He Built a Clinic Through Sweet Shops, Football Clubs and Trust | Jonathan Shearer, BOAC #57

In this episode of The Business of a Clinic, Jared speaks with Jonathan, a podiatrist, clinic leader, and director of a podiatry and sports therapy practice near Birmingham. Jonathan’s journey into podiatry started unusually early. At 16, he had an ingrown toenail treated and remembers the immediate difference it made to his life. That experience shaped his decision to become a podiatrist, because he saw how quickly podiatry could improve someone’s pain, mobility, and quality of life. After training in Southampton and working in the NHS, Jonathan moved into private practice and built his own clinic in Tamworth. Twenty years later, the practice has evolved from a one-person operation into a team-based clinic built around podiatry, sports therapy, MSK care, technology, training, patient experience, and community relationships. A major theme of the episode is growth outside the clinic walls. Jonathan explains how lessons from working on a fruit and veg market stall shaped his approach to building relationships. He talks about local businesses, sweet shops, running shops, football clubs, PTA nights, leaflets, free treatment vouchers, and why clinic owners need to “go where the buffalo are” instead of relying only on digital marketing. Chapters 0:00 Opening 1:00 Introduction to Jonathan 1:45 From an ingrown toenail to podiatry 2:35 Why podiatry suited Jonathan’s personality 3:00 Moving from the NHS into private practice 4:00 From clinician to clinic leader 5:00 Why clinicians are not trained to run clinics 5:45 The internet, NHS discharge, and private podiatry growth 6:10 Starting the clinic with no real patient base 6:30 The £1,000 newspaper advert 7:00 Why the “one day per year” rule was wrong 7:30 Learning by visiting other private practices 8:15 Early practice software and clinic operations 9:00 Building relationships with Tamworth Football Club 9:30 Sports therapy, MSK, and cross-referrals 10:00 Technology, gait analysis, orthotics, and diagnostics 10:45 Moving from associates to an employed team 11:30 Why practice owners burn out 12:00 Why podiatry practices often undercharge 13:00 The hidden cost of delivering high-quality care 14:20 Charging enough to invest in training and equipment 15:50 Investing in patient experience beyond the clinic room 17:00 First impressions, clinic aesthetics, and service standards 18:00 Resetting the clinic environment 18:30 Small details that change the patient experience 19:20 Weekly training and recording internal sessions 20:15 Using quieter seasons for team development 21:00 Why employed teams make training easier 22:00 Internal training, CPD, and equipment refreshers 23:00 Dermatology, MSK, and patient journey training 24:00 Building a vulnerable team culture 25:30 What vulnerability looks like in clinic 26:00 Asking for help during patient care 26:30 Trust, support, and second opinions 27:20 Moving away from the “unquestioned expert” model 28:15 Matching patients with the right practitioner 29:20 Why good clinic is good business 30:30 How patient experience has changed over 20 years 31:30 Using reviews, rebooking, and feedback to spot training needs 32:30 Rising patient expectations in private healthcare 33:00 Team alignment days and culture outside the clinic 34:00 Why buyers acquire EBITDA and culture 35:00 Bad hires, culture issues, and getting the fit wrong 36:00 Letting candidates test-drive the clinic 37:00 Why the associate model made team culture difficult 38:00 Career development and retaining practitioners 39:30 Staff turnover and the administrative revolving door 41:00 Building the clinic ecosystem 41:30 Lessons from a fruit and veg market stall 42:30 Why relationships drive repeat business 43:00 Growing a clinic before websites mattered 43:40 Connecting with local businesses and GP surgeries 44:00 The sweet shop referral story 44:45 Give first, build trust 45:30 Building symbiotic relationships with local partners 46:00 Why fast introductions build trust 46:40 Rising competition and patient acquisition cost 47:20 Old-school networking in a digital market 48:00 Giving local shopkeepers free treatment vouchers 49:00 Why the shop front drove 30% of new patients 49:30 The PTA night that helped launch a clinic 50:00 “No one gets out alive” 51:00 Putting yourself out when it is not convenient 52:00 The clinic as part of the community 53:00 Lessons from zero to one 54:00 “Go where the buffalo are” 55:00 Relationships, community, and clinic growth 55:30 Closing thoughts The Business of a Clinic explores how private healthcare clinics can grow by improving patient relationships, patient engagement, clinic operations, retention, follow-up, commercial systems, and the overall patient experience.