The Podiatry Business Podcast
The podcast for Podiatry Clinic owners. Brought to your by Lorcan O Donaile, Podiatrist & Health Business Mentor. Discover how Lorcan O Donaile built a Clinic that allows his clinical hours to zero, take 4 holidays a year and spend more time with his family and doing the things he loves, all while increasing his profits by over 400%.đThe secrets on how to avoid the mistakes that means that most Podiatry Clinic Owners are chained to their stagnating businesses. đThe tips to make the most of the patient's you already have, thus boosting your turnover before having to spend another cent on market...
Episode 213; âStop Flying Blind: 7 Numbers Your Podiatry Clinic Needs Every Weekâ
Ask most podiatry clinic owners how the business is doing and youâll get one of two answers: âBusyâ or âGrand, I think.âÂ
But busy isnât a number, and âI thinkâ isnât a plan.Â
Youâd never treat a patient without an assessment, yet most of us run the whole clinic on gut feeling and the bank balance. And the bank balance is a rear-view mirror. You need a windscreen.Â
In Episode 213 of The Podiatry Business Podcast Iâm giving you seven numbers i use in my own clinic, one page and five minutes every we...
Episode 212; âYour Google Business Profile Is Your Shop Window (Donât Leave It Dusty)
Picture two shops on the same street.Â
One has a clean window, the lights on, and a sign that says what they sell. The other has dust, a faded poster and the wrong opening hours.Â
You know which one youâre walking into.Â
Thatâs exactly what patients see when they search âpodiatrist near meâ. Your Google Business profile is your shop window, and most clinics havenât cleaned theirs in years.
 Today Iâll show you how to fix it in an afternoon and keep it clean in ten minutes a week.Â
Episode 211; Your Best New Patients Are Already on Your Books
Every podiatry clinic owner I speak to wants more new patients. But right now, sitting in your clinic software, are hundreds of people who already know you, already trust you, and already have your number.Â
They havenât fallen out with you.Â
Life got busy, and nobody asked them back. In this episode Iâll show you why patients lapse, how to pull that list, and one friendly message that can fill gaps in your diary this November and December. No ads. No new website. Just the patients you already have.Â
Episode 210; âPut Your Prices Up in January (Without Losing Patients or Sleep)â
When did you last put your prices up? Not thought about it. Not moaned about it over dinner. Actually did it. If you had to stop and think, this episode is for you. Because everything you buy for your clinic costs more than it used to, and if your prices havenât moved, the person paying the difference is you.Â
Today Iâm going to show you how to put your prices up in January without losing patients, and without losing sleep. And the reason Iâm telling you in October is simple: a January price rise is won...
Episode 209; âThe Podiatrists Winter Lull Is Optional (Hereâs How to Fix It)â
Most podiatry clinic owners accept a âquiet seasonâ from October to March â like itâs unavoidable.Â
But itâs not.Â
In this episode, Iâm sharing a real conversation I had last week with a clinic owner who told me they always hit a lull⌠and exactly why that happens.Â
Weâll break down the real culprit: âhelicopter marketingâ â the stop-start approach that creates stop-start bookings.Â
Then Iâll walk you through the simple system that keeps your diary full year-round: an AI-powered website that converts, proper follow-up, and paid ads that create predictable pati
Ep 208: How to Recruit Podiatrists (Without Relying on Random Instagram Posts)
If youâre trying to recruit a podiatrist and your first move is âletâs post on Instagramâ⌠this podcast will save you a lot of wasted effort.
In this episode, I break down a simple framework to recruit pods consistently using the Marketing Triangle: Market, Message, Media.Â
Youâll learn how to define the exact type of pod you want, craft a message that actually attracts the right clinicians (and repels the wrong fit), and choose the channels where podiatrists really hang out â from conferences and CPD days to LinkedIn, DMs, and Facebook gr
Episode 207; Youâll Never Sell Your Clinic at That Price
"Youâll never sell your clinic at that price"
This week I spoke to two people actively looking to buy clinics. Both walked away from deals that should have happened⌠because the owners had no idea what the market actually pays for.
