It has been true for a long time that brokers, realtors, and even demographers have considered only a very narrow number of factors in determining practice site viability.  Traditionally, this may have been due to a misunderstanding of how to interpret the available data.  We knew, for example, if the population surrounding a practice site was growing or shrinking. We certainly could tell if the competition around a location was increasing relative to the population.  Terrific!  But the science of demographic analysis has grown and deepened while the users of these numbers have not kept up.  And there is little surprise why this is so: it is heavy lifting!

I believe (as many researchers do) that we are heading for an economic downturn soon. The only way to thrive during these times is to get the research and then make a plan and THEN you have to stick to it. That is what this episode is all about. But you need to make your plans soon!

What goes up will invariably come down. It is a basic law of gravity, economics, and demographics. We can simply not hope that things will stay the same (either good or bad). Frankly, we are at a time when it appears the World is sliding into a Recession. This has long been predicted. So, with this in mind, we have to assume that there is going to be a "wobble."