Owning your own business is a lot of work.
Like ... a lot.
It's never finished; there is always something needing to be done at the office.
When we first walked in, it needing a thorough cleaning.
THOROUGH.
The poor guy who was there last didn't do much cleaning at all. The bathroom was scary. The carpets were smelly. The walls were streaked with grease from the massage therapists' oils and wax from the numerous Scentsy candles. (Sorry Scentsy, I am officially not a fan.) There were dents and dings, chipped paint, ripped leather on the adjusting tables, and the x-ray machine? Yikes. I completely left that one up to Mark. It was dripping chemicals ... appearing to be some sort of fringe-science ice formation that was taking over the entire room. (But don't worry, I claimed bathroom cleaning duty ... which was a fringe event of its own.)
Then there was all the repainting, de-cluttering, and organizing; throwing away business cards, pamphlets, and a whole lot of random crap that just didn't fit our business goals.
It has taken quite a while. But we have had help.
There are currently 5 of the 8 Gunn siblings in the Utah and Salt Lake valleys ... and every single one of them has been over. And with my mama 90 minutes away? I have been dropping off my kids for Nana-and-Bumpa-time to help get things done. (They never want to come back.)
It really makes this place feel like a family practice.
We've had people doing reviews, sending their friends, and spreading the word ... it's just been awesome.
But it's still not done.
The place is presentable enough to warrant a slight break in the redecorating till we refill our money stores, but there's plenty more on the to-do list. For right now, I've been all over the internet attempting to re-vamp his website (www.workswellness.com), generate great reviews, and ultimately change all the online information over from the old guy to the new one. It's been frustrating to work against his bad name and clean up his messes, (especially when comparing this to working off of Dr. Holland's good name back in California) but we're already seeing new patients and having existing ones bring in their friends.
And what about Dr. Gunn himself?
I feel like I get to participate in this process a lot, but ... there is so much that is all on him. I just can't help him with it. If he wakes up at all at night, his mind immediately begins spinning and he's done. No more sleeping. (I kinda miss waking up with him ... because of course I can always go right back to sleep.) He has finally gotten on all the major insurances, which was a brain-numbing process. He has all the information switched over to his name. All the final contracts are signed between the leasing companies, the original owner, and the poor guy who had the place for only a year and is the reason we got it so cheap.
Now there is networking. He has joined the local chamber of commerce, two different small business owners groups, a runners' club, and most recently ... Gold's Gym. We are in the process of making a short commercial to go up on their t.v.s, as well as dri-fit t-shirts with "The Works Chiropractic" all over them.
And there's so much more to do.
I don't think we'll ever be done.
This practice is our third baby.
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