Hereâs the hard truth: if your clinic is a single-operator practice, even working short weeks and you love your "baby", and everything depends on you⌠you donât have a âbusinessâ to sell yet. Youâve built a job.
And when owners fall in love with their âbabyâ and price it based on emotion...
Ep 206; Scaling beyond the owner â employees vs rooms vs second location (what to do first)
Most podiatry clinic owners donât struggle because they lack skill â they struggle because the business is built around them. If youâre the one doing the consults, making the decisions, fixing the diary gaps, and jumping in when the team gets stuck, growth eventually hits a ceiling.
In todayâs episode, weâre tackling the big scaling question: what should you do first â hire an associate, add more rooms and capacity, or open a second location? Because each option solves a different problem, and choosing the wrong one can lock you int...
Episode 206; Scaling beyond the owner â employees vs rooms vs second location (what to do first)
Most podiatry clinic owners donât struggle because they lack skill â they struggle because the business is built around them.Â
If youâre the one doing the consults, making the decisions, fixing the diary gaps, and jumping in when the team gets stuck, growth eventually hits a ceiling.
In todayâs episode, weâre tackling the big scaling question:
what should you do first â hire an associate, add more rooms and capacity, or open a second location?Â
Because each option solves a different problem, and choosing the wrong one can lock you into bigge...
Ep 205 Chat GPT ads for Podiatrists- a guide
ChatGPT Ads are now available âÂ
and for podiatrists, this could be one of those âearly Facebook adsâ moments where the clinics that move first get the advantage.
Patient behaviour has changed. Google still works brilliantly for people ready to book (âpodiatrist near meâ). But when someone is earlier in the decision process â asking âHow do I fix plantar fasciitis?â â more and more of them are having that conversation with AI, mainly ChatGPT.
In this new podcast episode, I break down what ChatGPT ads are, how they work, and how podiatry clinics can use them to reach new p...
Episode 204; Are you skint even though you have a full diary?
Many podiatry clinic owners are flat-out busy: full diaries, waiting lists, and constant demandâyet the bank account still feels tight.Â
The problem isnât effort, itâs running the clinic reactively based on whatâs in the bank, instead of managing it like a business. In this episode, we show how to start with the end in mind: define the life and income you want, then design a clinic that delivers it.Â
We break down the simple numbers that matterâbreakeven, revenue per hour, and required billable hoursâso you can close the gap with a clear p...
Ep 203; Are Podiatry Google Ads Dead?
Google Ads isnât dead⌠but if you run a podiatry clinic, it might feel like it.Â
In episode 203 of the Podiatry Business Podcast, Iâm going to break down how Google Ads actually worksâan auction on keywordsâand why the game has changed so dramatically in the last 12 months.Â
Weâll talk about the two types of searches that used to drive consistent new patient enquiries: the âpodiatrist near meâ book-now crowd, and the condition-based researchers looking for answers.Â
Then weâll unpack what AI, ChatGPT, and Googleâs own AI results have done to th...
Ep 202; Are More Podiatry Clinic Locations Actually Killing Your Profits?
More clinic locations sounds like growth⌠but it can quietly kill your profits.
I recently spoke with a clinic owner running multiple locations, each only 1â2 rooms. The result? More rent, more admin staff, more complexity â and less money left at the end of the month.
In todayâs episode I break down why one larger clinic often beats multiple small sites â and the smarter way to expand without bleeding cash or loosing your mind.Â
Episode 201; Add 50% Profits To Your Podiatry Clinic In 6 Months
This podcast is a recording a a recent 30 min Workshop where Lorcan discussed the process to assess and measure the numbers in your clinic and how they affect your profits. He also give practial exercises to implem,ent in your podiatry clinic to alter these numbers and increase your profits.
Tried and tested across podiatry clinics this formula when implemented yields a healthier podiatry business & greater profitsÂ
Ep 200; Why You Canât Recruit Clinical Staff In Your Podiatry Clinic
Struggling to recruit clinical staff? Itâs probably not âthe marketââitâs your offer, your message, and your process. In this episode, we unpack the real reasons clinics canât attract great clinicians: vague job ads, visible chaos, unclear pay, no career path, and slow hiring timelines. Youâll get a simple framework to make your clinic more attractive, move faster with candidates, and build a role clinicians actually want to say yes to.
