How to Build a 12-Month Growth Plan That Actually Works

We all know the feeling, you’ve got big goals for your clinic, you can visualise where you want to be in 12 months, but when Monday morning rolls around, you’re not exactly sure what to do to get there.

This is where the magic happens: turning vision into action.

In a recent session, I walked through how to break down a 12-month goal into something tangible, something you can track and act on every quarter, month, week, and even day.

Let me show you how we do it…

Step 1: Know Your Starting Point

Before you aim higher, get clear on where you’re at.

Let’s say your clinic is doing $1 million in revenue, with a 10% profit margin, that’s $100,000 in profit, plus you’re drawing a $100K salary. Solid foundation.

On average, your appointments are $100, meaning you’re delivering 10,000 appointments per year, or 192 per week.

Step 2: Set the Vision

Now let’s dream a little.

Imagine you want to hit $1.5 million in revenue with a 12% profit margin. That’s $180K profit, an $80K increase, with the same salary drawn.

To get there? You’ll need to grow to 15,000 appointments per year (or 288 per week). That’s an extra 96 appointments per week, doable, but it needs a plan.

Step 3: Break It Down

Let’s reverse-engineer it.

Workforce:

• You’ll need 2 full-time equivalent (FTE) therapists to meet demand.

• Assuming one team member may leave (based on past trends), plan to hire three FTEs over the year.

Quarterly Goals:

• Q1: Hire and onboard one new team member.

• Q2: Hire another and monitor retention.

• Q3: Hire a third only if needed.

• Q4: Focus on filling their schedules.

Step 4: System Support

To fill those books, you need:

• A strong induction program to support retention and productivity.

• Tools and training to boost non-clinical efficiency, so your team can handle more clients without burning out.

Step 5: Marketing That Matches

Let’s say your PVA (Patient Visit Average) is 5.

To gain 100 extra appointments per week, you’ll need around 20 new clients per week. Where will they come from?

Break it down:

• Google Ads

• Meta Ads

• Referral partners

• Word of mouth

• Reactivation campaigns

Each channel needs:

• A clear goal

• A defined strategy

• A realistic budget

Don’t expect to do it all at once. Assign a key project to each quarter and build from there.

The Bottom Line

Growing your clinic isn’t just about setting big goals, it’s about building the yellow brick road to get there.

Start with the year, break it into quarters, then into actionable weekly and daily steps. Be realistic. Assign resources. Adjust as you go.

And remember… wear sunscreen. (Yes, I got roasted, mum was right. Again.)