How We Bootstrapped Our Wellness SaaS To 7-Figures ARR
Hello! Who are you, and what business did you start?
Hi! I’m Daniel. My business partner, Mike, and I are the co-founders of ClinicSense.
ClinicsSense is a software platform that helps health and wellness practitioners run their businesses smoothly. Its all-in-one system includes online booking and scheduling, charting, finance, and communication tools.
Our goal is to reduce the stress of running a wellness business so that our healthcare providers can be happier and healthier and stay in business longer.
What's your backstory, and how did you come up with the idea?
The idea for ClinicSense stemmed from Mike's experience working for a marketing agency that specialized in marketing services for wellness business owners.
This agency encouraged business owners to spend a lot of money on a marketing service called “recall cards.” Recall cards are those old-school postcards sent in the mail to get you to book your next appointment.
This mail-out method was expensive, but Mike saw an opportunity to automate it using software that would save the business owners money and be more effective in helping them grow their businesses, so he felt compelled to take action.
Initially, Mike approached his boss to see if he would be interested in sourcing or building a solution based on his idea —but he wasn’t.
That’s when Mike came to me to discuss launching a business (we are cousins!). His behind-the-scenes experience in the challenges these business owners faced running their day-to-day operations gave us a head start in supporting wellness business owners. Long story short, ClinicSense started with the idea to automate recall cards for clinics and then expanded to scheduling, reminders, and much more from there.
Take us through the process of designing, prototyping, and manufacturing your first product.
Recalls were the initial catalyst for launching the business, but we quickly realized that to fully automate the process of sending out recall cards to patients, we had to know the date of their last appointment.
This would mean that an online calendar would be necessary. This helped round out our MVP: an online scheduling tool that would remind clients of an upcoming appointment and let them know when they are due for their next appointment.
It was a different time when we started - we hired a developer on Craigslist 😂. He still works with us today.
It was all self-funded through side gigs, like developing apps and websites. MVP took about 7 months.
Describe the process of launching the business.
Once we’d built our MVP, the first step was to validate the product.
This was back in 2012 when most of the software available to help wellness providers manage their business was targeted toward doctors or dentists, so we decided to support the preventative and allied healthcare industry with our product instead.
We attended several conferences to share our product with the different niches in the preventative health space. That's how we discovered that massage therapists had the strongest reaction to what we were building, so we started there.
By attending these conferences and getting consistent feedback, we were able to build a core group of massage therapists who helped advise us on the product and ensure that it was just right for everyone in their industry.
After we validated that we had “product-market fit,” we ran ads on Facebook and Google to attract more customers.
The next step to dial in momentum was getting the pricing right; it was interesting to see that once we had the right price point for the right set of offerings, things started to snowball.
Another key factor in our early days to gain momentum was, after gathering enough clout and customers in the space, we approached some of the large massage therapy associations to form partnerships. They gave us their stamp of approval and shared our information with their large audiences, which helped tremendously.
From there, we continued to grow for many years without the help of full-time marketing or any official sales team.
Always remember—if you can’t track it, you can’t improve it. So, weekly KPI (Key Performance Indicator) tracking is paramount for knowing if we’re on the right track.
Since your launch, what has worked to attract and retain customers?
From the beginning, conversing with customers to achieve product-market fit has been our guide to growth. It has helped us attract more customers through word of mouth and reduced churn of existing customers.
We also built something easy to use, winning us the “#1 Best-Ease-of-Use” award on Capterra for 4 years in a row. Building this type of reputation over time has been hugely important because customers in this industry don’t want to deal with something complicated while running their business.
Another way we attract new customers is by being a trusted source of information, providing resources like educational blog posts and free printable templates. We invest in SEO initiatives to ensure these resources get found organically online.
And I would be remiss if I didn't say that our awesome support team is a massive part of why our clients stick around when it comes to retention. They consistently get all the praise on Capterra and have a 5-star rating. We openly share customer feedback on our channels, and even made an entire page of ClinicSense customer reviews.
Good customer support is crucial for customer retention, so the team has invested heavily in support resources and prioritizes fast reply times.
Today we have just over 7,500 users across ~4,500 accounts. All paid.
How are you doing today, and what does the future look like?
ClinicSense launched 12 years ago and is now a successfully bootstrapped and profitable company with a close-knit and fully remote team of 15. These team members are as committed as Mike and I to helping wellness providers manage their businesses. We are in the 7-figures ARR.
We’ve expanded our audience from massage therapists to all allied healthcare professionals, including physiotherapists, acupuncturists, occupational therapists, and more. We also have a product roadmap with exciting new features and upgrades that will keep customers happy for years to come.
Build an MVP quickly and try to get customers fast. Don’t try to perfect your product; you don’t need something perfect. You need something that you can sell.
Through starting the business, have you learned anything particularly helpful or advantageous?
The importance of tracking your numbers. Always remember—if you can’t track it, you can’t improve it. So, weekly KPI (Key Performance Indicator) tracking is paramount for knowing if we’re on the right track.
I've also learned a lot about the importance of strategic pricing and how important building revenue expansion into your business model is - especially as the business matures.
Another interesting shift that’s happening as the business matures is how I need to show up. In the early days, it was my responsibility to build the business. Now, it’s my responsibility to grow the team and the team builds the business.
What platform/tools do you use for your business?
We use a modern mix of tools for marketing, support, and internal communications. Some daily tools include Ahrefs, Slack, Jira, Notion, Google Workspace, Google Analytics, Canva, Stripe, Webflow, Zendesk, and Zapier.
What have been your most influential books, podcasts, or other resources?
I prefer reading to podcasts, so my top books are (currently) April Dunford’s: Obviously Awesome and Sales Pitch. I also found valuable lessons in: Traction, Hiring On Purpose, and Sell The Way You Buy.
Any advice for other entrepreneurs who want to get started or are just starting out?
Entrepreneurship isn’t for everyone, but if the path is calling to you, I’d recommend that you start small. Build an MVP quickly and try to get customers fast. Don’t try to perfect your product; you don’t need something perfect. You need something that you can sell.
With lower barriers to entry into the SaaS and technology space, there are a lot more people building solutions. To stand out from the crowd, I recommend niching down and doing something for your niche that nobody else does. That’s your best shot at being successful.
Are you looking to hire for certain positions right now?
We’re always looking for great people and are currently expanding our development and marketing teams. Keep an eye on our LinkedIn page for updated job listings.
Where can we go to learn more?
If you have any questions or comments, drop a comment below!
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Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
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