Faces of LIFE: Dr. Jason Helfrich

Jason Helfrich, D.C.
Restaurant Owner To Chiropractic Entrepreneur
Chiropractic Professional
March 2015

Dr. Jason Helfrich hasn’t opened just one practice. He’s opened 19 across six states, with an additional 12 offices planned to open in 2015. He is the co-founder and CEO of 100% Inc., the parent company of Wellness Center 100% Chiropractic. 100% Inc. seeks talented DCs with an entrepreneurial spirit, helping them to build their own practice within the 100% Chiropractic brand.

Helfrich’s original career path didn’t include the words ‘vertebral subluxation.’ He worked in the restaurant industry, and though he enjoyed regular adjustments due to marrying into a chiropractic family, he didn’t have any intention of pursuing a career in the field. “I’m one of those people that the profession finally called to me,” he says. “I had a business background and was running restaurants, but I didn’t feel like I was fulfilling a purpose. It was the same thing every day, and it wasn’t going to make a difference in people’s lives. So one day it hit like a ton of bricks that I needed to go to school.”

He and his wife, Vanessa Helfrich, D.C., sold their restaurant and their house, relocating their lives in the pursuit of Chiropractic. They graduated from Palmer College of Chiropractic in 2004 and moved with their three sons back to their hometown of Colorado Springs, Colorado. They opened 100% Chiropractic that same year. “We never looked back after that,” says Helfrich.

At 100% Chiropractic, DCs seek to help patients achieve optimal health; the company’s name refers to enabling patients’ full innate intelligence, therefore maximizing their full human potential to 100%. Another mission of 100% Chiropractic is to educate patients, empowering them to take charge of their health.

Part of 100% Inc.’s success can be attributed to Helfrich’s experience in the hospitality industry. “I think that customer service has been lacking in health care for some time,” he says. “What I say is that everything matters. The lighting matters. The music matters. The décor matters. People are making decisions and a mental checklist all day long when it comes to your practice. So if you’re not checking off all of those, people in the restaurant business know you can lose somebody forever.”

Helfrich believes just having great chiropractic care won’t cut it; from the visual aesthetics to the energy of the staff, all the components must create an overall experience patients will want to return to. “To build a successful practice, you need to treat them in such a way that you amaze them every single day,” he says. “You need to change their life every single time they come into your practice; they need to be talking about you well after the door shuts behind them. And to do that you need to leave a lasting impression.”

At February’s LIFE Vision Seminar, Helfrich spoke about becoming an industry entrepreneur and the importance of making patients excited about Chiropractic. Afterward, he discussed Life University’s (LIFE) importance in the field. “I think LIFE is the hotbed of Chiropractic right now. It’s the school that’s making a difference,” he says. He’s sent 8 to 9 students to LIFE, “to not only get the message philosophically but in combination with business and different strategies that are going to let them be successful in this era.”

His advice for today’s chiropractic students involves embracing their pursuit of Chiropractic to the fullest. “Really believe in what you are, believe in what you represent and own that,” Helfrich says. “Don’t wish that you were something else, don’t try to dabble in 15 other things just to try to make a living. Own Chiropractic for what it is and be proud of it. And then tell people that story. And when you do that and own it, you get to go and be yourself every single day and are not worried about what people’s response is. You can’t control that. You control what you say, and enough people will want to listen to you if you own it and have the confidence to deliver that message.”

Helfrich leads by example, a powerful motivational speaker in the field of Chiropractic and an entrepreneur who’s created a wellness center brand that combines customer service with expert chiropractic care. He’s also a great friend to LIFE that we are proud to say is making a difference.

Faces of LIFE is a story campaign that showcases members of the dynamic LIFE community, including faculty/staff, students, alumni and health science professionals. Interested in being featured or nominating a candidate? E-mail LIFENews@LIFE.edu. Read more Faces of LIFE stories.