What can we do to improve quality of life?
That’s a key question we ask ourselves at Brain Balance Centers, and it’s a key question chiropractors ask themselves when helping patients. It is perhaps one of the reasons Brain Balance has been such a good franchise for chiropractors.
“That’s always been an appeal to me,” says Dr. Rebecca Jackson, Vice President of Programs and Outcomes for Brain Balance as well as a chiropractor and former multi-unit franchisee with Brain Balance. She and her husband, Doug, sold their three franchises in Virginia and North Carolina so that she could fully focus on supporting franchisees and helping others master the franchise systems. But before they did, they operated their Brain Balance Centers for almost 10 years, gaining a deep understanding of how the programs work and how they affect children’s lives.
Jackson was a chiropractor in private practice for a decade before investing in a Brain Balance franchise.
“When you graduate from chiropractic school, it’s not like you can go out and get a high-paying salaried position,” Jackson says. “You either take a low-paying salary position in somebody else’s clinic, or you just start your own. I was young and had very little overhead, so I went with the start-my-own theory.”
Jackson’s journey from chiropractor to Brain Balance owner
To keep overhead low while starting her own clinic, Jackson first rented a space in someone else’s office. As her business grew, she eventually moved into her own practice and continued to grow. She sold the practice when her daughter was born, opting to stay home with the baby while taking courses on the neurology of pediatric disorders.
She started taking courses from Brain Balance founder Dr. Robert Melillo, and his teachings were so eye-opening that she began calling her mother, a school psychologist, saying, “What are schools doing about this? How do the schools approach that?” Her mother’s response: “We do the best we can with the tools we have, but it is hard to create change.”
Schools were often relying on what Jackson refers to as “work-around” solutions to deal with a child’s developmental gaps. “It was all these strategies to work around the problem. My mom is the one who did assessments and wrote IEPs (Individualized Education Plans) and helped to oversee those. What she’ll tell you is, for many kids, year after year there would be very little change.”
Brain Balance is different.
Lasting changes
Brain Balance doesn’t want to mask symptoms or provide temporary relief. Brain Balance strives to put in place programs that deal with the root causes of a child’s developmental gaps and provide families with the tools they need to overcome challenges.
With her chiropractic background, Jackson felt she understood “the neurology side of things,” but she was anxious to see the Brain Balance programs in action. She was impressed at Brain Balance’s commitment toward getting to the root cause of issues and figuring out how to effect lasting changes.
“I spoke with a doctor yesterday that we’re interviewing for a potential board member position with us. He said something that I loved. He said he looks at function as the definition of the quality of life. If you are somebody say with Alzheimer’s disease, your function has been diminished. That diminished function diminishes the quality of your life,” Jackson says. “In his medical practice and in his work over the years, this doctor has had a huge focus on improving function to positively impact the quality of life.
“Yes, diagnosing and doing medication when necessary is important, but it’s critical to do additional things to drive forward and improve function, to improve quality of life. That’s really the focus of Brain Balance, too: What can we do to change functionality for these kids?”
The right background
Jackson says managing her own chiropractic business for 10 years provided a lot of lessons that helped her succeed with Brian Balance.
“There’s a similarity in the business model, as you don’t just open your doors and get referrals,” she said. “You’ve got to go out and do grassroots networking and use your website presence and local advertising to build a book of business. It takes energy and effort,” she says.
“Then there’s a similarity in when a patient comes to you with, say, headaches or back pain or other health challenges. A chiropractor does an assessment, then sits with the patient to explain recommendations, care plans, and costs. With Brain Balance, it’s the same model. It’s probably because Brain Balance was created by a chiropractor. The care is different, but the business model has many similarities.”
Jackson believes that’s why so many chiropractors have had success as Brain Balance franchisees.
The right support
Even with experience building and operating a small business, franchisees from all backgrounds will need help from time to time. Brain Balance has online resources available and offers ongoing training through webinars. Our corporate support staff and leadership team are also easy to reach.
“We want to be accessible by phone, text, email,” Jackson says. “If you have a question around enrollment and sales, you call that department. If you have a program question, you call or reach out to our department. We’ve got lots of different avenues for support.”
The success of any small business all comes down to the amount of work you’re willing to put into it. “This is not a turnkey business,” Jackson notes. “There’s so much to learn here. The upside is, I can’t think of anything more rewarding than changing the future of a child.”
Learn more
Brain Balance is a great franchise for chiropractors and for entrepreneurial-minded people from many other walks of life. Our business model is unique, sustainable and high-demand. You can explore our website or fill out a form for more information.
