Sharpen the Saw in 2026: 7 Core Areas Every Chiropractor Should Focus On

Happy New Year-ish. The confetti's been swept, the patient calendar is back in motion, and if you're like most women DCs I talk to, you're just starting to get your bearings again. Welcome to what I lovingly call: The Real Start of the Year.

Here’s a perspective that’ll take 2026 to the next level:

Think of this year like an all out emergency. Not in a panic-button kind of way, but in the same way a flight attendant reminds you:

"Place your oxygen mask on yourself before assisting others."

Because you can’t lead your team, serve your patients, or show up for your family if you’re gasping for air. This year, let’s stop white-knuckling our way through practice and start sharpening the saw - Stephen Covey’s timeless reminder to take care of you, so you can take care of everything else.

What Does "Sharpening the Saw" Look Like for Chiropractors?

It means you are available to yourself first. Emotionally, mentally, physically, financially. Which means you have what you need in reserve to show up generously for:

• Your patients

• Your team

• Your family

• Your community

And in case no one told you this yet: you’re allowed to put yourself first. Not as a luxury, but as a necessity.

7 Core Areas of Your Chiropractic Business

Let's simplify how we think about chiropractic business growth. Your practice already runs through these 7 core areas. Your job in 2026? Choose one per quarter to focus on. That’s it. Small focus = big traction.

1. Lead

Your leadership. Your vision. Your alignment. Are you clear on where you're going and how you're showing up?

2. Promote

Marketing, outreach, awareness. Are the right people finding you? Are you attracting your ideal patients?

3. Enroll

Sales. For a chiropractic office, that’s your Report of Findings and Financial ROF. Are patients saying yes? Are you communicating value?

4. Fulfill

The delivery of care. Are your systems streamlined? Are patients getting what they came for and more?

5. Prosper

Collections, billing, insurance (if you accept it), paying your bills, and ensuring profitability. How’s your money management?

6. Optimize

This is where you take a systems view. How can you improve by just 1%? Kaizen-style: simple, sustainable improvements.

7. Team

Even if you're a team of one, your team includes everyone supporting your vision. Are they engaged? Are you supported?

Why One Area Per Quarter Works

Because traction doesn’t come from chasing everything. It comes from focusing deep instead of wide.

📍 1 focus every 90 days

📍 Real review and refinement

📍 Actual results you can feel in your business

You’re not missing effort - you’re missing focus.

You still have two full months left in this first quarter. Where will you focus first?

Highest ROI Action: Financial Clarity

If you’re not sure where to begin, start with Prosper. Why? Because money clarity supports every other area.

• You lead better when you're not stressed about bills.

• You promote more confidently when you know your numbers.

• You enroll easier when you're priced for sustainability.

• You fulfill with presence when you're not burned out.

• You optimize faster with funds to invest.

• You hire smarter when you have profit margins.

Financial clarity is the oxygen mask. It keeps your whole business breathing.

Your Invitation: The Profit First Book Club

If finances feel fuzzy or stressful, join our free community: The Profit First Book Club.

You’ll get:

• A supportive community of chiropractors, women in practice, and small business owners

• Tools to help you install Profit First (without overwhelm)

• Accountability to actually use the system and see results

Start small. Start now. Start with you.

🚫 Our Never Spam Promise

We’ll never waste your time with unsolicited sales messages. The P.S. line will always offer one way we can help, should you ever need it.

P.S. Join the Profit First Book Club - you don't need to journey alone.