How coffee inspired a clinic location

This week on the podcast, we’re exploring one of the most critical steps in building a successful clinic — choosing the right location. Denzil sits down with Eric and Caroline, co-founders of Vitae Health & Sport in North Vancouver, to unpack the thoughtful, strategic process behind their decision.

From analyzing community plans to surprising insights drawn from a major coffee chain’s strategy, Eric and Caroline’s story reveals just how much effort goes into finding a spot that not only works now but sets their clinic up for long-term success. They share the risks they took, the lessons they learned, and one clever lease negotiation that gave them a major advantage as first-time clinic owners.

Have you opened your own clinic? We’d love to hear how you chose your location! Send in your thoughts and join the conversation.

And, if you’d like to get the Letter from the Editor delivered straight to your inbox each week, be sure to ⁠sign up⁠ for the written newsletter!

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Oh hi, it's Denzil here.
Picture this for a secondYou've got a vision for your
clinic, a checklist ofeverything it needs to thrive
and a really good feeling abouthow it's all coming together.
But then you realize you'remissing something.
Where are you going to put it?
That's the exact spot Eric andCarolyn found themselves in when

(00:21):
they were gearing up to opentheir first clinic Vitae Health
and Sport.
They had it all mapped outtheir services, their goals, the
whole nine yards but they weremissing that one critical piece
of the puzzle a location.
They knew the stakes were high.
When you think about it, pickingyour clinic's location isn't
just a nice to have.
It's one of those big make orbreak decisions that sticks with

(00:45):
you for a long time.
But when I interviewed Eric andCarolyn for Radio Front Desk, I
was shocked at just how muchmore goes into choosing a
location than I thoughtEverything from digging into
your local government plans getthis to leaning on the decisions
of a coffee chain.
They really did look at thisdecision from every angle you

(01:05):
can think of.
That's why I want to take a fewminutes to share some of the
steps that Eric and Carolyn tookthat really stood out to me,
including some.
That kind of took me bysurprise.
All right.
So first up they leaned in oncoffee, and not in the way you
might think.
Eric and Carolyn had a fewneighborhoods in mind for their

(01:26):
clinic.
Then something interestingcaught their eye A major coffee
chain had recently leased a spotin one of those areas.
Now why does that matter?
Well, think about how those bigname chains operate.
They've got entire teamscrunching the numbers on things
like foot traffic, demographicsand future growth potential
before committing to a location.

(01:47):
So when that coffee chain setup shop, it was like a big
flashing sign telling Eric andCarolyn this spot is worth it.
For two first-time clinicowners, this took some of the
guesswork out of the decision.
Plus, it gave them somevalidation that the neighborhood
had solid potential, not justfor now but for the long term.

(02:08):
Next, they did a little treasurehunting.
You might be thinking how didEric and Carolyn even know about
the coffee chain plans?
Well, they started by divinginto the municipality's official
community plan, and that turnedout to be a great move, because
those plans outlined areas thatwere pegged for growth.
They saw planned developmentslike housing projects and retail

(02:30):
hubs and realized these werethe spots that would become
pretty busy and bring in foottraffic, which is exactly what a
new clinic wants.
Plus, the idea of being amongthe first to make a name for
themselves in a bloomingneighborhood excited them, even
if it felt risky.
Now this next move.
Well, it's genius.
They locked themselves in asthe only clinic.

(02:52):
Here's what I mean.
When they were signing theirlease, they negotiated an
exclusivity clause.
That means that no otherbusiness offering the same
services could open in the samecomplex, and this wasn't just
about cutting off competition.
It gave them peace of mindWithout having to worry about a
similar business setting up shopnext door.

(03:12):
They had the breathing room tofocus on growing their clinic.
Eric and Carolyn approachedtheir location search with
strategy, patience and a clearfocus on the future, and I think
that's a lesson worth taking toheart for anyone setting up a
clinic.
If you've already opened yourclinic, what was the number one
thing that made you pick yourlocation?
Send me a note at frontdesk atjaneapp and I'd love to hear

(03:35):
your story.
All right, that's it from metoday.
Thanks for tuning in andhanging out.
Remember, be thoughtful, takeyour time and pick a spot that
not only feels right but setsyou up for the long haul.
You've got this.