very simple (e.g. in therapist's own home) to the more ambitious (e.g. buying premises from which to set up a clinic). It covers all the legal requirements, detailed and precise financial calculations and the mechanics of how the therapist goes about making their vision a reality. Day-to-day aspects that need to be considered when the practice is up and running are covered. The manual is relevant for a broad spectrum of complementary practitioners, from chiropractors to massage therapists.

Part I Initial Preparation

1 Where do I start? Brainstorming

2 How do you decide on the type of practice you want?

3 Ways of trading

4 The mechanics of putting the practice together – location, location, location

5 Dealing with professionals in the start up and running of your practice

6 Insurance

7 Contracts

8 Legislation

Part II Marketing

9 Marketing introduction

10 Market research

11 Analysing marketing information and preparing it for use

12 Introduction to advertising and public relations

13 Advertising and promotion

14 Public relations

Part III Financial Matters

15 Finance introduction

16 Financial considerations for your business plan

17 Putting a business plan together

18 Raising finance

Patr IV Procedure 19 Clinic procedure

20 Working with the conventional medical profession

21 Strategies for coping with the demands on you while you are developing your clinic

22 How to deal with money matters now your clinic is open

23 What about the future?

Index