Episode 199; How to know when it's the right time to recruit another podiatrist
Hiring another podiatrist can feel like the answerâuntil it becomes a new source of stress and sleepless nights.Â
In this episode, we break down when itâs actually smart to take on more staff (and when itâs not).Â
Youâll learn the 5 clear âgreen lightsâ that signal youâre ready to hire, how to avoid hiring into chaos, and which roles typically create the fastest leverage in a clinic.Â
If you want growth without headaches, start here.
Episode 198; Squeezing In That Patient Is Keeping You Stuck
Squeezing in âjust one more patient.â It feels responsible. It feels like good service. But it quietly keeps you trapped trading time for money â and it steals the hours you need to fix the real problems in the business.Â
Iâll share a story from this week that proves it, then Iâll break down the mindset behind it and give you a simple way to protect CEO time so your podiatry clinic can actually grow.
Episode 197; Why I Sold My Podiatry Clinic (And What You Can Learn From It)
I sold a majority share of my podiatry clinicâand it didnât happen at the âperfectâ time.Â
In this episode, I break down why I partnered up, how weâre scaling with new investors, and what it means to earn dividends now while securing a guaranteed exit when Iâm ready to retire.Â
More importantly, youâll learn how to make your clinic attractive to buyers, build real leverage, and create options long before you ever want to sell.
Episode 196; âWhy I Built a Virtual Version of Myselfâ
I just built a FREE virtual version of myself to give Podiatry Clinic Owners answers on how to help their podiatry business
Podiatry Clinic Owners can now have a real conversation with Virtual Lorcan â 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, ask questions about their podiatry practice and get a bespoke, step-by-step plan showing exactly how to improve profits & business.Â
In this episode I explain why charging for information is dead with the dawn of Chat-gpt etc and why your clinic needs to understand this what patients will pay for and why they will pay a pre...
Episode 195;The Most Effective Podiatry Clinic Website in the AI Age
Most podiatry clinic websites are still built like itâs 2021.
Home. About. Services. Contact.
Looks nice⌠but it doesnât convert.
In the AI age, the most effective website is a 24/7 receptionist + triage + booking system â with AI-SEO built in.
In ep 195 of The Pidiatry Business Podcast I break down:
The old âbrochure websiteâ model (and why it fails now)What an AI-age website should do differentlyHow AI agents can answer, triage, and convert patients 24/7Episode 194; Fear Is Normal. Staying Stuck Is Optional.
Fear is a normal part of growthâespecially when youâre running a podiatry clinic.
When youâre working long days, carrying the pressure of patients and payroll, and still not seeing the income or freedom you expected, change can feel risky.Â
But staying the same has a cost too: more hours, more stress, and the same results. In this episode, weâll unpack why fear shows up, why it doesnât mean âstop,â and the plan that helps you move forward anyway.
Epiode 193; Hiring Your Way Out of Chaos: How Podiatry Clinic Owners Get Their Time Back
If youâve ever thought, âI just need to hire someone and everything will calm down,â this episode is for you. Because hiring doesnât fix chaos â it amplifies it. If your clinic relies on you to answer every question, solve every problem, and keep every plate spinning, adding a new person wonât create freedom. Today Iâll show you how to hire with a system: clear roles, decision rights, and onboarding that stops you being the bottleneck.
EP 192; Are Your Staff Earning More Per Hour Than You?
Are your staff earning more per hour than you?
It happens when you hire because demand is strong, but your pricing and systems donât change to match the new wage bill.Â
So the clinic gets busier, payroll gets bigger, and youâre left doing the most responsibility for the least reward.Â
The tempting move is to throw fuel on the fire with Google Ads because surely the answer is just more new patient's. But if the numbers, capacity, and follow-up arenât tight, youâre just pouring water into a leaky bucket. Letâs fix...
