Starting a Chiropractic Practice Right Out of School
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Last updated: March 5, 2026
Interested in starting a chiropractic practice right out of school? While you may take certain classes for your degree that help prepare you for the logistics of opening a clinic, there will always be unforeseen challenges and triumphs unique to each clinicians journey.
In a recent interview, Dr. Khalil Permenter and Dr. Tin Tran sat down to tell us about their experiences with opening their clinic, Right Spot Wellness. They opened the practice within their first year of graduating from NWHSU. In this article we will recap the highs and lows of starting a business and offer some real life insight from recent graduates.
Why Start Your Own Clinic?
It’s no secret that starting your own business is no walk in the park. So what motivated Dr. Permenter and Dr. Tran?
“We wanted to do things differently. I had very good experiences where I interned, but observed gaps in care and access for some patient populations and wanted to fill those holes,” explained Dr. Permenter. “We also wanted to emphasize collaborative care, as well as diversity. I’m African American, and Dr. Tran is Vietnamese. We form a real community in our clinic and have a diverse patient base.”
Prioritizing Collaboration
In some ways, starting a clinic with a partner can make things easier. But, it can also bring challenges. How did they decide to go into business together?
“We got along really well when we were in school, on a friendship level, in business, and getting work done. We often partnered together to explore opportunities that came up while we were still in school and at conferences. It translates to working together well. A lot of our professors told us we make a great team and should do something together,” explained Dr. Tran.
They also brought a nurse practitioner and massage therapist onto the team. Some of their services include chiropractic care, massage, acupuncture, cupping and IV therapy. Having the ability to delegate certain aspects of care has been a highlight in having an integrative clinic.
“A pro is being able to focus and showcase people’s strengths. Being able to rely on each other and not worry about being good at everything,” said Dr. Permenter.
Financial and Emotional Support
Onto the big topic: It can be especially arduous to finance a clinic right out of school. So where did they get the money to finance a new clinic?
“NWHSU gave us the tools to start our own business, but didn’t hold our hand through it. It took a lot of research, but they showed us how to access certain resources. We did not have access to loans from a bank, despite having good credit, so we had to get creative,” explained Dr. Permenter.
We tapped into our families, as well as partnered with the community. We didn’t have the strongest start financially and it took longer for us to initially open our clinic. We didn’t have the money to invest in marketing or commercial, so going out into the community was very impactful. We didn’t want to sell ourselves, we just wanted to help people.”
He continued: “The support we got from NWHSU has been phenomenal. They’ve been checking up on us, asking how the business came through and some even came to the grand opening. They were happy to see the space come together.”
Challenges and Triumphs
“The hardest thing when we first started was walking through the doors and not having any patients some days. We had to navigate how to spend our time. It’s a slow start for sure.,“ shared Dr. Tran. Still, they made the most of their downtime, cleaning the space, watching other successful chiropractors online and continuing to learn and research.
“There are good days and bad days. Starting with nothing and not making good money right away. You have to earn trust and business in your patients and hopefully that reaches other people that they know,” said Dr. Permenter.
While there are plenty of trials and tribulations when starting a clinic, we want to highlight the things that make it worthwhile as well.
“I remember treating my first patient in my own office and it was surreal. I remember dreaming about that moment in school and then it finally happened,” recalled Dr. Tran. Dr. Permenter added:
The most surprising part of opening my own practice was how good it made me feel about myself.”
A Look Into the Future
Although Dr. Tran and Dr. Permenter have just begun their careers and business endeavors, they already have plenty of ideas for what the future could hold.
“We want to keep expanding and eventually mentor students and recent graduates that want to start their own businesses as well. We have a lot of friends who dream of opening their own clinic one day and want to help people navigate that,” said Dr. Tran. “It’s important to us to continue to bring the community together, especially here in the twin cities post Covid-19. We want to break down barriers and it’s really happening.”
Interested in learning more about starting a chiropractic practice right out of school? You can read the companion article: My First Year as an Associate Chiropractor. Attend our next Discovery Day and get all of your questions answered, from program details to campus life.