341 - How Chiropractors Build Businesses That Actually Sell for Real Money with Dr. Stuart Bernsen

What does the founder of a chiropractic enterprise at the center of a nine-figure exit know about buying and selling practices?  A lot. 

The difference between a profitable exit and walking away with nothing is not timing - it’s planning. When you plan your exit early, every decision in your practice starts to work differently.  Building a practice to sell - with “the end in mind” - is a cultural thing that shapes and improves everything.   Production, delivery, systems, team, collections and profit all go up; but so does impact, fulfillment and fun. 

Dr. Stephen sits down with Dr. Stuart Bernsen to break down what real exit planning looks like for chiropractic practices today. They unpack the difference between owning a job and building a business, why most practices never sell, and how private equity and rollups are already reshaping chiropractic. You’ll hear how Dr. Stuart scaled Chiro One from a single practice to a multi-state platform, what investors actually look for, and why exit readiness creates freedom long before you ever sell. This conversation reframes exit planning as a growth strategy, not a finish line. 

Interested in learning more about corporate roll-ups?  Would you like to make a bigger income today - and a sexier exit tomorrow?  Want to know how to engineer your own Remarkable Exit?  This episode is for you.

In this episode you will
• Understand why most chiropractic practices never sell and what creates real value
• Learn the difference between a Main Street exit and a Wall Street exit
• See how exit readiness improves profit, freedom, and options today
• Discover what investors look for when buying chiropractic businesses
• Learn how to shift from owner-operator to true business owner

Episode Highlights

00:54 – Why exit planning needs to start while you are still actively growing your practice
02:30 – How moving from clinician to CEO is an unavoidable shift as a practice scales
05:12 – Why many chiropractors reach a point where their practice becomes too large to sell
06:36 – How building standardized systems creates leverage beyond the owner
09:17 – Why business breakpoints are a normal part of growth, not a sign of failure
10:55 – How speed of response matters more than avoiding mistakes during breakdowns
12:48 – Why most chiropractors do not realize they already function as shareholders
15:37 – How understanding the three ways owners get paid changes business decisions
19:07 – Why waiting until you feel ready to exit often destroys long-term value
21:21 – How key person risk becomes the biggest concern for buyers
23:59 – Why preparing a practice for sale mirrors preparing a house for market
27:45 – How exit readiness creates flexibility even if you never plan to sell
30:12 – Why optionality becomes the real reward of building a true business
33:39 – What private equity actually looks for in healthcare businesses
37:37 – Why standardization across providers directly increases valuation
40:41 – How consolidation has reshaped other healthcare professions
47:23 – Why chiropractic is still early in the exit and rollup cycle

Resources Mentioned

To learn more about the REM CEO Program, please visit:  http://www.theremarkablepractice.com/rem-ceo

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