By Dr. Corey Riser, DC, CFMP – VP of Growth, QC Kinetix
For decades, the default language of business has been numbers. From revenue to profit margins and market share, success has often been measured solely from a financial standpoint. But what if we’ve been looking at performance all wrong, and what happens when you look beyond the bottom line?
In today’s increasingly competitive and value-driven marketplace, franchise leaders need to shift their focus from profits to purpose in order to survive. Financials alone are no longer able to tell the full story of a brand’s positioning in the market, and with consumers shifting their purchasing behaviors to align with their values, the most sustainable growth comes from brands that are creating meaningful impact.
As Vice President of Growth at QC Kinetix, the largest regenerative medicine practice in North America, I’ve seen firsthand what happens when you shift your focus from income to impact. Taking a purpose-first approach to franchise growth, my team is defining performance by the number of patients we serve and the number of lives we improve, not solely by the revenue our clinics generate. This mindset is reshaping everything – from how we lead to how we define growth. This goes beyond the healthcare industry, this is a universal strategy that any franchise owner can adopt.
Redefining Your Metrics of Success
It’s time for businesses to evolve beyond traditional revenue-based success metrics. While it is of course important to track financial health and create a profitable and scalable business model, a brand’s mission should ultimately be its driving force. It is equally important to start tracking metrics that reflect customer transformation and franchisee fulfillment.
At QC Kinetix, our mission is to utilize regenerative medicine to enhance the quality of life of as many people as possible without the use of drugs or surgery, and that is where our true performance metrics are centered. Measuring success by how many patients we serve and improve the lives of, as well as franchisee satisfaction and team-member buy-in and accountability, offers us deeper insights into what works in our business model. Defining purpose-driven KPIs that reflect the impact your franchise creates and aligning on goals to inspire your entire network are key in going beyond the bottom line to see where your franchise stands.
Building a Purpose-Driven Culture
Behind any successful franchise system is a strong culture. This goes beyond motivational slogans – it’s about engraining your culture into your brand’s DNA. Purpose-driven leadership requires structure, leading by example, and resonating with your entire team to align behind a common goal. Your team needs to know that every day when they walk into work, they show up to make a difference in their community.
Focusing on mission-driven outcomes and focusing on your ability to see the bigger picture will guide your team to work with purpose. At QC Kinetix, we are measuring how many patients report long-term relief after treatment, and celebrate these stories of healing, not just the financial wins. Building culture intentionally is crucial in maintaining a purpose-driven system. Your purpose should guide hiring, training, and all key business decisions. Purpose-driven leadership fuels smarter, more sustainable growth across any industry by aligning employees on how their work contributes to a larger purpose.
When people feel connected to the “why” behind what they do, accountability becomes intrinsic, teams work harder, and customer satisfaction rates increase, which in turn leads to larger profit margins.
Quantifying Intangible Outcomes
Purpose can feel abstract, and it can be hard to quantify what is traditionally deemed as subjective. However, putting the right systems in place to track “intangible” metrics like trust, well-being, and satisfaction is crucial, and should be taken into account as much as costs. Often, these qualitative metrics are the key indicators for long-term success.
At QC Kinetix, we measure patient transformation and clinic satisfaction. Every patient visit is monitored so that we can see the step-by-step process that every patient at every clinic is receiving, to ensure their care is the highest-quality possible. Assessing satisfaction and loyalty through gathering real patient stories grants us access to data that we can use to continually improve our experience.
We are entering a new era of franchising, where leaders need to tap into emotional intelligence and their own values as much as they need to tap into analytical and strategic skills. While business success will always include revenue, it should go beyond that, widening the lens and recognizing that growth isn’t just about numbers, it’s about impact.
Dr. Corey Riser, DC, CFMP, is the Vice President of Growth at QC Kinetix, the nation’s largest regenerative medicine practice. He is also the founder of Functional Health Center of the Carolinas, a highly regarded Functional Medicine clinic in Charlotte, North Carolina.