EP 191; The Podiatry Clinic Owners Trap: How to Stop Being the Clinicâs Bottleneck
Most podiatry clinic owners donât feel âstuckâ because the clinic isnât busy â they feel stuck because the clinic depends on them for everything.Â
If youâre the one making the decisions, solving the problems, and generating most of the profits, youâre not alone.Â
In this episode, Iâll walk you through a calm, practical way to escape the Owners Trap without lowering standards or working longer hours â by installing simple decision rules and building a model that doesnât rely on you being in every room
Ep 190; When should I hire another Podiatrist?
If youâre wondering, âWhen should I hire another podiatrist?â youâre not alone. Hire too early and you squeeze cashflow, add pressure, and risk paying for empty chair time.Â
Hire too late and you cap growth, burn out, and leave new patients waitingâwho often wonât wait at all.Â
In this episode, Iâll walk you through the clearest signs itâs time to expand your clinical team, the simple numbers to check before you commit, and a practical 30â60â90 day ramp plan so a new clinician is productive without chaos.Â
If you want to grow withou...
Episode; 189 âShould You Sell Your Podiatry Clinic? How to Know If the Offer Is Goodâ
You've been offered an amount to sell your clinic but your dont know if its fair or how it was even calculated. .Â
In this episode, weâll unpack how podiatry clinics are valued, why EBITDA and the multiple matter more than revenue, and the specific factors that can increase your valuation or slash it fast.Â
And at the end, weâll talk about the real decision most owners ignore: what outcome is right for you.
Ep 188: The Front Desk Script For Price Shoppers
When someone calls your clinic and asks "I just want to know how much you charge for a podiatry appointment" itâs easy to panic, discount, or rush the conversation.Â
But that question is rarely about priceâitâs about certainty. In this episode, Iâll give you a simple front desk script that turns price shoppers into booked appointments, without sounding pushy or salesy. Plus, Iâll show you how to train your team on it so it actually gets used on real calls.
Episode 187; How To Manage Costs Without Killing Your Podiatry Clinics Growth
In Episode 187 of the Poidiatry Business Podcast; How To Manage Costs Without Killing Your Podiatry Clinics Growth, I explore how clinic owners can take control of costs without slowing growth.Â
Youâll learn why reviewing a monthly profit and loss statement (P&L) or loose management accounts is the first step to making confident financial decisions.
 I'll then share a practical framework to judge every expense by its true benefitâwhether it buys you more patients, more time, or more profit. From CPD courses to Google Ads, discover what to keep, optimise, or cut and why.
Episode 186; Why Podiatry clinics Reception Matters More Than You Think
In 186 episode; "Why Podiatry Clinics Reception Matters More Than You Think" , Iâll show you exactly how a weak front desk costs podiatry clinics money (missed calls, slow follow-up, poor conversion), and the simple systems that fix itâplus how AI voice reception can work alongside your team. Â
If youâre spending money on Google Ads, Facebook, SEOâanything to make the phone ringâthen hereâs a hard truth: your receptionist is either turning those calls into booked appointments⌠or quietly leaking revenue every day.
Episode 185; What's the Right Profit Margin In Your Podiatry Clinic
Whatâs the ârightâ profit margin for your podiatry clinic? A simple questions but needs a subtle answer as more is not necessarily whats right for you
A recent UK report shows solo clinics often post higher margin percentages than ÂŁ1M+ practices â yet bigger clinics usually produce far more profit in cash terms. But chasing benchmarks can miss the point.Â
In episode 185, of the The Podiatry Business Podcast weâll unpack what the data gets right, what it ignores, and how to design your life first â then build the business model and systems that deliver freedom, stabi...
Ep 184; Get Your Ducks in a Row - Before You Scale Your Podiatry Clinic
If youâre in the early stages of your podiatry clinic and youâre thinking, âI need marketing,â I want you to pause.
