How to Scale to 9 Doctors Without Losing Your Mind

How Dr. Brad Cole took over a practice started in 1981 and grew it to 9 doctors and 19 team members under one roof. Discover the 80% rule for delegation, why planning time is the highest-leverage move for growth, and the daily huddle system that keeps doctors thriving for decades.

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Dr. Brad Cole runs Cole Pain Therapy Group, a second-generation chiropractic practice with 5 treating doctors, 4 in various stages of onboarding, and 19 total team members all under one roof. He took over from his father in 2021 after a smooth relay-race transition and has been scaling the practice while maintaining the culture that's kept doctors and staff around for decades.

In this episode, Brad breaks down the shift from working IN the business (treating patients) to working ON the business (building systems, leading people, planning growth). He explains why maximizing one location beats opening multiple clinics, the 80% delegation rule that forces you to drop your ego, and how he structures his time with CEO blocks for planning and focus work. We dive into his quarterly planning process using "Who Not How," the culture systems that retain doctors for 10-20+ years, and the daily huddle framework that keeps a 19-person team aligned.

Brad also shares his hiring systems for both support staff (group "speed dating" events) and associate doctors (building internship pipelines with chiropractic schools), why in-house marketing failed him three times, and the brutal lesson about trying to hire a "marketing person" instead of building systems. If you're stuck in the day-to-day grind and want to build a practice that runs without you, this is your blueprint.

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Planning Time: The Highest-Leverage Move

00:15 Welcome + Dr. Brad Cole's 7-Figure Clinic Blueprint

01:15 From Clinician to CEO: Working ON the Business

03:29 Taking Over Dad's Practice: The Relay-Race Transition

04:50 People First Leadership

05:47 Maximize One Location

07:32 Delegation Without Ego: The 80% Rule

11:40 CEO Time Blocks

14:14 Fear of Letting Go

15:29 Quarterly Planning + "Who Not How"

19:45 Growth Trajectory: Building Capacity to 9 Docs

22:18 Culture That Keeps Doctors for Decades

24:02 Team Huddles That Work

25:23 Daily Huddles: Audibles, Values, and Prayer

25:58 Second-Shift Huddle: Shoutouts + Feedback

26:31 Short Accounts: Turning Issues into Requests

27:39 End-of-Day Reset

28:21 Unspoken Expectations = Resentments

29:39 Weekly Leadership Meeting System

31:43 Hiring Great Support Staff

33:54 Group Hiring Event "Speed Dating"

38:25 Hiring Associate Doctors: Internships and School Partnerships

42:50 In-House vs Outsourced Marketing: Systems Beat a "Marketing Person"

47:03 Final Advice: Stick to Principles and Get Coaching

CONNECT WITH DR. BRAD COLE:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drbradcole/

Website: https://colepaintherapygroup.com/

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