All of us have hopes. We hope to be successful, lead a better life, be better human beings, and, most of all, hope to have the freedom to do what makes us happy. Dr. Alan Khiger is one of the lucky few, who are able to do what makes them the happiest.
eBrandz caught up with Dr. Khiger so that he may share with our readers his happiness quotient.
Q. Kindly give our readers an introduction to your business.
Ans. Hi, my name is Dr. Alan Khiger. I am a personal injury chiropractor in the city of Las Vegas . We are currently based in three convenient locations in North Las Vegas – Eastern and Harmon, Bonanza and Lamb. We treat patients who have suffered injuries in car accidents, slip and falls.
Q. Give us a brief description about yourself.
Ans. I am an immigrant from the former Soviet Union and came to this country when I was 12 years old. I got my Bachelors degree in Psychology and a Doctorate in Chiropractic at Life University in Atlanta, Georgia. I speak three languages – Spanish, Russian and English. My major achievement was appearing on Hispanic television and interviewing a Spanish-speaking doctor.
Q. What ignited the spark in you to join Spinal Rehabilitation Center?
Ans. Las Vegas is a 24-hour-city with people constantly on the move and they need transportation get to their destinations. This increases the incidence of accidents. There are also people in this city who drink and drive and someone needs to take care of them.
Q. How important have good employees been to your success?
Ans. Very important. When the patients come in they do not see the doctor first. Their first point of contact is an assistant. All hellos, concerns and goodbyes are exchanged with the assistant and he is a reflection of the attitude of the Center.
Q. What three pieces of advice would you give to college students who want to become entrepreneurs?
Ans. Studying business and marketing is a must. In any profession the talent to sell is of key importance.
Q. If you had the chance to start your career all over again, would you do anything differently?
Ans. Nothing. I am happy where I am.
Q. What according to you are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?
Ans. Speaking another language, knowing how to sell, and being the best at what you do.
Q. How long do you stick with an idea before giving up?
Ans. Until all options fail.
Q. How many hours a day do you work on an average?
Ans. There are no set hours of work for me. There are no enough hours in a day to accomplish all that needs to be done.
Q. How has your business affected your family life?
Ans. It caused a divorce which affected my family majorly, but I am happy where I am and would not want to be any place else.
Q. What motivates you?
Ans. The need to prove myself motivates me. A lot of my friends and family did not think that one day I would be a famous doctor, but here I am!
Q. How do you generate new ideas?
Ans. Playing chess gives me new maneuvers and ignites the `idea-box.’
Q. What is your greatest fear, and how do you manage fear?
Ans. Fear of god, but that is a positive. I am not afraid of anyone but Him and that is why I do everything to keep Him happy, including donations and helping out poor people.
Q. How do you define success?
Ans. Being able to do what you want to do and being happy about it.
Q. What is the best way to achieve long-term success?
Ans. Have a ‘not-to-do’ list.
Q. Where did your organizations funding/capital come from and how did you go about getting it? How did you obtain investors for your venture?
Ans. I have not. I came in as an associate doctor and became a partner.
Q. How did you build a successful customer base?
Ans. Speaking Spanish, doing a Toastmasters course and not being afraid to speak my mind.
Q. Do you believe there is some sort of pattern or formula to becoming a successful entrepreneur?
Ans. Yes and No. It is specific to every individual and you have to figure it out, no one else will.
Q. If you could talk to one person from history, who would it be and why?
Ans. Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He is the only man that had good intentions for America as well as the discipline to work on those intentions.
Q. Who has been your greatest inspiration?
Ans. Donald Trump.
Q. Q. What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur?
Ans. Being independent.
Q. To what do you most attribute your success? What would you say are the five key elements for starting and running a successful business?
Ans. Be assertive. Don’t accept failures. Keep your expectations low. Be realistic with yourself and have a ‘not-to-do’ list.
Q. What has been your most satisfying moment in business?
Ans. Getting compliments from my patients.
Q. What do you feel is the major difference between entrepreneurs and those who
work for someone else?
Ans. Well, before becoming an entrepreneur you have to work for someone else.
Q. How do you go about marketing your business? What has been your most successful form of marketing?
Ans. The radio and the Internet
Q. What kind of culture exists in your organization? How did you establish this tone and why did you institute this particular type of culture?
Ans. Hispanic culture. The Hispanics are going to be a majority by 2020, and, Trump has recommended in his book that Spanish is the language to learn.
Q. In one word, characterize your life as an entrepreneur.
Ans. Amazing.
Q. What is the biggest biggest mistake you’ve made?
Ans. Listening to others who, I thought, knew more than me.
Q. How can you prevent mistakes or do damage control?
Ans. You cannot. You will always make mistakes just be careful you don’t repeat the mistakes.
Q. What are your hobbies? What do you do in your non-work time?
Ans. Play Chess, exercise, indulge in sports and read Spanish.
Q. What makes you happy?
Ans. My patients telling me that, I am the best!
Q. What sacrifices have you had to make to be a successful entrepreneur?
Ans. Too many to recount.
Q. Excluding yours, what company or business do you admire the most?
Ans. McDonalds. They are the Marketing Gurus, but, definitely not their food.
Q. Where do you see yourself and your business in 10 years? 20 years?
Ans. At the top of the world.
Q. If you were conducting this interview, what question would you ask?
Ans. I don’t know, this seems fine to me.