More leads wonât fix a business that isnât ready to convertâand paid ads wonât create certainty.Â
Today Iâm talking about getting your duck in a row: deciding what you want your business and life to look like, choosing the type of patient you actually want, pricing properly, maximising retention, and using your numbers to make smart decisions to improve your podiatry business.Â
Episode 183; Every Difficulty is an Opportunity: A podiatrists guide
An integral part of running every podiatry clinic is the difficulties that arise. Whether small of big these actually present an opportunity to you to make change in your clinic for the better.Â
In Episode 183 of The Podiatry Business Podcast Lorcan talks about how this subtle mindset shift can help transform your business.
Episode 182; Boosting Case Acceptance & Compliance for Podiatrists
If youâve ever felt frustrated by patients hesitating or not following through on treatment, this episode is for you. Get ready for actionable strategies to build trust, communicate clearly, and see better results for your clinic and your patients.
The Podiatry Business PodcastEpisode 182; Boosting Case Acceptance & Compliance for Podiatrists
Episode 181; The First 3 Years â How To Build A Successful Podiatry Clinic
The first three years of building a podiatry clinic from scratch can be the toughest.
 In this episode of the Podiatry Business Podcast, weâll break down the five essential steps to make your journey smootherâfrom planning and knowing your numbers to early marketing, team building, and systemising. Learn how to set your clinic up for long-term success!
Episode 180; Are My Podiatry Clinics Prices Too Low
âAre My Podiatry Clinics Prices Too Low?â Pricing can make or break your podiatry clinicâs growth. If youâre working hard but not seeing the profits you deserve, this episode is for you. Letâs break down the signs, mindset shifts, and strategies to ensure youâre charging what youâre truly worth.
Episode 179; Google Ads â Top Tips for podiatry clinics in the Age of AI Search
Google ads in the age of AI- Today, weâre diving into how Google Ads is evolving in the age of AI searchâand what that means for podiatry clinics like yours. Iâll share practical, up-to-date tips that will help you attract more patients, boost your ROI, leverage AI and stay ahead of the competition. If you want your clinic to thrive as search trends shift, this episode is a must-listen!
Episode 178; From âBest Month Everâ to 40% Profit Drop: A Podiatry Clinic Ownerâs Reality Check
One of my clients just had one of their best months ever in terms of cash collected âŚbut when we pulled the numbers, their profit was down 40% compared to just four months earlier.
In Episode 178 of The Podiatry Business Podcast I want to walk you through what happened, why itâs more common than you think, and what you must do to avoid a busy clinic with not enough profits
By the end, youâll know exactly why focusing on turnover alone is dangerous, what really drives profit in a podiatry clinic, and how a...
Ep 177; The Big Myth That A Smaller Podiatry Clinic Means Less Risk
"The Big Myth That A Smaller Podiatry Clinic Means Less Risk" is a conversation for podiatry clinic owners who donât just want âmore,â they want the right kind of more.
 In this episode, I unpack why so many of us start a clinic with no real end goal, drift into a business we never consciously designed, and then feel disappointed when we finally hit our targets.Â
Weâll talk about starting with the end in mind â defining the income, lifestyle, and role you actually want â and why reaching a destination rarely changes how you feel inside. <...
Episode 176; Getting Found Online In The AI Age - A Podiatry Clinics Guide.
A game-changing discussion about the shift from traditional SEO to SEAI (Search Engine AI Integration) and why podiatry clinics must adapt now or risk becoming invisible to their ideal patients
"If you're still optimising your podiatry website for Google like it's 2019, you're already invisible to 60% of your potential patients. Here's why: your ideal patients aren't typing 'podiatrist near me' into Google anymoreâthey're asking ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity for recommendations. And if you're not showing up there, you don't exist." Episode 176 of the Podiatry Business Podcast ;Â Getting Found Online In The AI Age - A Podiatry Clinics Gui...
Episode 175; Should You Sell Products? A Podiatry Clinic Owner's Guide to Retail Revenue
Should you stock products in your podiatry clinic? It's a question every clinic owner faces when building toward that $50k+ monthly revenue goal. Today, we're breaking down the pros, cons, and strategic framework for adding retail revenue to your practice. We'll explore when products enhance patient outcomes and boost profits versus when they drain resources and distract from high-value clinical work. I'll share the decision framework I use with my coaching clients, real numbers to expect, and actionable steps to test product sales without the headaches.