Most chiropractors think hiring an associate will automatically help grow the practice.
Dr. Mark Mouw says that’s one of the biggest hiring mistakes owners make: most associates aren’t there to build your practice, you are. After 25 years in chiropractic, hiring 16 associates of his own, and helping place more than 250 chiropractors per year, Mark has learned exactly what separates a great long-term associate from an expensive hiring mistake.
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Dr. Mark Mouw started his practice with his wife as a traditional mom-and-pop operation and hired their first associate just 18 months after opening. Today, he has five doctors across two locations in the Omaha metro and co-founded Chiro Matchmakers with Dr. Allen Miner in 2016.
Over the last decade, Chiro Matchmakers has built a database of more than 9,000 associates and places 250+ chiropractors every year. In this episode, Mark breaks down the two types of associates, business builders and caregivers, and why roughly 75% of today’s associates fit the caregiver profile. He explains why hiring a “mini-me” can backfire when that entrepreneurial doctor eventually leaves to open their own clinic, why the owner should remain responsible for building demand while associates focus on delivering exceptional care, and when hiring a business-builder associate actually makes sense for leadership, ownership, or succession.
Mark also dives into the current recruiting challenge, including the roughly 5-to-1 gap between available chiropractic jobs and associates, why A-players usually aren’t actively searching job boards, and how behavioral assessments can help owners put the right doctor in the right role.If you're struggling to hire or retain associates, planning to scale beyond yourself, or thinking about succession and eventually exiting your practice, this episode will help you understand who you should actually be hiring and what role they should play once they join your team.
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Intro
00:59 Why Hire an Associate
03:06 Time Freedom Growth Exit
04:38 Builders vs Caregivers
07:40 Don’t Hire Mini Me
08:54 When You Need a Builder
11:02 Hiring Assessments PDP
12:58 Timing and Profit Margins
16:46 Associate Shortage Explained
18:45 Finding A Players
26:50 Chiro Matchmaker System
30:47 What Associates Want Most
32:44 Pay to Keep Doctors
33:39 Technique and Location Factors
34:38 Rural Hiring Reality Check
36:37 Pay and Retain Great CAs
38:24 KPI Based Bonus Systems
39:18 Assessments Over Gut Hiring
43:41 Hurdles and Background Checks
45:17 Virtual Interview Hiring Funnel
49:51 Virtual CAs From Overseas
54:02 What VCAs Handle Daily
57:11 Build Teams for Impact
CONNECT WITH DR. MARK MOUW:
Website: MouwchiropracticAbout Us - Mouw Family Chiropractic
LinkedIn: Linkedinlinkedin.com/in/mark-mouw-276182207
Chiro Matchmakers: ChiromatchmakersCorey Hiben - Virtual Assistant
PRO TIP:
Stop automatically looking for an associate who looks and thinks exactly like you. If you’re an entrepreneurial practice owner, another “mini-me” may eventually want to build a business of their own. Mark recommends getting clear on the role first: if you need someone to care for an existing patient base for the next 10–20 years, look for a strong caregiver, not another business builder.
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We help 7-figure chiropractic practices dominate local search and attract high-value patients through SEO, Google Ads, and website optimization. If you're doing $1M+ and want predictable patient acquisition without social media, visit ChiroxmarketingChiropractic Marketing Agency for $1M+ Practices | ChiroX
