Success Story: Gentle Care Chiropractic

Gentle Care Chiropractic – Grand Forks, 2018

Grand Forks, ND- Lindsey King officially opened the doors to Gentle Care Chiropractic P.L.L.C., located at 215 N 3rd St, Grand Forks, ND, in June of 2017. The initial interest started in high school when she realized she wanted to do something holistic in the healthcare field. After researching holistic approaches, Lindsey kept finding information about chiropractic care, and it seemed to resonate with her.

Prior to opening her business in Grand Forks, Lindsey had lived in the Twin Cities, working for a clinic and later opening her own practice there. After a year and a half, family took priority as she welcomed her second child, and she opted to close the practice. Lindsey went back to work for another clinic, and a few years later, she and her family decided to move to East Grand Forks, MN, to be closer to both her and her husband’s families.

Challenge/Solution
At first, Lindsey was not sure she wanted to own a business again. But because of her experience working in other clinics, she had some ideas of how she might do things a little differently. She noticed that she had a more specialized area of care in family wellness, treating children of all ages. While not what she set out to do, it trended there organically. She loves that her focus shifted to family wellness and having more time with each patient between sessions.

Lindsey came to the SBDC as a referral from another SBDC supporter. She was influenced to come as she was informed that it was a step-by-step process from front to end and would have someone to keep her focused and give her direction.

She expected to meet with SBDC, talk about the idea, and have someone coach her through the process. She wanted to make sure that she would receive order out of chaos, and she did.

“You receive a starting point, priority list, direction, and projection into the future – that was huge. Everything was fine-tuned, and the package to the lender was professional and ready to present,” said Lindsey.

In addition to helping with the initial business plan, pro forma, and financials, which secured her an SBA guaranteed loan, the Grand Forks SBDC has assisted with QuickBooks set-up and training following her business start as well.

Impact
Since opening the doors, Lindsey has grown to appreciate the flexibility that comes with owning your own business, allowing her to give each day her all. She can pick her children up from school and, at the same time, watch her clientele grow and develop.

“There is nothing more satisfying than watching the babies that I treat grow up while also building a place for them to come back to in adulthood.”

When asked what advice she would offer other entrepreneurs, she responded, “Don’t feel like you have to know everything at once, you will find the expertise somewhere, and you can’t know everything.” Lindsey would recommend SBDC services to other small businesses because of the incredible help she received, along with the positive service, direction, and flexibility of her director.