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From 9-5 Chiropractor to Six-Figure Business Owner
How a 27 year old transformed her life in less than a year
Grace Lemire
October 17, 2023
Hey,
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How a 20-Something Former Chiropractor Started Her Own Online Business
A couple weeks ago, I had the privilege of interviewing an incredible entrepreneur I’ve followed on social media for quite some time. I knew her story and what she’s done with her business was impressive, but this interview blew me out of the water.
Meag (@whealthwithmeag on social media) went from working a 9 to 5 as a chiropractor to owning an online social media marketing business that earns her significantly more money. Here’s her story.
Can you tell us a little bit about who you are?
I am the founder of Whealth with Meag, my social media page, and I’m also a doctor of chiropractic. By trade, I’m a chiropractor, but I’ve done a lot of career changes lately. I’m also 27 and I live in Austin, Texas.
I’m on a mission to empower people to know that they’re capable of living their healthiest life and being financially well in a way that’s fun, easy-to-understand, and shame-free.
What was your career like before? How much did you make? And did you find it fulfilling?
I was a full-time practicing chiropractor in Knoxville, Tennessee. I was making in the $65k to $72k range a year there — it varied because we got monthly bonuses. That was good for our field, but chiropractic students graduate with $150k in student debt sometimes, so that math isn’t always mathing on that.
I worked at an incredible practice, so I did find it fulfilling. But it was exhausting and demanding, so by the end of the day, I had no energy left to give to other things.
I picked up an adjunct professor job while I was working there, teaching online anatomy and physiology. It really gave me a breath of fresh air while doing chiropractic, and I still do it now.
Did you ever feel limited in that role?
As an associate chiropractor, you're working under a doctor that owns the practice. So there’s room for growth, but it’s very limited.
I also didn’t want to be stuck in 4 walls everyday. I like being able to work from a coffee shop or my couch. And I realized the only way to make a good chunk of money in chiropractic was to open my own practice, but I was terrified by the idea of opening a brick and mortar business like that.
What are you doing now? What makes up your income today?
I left Knoxville in March 2023 to end the long distance with my husband. Before I left, I was doing social media for the chiropractic practice I was working at. When I moved to Austin, they kept me on doing that. It gave me some time where I wasn’t working 9 to 5, which gave me the space to create some opportunities for myself.
I now run 6 chiropractic or holistic health social media accounts, and it’s been so freakin’ rewarding. I still get to use my knowledge in the field, which I love doing, but I’ve gotten to combine it with my love of social media, too.
What feedback have you gotten from clients?
The main feedback has been that it’s very seamless and easy because I have a strong background in chiropractic. They trust it more than if the content were put together by someone without that experience.
And I don’t have a marketing background at all, so I think it really comes down to having that experience in chiropractic.
How did you learn what you know?
I started Whealth with Meag during COVID when I was in chiropractic school. I had a girlfriend ask me what an IRA was, and it made me realize that there was a big gap in financial education. I was fortunate that my parents had taught me a lot about money growing up, but I knew a lot of people didn’t have that. I also taught myself more along the way too, just by looking things up.
With social media, I just spent years trying things out. Trying trends and seeing what worked and what didn’t.
How much are you making now? Are you making more than you did as a chiropractor?
My social media client work is my main source of income right now, but I also still teach as an adjunct professor and make income from Whealth with Meag (like brand deals, affiliate income, and income from digital product sales).
The past two months have been astronomical income — $12k in August, $16k in September. I don’t know if the $16k would be sustainable going forward because I was working a lot, but I have around $10k to $13k a month in consistent clients. So yeah, around double what I was making before.
And when did you officially launch your business? This sounds so quick!
I had always had Whealth with Meag, even when I was a chiropractor. I left my 9 to 5 in March 2023 and was making hardly anything from social media at that point — I only had that one social media client (my previous practice).
I put more time into it and started making $3k, and then $5k, and so on. Within around two months, I had added on several clients to run their social media. So it grew quickly.
How have people in your life felt about this?
My dad is a lawyer and my mom was an accountant. So it was always, “you get a job at a company, and you stay there for 40 years.” So when I left chiropractic after a year in practice, it was a bit shocking.
They’ve both been supportive. I’ve been able to show them how much I can make from home, and they had no idea that was possible. The idea of making money doing social media work is abstract to them, but you really can make a lot owning a virtual business.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to do what you do, or make a career change like you did?
#1: Be aware that self doubt and negative self-talk will be there, but you have to just keep pushing through this. I spent many days at the beginning being like, “What am I doing? Why am I doing this? What if I mess it up? What if they fire me? Maybe I should just go back to chiropractic.” But it’s been the most rewarding thing to combine social media and chiropractic, and it’s evident that other people see the value in that too.
#2: Say yes to more things than you say no to in the beginning, but then learn how to say no. You can be a “yes man” until you overbook yourself, when you have that “holy sh*t, now I’ve got to say no to some things” moment. But it helps you figure out what really does make you happy and fulfilled, versus what doesn’t.
#3: Diversify your income streams. Sometimes it’s overwhelming, but it also provides a sense of peace.
What’s next for you?
I think the potential for my social media services is most in line with what I want to do in the future, so I’m focused on scaling that. I want to continue growing Whealth with Meag, legitimize my social media business, and then hire my first team member in 2024.
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See you on Friday,
Grace
